indiSystem indiGO-JIB 8-Foot Jib for Mini DV Cameras & Video Production (Container weight included)

This jib arm arrived in a timely manner. Packing was just barely adequate. It is more beefy than i expected! Definaty not flimsy. The outboard arm (end holding the camera) collapses into itself So that the length is adjustable and the unit can be made shorter fot travel. The inboard arm (end with the counter weight) is fully detachable and connects with a single bolt and wingnut. Although very strongly constructed a little more precison in the fit of the square tubes would make this unit easier to set up. The moving parts have plenty of precision, its just that the outboard arm is a little difficult to extend. I am tempted to lubricate the extending part of the arm to make it easier to extend. However, i would then have to include gaffers gloves to keep my hands clean for handeling the camera.

This a one and one half person set up. By that i mean i am able to set up the jib on my own but it would be a lot easier with two people. It is very easy to pinch your thumb during set up and take down. I did it twice.

The square water bottle counterbalance with the hole in the middle is genius. It came with 2 bottles. To balance a naked Canon 5D Mk2 with fully extended arm, I had to fully fill one bottle and full the 2nd bottle with about 2 inches of water. To balance the 5D2 with rails & follow focus, the 2nd bottle was half filled. The counterbalance arm also has an extension of about 6 in for fine tuning the balance. However, it is such a snug fit that it also needs some lubrication to work smoothly and be able to make very small adjustments

Once set up, operation is very smooth. I did an indoor and outdoor test and was very pleased with the operation as well as the results.

I would have gladly paid another 10 bucks for a cheap injection molded case. This unit is too heavy to fit in a light stand case without bruising the other contents. Since this is designed to be a portable unit the lack of a case is an omission.

So, if not for lack of precision of the sliding parts for set up and the omission of a cheap case, this would be a five star rating. One other comment, i will probably purchase the smaller "Coke bottle" jib from the same seller for air travel use. It is advertised as 5 pounds and small enough to collapse into an airline carry on bag. This jib is defiantly too large for airline travel unless you have a big travel budget and sherpas.