Follow Focus/rods help

[Joe Stas]

Hi
I've never actually sued a follow focus and was looking at buying one. Possibly an RJ as they are probably within my budget.

My confusion is with the rods and how it all fits together on the camera. Excuse my ignorance, I've never touched these things before or seen them in the flesh.

If I bought something like this, can I just fit that on the bottom of my camera and use it straight away?
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/RJ-Follow-Focus-2-x-15mm-Carbon-Fiber-Rods-NEW-/170666905270?pt=UK_Consumer_Professional_RL&hash=item27bc8a4eb6#ht_2810wt_922

I have a spiderbrace at the moment too as a shoulder mount. It's cheap but serves it's purpose.

Thanks

[wgzn]

yeah. it will fit. the question is IS IT ANY GOOD?

you have to ask yourself if you think that a $120 version of something that usually costs $1200 is going to perform well?

im not saying it wont. but about the only thing worse than not having a follow focus, is having a bad one ; )

if you can afford the gamble that you MAY be throwing away your $120 i say its very worth a try.
but i'd expect that it wont move smoothly or deliver accurate stops.

[Joe Stas]

oh, sorry, no idea why, it works on my computer. It's an RJ follow focus and 2 15mm carbon rods.
I suppose I need something else. some kind of baseplate?

[Alex H.]

No... that follow focus needs a rail system for mounting. It also requires focusing gears for the lenses.

Here's how all these things work:

The camera is mounted to a riser plate. That riser plate has clamps on either side that hold rails. Other accessories, having the same clamp(s) can then be mounted to the rails in front of or behind the camera. These accessories include follow focus, matte box, shoulder mount, handles, counterweight, and tension arm. There are others as well.

The lens gear, one of which is included in the kit you linked, fits around the lens. The small gear on the follow focus locks with the lens gear. As for the camera riser, there's one pictured but not listed in the kit. I'd ask to be sure it's included. That said, and after watching a couple of the video reviews of the RJ, I'm not sure I'd buy one. It looks like it has way too much backlash, and the gear box that is packed full of grease kind of bothers me.

I think there may be a cheapie follow focus out there somewhere that offers a plate for mounting to a camera without rails, but it's been a while since I've seen that and I may be creating memories from nothing.

EDIT: I looked at a couple other reviews, and it appears that the backlash issue is very inconsistent. Some units are fine out of the box, and others are not. Again, not a confidence-builder in my opinion.

[wgzn]

No... that follow focus needs a rail system for mounting. It also requires focusing gears for the lenses.
alex, check his link again. it comes with rails and gears

[wgzn]

oh, sorry, no idea why, it works on my computer.
sorry joe. the link works. i guess it was just MY computer acting wonky...

[Alex H.]

alex, check his link again. it comes with rails and gears

Yeah... it comes with one lens gear. See my reply above, where I mention that.

And it's not the rails I wasn't sure came with the kit, it's the riser/base plate.

[Joe Stas]

Thanks guys. I wish I had a big budget, but I don't. This is a hobby and all the stuff I shoot is completely unpaid so I have to go budget a lot of the time unfortunately.

[wgzn]

where most of these budget follow focus units fall down is in backlash. if a follow focus doesnt stay were you stop it, it can pretty well ruin the whole reason to have it.

you can sometimes and in some situations just hold it at the stop point or learn to just go slightly beyond stop and let it rock into place.
but you have to decide if at that point, if its just easier to drive the lens by hand or if your uses will even accommodate that option...

[Jordan Scott Price]

I just shot the last project I will use the D|Focus on this past Sunday (with CP.2's on a F3). The backlash on that thing is so awful that I had to train myself to turn the whip an extra 30-45 degrees at the end of my focus pull just to hit focus. I shot everything inside at a minimum of F4.8 or F5.6 just so my sloppy follow focus didn't show up in the shot.

My RRM Blue comes in today.

I understand it's a hobby, but take heed that you may be far more frustrated than eased with something so relatively cheap. It would be like getting a T1i over a T2i. Sure, it's a few hundred dollars cheaper, but you lose complete manual control of exposure. Maybe you can work around that if you're not shooting for a living, but there are times it will absolutely frustrate you no matter your degree of involvement in the industry. It may be a "hobby," but there is no middle ground when it comes to professional film equipment - meaning, there are no "hobbyist" follow focus units like there are hobbyist point-and-shoot cameras for the common tourist.

