News: Awesome DIY Camera Crane

Presentational video for our DIY Camera Crane project.

Me and my friend built this crane couple of months ago in our garage using only ordinary materials from hardware shop. The overall cost of the crane was about 200$, when cranes of the same weight capacity may cost from 1000$.

Featuring:

• Two meters long crane boom
• Tilting system for camera
• Rotating base with ball bearings for extra smooth camera movements
• Adjustable level for camera
• Adjustable counterweight system for quick and precise balance
• Both horizontal and vertical movement can be locked in case you don't need it
• Quick release plate for tripod
• Can be disassembled into several basic parts to save transporting space

Description:

The crane was built from heavy duty materials which allow it to support not only light cameras, but also full and heavy rigs without any problem. The Blackmagic Cinema Camera rig we used in this video is about 5-6kg. As you can see from the presentation video, the camera moves are extremely stable. The heavy construction of the crane help it in many ways. If a crane is balanced, you can operate it easily just with a tips of your fingers and momentum and gravity will do all the job for you.

All the materials used you can found in pretty much every hardware shop. Most of the crane is held together with bolts, only the U-bracket, which supports the center of the crane was welded together. For weight we used ordinary gym weights. Painted in black to make it look nicer and protect metal from rust.

Tripod we are using is one we already have. It has ball head so crane can be easily leveled and also we are using quick release plate so you can quick remove the crane from the tripod and use it just with your camera.

Gallery:

Here are some more detailed pictures of the crane.

The rotation base with ball bearings. As one of the most important parts of the crane, it was designed to be very strong and durable.

Rotation base assembled with U-shaped frame to support the crane.

Rear part of the crane with counterweight. By moving it back or forth you can adjust the balance very precisely.

Crane in full assembly. It can be easily operated by one person but it is always better and faster to operate it with at least two people.

Soon we are planning to build a dolly to support this crane on tracks so we can make even cooler camera moves.

Hope it will inspire your own DIY builds. If you have any questions or want an advice feel free to ask us.

Thank you.