guess what i found..

Akube

Akube

Active member
why bother buying a 2k++ follow focus gear when your lenses already got em motors??

http://www.birger.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=ef232_home

with this pal, you could hook up your canon L-series lenses.. same build used for the almost 2k xlh1 and the 16.7mp slr by canon. those luxury series lenses are saaweeeet, they dont make no noise, zoom like butter, and make some daaaaamn sharp pictures when i use them on my 1ds markii. with the adapter given above.. you can ask em to make you your preffered mount *hint:PL*..

and check this out... http://www.birger.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=ef232_softintf#zoom

you can focus... control the iris.. view zoom angle..activate IMAGE STABILIZATION.. aaaand it can be used to your liking on your pc thru ure usb port. You get the software too!

now if some genius can make some kinda radial knob or jog be able to talk to the application these guys made.. to easen the process of control rather than punch em numbers... we'd be thankfull; especially if you and the birger guys make us a $1,250 package of an adapter + jog/round controller + wire/less video from red to pc + software. Now THAT's REVOLUTIONARY.
 
That's really neat! Remote control of the lens, with the RS232 option that could be connected to a wireless RS232 link for longer distances too. It would be nice to have some "real" controller on the other end rather than a laptop, though.
 
Very interesting. Now maybe I can hope to keep my Canon lenses. I'd be interested how feasible this turns out to be.

Good eye.
 
Not being able to afford a Red set up, and unable to use Canon lenses, this thread was looking like it had nothing to offer... Until I saw Akube's banner. That just made my week buddy! Can I steal it?
 
Well, now all we need is someone to make a software for this baby to work properly. Hyper Terminal comunication is OK for aperture settings but not for focus pulling. Until then... :(

Andreas
 
There are two fundamental problems with this solution:
1: The adapter is so thick that infinity focus would be impossible without machining a dedicated adapter in place of the existing Red mount, and even then it looks too thick.

2. Transporting a Laptop around for your lens controls is not practical, and a small box capable of controlling these functions would almost certainly have no analog control to allow for smooth focus shifts or iris changes.
 
1) According to http://www.birger.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=ef232_home

the EF232 adaptor has a back focal length of 1.1"

I recall Jim posting what the front surface<->sensor plane distance was for Red, was it less than 1.1" ? I thought I remembered something larger, meaning that this could work, with appropriate mechanical adaptor of course.

2) I agree with you in that smooth focus pulling is unlikely. The Canon EOS lenses were designed for still camera use only, and the built-in motor was designed for fast autofocus for stills, not smooth motion for focus-pulling.

The Birger adaptor iris control is only spec'd at 1/2 stop, so there's no suggestion of a smooth control there. Using any kind of still lens on a cine camera is a "hack"; I think people are excited at the thought that any control of EOS lenses is possible, not that they would work like a purpose-designed cine lens.
 
Nikon's F mount has a flange focal distance of 46.5mm, PL is 52mm, Canon Eos is 42mm. 1.1"=27.94mm so any suitable mount adapter would have to be 14.06mm assuming the attachment plane is flush with the sensor (I seriously doubt this will be the case). We'll have to wait and see.
 
The bad part is that this mount is $1000 and isn't even a complete product. Once someone develops a good RS232 rotary knob or other wireless features, the price starts creeping up fast. If it was $500 that would give more room for people to develop on top of this.
 
Capt Quirk - yeah you can have it =D


with the XL1 ~ xlh1.. i never ever used the auto focus.. and it was always manual focus/AFpush button for me.. and inorder to focus.. i'd always hit override AF and just let go.. if the subject moves.. click and click... it always worked out for me, but then again.. the picture was pretty flat, we'll be dealing with shallower dof.. that may change things. but like for ENG stuff.. you're flipping ure camera up and hit an instant AF button to just get a shot.. like a still.. only in motion.. i think it would be fantastic. especially for interviews. u've got focus assist to show you hes a bit out of focus.. push the button.. voila!

and talk about the ability to only focus on several instants. with my 1dsM2, I can, in one second, focus (in auto focus), almost 7-8 objects one by one, the slr talks to my 70-200L IS 2.8 and makes it prepare quick focus.. you can control the focussing speed from the slr. The motor.. as long as it has gears.. and as long as it can be controlled incrementally.. I think an electronic follow focus can be implied. It is worth a shot. "see a need. fill a need." Don't just go like.. ohhhh.. whats the point its gonna jibber jabber.. when you havent even dealt with it yet.

as for the distance between the lens and the sensor.. as long as we have a sensor.. and we have a lens... hooking the two up would be a problem.. but not as big of a problem as understanding rocket science.. besides rockets have been made already.

