Follow focus lens gear question

dbarak

dbarak

Well-known member
Hi everyone,

I've never been able to see a real follow focus lens gear, so I'm wondering how they're attached to the lens. If they just slip on, wouldn't that allow too much slack for the gear to grip onto the lens? Or is there a cut in the lens with some sort of locking mechanism? Or is the gear some sort of stiff but still slightly flexible rubber material that will stretch just enough to mount it and still be stiff enough to engage with the follow focus gears?

Dave
 
Some are stiff but flexible and fit snug, some are hard plastic or metal with a cut and the two sides can be screwed together.

-j
 
someone on this site had a pic of their camera with a FF that used an inline rollerskate wheel to turn the focus. Has anyone built one of these FF's if so please share!
 
Thanks everyone! I like the sound of the Century Optics gear since it gives you the focus stops. I'll probably go that route.

By the way, high8, I think I know the thread you're talking about. If I'm right, it's actually a radio-controlled airplane wheel, not an inline skate wheel. Here's a link to page three of the thread, so you can see a picture of what was built.

http://www.dvxuser.com/V3/showthread.php?t=32522&page=3&pp=10&highlight=follow+focus

Dave
 
dbarak,

Overland Films was one of the beta testers on the Focus This! product and we'll be selling it online beginning Thursday. This week, we'll post an in-depth review of the product, comparing and contrasting it to conventional geared systems.

For clarification, indiFocus now has a simple hard-stop system using clips that attach directly to the marking disc. The indiFocus will retail for $299 + 15.95 S/H through Overland Films or Focus This! directly.

e
 
Sounds good -- I'll keep an eye out for it on your site. I have it bookmarked, ready for Thursday.

Dave
 
dbarak,

Just a quick note that we now have the indiFocus for the DVX100a with hard stop kit available. I'll be testing this kit on the HDVZ1U and CineAlta F900 on Wednesday and will post the results here!

indiFocus is the follow-focus that compresses a dense foam wheel against the lens barrel instead of the more typical geared ring set-up. indiFocus must be mounted to an industry-standard 15mm/60mm O.C. iris rod system.

indiFocus at Overland Films Marketplace

e
 
mrpunch, try the cavision rs15iim from b& h photo...it's carbon fibre rods and costs $159 plus shipping. (It's special order, so it takes a couple of weeks though...)
 
Hey Focus this, i put rubber bands on the ff wheel and the dvx focus wheel and it helps a lot with slippage.
 
We used indiFocus on pick-ups this week on HDV Z1U. Repeatability is good. The ff is set-up with 1:1 gearing, so it is easy from a tactile standpoint to get the feel for where you are in the train when doing single-operator handheld work.

A photo of the Z1U all dressed up with our Cavision support ($190), 4x4 mattebox ($295), dual-handgrips ($160) and indiFocus ($299):

indifocus_z1u_1_600.jpg


e
 
Focus This! said:
mrpunch, try the cavision rs15iim from b& h photo...it's carbon fibre rods and costs $159 plus shipping. (It's special order, so it takes a couple of weeks though...)
Click to expand...

Would I need any other parts to mount this rail system to a DVX100A, or is it ready to go as is? I assum the Indi Focus would slap right on.. :)
 
Any 15mm / 60mm OC iris rods should work. You may need to adjust or reverse the way your baseplate attaches to the camera.

What system are you using?

e
 
overlandfilms said:
Any 15mm / 60mm OC iris rods should work. You may need to adjust or reverse the way your baseplate attaches to the camera.

What system are you using?

e
Click to expand...


I don't have any rails yet, just my DVX100 and an O'Connor tripod. I was considering purchasing the Cavision rails mentioned above, since they seem to be fairly inexpensive, with the IndiFocus to follow.
 
They're a pretty good value. The one complaint I have is the L-nuts used to tension the fittings - they have come apart on me in the past. Cavision has supplied me with a handful of extras at no charge.

e
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top