indiFocus Mini now shipping w/ NEW SNAP GEARS!

dmpsk8

dmpsk8

Well-known member
Just a heads up guys. Tim is now shipping the DSLR sized indifocus mini with a set of new snap gears thrown in. Its a crazy deal for $150. I was planning on picking up a set of gears for $100, so an extra $50 for a FF is sweet!

indifocus20.jpg


-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
MY REVIEW

Well, everything got sorted out with my order. I'm still waiting on a return shipping label to send the original shipment back, but that's another story.

I shot all weekend with my INDIfocus mini & snap gears and got to know them pretty well. Overall, I'm really pleased for the packaged price. The speed of lens changes was a breath of fresh air. Let me come completely clean and say that I haven't used the higher end ff's from Zacuto, Cinevate, etc. But, I've been all over the redrock stuff, and I'm using their quality as a reference point.





The Indifocus Mini:

So my kit arrived last week with the ff, gears, grease pencil, allen keys, nikon collars (don't think these are regularly included yet), and some sticky foam strips. The smallest snap gear didn't fit my nikon primes out of the box, which kinda sucked but we'll get to that later.

The follow focus was better quality than I expected for the price, period. There isn't too much backlash (to me) and the grip feels solid in your hand. The size seems very balanced, especially for smaller dslrs.


IFM_ff1.jpg



fullrig1.jpg



One huge plus, that I wasn't counting on, was the marking disc. Since its kinda thick, the cam operator can mark the edge facing him or herself. This is key if your shooting w/o an AC. The witness post can be positioned anywhere on the 360 radius, which is also very handy.


IFM_ff2.jpg



I loved the fact that I could reverse the gear box direction to under-sling from my upper rails. I think that optional is critical.

IFM_ff3.jpg






The Snap Gears:

Luckily, Tim threw in some new plastic collars to keep everything snug on my primes. At first I thought they were going to really annoy me, but they actually worked out pretty well. I think they'll be optional on the site in the near future. Here's a look at the collar with some foam strips (included in kit) along the inside:

IFM_sgcollar3.jpg



IFM_sgcollar1.jpg



IFM_sgcollar2.jpg



The gears feel very solid, and the magnets are surprisingly strong. Even though they are thick, the gears are still fairly light weight.

In short, I really do love them. Bye, bye cheap redrock gears...


IFM_sg1.jpg



IFM_sg2.jpg





so in conclusion...

The good:

-gear/ff kit for 150!!!!
-solid build
-dimensional marking disc
-movable witness post
-thin drive gear (too wide can be a pain if the cam is off axis a bit)
-no excessive backlash
-reversible gearbox

The not so good:

-thumb screw style lock w/ no quick release
-no true height adjustment (can move ff in or out to cheat height a bit)
-non standard whip port
-the focus knob has some ungly manufacturing print on it
 
Last edited:
I got a chance to see (and play with) all this stuff at NAB. Stop thinking about it, monkey, and buy it. For the price, it's absolutely awesome stuff.

The Snap Gears alone are worth that money, I think.
 
Just to let you know, there is also an indiFOCUSzoom FF (friction based, no gears, $99) he sells, it seems to be underappreciated. I ve been using it for a while and it is great, very practical. I wouldnt claim that it is as precise as a gear based FF, but for what we do it is more than enough.
Note:No it doesnt damage the plastic on the focus ring.
 
Do all of the these versions (from IndiSystems that is) fit on 15mm rails? I don't yet have a follow focus (hence the research into different ones) and is it pretty standard for them to go onto standard 15mm rails?

Regards,

G.
 
Are these snap gears sizes supposed to fit on standard lenses? Because I have tried to measure the diameter of the focus ring of an old Canon FD lens and found it to be less than 70mm (which is the smallest ring available).
 
Do all of the these versions (from IndiSystems that is) fit on 15mm rails?
Click to expand...

Yes, actually since the connector is made up of 2 separete parts (top & bottom) it also fits on non-standard rods as well. I have a 14mm rods and it fits onto it perfect. Redrock connectors(hole expands/tightens with nut screws) dont have such tolerance for example.
 
kostas said:
Are these snap gears sizes supposed to fit on standard lenses? Because I have tried to measure the diameter of the focus ring of an old Canon FD lens and found it to be less than 70mm (which is the smallest ring available).
Click to expand...

Tim has different thicknesses of padding for the inside of the gears to ensure a custom fit. I'm getting some thicker ones to make sure everything is snug on my nikon primes.

My parts should be in early next week, we'll see how it all works out.
 
Well, I got my package today...with someone else's order. :badputer:

Now I have two sliders and no ff. Looks like the review is postponed until this is straightened out.
 
dmpsk8 said:
Tim has different thicknesses of padding for the inside of the gears to ensure a custom fit. I'm getting some thicker ones to make sure everything is snug on my nikon primes.

My parts should be in early next week, we'll see how it all works out.
Click to expand...

Friend just got the whole set of snap gears but the foam really isn't thick enough on the ones he's using....should he just call Tim will he send him more? Is there a good way to attach it?
 
I'm trying to decide between the new indifocusmini and a D|Focus, so I'm very interested to hear your comments once you do get it.
 
Shot a music video all weekend with the ff and snap gears!

