Is Bill Turner still around? (Century manual focus question)

taubkin

Veteran
Or maybe someone else can help me out. I'm trying to use a remote focus command with a DVX (long story short, for a steadycam shot with critical focus), and I already accomplished all the work to make it possible. I'm having the rods system attached, I'm having it all balanced and I am having a gear manufactured. But I don't know wich pich should I use.

I know the four pitch sizes, and I surely could just pick one and use it to make my gear.
It could be one that uses 0.4, 0.5, 0.6 or 0.8 pitch. My other problem is that I want it to work with a Century follow focus I'm going to have availiable for the rest of the shoot (off steadicam), so I want to choose the pich that is standard (at least for the DVX).

Can anyone help me?

(A different way to ask the same question: What is the gear pich you guys are using with the DVX? 0.4, 0.5, 0.6 or 0.8?)

Thanks!
 
Taubkin,

We use the follow focus gearing standard for the film industry, same as used by the lens manufacturers (Zeiss, Angenieux, Cooke) on their lenses.

It is a metric .8 module 20 degree pressure angle.

Just fyi, the original follow focus was develpoped by Mitchell Camera and was 32 tpi 14 1/2 degree pressure angle (the pressure angle is from memory, wont swear to it)

The European manufacturers cut the closest equivalent to 32 teeth per inch. (.8 millimeters/tooth, which is 31.75 teeth per inch) . They are close enought to use interchangeably but the slight difference in pitch and pressure angle can result in noise if driven quickly.

Bill Turner
Schneider Optics'
Century Division
 
Back
Top