Focus Gearing the Nikon 17-35mm and 80-200mm?

[Kholi]

Do the Redrock gears work well? Anyone have a solution for Follow Focus?

=P I just realized that the 80-200mm that everyone's talkin' about has been sitting next to me this whole time. Must get 17-35mm and use them.

[myCharlie]

How does one pull a focus on a zoom lens that the lengths gets shorter or longer when zooming?

[Kholi]

Dunno, gonna find out today, though.

[Matty_g]

the redrock gears should work just fine on both of those kholi.

[Kholi]

Ah crud. I THOUGHT it was the 80-200 ED but it's the newer 70-200 ED IF VR, which doesn't have a manual Iris ring. Doh.

Still gonna take it out today, though, after locking the iris wide or at about F4 and see how sharp it is.

[cckid]

how do you lock the iris....I have had a nikon 105/2.8vr and I couldn't get it to work....with my letus....do you have any suggestions....is it possible to lock the nikon vr ed g lenses and somehow make them work on the letus ex....

[Kholi]

Yeah. Fold a piece of paper up thin yet "strong" (gonna take a few folds) then jam it between the iris slider on the mount-end of the lens til the lens is wide open or close to F4.

You can do this with anything that's thin and long enough. I say long because you don't wanna lose a piece of paper inside of the lens. That doesn't bode well. =P

[cckid]

Kholl hi,

thanks for the reply...but sounds a bit tricky to me....I might just switch my 105 vr lenses...for the previous one that has the iris ring...might be an easier solution...

[Kholi]

It definitely is an easier and more flexible solution. Just that if you don't want to do that (canon lens owners have been doing it for a while), there's the option of ghetto riggin it.

[Tim Naylor]

Do the Redrock gears work well? Anyone have a solution for Follow Focus?

=P I just realized that the 80-200mm that everyone's talkin' about has been sitting next to me this whole time. Must get 17-35mm and use them.

RRock gears look "bootleg" but really work well. Can't say enough about them. Cheap too. For FFocus, I use a Chrosziel DV. With such a short draw you'll want something that's ultra precise. In fact, you may want to consider getting a smaller gear as well. The Chrosziel is pricey (I got mine used, in new condition from someone on this site). It is worth it. Would love to find out more about SG's FF. One guy on this site measured freeplay at .3 mm, which is nothing short of amazing.

[Kholi]

RRock gears look "bootleg" but really work well. Can't say enough about them. Cheap too. For FFocus, I use a Chrosziel DV. With such a short draw you'll want something that's ultra precise. In fact, you may want to consider getting a smaller gear as well. The Chrosziel is pricey (I got mine used, in new condition from someone on this site). It is worth it. Would love to find out more about SG's FF. One guy on this site measured freeplay at .3 mm, which is nothing short of amazing.

Thanks for the info on the gears, Tim. I've used the Redrock gears and for what they are they work REALLY well on Nikon lenses.

I'm waiting on a remote FF, myself. Someone needs to drop one asap.

[Matty_g]

you don't wanna pay 20 grand for a new preston kholi?

[Kholi]

Yeah, I definitely can't wait to pay 20k for a Follow Focus.

[myCharlie]

So has anyone figure out a way to do FF on a zoom lens that does not have a fixed lengths?

[myCharlie]

So I guess there is no use for a FF on a zoom lens then, correct?

[Kholi]

There is, just that the throw is short anyway and no hard stops. I opted out of using the VR lens so I couldn't tell ya much.

[Charles Lowthian]

So has anyone figure out a way to do FF on a zoom lens that does not have a fixed lengths?

If you're talking about lenses which have a large focus pull that would be wider than a focus wheel, then you just have to manually set the wheel in a position that covers the range you require for the shot.
If you're wanting it for multiple shots with no time setup in between (doco), then yes, ahm... make a much much wider focus cog... glue a couple wheels together so it won't slip off?

Or if you're talking about the push pull zooms then ahm... get a non push pull zoom :D