2014Follow Focus forum
Compatibility and performance issues between Preston MDR3 follow focus and Heden M26VE motors
12 years old. Gear and prices may have changed since.
DisputedParticipants disagreed and reached no conclusion. Read the findings as positions, not as an answer.
What the thread found
- The Heden M26VE and Preston DM2 share the same motor from Faulhaber but differ in gearbox design, affecting speed and torque characteristics
- Heden M26VE motors exhibited noticeable lag during fast focus racks from close distance to infinity when used with a Preston MDR3, while Preston DM1X motors performed without perceptible delay
- Speed adjustments on the MDR3 had no observable effect on M26VE motor movement across different settings
- Older Heden M26VE units required firmware updates to work optimally with Preston MDR3, and could be retrofitted to achieve performance approaching the DM1X
- Preston DM1X is considered the strongest and fastest motor option, while M26VE compares to the DM2 in performance capabilities
Depends on
- The issue was only tested with three older M26VE motors at a single checkout session, limiting sample size
- No maximum speed specification was available from Heden at the time of the discussion
- An unresolved claim suggested MDR3 may have less output power than MDR2, but this was secondhand information
- The exact nature of the MDR3 firmware update needed for M26VE compatibility was not detailed in the thread
Gear in this thread
Parts
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