WOW, Good Cheap Follow Focus
- Thread starter thekreative
- Start date
I'm also trying to compare this one to the Fotga offering. From photos and the comments here, the only differences I can discern are:
* The Fotga has an adjustable focus indicator
* The quick release on the Fotga appears to clamp both rails (can anyone who has it confirm?)
* The gear on Fotga's new DP500II S model is replaceable with different sizes. Although why couldn't the gear on the older model be replaced?. Could the gear on this Tilta-like one be changed?
Both have adjustable drag, are made of metal, have hard stops, a quick release, a magnetic marking plate, a 12mm socket for whip/crank, and users who report no backlash.
For a savings of $40, the Tilta-esque one seems a better deal unless you need an adjustable indicator, are worried about the single clamp, or if it turns out you can't change the gear on the Tilta-style one for some reason (interested to hear about this from someone who has it).
Here are the two listings, for reference:
"Tilta"-esque: http://www.ebay.com/itm/DSLR-15mm-R...=&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557
Fotga DP500IIS: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Fotga-DP500...860?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item41751b3634
Edit: Here are updated, active listings for the Tilta one
From the original seller (bucks-saver): http://www.ebay.com/itm/DSLR-15mm-R...223?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4174b739f7
From another seller, but the photos are precisely the same: http://www.ebay.com/itm/DSLR-15mm-F...395?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item53f90dbbcb
* The Fotga has an adjustable focus indicator
* The quick release on the Fotga appears to clamp both rails (can anyone who has it confirm?)
* The gear on Fotga's new DP500II S model is replaceable with different sizes. Although why couldn't the gear on the older model be replaced?. Could the gear on this Tilta-like one be changed?
Both have adjustable drag, are made of metal, have hard stops, a quick release, a magnetic marking plate, a 12mm socket for whip/crank, and users who report no backlash.
For a savings of $40, the Tilta-esque one seems a better deal unless you need an adjustable indicator, are worried about the single clamp, or if it turns out you can't change the gear on the Tilta-style one for some reason (interested to hear about this from someone who has it).
Here are the two listings, for reference:
"Tilta"-esque: http://www.ebay.com/itm/DSLR-15mm-R...=&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557
Fotga DP500IIS: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Fotga-DP500...860?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item41751b3634
Edit: Here are updated, active listings for the Tilta one
From the original seller (bucks-saver): http://www.ebay.com/itm/DSLR-15mm-R...223?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4174b739f7
From another seller, but the photos are precisely the same: http://www.ebay.com/itm/DSLR-15mm-F...395?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item53f90dbbcb
Last edited:
I just received mine, and here are my initial remarks:
- The gear had a rather large piece of plastic from machining still attached to one of the teeth when I unpacked my follow focus. After I pulled it off it left a notch on the corner of one of the teeth. I solved this by using a nail file to remove it.
- The "no-drag" position is perfectly fine. The "middle-drag" position has quite a lot of slack and is useless. The "heavy-drag" (my favorite) position is no slack, but presents another problem: It puts pressure on the two hard stops, so the hard stop ring closes to the rod mount is pushed slightly away towards the grip. This results in that the hard stop screw does not hit the focus marker slot perfectly, instead it hits the corner of it, but goes in with a little more force. Makes it difficult to set the hard stop when you have the drag tightened though.
- The hexagon head screw/bolt on the rod mount is a really cheap solution. Wish they could have spent $1-2 more on a screw that actually fit properly in the groove.
I'm going to open mine up as I want to remove the ugly blue color anyway, to see if I somehow can eliminate the second issue mentioned above.
But other than this it is looks very good for the money. I could instantly tell by looking at it that it is a cheaper unit though.
- The gear had a rather large piece of plastic from machining still attached to one of the teeth when I unpacked my follow focus. After I pulled it off it left a notch on the corner of one of the teeth. I solved this by using a nail file to remove it.
- The "no-drag" position is perfectly fine. The "middle-drag" position has quite a lot of slack and is useless. The "heavy-drag" (my favorite) position is no slack, but presents another problem: It puts pressure on the two hard stops, so the hard stop ring closes to the rod mount is pushed slightly away towards the grip. This results in that the hard stop screw does not hit the focus marker slot perfectly, instead it hits the corner of it, but goes in with a little more force. Makes it difficult to set the hard stop when you have the drag tightened though.
- The hexagon head screw/bolt on the rod mount is a really cheap solution. Wish they could have spent $1-2 more on a screw that actually fit properly in the groove.
I'm going to open mine up as I want to remove the ugly blue color anyway, to see if I somehow can eliminate the second issue mentioned above.
But other than this it is looks very good for the money. I could instantly tell by looking at it that it is a cheaper unit though.