Alex Cherney was using a Polarie the night of the Malin Awards at the Dish and he had a Nikon D3s + 14-24 sitting on it, albeit only using it for Az panning that night so therefore not straining it at all. I think it might struggle with that weight though doing polar tracking because of the angles involved. So it depends what you want to use it for. After seeing it in action I think I'll get a Polarie for panning then maybe another EQ mount system to take the heavy equipment for polar tracking. The Polarie is so small it will be great for travelling. I'll get one for my possible round the world trip next year!
If Alex doesn't reply to this send him a message and ask him for his thoughts. I'd be interested to know more from him about it too!
What do other award winning animators use, such as Phil Hart and Colin Legg?