Which remote follow focus?

I bought the Hocus focus..

Build quality is stunning, works like a dream, its not silent (but it isnt noisy either unless you pull a frenzied whip which I may do but probably not with dialog) but for half the price of a pro motor its a full kit, ive spent the whole afternoon pulling accurate smoooth focus.

well done Hocus focus people.

:happy:
 
i too was gonna wait but I think in an interview on youtube redrock sounded quite pricey (did he say $3-$5k?) plus taxes import to uk etc.
Dont get me wrong tho redrocks rff looks like a stunning product.
 
I'm looking for a system also.

Viewfactor system is out of stock, the RTmotion system is out of stock, Redrocks system motor don't exist yet.

I'm definitely not wanting a hobby servo based system like Foveas, HocusFocus ,VariZoom EFCU etc they fall down on accuracy, noise, 180 degrees limit etc etc.

The hunt continues.
 
For the record, the VariZoom VZ-WFF is a rebadged Bartech with included Palomar M-One motor. Bartech doesn't fall down in any regard.
 
The Hofo system is robust, well built and works great. The Rev system from RT Motion is crap. I repeat, it is CRAP. Do not waste your hard-earned money on it. I've never criticized any product or company in a forum but I feel real strongly about this.

On their website (rtmotion.com) they state "We manufacture motion-control and robotics systems for use in Cinema, TV & Visual Effects environments. We are experts in robust, pragmatic design, user-serviceable mechanics, and advanced embedded systems.
All systems are hand-assembled by our engineers in the UK, and are fully customisable in both hardware and software to fit your needs."

First of all, their system is not ROBUST. A friend of mine purchased it and we were using it on set and it broke down. Just a few weeks old and it simply broke down on set while in use. Secondly, if this was "hand-assembled by [their] engineers in the UK" I wouldn't trust their engineer's if my life depended on it. After it broke down, we opened up the case to see what was wrong with it and to our utter shock and amazement, we discovered that it was nothing but a worthless (no, expensive) piece of crap! The parts were all things you can buy at Radio Shack (or Maplin if you're in the UK) and they taped it together. It probably cost them about $100 to make this.

We don't want anybody else to spend their money on this product, which is why we are sharing this on this forum.

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Mic Dundee said:
I'm looking for a system also.

Viewfactor system is out of stock, the RTmotion system is out of stock, Redrocks system motor don't exist yet.

I'm definitely not wanting a hobby servo based system like Foveas, HocusFocus ,VariZoom EFCU etc they fall down on accuracy, noise, 180 degrees limit etc etc.

The hunt continues.
Click to expand...

Mic,

We have updates to the Hocus Focus coming very shortly which address the issues with the current motor you spoke of. The update also adds some nice additional features. Should have some more information within a few weeks.


Thanks,


Pete.
 
Jamie from RT Motion here,

This is clearly a development prototype, and should not have been sent out to a paying customer.

A local company was handling the final assembly of the first batch, and I'm furious that a development unit made its way into a shipment. Can you get your friend to email returns@rtmotion.com ASAP so that we can replace the unit. Customer service is a top priority for us- I will be looking into how this happened.

Thank you, and I'm really sorry for any inconvenience this has caused you.

Jamie

jamie@rtmotion.com
RT Motion . +44 131 461 3076
 
Are the "production" models still in plastic cases? I played with the Hofo, and the viewfactor while at NAB, both not in booths, I likes the viewfactor then (Had some recent troubles with it and the failure of syncing it has)

But the Hofo is a nice piece of kit, its a solid piece that I would trust, much like a Bartech in quality
 
Hi Jamie, Is possible a internal photo of the final comercial units?... We believe you, but this is a really big mistake in your part. I think that an internal photo of the final units can help us to believe you, and calm down the people. and don't refund the pre-orders, like me.
I think that is important for the people like me, that josephj make a review of the new unit, and confirm that it's not a crap.

Thanks!
 
yosem said:
Hi Jamie, Is possible a internal photo of the final comercial units?... We believe you, but this is a really big mistake in your part. I think that an internal photo of the final units can help us to believe you, and calm down the people. and don't refund the pre-orders, like me.
I think that is important for the people like me, that josephj make a review of the new unit, and confirm that it's not a crap.

Thanks!
Click to expand...

I agree. Those of us that have taken the leap of faith and ordered an unproven product from a completely unknown company deserve to know what we are getting.
If this is nothing more than a mistake, then it will be obvious when we see images of a production version of the REV's internals.
 
Hi Folks,

Thought I'd chime in here. I've been a Steadicam Owner Operator for almost 13 years now and have used a number of Remote F/F Systems over that time.

I've recently taken delivery of a HoFo System and have to say, FOR THE PRICE, the unit is superbly built. There are known issues with the motor and Pete is working on and addressing those issues, including the development of a new Motor for the system, which, from what I've seen (and not heard, wink, wink) looks very impressive.

The RT-Motion guys said they would send me a demo unit sometime ago now and I still haven't seen one. So can't comment on the build quality of that system.
 
After numerous shipping issues and this recent post of the internals of the RTMotion REV system, I have requested and received my refund. Tomorrow I go shopping for a HoFo.
 
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