Remote follow focus for £150/$300

fantastic! Pete, now give us proper price and a working ordering system :)

btw, battery in the pictures is sony, possible to have with different model ?
 
At the moment, Sony is the only plate we can provide. We do have Canon, JVC and Panasonic on the way, but its sony only at the moment. I have made the plates interchangeable, so you can take the sony plate off and replace it for that of a different mount at a later date, when they are available.

We are working on the ordering system at the moment, wont be long now.


Pete.
 
The latest photographs look fantastic! I'm ready to buy the US version as soon as it's available.

Will people on the reservation list get first priority for ordering?
 
I want one!

hoarp001, Congrats on seeing your vision through to final production. Looks amazing and top notch. Can wait to get my hands on one.
 
Hi Mr Post,

I still have the original list, and we will be giving priority still. I am aware that the product and price has changed significantly since most people joined up (as reservations opened well over a year ago now) so I am unsure of how many people are still interested. We will send an email or forum PM to everyone on the list when we are ready to take orders.


Just another note, Nic Jackson (not sure what his username is on here) is hiring one of our demo units for a shoot at the weekend. I have asked him to post some photos, so keep an eye out over the next few days for Nics pics.


Pete.
 
Hello everyone.

As Pete has said i have rented the Hocus Focus for a weekend to use on a music video shoot. I will post photos of the HoFo in action in a few days.

I have never posted on this forum but have followed this thread from day one and have been amazed by how this project has developed.

Cheers,

Nic

:)
 
Last edited:
hoarp001 said:
I still have the original list, and we will be giving priority still. I am aware that the product and price has changed significantly since most people joined up (as reservations opened well over a year ago now) so I am unsure of how many people are still interested. We will send an email or forum PM to everyone on the list when we are ready to take orders.
Click to expand...

So, how can I get on this list?
I have the money burning a hole in my pocket and want to make sure I get in line to purchase!

thank you.

troy
 
You can give my place on the list to someone else Peter, cause I can`t aford it in the moment.

.....boooohooooo!

Frank
 
For those mentioning a $1000 price tag, considering where this product has gone, I think that is unreasonable. It would be a miracle to sell this at that price. I think owners of Preston, Arri, C-Motion, and Bartech systems paying exponentially more will tell you that this product is worth hundreds more than $1k, and I'm sure production costs have gone up quite a bit.

Here's a few things I suggest looking at the kit. Offer a D-tap to 4pin cable in the kit. Sony batts aren't bad, my preston uses them, but I know I'd be going D-tap on my HPX300, 170, Red, Varicam and so on just because it's easy. Offer different gear sizes. I noticed the motor can't turn more than 180*. Have you tested how this comes into play with large Cine style barrels that feature 15-30 witness marks across 200+ degrees of turning? You'll need to offer various sized gears in the .8 mod. Essentially have a few options for the amount of teeth and perhaps the width if that is still an option with that design. Also, does the knob have hard stops once the in/out points are set? For example, once I set my points, will it spin freely beyond that or does it hard stop?

This is looking great, and the case is an excellent job. Consider that Bartech is $4500 and Viewfactor is $2700. If this slots in around $1500-1850 then you have a pretty good market. $2000+ will start to encroach on VF's customers and that is a very feature filled unit to contend with unfortunately.
 
As Avenger stated you have to pick the right tools for the right price, I own a Bartech and it's worth the $5500 price tag for me. I would not buy a Preston or Arri because I would not need the additional functions it provides for the price tag for my market. Even though HoFo has evolved into a great looking product its not for me as it will not serve my needs.

Hofo is perfect for the Indie/35mm market. In my opinion if the product ends up in the $1000-1500 range it would be well worth the price tag. If you cant afford to buy it, rent it.
 
Hi Everyone,

I think Avenger makes a very valid point. I do not intend the Hocus Focus to be an alternative to the Bartech, Preston, Genio etc. They are different products for different markets. The Hocus Focus is for SLR lenses and Broadcast lenses, and is not intended for cinema lenses. I think if you are using a £6000 cinema lens, then buying or renting a preson or bartech system is not an issue. However if you are using an old Nikon lens that was £200 off ebay, the Hocus Focus is perfect for you, especialy if you are always doing little projects and dont want to hire the same unit over and over again.

You would think that the 180 degrees rotation would be a problem, but it really does not get in the way. I find that most of the time when the HF is used, it is on a wide angle lens, which typically have shorter focus throws. A 300mm Nikon lens may well rotate 270 degrees, but a 28mm or similar rarely does. I chose the size of the 32p drive gear to be a good ballence between lens throw advantages and size. The old one was huge, far too big to use under normal shoot conditions. We do have bigger gears available if they are necessary.

I also find the use of Zacuto Zip gears that hug the lens tightly also improve lens throw significantly.

The knob has hard stops and rotates 270 degrees. When you set the limits, the set range of motion on the lens is expanded to fill the 270 degrees. There is no dead space on the knob, so there is no area of the knob that does nothing when the limits are set.

The Ptap cable is definatly a good idea, but I find that most people that have these types of cameras usualy have these cables in abundance anyway. Of course, we can add it as an optional item on the website, and I would not expect this to be expensive.

Hiring is a definate option, infact one of our hire/demo units (serial number 0002) is out for hire at the moment as previously mentioned. Let me know if you would like to hire and I can arrange it.


Thanks for all your help, input and everything. I know that the product has evolved beyond what it was originaly, and is more expensive than it was but I think this company has real potential, beyond focus devices. We have some other products in the pipeline which I am sure will be popular. Hocus Products will not just make the Hocus Focus ;-)
 
Just a quick note to say that the Hocus Focus will be at IBC. I will be there on the Saturday and Sunday.

Let me know if you would like to come and see it...


IDX booth 9.E48
 
Just a quick update to say that we have just wrapped on the Penny music video we used the HoFo on and i will be posting my and the crews thoughts on the HoFo in the next few days.

You can check out the photos of the HoFo in action on the FaceBook Group!

:)

Nic
 
Just got the email to say you will be at IBC. Any more idea of the final price and availability in the UK yet?

Would love to have a 7D rig with this to show around.:)

Dan
 
Hi Pressphotographer,

They are available in the UK from Production Gear for immediate delivery.


020 8236 1212 ask for Simon.



Pete.
 
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