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Best FF for RPP's?

Frank Weeks

Frank Weeks

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Now that the RPP's are starting to ship I have to consider a follow focus.

With Brook Willard's concerns in SALT (minor as they might be) I would like to get recommendations on the best FF for RPP's.

Would one be more or less convenient when swapping lenses?

Would the Impero with View Factor motors be a viable option? (I'm curious because I already have the Impero controller.)

Your thoughts would be appreciated.
 
Arri follow focuses play well with the RPPs. In fact, I believe Ted travels with an MFF-1 for demonstrations.
 
Mitch is right, Arri follow focuses play very nicely with the lenses.

I must re-emphasize how minor those ingrown gear quibbles are. Don't make a follow focus decision based on that criteria.
 
I'm using the Zacuto follow focus with 15mm rails...

I'm very happy with this FF... BUT... I don't have RPPs yet.

Anyone know if the Zacuto follow focus on 15s will work with them?
 
I've been using the Zacuto ff with the 300mm on 19mm and have no complaints. Although it's the only one I've owned.

JB
 
I would love to have an Arii but this camera is getting expensive. With the Primes +300mm +null and Red rocket. Well I night need to trim a little. I have looked at the Zacuto (looks solid) and shot a short last week with the Red Rock. It worked well but we were using a Cooke zoom and were not changing lenses.

If, as Brook says, it's a minor thing. Well,,that's good to hear.

Thanks for the input.
 
Videodisc said:
I would love to have an Arii but this camera is getting expensive. With the Primes +300mm +null and RED Rocket™. Well I night need to trim a little. I have looked at the Zacuto (looks solid) and shot a short last week with the Red Rock. It worked well but we were using a Cooke zoom and were not changing lenses.

If, as Brook says, it's a minor thing. Well,,that's good to hear.

Thanks for the input.
Click to expand...

Did the redrock feel solid and high quality, and did it have any issues with the cooke? I'm also in the same boat trying to cut costs, so wherever I can compromise cost I will.
 
The Red Rock performed very well during the shoot. If you are not expecting heavy use,I believe, it would work well for you. It won't match the quality of the Arri or other high end units but for the price Red Rock is always a consideration.
 
Isn't the Zacuto the same price as the Arri MFF1?
 
if budget is a concern, i've heard nothing but raves about the cinevate FF. i don't own one, but it might be worth a look.
 
If budget is not a concern, I'd get the Arri LFF-1.
 
The MFF-1 is a bit more, but you get what you pay for and then some. We sell both products and both have their place. For the money, I like the versatility of the MFF-1.
 
Perplexed

Perplexed

Hi Mitch,

I've tried to decipher Arri's less than stellar marketing materials for their camera accessories, and particularly the follow focus units are difficult to differentiate.

Other that designed for larger "Cine" lenses (a confusing term at best) I (and I'd bet others) am not really clear on which one to choose.

What are the key differences?

Cheers,

Steve
 
Actually the bigger issue for some may be the physical circumference of the lens. If the housing is fat enough, then some follow focus units may not physically fit underneath the lens. Or the size and tilting angle of the arm used for adjusting the position of the gear ring may interfere with the lens.

The FF4 is designed to be used with large "cine" lenses. What does that mean? It means that the Housing that stretches across the two rods is very low profile (remember, this is a two-sided follow focus so that means a crank shaft has to run across there). It also means that the gear-turning ratio is relatively low, meaning that the expectation is that the follow focus will be used with a lens that has a long "throw," or a large physical rotation of the focus ring (300 degrees is common in pro cine lenses). A video or still lens (one that is primarilly focused by eye and not by reading marks) generally has a short focus throw, perhaps 90 degrees or so. This is not a design weakness, rather a feature of these designs so that it is quicker & easier to adjust focus by eye. The ARRI FF5 is designed for video lenses and has a gear transmission designed for shorter throw lenses, which means that the gearing ratio allows the follow focus disk to rotate nearly all the way around even though the lens has only a 90 degree turn. This allows for a greater number of detailed marks on the follow focus marking disk. If an FF5 is used with a "cine" rotating lens, the disk will make a full revolution and perhaps two, making the scales difficult to mark and read. Different circumference gears mounted on the follow focus (ARRI offers three sizes, meaning three different numbers of gear teeth) can also be used to help adjust for this.

The MFF-1 is a very different creature. It is designed to be extremely simple, small and lightweight. Instead of a locked assembly to the rod mounts with the gear on a swing arm, the follow focus gear, transmission and knob are all locked together and on a two part swing arm off the rod mount. The rod mount is very compact as the unit is decidedly only a single-sided unit. It is quite compact and extremely adjustable, but as a lower-cost follow focus does not have quite the absolute precision of the FF4 or FF5. The transmission in the MFF-1 is the same ratio as the FF4, so if you wish to use it with still or video lenses you should get a large gear.

If you have the money and wish for a more-pro camera kit (and expect to rent it out to pros), then the FF4 would be my suggestion. If you prefer the style of the FF5 then use it by all means. And if you are looking for an excellent little follow focus at a decent price or want something small & light for handheld work, then the MFF-1 is terrific.
 
i cant stress the importance of a good Follow focus..

Please dont mess around..
go ARRI. bite the bullet and go for the gold.

I picked up a ff-2 both wheels (ff4 knobs) for 1500.. best 1500 spent
 
Mitch

To your knowledge, are there any FF's that might have problems with the fact that RPP's have the recessed focus gear that sits in a narrow channel?

Also what FF would most easily deal with lenses changes with this RPP design characteristic?
 
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