Follow Focus Options for Canon 7D (Servo, Manual or USB)

J

jondoe

Active member
I'm in the market to get a decent Follow Focus system and I'm looking at spending around $200-$300 dollars. I know with such a limited amount money doesn't leave me with too many options but I've narrowed down what Ive come up.

I'm most interested in the Servo follow focus DIY option. To me, that seems like it would work best for my needs. I would have a marking wheel and could focus at the speed I would need. I haven't actually used one before but after doing months worth of research, it seems pretty cool.

I looked in the usb follow focus option and it does seem pretty good but most of the footage I've seen (online) seems to focus\move in increments as opposed to continuous (although i could be wrong). I do like the idea of being able to lock in 4 different focus points with that option.

My last option would be the Dfocus with rails. This seems like the most practical option (in my price range) but I figured that if I was spending the amount of money I'm spending, i wanted to see what my options are (if i have any).
 
The D|Focus is a lot of bang for the buck; I don't know if a servo setup could be in your price range; Jag35 has been posting some servo stuff but last I saw it was more of a "coming soon" thing. I don't know if a servo setup gives you hard stops, which is handy when crew is tight (with the D focus, you can just clip those spring-metal paperclips on the wheel - works fantastically.)

I haven't seen any dedicated USB focus myself; I've tried using a laptop to control my Canon in things like ceiling rigs... but the lag time made it unuseable for me, this with Canon's camera control stuff that ships with their bodies.
 
Ive read about USB follow focus systems (http://www.okii.net/) and they seem to be pretty good, however I dont own one myself.

The Jag35 electronic follow focus is out however I haven't used that one either. They actually have 2
http://jag35.com/index.php/weff.html
http://jag35.com/index.php/effkit.html

I probably will get the DFocus. I just figured if I might want to pay a little more money if I could get an electronic version.

If someone has used all 3 of them a shoot, what are yourt thoughts in comparisions to all 3 focus options for DSLR cameras.
 
I have the DFocus and it is is best in class. For the price range it cannot be touched. Make sure to get as many gears as you have lenses...
 
the smaller of those two jag35 motorised things looks kinda sleight to me. some lenses have stiffer focus rings and require more torque. im not sure id trust a motorised model that costs less than half of a traditional manual model to deliver satisfying results...

i think this CAN BE another one of those traps that dslr users frequently fall into. many dont have a lot (if any) actual production experience. and wont understand what to look for from a nuts and bolts perspective in the components they think they need. all they know is they have an __________ and it looks cool. and it's affordable relative to some other one.

for a follow focus to be really useful, precision and rigidity are pretty crucial.
 
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I purchased a D|focus a few months ago and it was an absolute piece of junk. Jag35 took the return no questions asked which was nice. Maybe I got a bad one but I would never try it again.
 
The Okii is jumpy - its a great remote but not such a good FF

Owning a $2000 Hocus Focus .. which is not perfect .. I would be shocked if any sub $1000 elecronic control is not total junk

For $300 you might get an OK manual follow focus.. just

S
 
pigbat said:
I purchased a D|focus a few months ago and it was an absolute piece of junk.
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I would love to know what made you think it was "an absolute piece of junk." We have sold thousands of these and get surprisingly few emails about issues, returns, etc.
 
designbydave said:
I would love to know what made you think it was "an absolute piece of junk." We have sold thousands of these and get surprisingly few emails about issues, returns, etc.
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Hey Dave, I'd definitely be willing to share my experience. I purchased the D|focus with the D|mount and D|crank based on several positive reviews I've read. My first issue was that the dmount was not anywhere close to offering the right configuration to make it usable. There was no possible way to get it to line up correctly using either a canon 28 or 85mm lens on a 60d body. You can get close but close equals gears slipping. After a couple hours of tinkering I abandoned the idea of the dmount and decided to put it on rails. I also experienced gear slippage if I didn't tighten it to the point that I was hurting my fingers. Even then, it loosened very quickly. Additionally, when it was holding its position i could seldom repeat a focus pull because there was enough play in the gears that it didnt allow for a consistent focus pull. Maybe my expectations were too high for the device or maybe I just got a bad one. In any case, I decided not to publish a review but like to at least put out a word of caution to people considering the dfocus. I always add that jag35 returned it with no hassle and didn't charge a restocking fee which I fully expected to pay. In the end the device did not live up to my standards and I was willing to eat a restocking fee, if necessary, to not be stuck with it.

I have still read some positive experiences with the device so I'm definitely willing to believe I may have received a lemon. I can say for sure that I do consider the one I received a piece of junk It was completely unusable and I had in the upper $200 range invested in it. My disappointment level was high enough that I was scared to even try a second one with my money tied up in the device.

If you believe I may have received a bad one, I would be willing to take a demo unit with the D|mount for a couple weeks to gain some confidence back in the product and provide a second review to the forum.
 
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