Don't waste your money on a follow focus.

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Philip,

You can go handheld from time to time but definitely not all the time... and most people don't have the Zakuto gear to begin with. I would argue one of the things to take into account when going with an adaptor is to forget the notion of easy hand held work. Tripod is the norm.


StrobeMedia,

You can't use the camera's auto focus feature with an adaptor because the camera focus remains set on the adaptor's ground glass and works as a telecine scanner. Therefore you don't use the camera's focus at all. You only pull focus on the lenses which are mounted on the adaptor. These lenses are not powered and are therefore meant to be used manually.
 
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now did you have the version 2 follow focus from Redrock? (the newest)

I was actually looking for reviews on that but how is the weight ?
you said it's heavy but do you know how much it weights?
 
why do you need 2 people to operate a camera when using a follow focus? is that if you're doing anything besides a static shot that requires refocusing?
 
I actually think FF is important with or without an AC. I think the only time FF should not be used is if you're trying to achieve a certain look in your film -- a frenetic action scene docu-style where the camera is trying to adapt to the situation just like our protaganist is.

But in the interest of typical storytelling, in scenes when you don't want the camera to have a perspective of its own, FF is key.

And to Strobe's point about auto focus -- it just isn't quick enough. Even if a DSLR or the Scarlet came out with an auto-focus option (heck, the DSLRs might have one, I don't know), it isn't fast enough for moderately-fast pans. The only way auto would work is if you panned pretty darned slowly in every shot and the lighting between the pan didn't change one iota -- and that would just leave some tired pacing, ya know?
 
Strobe Media said:
why do you need 2 people to operate a camera when using a follow focus? is that if you're doing anything besides a static shot that requires refocusing?
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You don't need two people. If you have two people it simply makes it easier for you as the camera man to focus on the framing, instead of the framing AND the FF.

As always, the more (skilled) people you have to help you make your film the easier your film will be. But, let's be real, Clerks was shot on FILM (no benefit of insta-dailies ala digital) with two underachievers behind the camera, and they managed to keep the thing in pretty tight focus most of the time.

More (skilled) hands = easier film

Less hands = more difficult film.

In the end, though, either way the results will be what YOU make.
 
jason.adams, neither the tripod nor the boom are optional. Both are necessary. Stop these ridiculous comparisons to a follow focus which is truly optional and I believe unecessary. This is not a school of thought but an honest conclusion based on hands on experience.
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apparently sarcasm did not translate.

My point is that it is silly to argue the validity of any piece of support gear with statement like"don't waste your money on." If you don't want to pull focus with a FF then don't. But to suggest that somehow generations and generations of DP's and AC's have been snowed into the clever lie from the man that they need a FF is silly.

If you want to pull focus by hand or train a monkey to do it that's fine. Just don't suggest the rest of the world is somehow wasting their resources because you prefer monkey focus and they prefer follow focus.
 
I got handheld with my rig quite often....and I don't have any type of grips or shoulder support. It's far from "impossible".

I think your beef comes form over-extending your budget and buying accessories based on other people's recommendations. Assuming you had a well-equipped Panavision Gold, you've spent time with real glass and real equipment. ....why expect modest prosumer components to compete?
 
mastiboulance said:
You can go handheld from time to time but definitely not all the time... and most people don't have the Zakuto gear to begin with. I would argue one of the things to take into account when going with an adaptor is to forget the notion of easy hand held work. Tripod is the norm.
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95% of my work is hand held with a 35mm system on my DVX. It's really quite easy...
 
awelgraven said:
I was watching a behind the scenes bit about Eternal Sunshine, and there was an AC pulling focus with a whip. So idk if that's entirely true.
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That AC is a bloody genius.... He held Jim carreys eyes in focus through more HH camera movement mixed with Actor movement.... that i thought was possible....

I wanna hire that guy though his dayrate my be higher than half of the crew... haha...
 
mastiboulance said:
I'm not naive. I know many people here endorse or represent equipment manufacturers. So I'm obviously swiming upstream. I just tend to post threads which I believe could have been useful for me prior to purchasing anything. So I hope others can benefit from my point of view before embarking on a spending binge. I truly believe follow focus for a 35mm adaptor is an unecessary piece of equipment. That is what I believe. Now I'm not posting this for money or to please Redrock. I post this as additional information for those who are thinking of buying a FF. Now it's up to them.
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I think your whole thread is a big joke. You wanted to see if you could get a rise out of people and it worked. You're so provocative I get short of breath. Even a complete fool would see the immediate advantages of a follow focus and a matte box. Statements along the lines:"filters are hardly necessary" or something like that, just speaks or arrogance and ignorance or just a joke. And the 35mm feature on Panavision line. Load o' crap. You never touched it or saw how they use the follow focus and mattebox. Your comment on not being able to do hand held with a 35mm adaptor is a dead give away. Anyone who's spent money on these things knows there are many hand held rigs out there. So again, you're either super naive or just an agent provocatuer.

