CobraCrane 211210 CobraCrane I with Extension Kit

Comments about 211210 CobraCrane I with Extension Kit:

This piece of equipment works FANTASTIC. I just got one two weeks and ago and I absolutely love it. It does take some practice to use it and assemble the extension. I can tell by Jerry's description he doesn't understand how to attach the extension. You have to move the tripod plate to the next hole closer to center as stated in the very clear instructions. If you don't the cable will not reach. I found every bit of this equipment very well done including the thoughtful instructions. Worth every penny and more.

Comments about 211210 CobraCrane I with Extension Kit:

The Cobra Crane works well. It is a bit cumbersome to transport but it is GREAT to have such smooth boom shots.

Comments about 211210 CobraCrane I with Extension Kit:

This crane is heavy but is relatively inexpensive and well made. Works beautifully with my Sony hvr-z5u. Make sure when you set up for the extension, you do it outside. I hit the ceiling when I did it inside.

Comments about 211210 CobraCrane I with Extension Kit:

Very clever design, by replacing the additional bar to create "the parallelogram" needed to maintain the level of the camera, with a pulley/wire system, you gain an instant tilting function! It requires some practice but once you learned it, does a smooth job!
Sometimes the tilting mechanism slips at the extreme positions, and you notice that on the footage. You can overcome this issue by properly adjusting the tension of the wire, and of course more practice.

Comments about 211210 CobraCrane I with Extension Kit:

This is a great tool for commercial shoots easy to set up and easy to use. My only wish is that it had pan and tilt compatability.

Comments about 211210 CobraCrane I with Extension Kit:

excellent for low budget, but the Extension kit take too long time to Fix it .

Comments about 211210 CobraCrane I with Extension Kit:

holds camera steady after installing only one five pound weight.

Comments about 211210 CobraCrane I with Extension Kit:

I was impressed with this crane initially - though to mount my Panasonic AGDVX-100B camera and 7" monitor I had to go to [...] for some additional 1/3" and 1/4" bolts of varying lengths. Without the extension things were okay, but as I raise the camera the flimsy bll-bearing pulley tilts downward, resulting in non-level shots as you go up. I did not know that there was no manual tilt; you can adjust the pulleys (tediously) but certainly not during a shot. I spent hours getting my Bogun 3063 fluid head to accept the mount from this thing. The standard "universal" camera head plate was useless. What tripod would even accept it? After nearly breaking my fingers and fearful of overtightening, I did get everything to work. Adding 15# of counterwights (to the also thin bolt that holds them all on), I was in business. I quickly found that there is no brake or means of halting a shot. If your camera is not PERFECTLY balanced with counterweights, it will either drop (fast!) or tilt up to the highest point. Hopefully you won't hit a ceiling or allow the camera to drop to the ground. Now to the BAD part: After playing around for a few hours I decided to try the extension arm. I first ran all the video cables and varizoom cables (which took about 30 minutes) through the center tubing. There are barriers and the holes are small. It's worth noting that the one and two page photocopied instructions and images were poor and of low (almost useless) quality. The amost useless holes in the tripod mounting bracket/plate are poorly placed and almost incompatible with my Bogun/Manfrotto 3063 head.After putting the arm together and almost stripping the bolt that allows the camera plate to tilt, I found that that longer-length cable to auto-tilt the camera WAS NOT LONG ENOUGH. It's almost an inch too short. The included parts are not correct to lengthen the cable. In fact, without the cable you cannot use this arm. A replacement cable is [$] or so and I'm certainly not blowing more money on that. I'm sending this whole lousy thing back and going for another brand. It was a huge letdown. I can use it without the extension but then what did I buy the over $125 more extension for? I had sugh high hopes for this product and the other two reviews sealed the deal for me. Also, I bought the $39.95 mounting bracket. What a joke! It's 3" of metal with two holes in it with a 3/8" bolt on one end and a 1/4" in the other. Again, it didn't have the correct length or type of bolts to attach to my monitor so even if I kept this crane I'd send this accessory back. Do yourself a favor and skip this thing.

Comments about 211210 CobraCrane I with Extension Kit:

The CobraCrane is very well built, and it is easy to assemble. I got some great crane shots on the first day of using it. An EXCELLENT tool.

The only problem is that you MUST have a very heavy-duty tripod for it. The crane was left on my tripod overnight and it hurt the panning on it, probably stripped something.

Also, to counter balance your system, it is necessary to go out and buy weights. It was made for use with the same kind of weights used on a bench press bar. But once you do, it is so balanced it could be left for hours unmoving, completely balanced. Weights cost me $18.00 for a 6.5 pound camera.

Comments about 211210 CobraCrane I with Extension Kit:

As an event videographer this piece of equipment gets a lot of attention. People are instantly impressed with it and for good reason. It gets great shots and is a life saver when you need to get over a lot of heads for a good shot. It's small and very light weight so it's easy to travel with. The only down side is that it is a bit flimsy. But it's worth it having something I can carry up a flight of stairs by myself.