evinsky
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Some of you may have noticed that after four years of asking Panasonic has included a new port on the side of the DVX100B and the new HVX200. This is the much-anticipated Focus/Iris control port. Those of you familiar with the Canon/Sony LANC port know that the ability to control focus remotely is something they have had since before 24P even existed in 1/3” cams. Nonetheless we are very happy and appreciate that Panny listened to our requests. In a way it’s even better because it’s on a separate connector allowing for your choice of zoom controller, focus controller or both.
As of the writing of this article only two units with focus/iris control are available for immediate purchase, the Foxi by German manufacturer Bebop and the PZFI by Varizoom in Texas. Both controllers are made of durable plastic and both attach to the tripod handle using small screw posts and a curved pressure bridge between them.
I should mention that Varizoom actually makes three products, one with a zoom rocker one with a “Stealth” style zoom control and one just focus/iris control. Since they all have the same basic functionality and design I will be reviewing just the PZFI Rocker style all in one product. Also it should be mentioned that this is only the first part of the article, Varizoom is in the process of refining a follow focus style controller of their own. I should be getting a sample just after NAB to test and will dutifully report back to you then.
First up, design:
For those of you who are already familiar with the Bebop Zoë and Varizooms Stealth and Rock line of zoom controllers the PZFI will look very familiar. It is essentially a DVX Rock with what looks like two Matchbox Car wheels glued on the left side. These are the controls for the focus and iris, the focus dial being the closest to your right thumb when attached to a tripod handle. The iris dial is just ahead of the focus dial. This arrangement allows for a very convenient one-hand approach to all remote camera controls. There are also two switches, one marked “focus” and one marked “iris”, and both have an “A” and an “M” adjacent to them. These allow you to set either auto or manual control for the perspective dial. The zoom and record controls act just like the Rock or Stealth or Zoë so I won’t get into them here.
Construction is solid and the focus/iris wheels have a nice knurled texture that offers a positive connection. At the other end of the PZFI is a two-headed snake of jacks that plugs into both the ports under the SD card slot of the HVX or under the headphone jack of the DVX100B. This could be done better, at least on the HVX. I feel that a solid connector that also provides some protection for the SD card slot would have been preferable.
The Foxi is a horse of a different color, it’s a bit bigger than the PZFI and for good reason, and filmmakers will immediately recognize the design motivation at work here. The Foxi is designed after the “Follow Focus” paradigm. For those that aren’t familiar, in film production all focus is “Pulled” by the 1st AC (Assistant Camera) using a follow focus unit. The FF unit is a wheel that, using belts and gears, translates the lens focus direction 90º to give the AC better access. It generally sits on the support rods for a mattebox. The focus distance is usually based on marks placed on the ground that the actors must hit. These marks are measured and then marked on the follow focus wheel. This system allows the AC to become something like a smart auto focus.
The Foxi emulates the mechanical follow focus wheel and adds a belt of sorts for the iris control. There is a white mark-able tape that surrounds the wheel of the Foxi. This tape, in conjunction with the four black arrows spaced at 90º apart, allows for repeatable focus placement by marking the near and far focus positions with a temporary pen.
The iris control is definitely a new approach. Instead of just giving us another dial Bebop has given us a small tank tread with a marking arrow and another mark-able strip of tape. The thought being that you may want to have your AC ride iris. I’m not sure how useful this is, but at the very least you could add a small printout of the various aperture placements and have a true aperture scale. On the underside of the unit just behind the focus wheel are two switches, these, like the PZFIs, control auto or manual operations. The Foxi comes with one other neato addition, a spacer that allows the unit to be attached to iris rods just like a mechanical follow focus. This is probably the configuration most film style shooters will be interested in.
Second, operation:
It’s obvious from the design that these two products have different shooting styles in mind. Thus the operation does too. The PZFI has a need for speed; the controls are very fast, especially focus, which requires a very fine touch for precise control. This may be very desirable in situations where you need to have immediate one-handed operation of these controls, like operating a small crane or jib arm. This also seems to me to be a good fit for light steadi-cam operation where reaching up to the camera might be very inconvenient or downright impossible.
The Foxi is a follow focus through and through. Its well-dampened wheel action inspires confidence in the focus pull. The white marking tape is durable and fine tip non-permanent Lumocolor pen marks wipes off with ease using a little moisture. I can easily see using this product for precise focus shifts even at 55mm wide open on the HVX in HD.
There is some logic to comparing the Foxi to mechanical follow focus units too.
