Lens Gears

N

naavt

Well-known member
Hi,

I've sold some Nikon lenses and even if I didn't plan to let them go with Lens Gears I had to since I've noticed that the focus ring rubber was slightly marked by the tiny screws that were keeping the gears in place.

I've invested in some Zeiss ZF glass now and really don't want to make the same mistake.

Can someone recommend some lens gears with more throw that won't mark my lenses barrels?

Thanks in advance
 
I really like the Zacuto Zip Gears. They are pricey but worth it in my opinion. You could also have them fitted with Delcron? gears by Duclos. These are both the most elegant solutions.
 
I tried zip and others, but at the end, I really like Indian rip-off Redrockmicro gears.. they are cheap, stabile and they makes wider diameter..so the focusing is more precise..

my .02$
 
Hi Paul,

Thanks for the suggestions. I have a SgPro zip gear. The design is very much alike zacuto ones and even if they aren't cheap I don't find them the best way to gear a lens.

I feel that the gears slide a bit front to back and vice-versa and if more tighten they tend to stop the focus barrel from moving smoothly.

Besides that, I prefer to have a larger gear circumference to allow more focus throw. I was looking something like the redrock micro ones but hadn't any experience with them.

Does the plastic slide from the barrel?
Does it allow the focus barrel to move freely and smoothly when attached?
Does it leave any marks and scuffs on the lens if removed?
 
Just read your post Ieteed. I was exactly talking about redrock micro. Can you please point me those Indian ones? Thanks
 
I have never had any problem the the Zacuto Gears slipping or binding a lens. The hex key tightening system is precise and smooth buts takes some patience to set up. I don't use them often these days as all my lenses are now Ultra Primes and CP.'s but I have dozens of the gears lying around. I did just install a set on a friends Zeiss ZE's last month a the result was perfect.
 
Paul Hudson said:
I have never had any problem the the Zacuto Gears slipping or binding a lens. The hex key tightening system is precise and smooth buts takes some patience to set up. I don't use them often these days as all my lenses are now Ultra Primes and CP.'s but I have dozens of the gears lying around. I did just install a set on a friends Zeiss ZE's last month a the result was perfect.
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No questioning Paul.

It's probably me and a not so good experience with zip gears. Anyway, I still find the redrock micro design - and alike - to provide some benefits when changing lenses. That's because the gear circumference is the same and the required adjustment on the FF unit will be minimal in that respect.

I'm still worried about unwanted marked barrels though and I would appreciate some input on this issue. Thanks
 
naavt said:
No questioning Paul.

It's probably me and a not so good experience with zip gears. Anyway, I still find the redrock micro design - and alike - to provide some benefits when changing lenses. That's because the gear circumference is the same and the required adjustment on the FF unit will be minimal in that respect.

I'm still worried about unwanted marked barrels though and I would appreciate some input on this issue. Thanks
Click to expand...

Sounds like the lens gears from cinematics are what you want. They have feet so they don't damage the lens grip and increase lens diameter giving more of a focus throw.

http://cheesycam.com/cinematics-lens-gear-rings-for-follow-focus/

I have these and they work great but on some of my vintage lenses they make the focus throw too large. I have these plus a couple of zip gears to cover all situations.
 
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