As for the price.. it says right there on their website.. you want to mass produce.. the price will change. Plus, they are selling it for that much for people to "develop" their own flavours and stuff. It's like.. a wip kinda thing.. okay we started this.. take it.. this should help you make something out of it. And the price point can always be negotiated.. we all know its a mount with a small IC and a usb cable.. And i think anyone is smart enough to know that in a business plan, the Price is what makes you bring money.. and if it aint right.. you dont make any. They can be easily convinced to sell it way cheaper. i mean come on. would you rather sell your product for a $1,000 and have no one buy it than sell it for $250 to find thousands waiting in line.
 
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Good post Akube. I would love to see a follow focus knob that talks directly to the RS232 and a remote one via Bluetooth. Then also a remote that will let me set two focus points and the time to pull between them, so that the system can automagically do focus pulling for me. Adding on to that I would like to program in a set of focus points and then press buttons to say "Pull to focus 3", "Pull to focus 4"
 
Oh, and on the focus knob I would want software controlled hard stops. So I could define my max and mins and then even if I overshoot it, it won't matter. This would make hitting precise points so much easier in theory
 
I think that can be programmable.. it shouldn't be difficult to implement.
but like wouldnt it be sweet.. you are sitting on your couch.. the dop is shooting.. ure making focus points and turning the knob watching the video on ure laptop screen. I think it can be made into an awesome product.. plus.. these lenses have image stabilisers.. eng at full power. I wish someone could make us a thing like that. I seriously do. it'd be like a Red1-xl everything friendly.. pick up and hit the red button. and if you want to go manual.. and man can you go manual with all the bells and whistles they're adding on that nice screen. You could literally run a one man show with such a camera.. and that is the beauty of modularity.. like getting it all. whether you want to run it all on your own or get a big team with you... adapts to your liking. Such a product can become an essential add-on. I mean you can go ahead and rant how everything should be controlled manually and you wont get that smooth follow focus with an adapter and that kinda stuff... I somewhat agree.. but then again.. I insist that if a person wants to run a one man show and multi-task whether it turns out good or bad i say go for it. If no one is going to do something about this then i'm seriously going to cut down on my red accessories and work something out.. cuz I see this as more essential than getting me a tripod or a crane or a special rig or anything else for that matter.. I think I got so used to focussing so easily that I just can't bother getting a guy following me around to focus my picture whenever I want to shoot anything. One Camera... One Guy. The solution is already there.. we can do it.. if it can focus for a 16.7 mega pixel image and get great precise focus at super shallow depths of field.. it can be done (with better control) for a motion picture.
 
Well done Akube for finding this type of thing. Gibby has mentioned (pleaded really) for red to have a RS232 on the red one camera many times. All thats stated is we are getting a means of power, thats all.

We know (unless things change) that there is insufficient room between the lens and the sensor to enable a built in ND set up. Stephen Williams mentioned the fact that since there is no shutter to deal with in between the lens and sensor surely there would be sufficient room to fit a built in ND unit. We have not had any coment from red about this?

So it looks like for the moment all we can expect is for zoom control on a b4 mount type lens (from what i have read).

It would be brilliant if we could get some form of zoom and iris control, it would enhance red ability to challange the cameras with full auto facilities that can talk to the lenses. It is the only item i feel that red have missed out on. Who knows maybe with plenty of practice with proper cine lens and the focus assist we will all be capable (even me) of focusing quickly with the red one on all but the most demanding situations.

Michael
 
While it is true the focus motors are built in to the lens, the auto focus control is in the camera, so this unit wouldn't allow autofocus with the RedOne.

Martin
 
mike the beginner said:
Hey Capt Quirk your new avator must be the cheap chinese version, it does not load up?

Michael
Click to expand...
You know what they say about those imported goods... Either way, it says it all :)
 
lol.. looking good there capt quirk. hehe. vbulletin does that nasty thing with avatars.. and they have to be smaller... which is why i had to put mine in my signature.. something to give everyone a laugh everyonce in a while.

@muttondraw.. yeah it does not.. there are tons of devices out there that can measure the distance between the lens and a particular subject, in a discreetly fashion. It can get more complicated than that.. you can take gradients. process.. etc.. I'm thinking like.. let the laser measure the distance.. focus. then make minute adjustments using the focusing tools that come with red. and while we are at it.. make focusing points.. focusing fades/blends...etc. and keep the application freebsd so that anyone can develop it further.

@mike.. well I hope i didn't open an already opened thread. But I really think that Gibby had a point there... it would really make things easier with such a device. And yeah maybe we'd see the other side of doing things and go like.. oh well.. this sounds like fun.. i only want to do it the manual way as im comfortable with it and stuff. I've never really focused manual in my life.. like with a follow focus device.. it's like being used to driving all automatic.. and then getting a car that has manual gear... it would freak you out.. but once you get to know how to use it.. you'll want to drive manual cuz its more fun. even though.. it would still be great to be given the option of holding a starbucks tazo-chai or a latte instead of shifting gears all the time. This is why I think that it would be revolutionary for a cinema camera to be a hybrid, it does not have to be implemented from the first release.. but sometime along the reds.. should come one with auto features, until then some third party company can fill this need.
 
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