Better focus for wildlife filming - 600x2mm

[Robert Hofmeyr]

Hi Rob, I think you are right that I maybe dont need the rails. I'm sure I could put something on the RRS Kennan Ward bar. So just so I understand. The bolt that is what the follow focus cogwheel will sit on. But what is the bent rail for?
I talked to Tom and he recommended the RTMotion instead. If you get the full setup its 2-3x more expensive than Redrock of course. I will need to redup on the latitude. Would you use these for the same purpose or what would you use them for?
I will be sure to put up some of the puffins when I finished editing the. I got one that is taking of with the mouth full with fish!
Cheers
/Andreas

Hi Andreas,

The bent bit is just a bracket to attach the short rod to your bar. Not sure if it will be the right length, so you may need to have something made up.

The nice thing about the RTmotion system is you can just buy a latitude and a thumbwheel or smart knob initially (these will allow you to start/stop and pull focus via internal motors of your lens) and see if they suffice, then upgrade with controller, motors etc. later.

Cheers,
Rob

 

[AndreasOberg]

Cheers. The RTMotion and latitude with a thumbwheel seems like a very cost efficient solution. My only concern is if its smooth enough, but i guess it doesn't have to be 100% smooth. I still wonder about the screens though. I read recommendations for both Shogun and 702. Seems like I need to test them live to actually know. Any thoughts are welcome. Does anyone else use a similar setup for these types of shots? It seems like an elegant solution to a tricky problem.
/Andreas

 

[joshua csehak]

I found a thread here where almost everyone recommended SmallHD 702, but the Shogun looks to have more features. So more thoughts on them would be good to hear.

I've used and compared both on set. (The previous generation Shogun and the current generation SmallHD (702 or 502, something like that).). The SmallHD is more compact and built more solidly. It also doesn't have a fan. I'm not sure about battery life, b/c I have my Shogun plugged into my Redvolt XL module, but I would hazard a guess that the SmallHD is better there. The Shogun has a fan that sometimes comes on when I start it up, but for some reason it's never on when I'm shooting, so it's a non-issue. The image is just a bit nicer on the Shogun, and most importantly, the SmallHD exhibits some banding with gradients that the Shogun does not. The Shogun is also easier to use, to me.

 

[Jacek Zakowicz]

Cheers. The RTMotion and latitude with a thumbwheel seems like a very cost efficient solution. My only concern is if its smooth enough, but i guess it doesn't have to be 100% smooth.
/Andreas

It's obviously your choice Andreas but consider if a few hundred difference is worth giving up proper focus wheel. In your situation IMO focus wheel would matter. Also consider the wireless setup. Here OptiTron2 is much more cost efficient.
Just some things to consider.....

 

[Robert Gustafsson]

It's obviously your choice Andreas but consider if a few hundred difference is worth giving up proper focus wheel. In your situation IMO focus wheel would matter. Also consider the wireless setup. Here OptiTron2 is much more cost efficient.
Just some things to consider.....

+1.

I use my Optitron 2 with various telephoto lenses and it makes focusing so much easier due to the long rotation on the focuswheel. I haven't found a better solution for focusing with Canon glass. I guess a thumbwheel could make sense on a shoulder rig but on locked down shots, the Optitron 2 is a no-brainer if you intend to use Canon lenses.

 

[Kris Bird]

Hi! You don't need to give up a proper focus wheel, our SMART-KNOB is this exact product

http://www.rtmotion.com/products/smart-knob

It works stand-alone, i.e. that's all you need to do electronic Focus and Iris control for EF lenses... Plus it can also be an accessory for an RTMotion MK3.1 or Latitude based system, i.e. you can control (for example) one of our Lens motors by plugging into into a Latitude or Receiver MK3.1

Kris

 

[Norbert Jalitsch]

Default 08-14-2016, 10:56 AM
Hi! You don't need to give up a proper focus wheel, our SMART-KNOB is this exact product

http://www.rtmotion.com/products/smart-knob

It works stand-alone, i.e. that's all you need to do electronic Focus and Iris control for EF lenses... Plus it can also be an accessory for an RTMotion MK3.1 or Latitude based system, i.e. you can control (for example) one of our Lens motors by plugging into into a Latitude or Receiver MK3.1

Kris



is it on stock ???

 

[Joel Arvidsson]

I wonder if RTmotion smart knob or Otitron2 can focus sigma ef lenses aswell or strictly canon only?
Two intresting choices! Not easy to know the pro and cons of each system. What about the Rtmotion Laitude? Does it have built in wifi to comunicate with fool control onan Epic DSMC 1?

 

[Jacek Zakowicz]

I woder if you with RTmotion smart knob or Otitron2 can focus sigma ef lenses aswell or strictly canon only?
Two intresting choices! Not easy to know pro and cons. What about the Rtmotion Laitude? Does it have bult in wifi to talk to comunicate with fool control onan Epic dmsc 1?

The lenses are controlled by the camera so whatever is compatible (on the list) is fine. I know that Sigma ART lenses work very well. The older copies of 18-35 have a small issue when iris is wide open but it can still be reset or controlled from the camera easily.
Couple of notes:
1.We spent a good part of last year working on smoothness of focus operation. It is flawless now..
2. For wireless operation with Optitron2 all you need is a tiny receiver kit. All is plug and play, auto calibration. This may be important for gimbal and drone users...
also the record start/stop from the hand unit, the punch in for focus, lens reset remotely in wireless mode can come in handy...

 

[Joel Arvidsson]

Wow, you got the punch in for focus aswell! Nice. Seams like Optitron envolved good.