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  • Hey all, just changed over the backend after 15 years I figured time to give it a bit of an update, its probably gonna be a bit weird for most of you and i am sure there is a few bugs to work out but it should kinda work the same as before... hopefully :)

How smooth is Danna Dolly?

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Alexey Datsenko

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Could you tell me please
How smooth is Dana Dolly? Is there any microshake?
I know many people tell good reviews about Danna Dolly but I am not sure it is very very smooth or just good.
I like Danna Dolly for it's compactness and multifunctionality but the most important thing is of course very very smooth movements without any shaking.
Who works with Danna Dolly tell me please is there any even microshake with Danna Dolly?
I see some footages from Danna Dolly but it can't tell that there is no any shake with Danna Dolly.

For example can Danna Dolly make such smooth movement as on video below? Or maybe need to looking for something else to be sure in very very smooth movement?

 
I think the bumps on 45s, 50s, 53s etc. in the video you posted tells you just how good it is. Those shakes are pretty big in my eyes atleast..
 
It's as good as you operate it.
A few things for dollies that I do not understand is why they all have 4 wheels, as 3 wheeled dolly runs much smother even if the tracks are un even. Kind of like a chair with 4 legs always have a little wobbelness to it which a chair with 3 legs do not have.

But exept for that, it basically it all comes down to how a dolly is used. If you add plenty of weight onto it you will have a much smother ride as you momentum increase. Then when working with sliders you should kind of avoid panning and tilting while making the move. When doing such moves you want a programable unit or a real dolly where the operator goes with for the ride, as the force from paying/tilting is affecting the force pushing the dolly. Same goes for manual focus... you kind of need remote focus to handle it.

So there is a quite a few reasons for the big usage of fisher dollys and such, they do not only look big heavy and cool, their weight is actually a part of their functionality and the idea of having the operators sitting on the unit is a major feature.

So if you just want straight moves without pan and tilt and use remote focus then a slider works well if you put enough weight onto it.

Another thing to consider, as long as you are not doing any macro work or such the gitter or "bumps" you get is usually super easy to remove in post.
 
I was introduced to these guys on a shoot in china. While its a little more light weight than the Dana Dolly, its way more versatile.

http://dollybros.com/

What I really like about them is you have a complete 8' slider/dolly system in one case. really easy to travel with.
 
We have a dana dolly and use it on 8' schedule 40 pipe. Microshake? I am not sure what you mean exactly,
for me I find it butter smooth with no noticeable shake at all. The Dana dolly wheels are ground to something like 1/1000th of an inch.
If you need something smoother than that, get ready to pay serious money.

From the dd website:
<<<The Dana Dolly V2.0 is now made of 6061 Aluminum finished Black to cut down on reflectivity. The bottom of the plate is milled out to cut down on overall weight, while not compromising strength. The triangle trucks are welded aluminum, finished black. The wheels are custom made soft, then turned down to be round within 1/1000 of an inch (thinner than a human hair) to eliminate the "bounce" that normal skateboard wheels give. The turning process also helps keep down the squeak that some dollies experience. We have our bearings specially made to compliment the wheels. The dolly wheels are designed soft to give a very smooth, squeak free move with any size camera,>>>

As always, YMMV so it might be worth a rental.
 
It's incredibly smooth. Really. You won't be disappointed.
 
Just added a Dana to the arsenal last week... buttery smooth.
 
It is more of a slider than a dolly. Very stable and the 16 skate wheels make the movement extremely smooth. The best part is you can use it with standard speed rail so you are not schlepping track all over the world.
 
Alexey Datsenko said:
How smooth is Dana Dolly? Is there any microshake?
Click to expand...

I can chime in on this. As Björn stated adding weight to any dolly system can help improve smoothness and create more inertia and momentum when moving. In my experience with dollies and sliders much of the "microshake" you are describing comes from several factors:

- Hard wheels against a hard track
- Uneven track
- Out of whack wheel position
- Top heavy rigs against a slim camera platform (surface area of wheel base versus camera/fluid head length)
- Incorrect operation of the move or camera platform
- Unbalanced fluid heads
- Too much tension on the fluid head
- Dirty wheels/track
- Uneven track or not level track

So with all that said, what helps get the Dana Dolly their smooth moves is that wider camera platform and wider wheel base. Meaning if you have a tiny platform and a camera that not only weighs a bit but is also built high above the platform itself you are sort of trying to balance a pyramid on it's tip. Nearly everything you do might induce slight vibrations into the equation. A wider platform helps increase the surface area and spread out the load, creating a smoother operation.

Dana Dolly's wheels are indeed the dampening agent on the track itself. Not only does this help absorb shock, but it also increases inertia to provide a little push back towards your move. Meaning if you have it balanced and leveled, you can apply constant force and the dolly won't run away from you. Additionally, you can produce a light shove and generate a bit of momentum with a nice smooth roll off to the motion.

When talking about larger dolly and track systems that huge amount of weight of potentially the camera rig and operator allow for similar functionality. Weight distribution is usually centered or focused towards the lower part of the platform (which is why some janky portable dollies suck because the weight isn't distributed properly). That's essentially what you're looking to recreate on a smaller scale with a slider or compact dolly. However, too compact and light weight you'll be finding yourself in a battle between forces. Adding motors really helps with this of course.

Also, focusing on getting the camera action smooth with the fluid head is important in any move. If you have too much tension/friction you'll find your your moves to be a bit jerky due to the inconstant force applied to the fluid across the duration of your move. Usually that means a "looser" fluid head adjustment might be better. You still want a bit of friction, but not so much that your are combating the camera move itself.

Smaller platforms that have success usually are designed in a "locked in track" where the potential vertical vibration is absorbed by the addition of a top rail or additional set up wheels that grab the track.
 
People worry about the "micro vibrations" and want rubber wheels etc. It's actually so that these high frequency low amplitude shakes are very easy to remove in post by tracking the shot and take out the gitter over five frames or such. The real problem with dolly move shakes are the once with long frequency, that goes more like a swaying wave kind of moment, those are much harder to process away in post. So small hard wheels are actually better than big soft ones even if it might feel opposite when you shoot. That is the reason for the milo to have aluminum wheels when being on moytrack.

So hard wheels and short distance from track to lens is what to strive for. and a good stable / straight track of course.
 
Love mine too. Very smooth. Is there any ready made kits to motion control the dana dolly?
 
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