Questions, support rods...

[Guest]

Hey I have a few newb questions about my dvx and hope you don't mind helping me out.

First what are support rods used for? I understand a follow focus systems attaches to them, but if a camera didn't have follow focus would there be a reason to have the rods?
I'm also confused on what a follow focus does, I see a knob, I imagine it focuses? What difference does it make from the normal ring?

Can filters be attached to the factory matt box of a 100a?
Can anyone provide some info on UV filters? I can't find good information on why to always use them or just when the situation calls. I know people are different, but what are the pros and cons of you different people? 8)
When I won't need any specific look filters anytime soon, are there any recommendations to a standard UV or other filters deemed somewhat necessary or helping to start with?


I got a fingerprint on my lens trying to replace the cap, is there any easy substitute solution instead of using the lens cap? And I'm not sure how to clean this smudge of my lens and be positive I screw it up. Should I use a special cloth? Water? Glass cleaner? lol..

Any help or tips, thoughts or whatever is welcome, thanks a whole lot.

 

[Neil Rowe]

Re: Questions, support rods...

.. support rods are for ...well support. a follow focus wont just sit in the air there by itself, it needs to be attached to somthiing that holds its gear meshed to the gear on the cam. support rods also hold matteboxes , because unless youve got a real lightwieght one, you dont want to hang all that weight and glass(filters and such) on the end of your lense. support rods also support longer lenses, with lense supports, that hold up a big long lense, and keep it stable and safe instead of all the wight hanging from the lense mount. rods also hold and serve as an attacjment point for numerous other devices that need a goo reliable and precision repeatable place to mount.

no filters dont attache to the standard dvx lense shade/hood. the 100a has the same excact hood. it is nott a mattebox.. just a shade/hood. but there is an article on this site..wait let me link it for you...

http://www.dvxuser.com/cgi-bin/DVX/YaBB.cgi?board=Articles;action=display;num=1068222694

there. that talks about converting your standard lense hood into a filter holder.. you could always just tape them on if you didnt want to do all this ..whatever works right?

a follow focus gives a very smooth precision focus knob that is much more easily accessible than reaching up and turning the focus ring.. it also provides a surface to mark on so that you can pull focus to certain points reapeatedly with precision. some can have hard stops which you can set so that the focus will have to stop at a point you set on it. so when your shifting focus in a move, you do it in advance, and then just have to mark the points, and repeat those points. (you could also watch the #s on the lcd, but trust me its way easier with a follow focus) . follow focuses also have places to attach whips to. a whip is a long flexible shaft that connects to the ff, and allows someone to stand at a distance from the cam,and turn the focus.. they also have cranks which attatch. it makes it waaay easier for someone to pull focus for you , when you run the cam, and they dont need to see a monitor, cause its all marked out., and theyre not knocking the cam around by reaching on the ring, and trying to look at the lcd.


for filters.. at least use a uv filter so that you protect you lense, from dust and scratches, and fingerprints.. you wont care if you bust some stupid uv filter, or clean it, but you never want anything to come close to your actual lense.

as for cleaning the lense of the print.. i would first try purified distilled water with a cleaning cloth for lense optics from a photography store. they may have lense solution there too, but be sure that it is a very gentle solution , i would use as little water or solution as possible , and get a filter over that lense so it never happens again. the lense cap works fine, you need to be careful.
hope this helps