An illustration taken from the
ColorTran Mini-Crab's owner's manual. This photo shows front and both sideboards attached, extra seat and miscellaneous head mounts. Click on this image to enlarge.
Many people have e-mailed me asking what one could expect to pay for a working ColorTran Mini-Crab Dolly. After surveying the equipment houses and talking with my connections in production circles, I have gathered the following values. These figures are based on actual sales made over the past few years. These values don't reflect the occasional 'barn-finds' or private sales.
The values below have been revised on 9/15/19. They are much lower than first posted. This is due to the fact that digital equipment (RED/4K, etc.) is becoming much more portable and the affordability of smaller-sized support equipment, i.e., Glidecam and Steadicam equipment has become more affordable.
For instance, there's a Mini-Crab currently going (on-line) in the $2500.00 range. This is by no means 'cheap', but considering the cost of a used Sachtler Video-20 P fluid-head ($3K on eBay), the Mini-Crab Dolly is still a great bargain in the camera support category.
ColorTran Mini-Crab Dolly Resale Values (revised 9/15/19) Dolly kits below must include the hydraulic pedestal and steering control.
- Mint with carrying case and all accessories...........................$1700.00
- Excellent condition, with some accessories...........................$1500.00
- Good condition, fully operational...........................................$1200.00
- Fair condition, fully operational...............................................$800.00
- Poor condition, rolling but in need of an overhaul...................$400.00
Keep in mind there were only about 250 of the sophisticated Mini-Crab dollies made as compared to the less-advanced Elemack where production totals ran into the thousands.
It is in my humble opinion that inventor William Sargent of SarKell out-designed Mr. Sante Zelli's Elemack. I say this with confidence because I've used both, the Elemack (Spyder & Cricket) with Panavision cameras and the ColorTran with an older Arri-35BL-4 and a Mitchell SR35.
Granted, the Elemack out-sold the ColorTran Mini-Crab (quite possibly because Elemack listed at almost $2,000 less), but the way I look at it, back then, the Chevy Corvette also out-sold the Aston-Martin DB4. I'm not sure about you, but as for me, I would much rather be tooling behind a DB4 than a Vette any day!
Out of the roughly 250 Mini-Crabs that were originally built (nearly 50 years ago), it's been said, only about 75 to 100 complete dollies still exist. For me, that's one more reason owning a ColorTran Mini-Crab desirable...they're extremely rare!
