What the thread found

• On live and broadcast work the operator is regularly expected to handle focus and zoom as well, because there is no focus puller on the crew. It is a normal request, not an unreasonable one, and the equipment for it is rentable rather than something to buy for a single job.
• The control named by operators for this is a combined zoom and focus control of the kind used in broadcast, rented locally together with the lens cables that match the specific lens. The cables are the part that catches people out: the control is generic, the cable is not.
• The advice from experienced operators is to establish the exact lens and camera before the day and to source the matching cable with the control, rather than assuming a rental house will have it on the shelf.
• For small cameras a cheaper route exists. An adapter from the common LANC controller connector to the camera's own port lets a simple zoom rocker drive the camera, which also allows the camera to be started and stopped from the rig without reaching for the body.
• A dedicated zoom rocker made for this purpose is in current use on live television. An operator reports it as precise and solid with a usable sensitivity response, and comfortable enough for a full show, driving a broadcast-style zoom lens. It is a purpose-built alternative to improvising with a generic controller.
• Doing both jobs at once changes how the shot has to be planned. Operators treat it as a constraint on movement rather than a free addition: what can be framed and focused single-handed is less than what an operator plus a focus puller can achieve.
• For anyone new to this work: the question is worth asking before accepting the job, because the answer determines whether a rental has to be organised and who pays for it.
• For a controller small enough to sit on the gimbal handle, three names come up and the field has a clear favourite. One long-established compact zoom control is hard to obtain at all; a purpose-built small-batch controller is widely recommended despite being 3D printed, with operators praising both the build and the maker's turnaround; a third mainstream brand is ruled out repeatedly for not offering the right connector. The connector, again, is what decides.
• The two functions can be stacked: operators combine a zoom rocker with a focus wheel mounted underneath it on the same handle, so both can be worked without letting go. That is the arrangement to aim for if the job asks for focus and zoom at once.

Depends on

• Operator practice from 2026, not a manufacturer instruction. Specific product names were mentioned in the discussion but not compared, so nothing here is a recommendation of one control over another.
• The LANC route applies to small cameras with that connector. It says nothing about cine lenses or professional follow focus systems.
• Rental availability and cabling differ by region and by rental house.
• 3D-printed does not mean improvised here. Operators who use the small-batch controller describe it as solidly built, and the objection raised against it was about appearance rather than function.

Parts

Follow Focus

Same gear or parts

1. 2026Swapping an ARRI ALEXA 35 between tripod/studio and Steadicam® mounting: baseplate choice and fastest workflow.FacebookSteadicam operators group
2. 2025LC-1 (Lens Control-1) follow focus system: wired architecture, motors, and early operational experience (1990s).FacebookThe Steadicam Group
3. 2024Modifications to a Steadicam Scout rig for expanded power distribution and connectivityGeneral Discussion
4. 2023Follow focus motor choice and control ergonomics for Steadicam® focus pulling: small handwheel versus grip trigger, and motor torque requirements.FacebookSteadicam operators group