With a direct drive follow focus one advantage is universality, a direct drive FF can be used on almost any lens, including lenses that might be used on a 35mm DOF adapter or a professional 2/3” HD camera. The Foxi on the other hand is limited to the HVX/DVX, but allows for remote operation using extensions up to and beyond 25’, something only otherwise possible on FIZZ devices that are very expensive ($15K). You also get hard stops on the Foxi (And the PZFI) something that not all direct drive FFs have. You can even mount the Foxi to the top handle of your camera if you want to allow an AC to pull focus but don’t have iris rods and a bridge plate. The Foxi is built well but feels light for it’s size, but I still think it would hold up to professional use if not abuse. Bebob is also nice enough to supply you with a replacement strip of marking tape for when the first one becomes too marked up to be useable.
Third, value:
Here is where it comes down; The PZFI is a great deal for $299.00 especially if you don’t already have a zoom controller for your camera. Its responsiveness may not be ideal for focus pulls, but it’s size, comprehensive design and build quality make it a great value.
If it’s just focus and iris you’re after then the PFI is only $199.00
The Foxi is considerably more at $465.00 especially since it’s not made any better and doesn’t include any zoom control. But personally that’s the way I’d want it. And when compared to the “Bargain” Chrozsiel FF at $1600.00 it seems like a steal. There are some more affordable mechanical FFs coming to market soon but the smooth, hard stop nature of the Foxi is hard to pass up. Is the extra $165.00 worth it? If your doing Cinema style focus pulls I would have to say yes. But your mileage may vary, I would highly recommend test driving both and seeing which feels like a better fit for you.
Last thoughts.
I don’t know if this is Bebob, Varizoom or Panasonic, but I’d like to see the option of disengaging the individual controls even if the units were plugged in. Like say, having the focus be controlled by the Foxi but the iris still controllable from the camera. These are nit picks. Also the connectors them selves are a bit odd. This is Panasonic’s fault; the zoom plug is a 2.5mm sub-mini headphone jack, something not that easy to find an extension for. Neither is the focus/iris connector, which is a 3.5mm three conductor type that is used on some consumer video cameras to pass L+R Audio and composite video over one cable. I found one extension, which I have tried and works well, here.
http://www.smarthome.com/9725252x.html
The zoom cable extension can be found at Pacific Radio
http://www.pacrad.com
Some of you may have noticed that after four years of asking Panasonic has included a new port on the side of the DVX100B and the new HVX200. This is the much-anticipated Focus/Iris control port. Those of you familiar with the Canon/Sony LANC port know that the ability to control focus remotely is something they have had since before 24P even existed in 1/3” cams. Nonetheless we are very happy and appreciate that Panny listened to our requests. In a way it’s even better because it’s on a separate connector allowing for your choice of zoom controller, focus controller or both.
As of the writing of this article only two units with focus/iris control are available for immediate purchase, the Foxi by German manufacturer Bebop and the PZFI by Varizoom in Texas. Both controllers are made of durable plastic and both attach to the tripod handle using small screw posts and a curved pressure bridge between them.
I should mention that Varizoom actually makes three products, one with a zoom rocker one with a “Stealth” style zoom control and one just focus/iris control. Since they all have the same basic functionality and design I will be reviewing just the PZFI Rocker style all in one product. Also it should be mentioned that this is only the first part of the article, Varizoom is in the process of refining a follow focus style controller of their own. I should be getting a sample just after NAB to test and will dutifully report back to you then.
First up, design:
For those of you who are already familiar with the Bebop Zoë and Varizooms Stealth and Rock line of zoom controllers the PZFI will look very familiar. It is essentially a DVX Rock with what looks like two Matchbox Car wheels glued on the left side. These are the controls for the focus and iris, the focus dial being the closest to your right thumb when attached to a tripod handle. The iris dial is just ahead of the focus dial. This arrangement allows for a very convenient one-hand approach to all remote camera controls. There are also two switches, one marked “focus” and one marked “iris”, and both have an “A” and an “M” adjacent to them. These allow you to set either auto or manual control for the perspective dial. The zoom and record controls act just like the Rock or Stealth or Zoë so I won’t get into them here.
Construction is solid and the focus/iris wheels have a nice knurled texture that offers a positive connection. At the other end of the PZFI is a two-headed snake of jacks that plugs into both the ports under the SD card slot of the HVX or under the headphone jack of the DVX100B. This could be done better, at least on the HVX. I feel that a solid connector that also provides some protection for the SD card slot would have been preferable.
