Questions about purchasing follow focus.....

N

nimihendrix

i see they range tremendously in price from the cheap ones on amazon for about $100, up to $1200 or even more. my question is - what is the difference? what is there to look for when making a selection. my budget for a follow focus is less than $200 but i want to know will that get me a working product.


interestingly, i had purchased a very cheap rig from amazon, i ended up taking off the follow focus and using it on an upgraded rig, it seemed to work fine (the follow focus goes for about $130 on amazon) until i broke the gear drive (pictured below). i tried for a while to purchase just this piece but i cn't find anywhere that will sell it.


any thoughts?



http://www.amazon.com/Red-Star-Reversible-Follow-RS-Mount/dp/B0058NQKU8


i have the older version to that follow focus, but the piece that TURNS the gear around the less broke from out of the unit
 
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"until i broke the gear drive"

Somewhat answered your own question right there...

In addition they are judged by do they slip, how far does the wheel turn before it engages and starts turning the lens, is it repeatable (if I make a mark and I return to that mark is the focus still true), etc...

I'm not sure what the best in your price range is. Mine (Red Rock V2) was a little over twice that, and many people consider IT a cheap hunk of crap.
 
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i was wondering the same about tripods a while ago.. whats the point.. tripod is the tripod! until

a) all of the footage looked like a godzilla walked arount the set
b) by camera took 6 foot lens dive while moving the tripod..

Needless to say, new 800 dollar tripod was purchased the next day :-D

Don't go cheap on the gear.
 
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gonzo i knew that would be a reply lol

even tho the metal is probably cheaper than the higher priced ones, it was my fault that it broke, so thats not a primary concern


all the functional criteria u just mentioned were all accomplished by the cheap one so i think im gonna get another cheap one
 
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I used a D-Focus follow-focus ($139) on Arkham Sanitarium - seemed to work fine for most of the shots - the only one I had problems with was trying to use a Glidetrack and the D-Focus at the same time and keeping the dolly smooth and the shot in focus on a tiny monitor :D

Next time I'll use a focus puller :)
 
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