Can anyone with experience on the RJ follow focus or Fotga FF advise me on how they handle small lenses? I have a few small C-mount lenses which I want to be able to use (see below).
Does anyone know a way to use the Fotga FF with the 20mm pancake?....Its gear is not reversible and its looking pretty impossible to me. It was all i could afford to buy :(....
I guess i should have got the other one- <----kicking himself....
@No_SuRReNDeR you could flip the FF unit to the other side of the lens. The gear would then be closer to the body to perhaps reach the 20mm.
The problem with any of these units in regards to small lenses is that the size of the wheel and unit as a whole make it hard to squeeze very closely to the camera body itself.
I bought the follow focus and the fotga quick release rails - both nice build quality (especially the rails). Used once so far, can't really find fault for the money.
Has anyone here evaluated the iDC Follow Focus for the GH2? It's completely friction based (and accurate from one review I read on B&H Photo). It also goes for about $400 but it doesn't require you to place gear rings on each of your lens...
@Vitaliy_Kiselev Thanks for the info. I'm looking for a good follow focus and purchased one that was recommended on this topic a few months back from jinfinance ( http://www.ebay.com/itm/DSLR-Follow-Focus-FF-15mm-rod-support-60D-600D-5D2-/140559292554 ). The follow focus unit itself seemed to be good quality until I mounted it to multiple lenses and it never had enough friction to turn the focal rings! Jinfinance was honorable and understanding, they took the unit back and offered me a refund w/o any hassle. He also stated they'll be revising their design and it will be better in the future.
When turning the follow focus knob, it didn't have enough friction between its gears to turn the focal ring on any of my lens (tested on Lumix 14-140mm and 14-42mm). The FF knob would rotate endlessly without turning the gears.
When I spoke to jinfinance he recommended taking apart the FF and tightening the dampening clamp inside it. After doing so it still rotated freely without enough strength to turn the ring. Any more modifications could possibly damage the unit and I felt it wasn't worth the risk in case I had to return it (which I ultimately did).
>The FF knob would rotate endlessly without turning the gears
You just had defective FF, and hundreds of people use this FF without problems. But anyway "didn't have enough friction between its gears" sounds extra strange. Sound like you used FF without lens gears like friction FF.
I'm sure you're right - jinfinance has likely sold hundreds of these FF w/o any issues whatsoever, I probably received a bad apple off the assembly line. Although I'm certain it had a lens gear. I remember there being a separate cog off the FF knob that rotated when no pressure was applied to it. Once you placed a gear ring to your lens and mounted it the cog wouldn't budge and the knob kept rotating without friction.
@ stonebat Brilliant!!! --but sadly my gear isn't reverseable and I don't know if I can flip it because of the hand grip....Ill have to try that though sure if I cant get it to work with the Fotga-worse case then I'm just out 3 bucks...
Can I screw the (Rail rod system hand grip for Follow Focus 600D GH2 GH1) rig to a tripod? I'm using the Velbon C-600 + PH-368 kit. It's cheap and has a "fluid head" which pans and tilts pretty smooth.