First test with the CobraCrane Backpacker

I received the CobraCrane Backpacker last week, I picked it up for a trip to Mexico I’m taking in June. I’ll be going to some fairly remote places, with no crew, and wanted something I could handle and carry myself. A full review will be coming once I put it through more tests, but here’s the first thing I shot with it and some early bullet points.

My daughter’s ballet class danced at my church’s Good Friday service, I was able to put the crane in a few places during rehearsal to edit into the actual performance.

Here are my initial thoughts on the Backpacker after shooting with a Canon 7D with an 18mm-55mm stock lens (came with my T2i).

- Stronger/heavier/more robust than I expected. I guess in my mind I had an idea that something called the “Backpacker” would be lightweight. As far as cranes/jibs go it’s very light, but it’s not nearly as flimsy as I expected it to be. I’d call this a pleasant surprise.

- A *little* wobbly. Part of this is my tripod, but there’s also some wobble where the arm connects to the plate. It looks like it might be able to be tightened a bit, but the metal is already bent a bit and I don’t want to stress it further.

- The jib is VERY easy to use. After about 30 minutes I was able to get very comfortable with it and get some great shots. It’s very smooth.

- The 3 feet you get from the tripod gives more movement that I expected, but I’ll still be getting the extension kit ASAP.

All in all, I’m incredibly impressed with the Backpacker for the price. More to come!