What's so hard about a DIY Follow Focus?

Honestly, I don't think there is anything overly difficult about it. The project seems difficult at first but it's really not that complex of a system (As you mention).

The hard part would be implementing the electronics side with a wireless control. Preferably with variable speed.

I see these as the most challening problems with such a project:

1) Keep stops and starts smooth
2) Find a decent way to control the thing with a wireless control (I don't know how the controls are setup on "real" FF)
3) Implement the electronics (not as bad as it seems actually)
4) Finding a low cost way to mount the thing to 15mm rails (no custom machining)
 
i'd like to see a "real" electronic remote follow focus for inspiration...

can someone please post a link to one?

i've been thinking for a while about using some RC airplane servo's to do the job.

i have a friend who is an electronics guru and he says that are industrial ones out there that are way more sensitive than the RC airplane/car ones that are fairly cheap and super senstive/accurate.

a couple of pictures would be just the thing to get us started on making one.

i don't care if it is wireless, a wired model like jared's wired diy remote zoom would be fine with me. mount it on the base of the crane next to the lcd.

what i'd really like is just a mechanical start and stop thing for my chrosziel follow focus so the focus puller could just turn the wheel till he/she feels a gentle "stop" at the end point of the focus setting.

i can't believe that chrosziel didn't include this for what they charge!

matthew
 
Yes I would like to see a real one as well!

Could someone with a follow focus post some pictures for us, perhaps? Some close up shots from a few angles and particuarily, in my case, the control panel/box etc?

I'm not sure how you could manage a fully mechanical FF and still retain the ability to control from a distance. Did you have something specific in mind matthew?
 
Arriflex makes a remote follow fucus unit. You could do an image google search and find plenty of pictures. I was going to give it a shot at building a manual follow focus unit but I got side tracked and forgot all about it. Like Shaw said it's really a simple design of gears and cogs. It's just building them onto something that fits on your rods that was keeping me from doing it. If you can do it, I'd be interested in a manual unit. :)
 
Actually Mathewd5, I'd be interested in a low price remote pan & tilt head for crane use since you have experience with RC cars and such. hee hee hee :)
 
Shannon...you make the 1st prototype and we'll all jump on board....but I've heard talk of people actually *wanting* to do this, or saying "I'm gonna make a Follow Focus" for years now and we've never seen anything. Zip, Zero, Zilch, Nadda.....Nothing. Not one homemade Follow Focus have *I* ever seen. I've seen everything else like the Mini35 stuff and ghetto-rigged adapters for all sorts of other things....just never a Follow Focus. Make one and you will have the indie's beating a path to your post office box!! Hell...I'll buy 3!! ~reservoir~
 
Hi there,

we are attempting to provide a cost effective solution for remote focus, there are a lot of issues to be solved before attempting to build it, like the range of operation, silentness, gear size or resolution, just to mention a few.

We are by now finishing a prototype and hope to release some units soon. We didn't think of it yet, but we may release a DIY guide for people interested that cannot afford our units.

Diego Galvez
http://remotefollowfocus.googlepages.com/
 
ShannonRawls said:
Why hasn't anyone made a Do-It-Yourself FollowFocus system that has $100 in parts that you can get from your local RC Hobby Store? *smile*

This would be a nice thing for those that own Sony HDV cameras, DVX owners and XL1/2 users as well.

Are you guys going to make me do this?

The gears are simple.....If I were to piece things back together, I am sure I can build about 20 Radio Controlled Cars (gas & electric) from the parts I have. (RC Racing used to be a huge hobby of mine).

I am sure the gearing would be simple using cogs from RC cars, rings and pinion gears. All that is needed is a method to mount them to a 15mm Rod system.

Whoever makes the the first detailed DIY plans for this and sells them on the internet for $50 bucks should make about $15,000 in the first 45 days or so.

If I don't see something soon, I am going to do it. Anybody wanna go in with me? *smile*

- Shannon W. Rawls
Click to expand...

Yeah man do it!
Go get those 32 t.p.i. gears with proper pressure angles and those close tolerance axles and bearings and fit them to a right angle gear box with minimal backlash and then build the related mounting apparatus to tie everything togeather to mount on 15mm or 19mm rods, from Hobby Shack!
Sell the package for a bill or two and you will get rich!
Good luck.
 
individual parts are easy, sure. Maybe you can find the right sized gears with everything you need in the hobby store, including knobs and whiteboard (and you can't,accoring to every single-dingle hobby store in atlanta), and maybe you can put it all together.

Do it and you'd be a hero, especially if you can mount it to the rods without any slippage at all.

personal experience: fitting the thing to the rod support is a real *****, and hell: BUILDING the rod support is even cheaper. No wonder you see so many custom jobs that are solid aluminum and have everything perfect. ugh
 
i think i just annoy them when i "mistakenly" refer to the model cars as "toys".
could be part of the reason I seem to have trouble finding parts....hmmm
 
Hi! I've just finished my diy follow focus. If you're interested email me at lorenzo.lucifredi@fastwebnet.it
CIMG2958.JPG
 
Hey guys,
I'm a do it your self kind of guy, but how much do you guys think it would cost to do a Remote FF? I just had a bracket to hold a tablet pc off a Noga arm and the damn simple bracket (no moving parts) came up to $550. for the prototype. So when I heard of a Remote Follow Focus for around $500-600, I said. WOW!!
I think I'll save my time and effort and money on this one, and just wait a few months. (maybe I can actually do some filming. hahahha)
Hey LOLLO, send me a pm. I'd like to know about your Follow focus.
Thanks.
 
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