Most professional camera dollies cost well over USD$2000 and are too big and heavy to be transported in a regular car. This is why I got excited about the CAME-TV dolly.
This one is made out of a stainless steel frame. It comes with a detachable handle and four sets of wheels – a total of sixteen wheels. This is why it can support the weight of a full-size film camera, camera operator and assistant. You can even mount a camera jib onto its telescoping arm. Yet, it all folds down into such a small package that transporting it is not a problem on indie productions.
I often get asked why I use a dolly when I have a 3-axis camera gimbal. Yes, a gimbal, or a steadicam, for that matter, allow you more freedom when moving. The main advantage of using a dolly, though, is that you can always repeat the exact camera move with precision. This, in turn, allows for focus marks to be set up and, also, for the camera assistant to ride along with the camera operator. This way, one person carefully operates the framing of the shot while the other pulls focus – especially useful in shots where being an inch off can make the shot so blurry it will be unwatchable.
Dollies are also way more stable than any gimbal, which allows for the use of long zoom lenses and heavy camera rigs.
Here is today’s video
You can buy the dolly on CAME-TV’s website.
The dolly is designed for the 62 cm dolly track systems. It can handle the max load of 300 kilograms. Also, the main platform has dimensions of 100 x 80 x 12 cm (39″ x 31.5″ x 4.7″), which allows the dolly to operate in tight spaces and even pass through doorways.
Tom,
I came across this and I believe these to be more affordable.
http://www.cinerails.com/
-Rey
How many sections of straight tracks and curved tracks did you use, to do in the shot going from driver side of the van, to the passenger side of the van? I’m trying to figure out the number of straight and curved section I’ll need to buy at a minimum. Thanks!