How bad are the lens movement when using a follow focus?

A

analogs

Well-known member
People have mentioned that attaching a follow focus causes some shakiness or movement issues on the lens when turning the follow focus. I have seen some demos where you can actually see the lens move when the focus knob is spun.

How bad is this issue?

Are people using anti-vibration in post processing to remove this?

When are these issues more pronounced? eg. telephoto lenses without IS, long body lenses, fast focusing.

Can this issue be eliminated using a lens with image stabilization?

Is it minimized by using a lens support?

How can this be minimized? eg. use a wide angle lens?

Are these follow focus movement worse than using a lens focus handle?

Are there any video samples online that demonstrate the issues with using a follow focus?

Thanks
 
This can be an issue when using some lens adapters which introduce a little play into the mount, and or mounting your camera on a baseplate which flexes. I have rarely seen this as a problem using a camera/lens mount combo which fits snug and is of high quality, while correctly mounting your follow focus.
 
It can be a problem if you don't have a good solid connection of the camera to the rails. DSLRs are especially bad since they don't have that pin that most video cameras have to keep them straight. There are things you can do to minimize the movement like using a lens clamp that mounts to the rails and holds the lens in place. I have a setup that mounts both the camera and lens foot of my 70-200 to the base so it's rock solid when using a follow focus.
 
Plenty of still lenses have a little play in 'em, too, it doesn't matter when shooting stills. Easy to see a little bump, especially on teles. A whip really helps.
 
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