The indie film market is way, way too small for any company to profit from making cheap AND reliable film accessories like follow focus units.

Just buy with caution. All of us have at one point bought something inexpensive and wish they had bucked up for the more expensive stuff because, in the end, it's far more reliable, far more cost-effective (you don't have to replace it in four months...D|Focus), and you have the peace of mind that the equipment attached to your camera will work - for a student, a hobbyist, or a professional.

[Joe Stas]

Thanks Jordan, that's good advice!

[Samuel H]

here's a review of the RJ followfocus - http://cheesycam.com/budget-follow-focus-reviewed-again/ - (if you're on a tight budget, bookmark that site, you'll love it) (also, I think my DFocus is working much better than what Jordan said, but I've never used a top-of-the-line follow focus so it is quite probable that I just don't know any better)

[wgzn]

the "budget follow focus" ive found that has the least backlash is the original indifocus. i had one for a couple of years and was reasonably happy with it.
http://www.indisystem.com/products/indiFOCUSpro.html
until i got my hands on a zacuto ; ) (for 5x the price)

[Samuel H]

also, on the issue of not buying crappy equipment that won't work for you, here's an extreme example... of a mattebox made by the same RJ brand: http://cheesycam.com/cheap-matte-box-dont-do-it/

[Jordan Scott Price]

I think my DFocus is working much better than what Jordan said, but I've never used a top-of-the-line follow focus so it is quite probable that I just don't know any better

Out of the gate, the D|Focus worked fine. It was great for DSLR's and very light shoots, as opposed to taxing 16-hour days, going handheld to the sticks to the slider to the jib, and using a variety of accessories like whips and cranks. It actually might be a GREAT buy for the OP, now that I really think about it.

The problem is, it's plastic. After about a dozen shoots (all DSLR, by the way), the gear started to warp, so it would dislodge from the lens gear during the take; the backlash started to INCREASE for no reason, to the point of being absolutely ludicrous; the wheel and gear box would rotate away from the lens completely (it's designed like that to go from rails to the optional D|Mount), and it was impossible to tighten with the world's smallest allen wrench; and its mostly plastic design made it incredibly delicate, not handling a long shoot well.

After opportunities to play with the Cinefocus, Arri MFF-1, and RRM's V2, it was hard to go back. I started shooting a short on the F3 with CP.2's, and the D|Focus just gave up completely. It is simply NOT made for cinema lenses, which have more resistance in their focus rings than your usual photo lenses on your DSLRs. The resistance exaggerated the backlash even more.

I bit the bullet and upgraded, but I also do this for a living. The OP may not need something with as many features or in that price bracket, and that's perfectly cool, as long as he shops smart. I completely forgot about indiFocus. That is actually a very nice unit for its price! I think that and the D|Focus, regardless of how much I knocked it, might be great for the OP. You can even spend $40 extra and get a D|Mount with your D|Focus to mount it to the base of the camera so you don't need rails.

OP, if you can save up a little more money, you will be exceedingly thrilled with Shoot35's Cinefocus. Depending on the exchange rate (they're based in England), you can get a Cinefocus for under $550. Shipping is lightning fast (I bought their out-freakin-standing CineBox matte box) and reasonably priced. Their products are immaculate, and other DVXusers will concur (send TimurCivan a message about them). Definitely the biggest bang for your buck in terms of "budget" follow focus units.

Good luck! You're in the right place to keep asking questions.

[LiamR]

I actually own an RJ Follow Focus so maybe I can be of assistance...

The thing is amazing, build quality is very good, mine does not backlash, rolls smooth! and is very easy to figure out how to use!
I didn't get my rails or baseplate in the same package deal, but I did buy my rails from that same eBay seller, I got the 20" carbon fiber rods! I am using a Berky Systems baseplate, but I am not using the FF on a DSLR, im using it on a FS100.

[Samuel H]

@Jordan: thanks for the detailed depiction of your experience with this item; reading that, I'll try to handle my unit with as much care as I can...