By Technical Editor Matt Allard:
Japanese company Cinemax have shown what they are calling “The World’s first high performance dolly with lift, swivel and forward and backwards motion.” Designed to use a small footprint the Katana allows the operator to get crane shots as well as letting the camera either move forward or backwards creating a sense of depth.
The Katana is an interesting concept and it would be interesting to see how it performs on location. Equipped with V-groove bearings it was very smooth and easy to operate from the limited time I had using it. It can also be used as a Cross Slider Dolly by being placed on optional leg attachments or on two tripods.
The Katana weighs in at 12kg and has a range of motion of 90cm vertically and 64cm horizontally. The maximum load is 7kg making it suitable for a wide variety of cameras. The Katana kit does not include a tripod, fluid head or counter weights. They are sold separately.
You can find out more at Cinemax
