$14 lens gears plus some tape

[thekreative]

I've waited a month to post this just to check that they work alright, and they do. I've bought Zacuto zip gear replacement belts.

http://store.zacuto.com/zip-gear-replacement.html

Then I tape them with auto moulding tape ( double sided foam tape.... very sticky). Leaving the backside tape on i measure the lens and cut the belt with a razor blade. I then stick the gear to the lens and then tape over the gear to hold it all in place over night. The great thing about the foam tape is that it holds to the belt tightly but just rolls off the lens if you want it off.

I could see Zacuto stop seling the belts for so cheap after seeing how well this works. With the right measuring I've got all my lenses to fit perfectly all the way around including the joint.

The pictures are of a Contax Zeiss 28 2.8 I just did. I took the pictures to sell the lens it but thought I better post the how-to in the DIY.

 

[jakobim]

shhhh thy will up there price =p

 

[vcfilms]

Awesome, I've been thinking about doing this for while so I'm glad to hear it works. So there's no play with the gear? What brand of tape did you use?

Thanks

 

[thekreative]

It is gray 3M trim tape from a 3M Trimline shop but you should be able to get it from any auto supply store. The gear belt ends up very snug on the lens.

 

[nosys70]

nope, price down to $12, but international shipping is insanely high ($60 lowest) for an item that can fit into a small enveloppe.

 

[Andreus]

Does this actually work when you put it on a follow focus? The doesn't slip or buckle?

 

[LuckyStudio 13]

Does it leave sticky residue on the lens if we remove the foam tape?

 

[thekreative]

After a month there was no residue. It might be the quality of the 3M tape. I live in Canada and when I ordered it was $78 for shipping but I phoned and it was 2 day shipping and $12.

As for slipping it is very snug. The new snap gears I would think have a bit of play with the thick pieces of foam but this seems to me to work really well.

It's cheap enough to try out for most people.

 

[j]

Nice.

 

[tinalyd]

Yes I totally agree with you nosys70. The shipping is way too high. So anyone with some European links for the Zacuto zip gear replacement ( read copy ) will be the hero of the month. In general we need links to European online stores. Please!! help us out.

 

[twocik23]

Here's a FF I made for fun 4 - 5 years ago out of a cheap $12 fishing reel and a $5 RC gear. I used a hole saw to cut out the inside of the gear. I made a latch out of two pieces of scrap metal, few screws, and a spring. The lens gear is adjustable to fit almost any size lens, worked great.

 

[thekreative]

Adorama has the gears with realistic shipping costs!

 

[j]

The infamous fisherman follow focus...

 

[therager]

Plenty of places sell these:

http://www.google.com/products?q=Z-ZG-16R

How well does that tape hold up? Is there any play when trying to pull accurate focus?

 

[thekreative]

I've had no problem with play. Seem to be working for me. The foam is very thin.

 

[shaunstander]

Check out my tutorial..

Check out my tutorial..

Pretty good idea, but check this out this will last longer and be more durable in the heat.. also about $15 per lens..

Tutorial
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EIPFc48sQLA

 

[j]

Good link.