A year ago, I evaluated the K-Tek "Traveler" boom poles. They are my favorite little booms and are perfect for saving space while packing, because they can fit into most camera bags. That said, as I was perusing the array of poles and accessories on the K-Tek website, one particular pole stuck out to me as pretty much the coolest thing I'd ever seen. I've been wanting to get my hands on one ever since, and that day finally came a few months ago when K-Tek was kind enough to provide us with their KA-113CCR. The greatest part about this pole is the fact that it's articulated, which means it has a locking hinge mechanism roughly 2/3 of the way from the bottom. This presents the operator with a new set of options not available with straight poles. Made of carbon fiber, the pole is lightweight and strong, and the rubberized dimpled collars are easy to grasp whether wet, dry, hot, or cold. The CCR designation on this particular model means it comes internally wired with a mic cable and a side-exit XLR jack with gold-plated connectors at the bottom. Also at the bottom is a very useful rubber "mushroom" base that makes it easy to rest the pole on the ground, your foot, or your belt line and swivel the mic around with ease.
The KA-113CCR Articulated Boom Pole provides extreme stability, precision, and comfort for the audio person during long shooting days.
Ease of Use
Think about this with me for a second. You're on a weekend shoot working a couple of long days because that's quite simply the only time you and your crew are all available (sound familiar?). You've resigned yourself to killing someone’s arms (either your own or your audio guy’s) because, well, that's just how it is when you hold a boom that long! Now imagine the possibility of getting the mic in the right place without lifting the boom at all! With this articulated boom pole, it’s possible (for shots where the subjects aren't moving around much) to just plant the rubber bottom end on the floor or your shoe and have this pole set up to come up, then out over their heads. Set the mic at the proper angle and all you have to do is stand there and hold the vertical portion of the pole. You can swivel the mic back and forth a bit by simply turning the pole with that same hand if necessary. This provides one-hand operation, freeing up your other hand to run a portable mixer or even the camera in situations where you may be wearing multiple hats.
During those times when you do actually have to pick up the pole, you'll appreciate its 2.3 lbs. weight. Adjusting the length is a snap. Simply loosen the easy to grip collars, slide the telescoping segments to the desired length, and re-tighten the collars.
The only negative in ease of use is that the locking mechanism on the hinge was a bit (okay, very) stiff at first. However, once it’s been properly broken in, the pole works quite nicely. (For the breaking in process, taking the pressure off of it by moving the shorter section of the pole a bit does help.) While the breaking-in process is a little inconvenient, I simply mark it up to heavy duty components in the build, which is a very good thing. Otherwise, I could see the hinge being a weak spot.
Besides bending over top of obstacles, the articulated boom can be positioned underneath obstacles, like this tripod that needs to stay in place for this scene.
Depth of Options
The KA-113 has four telescoping sections below the hinge and two above, providing a max length of nearly 9.5 feet (287 cm). The articulated design provides five locking positions at 90, 112.5, 135, 157.5, and 180 degrees, so you can use it in one of the four angled positions or as a straight boom. This flexibility allows the microphone to be placed anywhere you want (as long as it's outside the frame, of course!). Even greater, it allows the boom pole to work around many types of obstructions!
A year ago, I evaluated the K-Tek "Traveler" boom poles. They are my favorite little booms and are perfect for saving space while packing, because they can fit into most camera bags. That said, as I was perusing the array of poles and accessories on the K-Tek website, one particular pole stuck out to me as pretty much the coolest thing I'd ever seen. I've been wanting to get my hands on one ever since, and that day finally came a few months ago when K-Tek was kind enough to provide us with their KA-113CCR. The greatest part about this pole is the fact that it's articulated, which means it has a locking hinge mechanism roughly 2/3 of the way from the bottom. This presents the operator with a new set of options not available with straight poles. Made of carbon fiber, the pole is lightweight and strong, and the rubberized dimpled collars are easy to grasp whether wet, dry, hot, or cold. The CCR designation on this particular model means it comes internally wired with a mic cable and a side-exit XLR jack with gold-plated connectors at the bottom. Also at the bottom is a very useful rubber "mushroom" base that makes it easy to rest the pole on the ground, your foot, or your belt line and swivel the mic around with ease.
