Tilta Hydra Arm Mini Basic Kit - V Mount

The Tilta Hydra Arm Mini Basic Kit is the car-mounted camera crane in its basic form — the arm itself with both axis modules, remote control, cabling and tools. The 387 cm arm reaches 450 cm high, carries 10 kg including the gimbal and turns 360° in six seconds, with no counterweight. The vehicle mounting (suction cups, speed rails, monitor brackets) belongs to the Pro kit, not to this one.

The Hydra Arm Mini is a camera crane that mounts on a car roof and carries a gimbal with a camera while the vehicle is moving. The Basic Kit is the arm itself — both axis modules, the shock absorbing arm, the controller, cabling and tools. Vehicle mounting hardware — suction cups, speed rails and straps — is bought separately or comes with the Pro Kit.

Key features

Pro mode

The arm and the gimbal can be driven at the same time from one controller, and the joystick supports several control configurations. The mode needs the wireless receiver module, sold separately.

Configurable suction cup placement

The cups are placed to suit the shape of the roof, in small and large sizes and in several layouts. That covers most vehicles, panoramic roofs included.

Low weight

The mounting brackets are made of high-strength carbon fibre composite with an optimised structure. That is why the arm needs no counterweights.

Modular build

The kit breaks down into modules, so it goes together and packs away quickly. Between locations it travels without dismantling the whole rig.

Smaller cases

The cases are laid out to meet the oversized baggage rules of most commercial airlines.

Good to know

The arm is designed for the DJI RS 2 and RS 3 Pro gimbals but also works with the DJI Ronin 4D, Ronin MX and Freefly MoVI Pro. Another gimbal can be used if it mounts on a 1/4"-20 thread, runs on a V-Mount battery and stays within the payload limit.

The counterweight-free design shortens setup and is safer to operate: at any moment only one end of the arm needs watching.

The shock absorbing arm steadies the gimbal over rough surfaces and is set to the weight of the payload. Damping in the arm head can be tuned separately for the horizontal and the vertical axis.

The controller connects by cable, which is more reliable than a wireless link. It gives the operator speed, damping and range limits separately for the tilt and the pan axis; preferred settings can be stored.

Under ideal conditions the system takes speeds of up to 120 km/h. The manufacturer recommends 60 km/h or less, especially with a heavier camera or a lighter gimbal — camera weight, gimbal stiffness and weather decide.

The arm passes neither power nor video through. Video has to be sent wirelessly (transmitter not included) and the camera powered from its own batteries or from the battery plate on the arm.

The system needs a 220 V power supply of 1800 W or more. It is not included.