Indisystem hooked me up with some new lens collars so the snap gears can lock right onto the nikon primes. The collars are plastic, and small enough to keep them on the lens all the time. I'll get some pics.
 
So you're happy with the FF? I'm leaning toward the indifocus over the D|Focus, since the other stuff I have is Indi, and I think it looks pretty good from the description. And you can't beat the price. If you say you're happy with it after your weekend shoot, I think that will seal the deal for me.

Does it look like it can be mounted with the gearbox in front of the gear (on the left side of the camera but flipped from how it's usually shown)? I have a Canon 7D and have my current FF mounted that way. It's an original Indifocus that I had to redrill to flip over so it would fit. It's on its last legs.

Thanks - TIm
 
I haven't seen the d-focus first hand, but I don't think it can compete for this price. Its an open gear box with no gears (i think).

review up on pg.1.
 
Ben_B said:
Friend just got the whole set of snap gears but the foam really isn't thick enough on the ones he's using....should he just call Tim will he send him more? Is there a good way to attach it?
Click to expand...

ask Tim about his nikon collars
 
I know its not exactly the same products, but i have a brief review of some indisystem gear.

i got my indiRAILSpro XV sm and indiFOCUSpro thursday, after a small shipping delay, which was resolved with a quick 2 minute phone call. I had also received a DVcity mattebox (with adj std rail mounts and side flags) the day before, and only 2 days before a critical shoot, for my XH-A1.

I must say, for the cost, the quality is tops, and i absolutely LOVE the SNAP gears; so easy to use and interchange. I was given extra foam to ensure a snug fit of focus gear to lens, and i have all the focus rings on my lenses wrapped in color coded hockey tape (i use both Canon and Nikon gear as well as some Panasonic stuff, so i try to keep things easy for the laypersons and interns we use).

Frankly, for the money, i love em; i have no real complaints, and the follow focus works just fine with the D300s on the rails. I have yet to encounter any lash issues with the follow focus, i made sure its fairly snug against the lens gear, and ensure that the snap gear is aligned properly; its not hard to misalign it and get it to gyrate a bit, same with any follow focus gears.

the snap gears are a great feature, because i can swap lenses in seconds and reuse the same ring gear, meaning less stuff to haul around, and a quicker lens swap and therefor quicker shot to shot interchange.

i dont have the budget for expensive equipment, and everything thus far has been great quality. One of my cameramen has played around with the rails and follow focus attached to his 5D mkII, and absolutely loves it too.

I shot my first wedding and first 'big break' event these last 2 weekends, and the Indisystem gear allowed me to use my 35mm adapter with confidence, as well as look much more professional than i had felt just winging the XH-A1 around (it was all on tripod, im exaggerating but you get the idea), as well as achieve the look i wanted, and most importantly, the clients LOVED the pre-edited content.

In 3 weeks, i invested almost $5000 on equipment, some new, some used, some rented, some borrowed, and have managed to get my money back out of it, and now have begun building a bigger portfolio, as well as building the skills for this business.

Im not shooting an indie film, nor a big budget or even small budget feature, or even anything mildly close to what i intend to work with, but thus far, for the investment, the indisystem gear has paid off in spades, and its pretty damn sturdy.

I have a background in photography; ive had almost a dozen DSLR's, and dropped or bonked them all rather severely at different times, whether it be above the portcullis of some french fortress, running sideways to catch a drift car sliding in perfect form 5 feet from me inches from a wall, dangling over a sheer cliff drop in santorini, or rock climbing for that perfect sunset shot. I try to take care of my gear, but im no portrait shooter; and my bodies and lenses show the scars. The indisystem gear seems pretty damn solid; frankly i would be MUCH more afraid of damaging the XH-A1 itself, or crunching a lens; the indisystem stuff i doubt ill worry about much, beyond wrapping with some canvas or thin foam strips.

I also have quite a passion for automotive modifications, and very little faith in carbon fiber based brace components as ive had a few pieces give out on me, which when you are doing 85 on the tarmac skiding sideways, is NOT a very fun moment. I was actually rather wary of 'discount' carbon fiber rods; i even bought some aluminum ones to use instead of the carbon fiber in case they flexed to seemed stressed, but after checking them out, they seem pretty solid, so the aluminum ones stay at home. The DVcity mattebox i bought because it was cheaper than the indisystem mattebox, and because where i plan on using it, i guarantee it will not come back in anything near 'like new' shape, so its basically a 10-20 uses item.

I'm sure ill be buying some more indisystem stuff in the near future, because for the price, there really is no better deal. AT WORST its repleaceable for less than half the cost of other setups; and i HIGHLY doubt most the people on this forum take as many risks with their gear as i do. I used to make PVC components and rigs for photoshoots, by melting the plastic and 'welding' it together and bracing it with bolts etc; forget that.

I use my talents to fund my travels, and i am not a 'gear whore', whatever gets the job done with no need to worry is exactly what i need, and nothing more. I see no reason to pay hundreds for a tripod or monopod, or thousands for a lens or rail system that i would feel bad to marr or scrape up, and frankly i would feel foolish spending more on a support system than i did on a camera system. I could never justify spending thousands on a mattebox; and i wouldnt care if it were made my Enzo Ferrari himself; its still just a mattebox, rails are just rails, etc. Whats important is the shot and the sound; to me the rest is all excessive vainity.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top