SteadiHub
2008Follow Focus forum

Viewfactor follow focus system capabilities and early limitations

18 years old. Gear and prices may have changed since.

What the thread found

  • The system uses smart motors with embedded control circuitry rather than requiring a separate driver, making them self-contained motion control units capable of recording and repeating movements with precision.
  • Early demo units exhibited calibration loss when the lens was set to infinity, requiring recalibration after power loss, controller shutdown, or physical impact.
  • The initial single-knob controller could only operate one function at a time across three motors, though developers acknowledged demand for simultaneous multi-channel control.
  • The focus knob required multiple rotations to traverse the full lens range from close focus to infinity.
  • Promised improvements included a larger focus knob with single-revolution full-throw capability, dedicated three-channel controller below two thousand dollars with features comparable to motion control systems, fixed calibration stability, and wireless functionality.
  • Motors feature strong output despite small size and use an inverted M-one style quick-disconnect connector.
  • The system was originally planned as a RED camera accessory before the developers pursued a universal independent product.
  • Operating frequency of 2.4 GHz may potentially interfere with some wireless video transmission systems.

Depends on

  • The discussion covers only early 2008 prototypes shown at a trade show, not production units.
  • Described problems were observed during brief five-minute booth demonstrations and may have been corrected in final versions.
  • The promised pro controller and wireless features mentioned as future developments were not yet available for testing.
  • No field testing data was provided by working focus pullers.
  • Compatibility with other follow focus motor systems was not supported by the design architecture.

Gear in this thread

BFD

Parts

Follow Focus

Same gear or parts

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