Can't wait for your next post about the uselessness of batteries and lenses.
 
Tim Naylor said:
I think your whole thread is a big joke.
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I concur on that one Tim... even the title of this thread is one of the most ridiculous things I think I've ever heard on this forum... a bold statement at the least... But I stick by my last post on here; since your FF is such a waste of your time and money, I'd be more than willing to take it off your hands for the right price. PM me if you're interested.

mastiboulance said:
Only on very rare occasions does one have flares or does one require filters.
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I like how he says things like "does one need this, or does one need that" as if speaking for the entire filmmaking community.. If one didn't need filters, why would they be so expensive and used on basically every major shoot in existence. Lol, I don't think I've ever seen BTS photos of a major shoot where the cam didn't have a matte box and FF on it (correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm willing to put it out there and say that about 90-95% of major shoots probably use both of these unnecessary toys).


-Patrick
 
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The only thing about this thread which is ridiculous is the fact many of you are behaving as if you represented follow focus manufacturers. I think if it is my opinion that follow focus units are impractical for 35mm adaptors then that opinion is no more ridiculous than that of those who believe FF units are practical. The right to disagree is not ridiculous.

Now I will state again for the record that I believe the expense of a FF unit is not justifiable because:

1) It undermines the point and shoot ease of use of many zoom lenses.
2) It adds substantial front end weight to the camera.
3) It requires all lenses to be furnished with lens gear.
4) It requires constant readjustments whenener a lens is changed or when a zoom is adjusted.
5) It requires a tiring and long re-adjustment whenever the AC changes camera sides.
6) It is large and its gear tends to limit the Mattbox positioning flexibility.
7) The focus pulling on the lens is often easier than with the FF because of the AC positioning variants.
8) The constant adjustments can over time cause wear and tear damage to the gear, rods, and lens.

Now these reasons are no more ridiculous than any others. They are personal observations. The purpose of these forums is to get opinions which are not marketing promotions. May the force be with you.
 
if you post saying you don't need a follow focus and then complain when people disagree with you then why post?

This is your third username that I have seen you use Anton. You have been JuJufactory and Nimborde before and now you are mastiboulance. How many before that? Why? This is the problem with forums that don't use real names. Under those previous names you were provocative and wound people up. Come on, isn't it time to change the nature of your posts?

There are some pro people on here giving their opinions. You didn't ask a question you made a statement so don't complain when people disagree with you Anton.

Regards and enjoy your Letus.

Philip

P.S. I look forward to your thread entitled "Don't waste your money on a tripod, it's so much easier and quicker to shoot handheld"
 
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I've been wondering what his latest user name means. The last one was clearly a reference to his mental state (boredom). This one I think is french but cannot find a translation. There's a video by this name on Youtube.

But that aside, I agree with him, the ff is useless.

So is the camera and the adapter. Really. It's superfluous for what this guy is doing because his real vocation is coming here and aggravating people.

Oddly enough, it seems he's using his real email address now and not a proxy. I would think if you're going to repeatedly annoy people on a forum, you'd cover your tracks better.

Please leave us alone. By definition your behavior is sociopathic!
 
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I was responding to the post which calls my post ridiculous. Why did you not denounce that post as being out of line the way you denounce mine? Are you trying to get me banned for disagreeing with you? It seems to be your way of operating and hardly objective or professional. And comming from some people who do reviews is quite ironic. This said, I suppose this forum really is a showcase for manufacturers. So perhaps some of you are on the payroll. Hardly objective. Cheers.
 
mastiboulance said:
I was responding to the post which calls my post ridiculous. Why did you not denounce that post as being out of line the way you denounce mine? Are you trying to get me banned for disagreeing with you? It seems to be your way of operating and hardly objective or professional. And comming from some people who do reviews is quite ironic. This said, I suppose this forum really is a showcase for manufacturers. So perhaps some of you are on the payroll. Hardly objective. Cheers.
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So what exactly are you trying to accomplish again?
 
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