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Focusing Easier

sfoster

Staff Member
Moderator
I can't remember what this accessory is called, who knows?

It snaps onto the lens and it has a notch that you can push with your finger. It makes it easier to focus than having to grab onto the lens and twist it with your hand.

Probably some common sense name :lol:
 
I don't really know what kind of money you want to spend, but there's a few for 100 bucks or less on amazon. I think Neweer has one for 45 dollars too. It's not going to be the fanciest piece of equipment you lay your hands on, but it'd be better than touching the focus ring by hand.

But yeah, seconding what Ernest said, there's a bunch of DIY options too.
 
I bought a cheapo shoulder rig SIMILAR TO THIS a couple years back, which comes with a follow focus. It's cheap and nasty, but it does the job.

Something to be aware of with this sort of follow focus; the gear ring is no more than a toothed rubber band which has to be tightened around the focus ring. It fits fine on my zoom lenses. But on my nifty fifty, it has a habit of popping off due to the fact that the focus ring is both very narrow and angled. It works fine if the gear ring is fitted well, but on the odd occasion it just falls off.
 
Awesome thanks.
For some reason I thought follow focus was just for the more advanced gadgets that plug into the camera.

With your help I found this for $8
http://www.amazon.com/Chinatera-Fol...YMTO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1431994028&sr=8-1

Well that thing didn't work for me very well :no:

There is a flash hood that sticks out over my lens
IMG_20150527_115739.jpg


This blocks the simple follow focus from rotating on my wide angle lens.
 
idk if i'd really call 40mm on a crop sensor "wide" :P

can you mount it on the underside of the lens so the bar that sticks out is facing downward?

It's 24mm. Widest I could get at my price point :lol:
And it makes mechanical noises when I rack focus manually.

I could mount it on the underside but then I wouldn't be able to use my gimbal for stabilization.

I'll have to invest in one of the more expensive follow focus technologies.
 
It's 24mm. Widest I could get at my price point :lol:
And it makes mechanical noises when I rack focus manually.

I could mount it on the underside but then I wouldn't be able to use my gimbal for stabilization.

I'll have to invest in one of the more expensive follow focus technologies.

ooof, trying to rack focus on a gimbal? please tell me it's not a flycam type...that sounds like a nightmare haha
 
ooof, trying to rack focus on a gimbal? please tell me it's not a flycam type...that sounds like a nightmare haha

It wasn't easy and I made some mistakes.

glidegear-syl-3000-steady-cam-l.jpg


I didn't have time to do a lot of setups i just had to keep moving.
To make matters worse I had to film a music video just before, so my back was already getting tired.

Apparently pancake lenses and follow focus in general just don't seem to go hand in hand.
I would need a different wide angle lens. Another poor purchasing decision from me.
 
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