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
Parts
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