It’s easy to get infatuated with the more advanced mounting gear, like jib arms, dollies, and Steadicams. But those are advanced devices that are not all that useful to the beginning camera operator. In fact, they can be a distraction, because playing with these toys can get in the way of learning the fundamentals.

In brief, a dolly is anything with wheels that carries a camera. A jib arm (or camera jib), is like a giant see-saw—with the camera on one end, and a counterweight on the other. And a Steadicam (or its imitators) are shock-absorber like devices worn by a camera operator.