The Foxi is a horse of a different color, it’s a bit bigger than the PZFI and for good reason, and filmmakers will immediately recognize the design motivation at work here. The Foxi is designed after the “Follow Focus” paradigm. For those that aren’t familiar, in film production all focus is “Pulled” by the 1st AC (Assistant Camera) using a follow focus unit. The FF unit is a wheel that, using belts and gears, translates the lens focus direction 90º to give the AC better access. It generally sits on the support rods for a mattebox. The focus distance is usually based on marks placed on the ground that the actors must hit. These marks are measured and then marked on the follow focus wheel. This system allows the AC to become something like a smart auto focus.
The Foxi emulates the mechanical follow focus wheel and adds a belt of sorts for the iris control. There is a white mark-able tape that surrounds the wheel of the Foxi. This tape, in conjunction with the four black arrows spaced at 90º apart, allows for repeatable focus placement by marking the near and far focus positions with a temporary pen.
The iris control is definitely a new approach. Instead of just giving us another dial Bebop has given us a small tank tread with a marking arrow and another mark-able strip of tape. The thought being that you may want to have your AC ride iris. I’m not sure how useful this is, but at the very least you could add a small printout of the various aperture placements and have a true aperture scale. On the underside of the unit just behind the focus wheel are two switches, these, like the PZFIs, control auto or manual operations. The Foxi comes with one other neato addition, a spacer that allows the unit to be attached to iris rods just like a mechanical follow focus. This is probably the configuration most film style shooters will be interested in.
Second, operation:
It’s obvious from the design that these two products have different shooting styles in mind. Thus the operation does too. The PZFI has a need for speed; the controls are very fast, especially focus, which requires a very fine touch for precise control. This may be very desirable in situations where you need to have immediate one-handed operation of these controls, like operating a small crane or jib arm. This also seems to me to be a good fit for light steadi-cam operation where reaching up to the camera might be very inconvenient or downright impossible.
The Foxi is a follow focus through and through. Its well-dampened wheel action inspires confidence in the focus pull. The white marking tape is durable and fine tip non-permanent Lumocolor pen marks wipes off with ease using a little moisture. I can easily see using this product for precise focus shifts even at 55mm wide open on the HVX in HD.
There is some logic to comparing the Foxi to mechanical follow focus units too.
With a direct drive follow focus one advantage is universality, a direct drive FF can be used on almost any lens, including lenses that might be used on a 35mm DOF adapter or a professional 2/3” HD camera. The Foxi on the other hand is limited to the HVX/DVX, but allows for remote operation using extensions up to and beyond 25’, something only otherwise possible on FIZZ devices that are very expensive ($15K). You also get hard stops on the Foxi (And the PZFI) something that not all direct drive FFs have. You can even mount the Foxi to the top handle of your camera if you want to allow an AC to pull focus but don’t have iris rods and a bridge plate. The Foxi is built well but feels light for it’s size, but I still think it would hold up to professional use if not abuse. Bebob is also nice enough to supply you with a replacement strip of marking tape for when the first one becomes too marked up to be useable.
Third, value:
Here is where it comes down; The PZFI is a great deal for $299.00 especially if you don’t already have a zoom controller for your camera. Its responsiveness may not be ideal for focus pulls, but it’s size, comprehensive design and build quality make it a great value.
If it’s just focus and iris you’re after then the PFI is only $199.00
The Foxi is considerably more at $465.00 especially since it’s not made any better and doesn’t include any zoom control. But personally that’s the way I’d want it. And when compared to the “Bargain” Chrozsiel FF at $1600.00 it seems like a steal. There are some more affordable mechanical FFs coming to market soon but the smooth, hard stop nature of the Foxi is hard to pass up. Is the extra $165.00 worth it? If your doing Cinema style focus pulls I would have to say yes. But your mileage may vary, I would highly recommend test driving both and seeing which feels like a better fit for you.
Last thoughts.
I don’t know if this is Bebob, Varizoom or Panasonic, but I’d like to see the option of disengaging the individual controls even if the units were plugged in. Like say, having the focus be controlled by the Foxi but the iris still controllable from the camera. These are nit picks. Also the connectors them selves are a bit odd. This is Panasonic’s fault; the zoom plug is a 2.5mm sub-mini headphone jack, something not that easy to find an extension for. Neither is the focus/iris connector, which is a 3.5mm three conductor type that is used on some consumer video cameras to pass L+R Audio and composite video over one cable. I found one extension, which I have tried and works well, here.
http://www.smarthome.com/9725252x.html
The zoom cable extension can be found at Pacific Radio
http://www.pacrad.com
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