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  • Hey all, just changed over the backend after 15 years I figured time to give it a bit of an update, its probably gonna be a bit weird for most of you and i am sure there is a few bugs to work out but it should kinda work the same as before... hopefully :)

Follow focus advice needed

Seriously...

Running it with Cp.2 superspeeds, it's pretty stiff - i.e. turning wheel needs effort and there are a couple of areas where the it feels like there is a little 'bump' when turning the handwheel, but the ff and the lens by them selves are both very smooth...

Any ideas what this could be or is this always the case? Haven't used an FF much.
 
One thing that sets Arri FF4 apart from all others is the plain undeniable fact that the day you sell it it hasnt lost any value at all. you can sell it for probably what you paid for it!
 
Dominik Bauch said:
Seriously...

Running it with Cp.2 superspeeds, it's pretty stiff - i.e. turning wheel needs effort and there are a couple of areas where the it feels like there is a little 'bump' when turning the handwheel, but the ff and the lens by them selves are both very smooth...

Any ideas what this could be or is this always the case? Haven't used an FF much.
Click to expand...

Thats pretty weird. I don't think I've ever seen something like that before. Have you tried other lenses and/or other follow focuses to try and isolate the problem?

Also, maybe your unit has been overly tightened? Try loosening the gear mechanism.
 
Dominik Bauch said:
Seriously...

Running it with Cp.2 superspeeds, it's pretty stiff - i.e. turning wheel needs effort and there are a couple of areas where the it feels like there is a little 'bump' when turning the handwheel, but the ff and the lens by them selves are both very smooth...

Any ideas what this could be or is this always the case? Haven't used an FF much.
Click to expand...

Do you have the proper gear for the cp2? Check with arri or maybe a local rental house to find out which gear is the right one for those lenses.
 
All cine lenses should have 0.8 pitch gears. I'd first check that the gear is tightened all the way on the swing arm. If it's loose, that could cause some slippage. If there's a larger diameter 0.8 gear in the kit, I would start with that. Since the FF5 is 1:1 gear ratio, when you use it with cine lenses with long focus throws it will require more effort to pull. A larger diameter gear will ameliorate some of that.

Next, check that the connection between the gears between lens and FF5 isn't overly loose or tight. Sometimes if the gear is overly tight, there can be binding if the camera and lens is slightly off-axis to the rods, which can happen if the camera baseplate isn't perfectly aligned.

Lastly, in my experience CP2 lenses and other large helical focus lenses can be overly stiff even when fairly new. They may need adjustment or re-greasing to get up to spec. Duclos Lenses can do that work for you. Keep in mind that a CP2 will never be as smooth as cam focus lenses like Cooke S4s, Master Primes, and Angeneiux Optimos. These lenses require almost no resistance to pull, so they are ideal for use with the FF4 and FF5. With overly stiff lenses, sometimes it's best to just use a Preston wireless follow focus with high torque motors since doing so manually can introduce camera shake.

*Wanted to add: make sure both gears are clean and undamaged. That may be where the bump is coming from.
 
I love my Lanparte on 15mm rails, don't know about 19mm studio. I bought a bunch of replacement screws for the locking mechanism and its good to go. Mine is solid with no backlash or give anywhere.

I read somewhere that the Lanpartes are great but can break down, so it can be more cost effective to just keep buying them every couple of years.

I use a Bartech wireless FF also which is also nice.
 
Thanks for the detailed suggestions, the lenses are new so the stiffness is understandable, plus you get what you pay for right? I've checked the teeth on both the ff arm gear and the lens and they look fine... If it persists I'll see if Arri will just send me another gear.
Luckily the gear is plastic so can't damage the lens?
 
Joel Voelker said:
Wait for the Bright Tangerine Revolvr
Click to expand...

I'm in the same boat, trying to do it right the first time as I've held off on this for a bit as it is no big urgent thing for my set ups at this time. Was looking at Schneider too which is obviously pricey but very good from what I've seen.

Still working with screw in ND too. Can people, especially Nikon users discuss their favorite matte boxes and why? I've seen defective Arri pieces on both matte box and FF so I just don't want to go that route. Very glad to hear the comments on vibration with Tilta as I was considering them. I'm building from a 15" Wooden rod set up for now...
 
Dominik Bauch said:
Thanks for the detailed suggestions, the lenses are new so the stiffness is understandable, plus you get what you pay for right? I've checked the teeth on both the ff arm gear and the lens and they look fine... If it persists I'll see if Arri will just send me another gear.
Luckily the gear is plastic so can't damage the lens?
Click to expand...

I think the Arri gear is made out of a composite material. It's softer than the metal gear on the lens, so the worst it would do is eventually rub the black paint off the lens. The composite gear can get chewed up over time, you see it happen on rental units that get used and abused. But since yours is brand new, that shouldn't be the case. Is there a consistent bump when you use it on other lenses? If so and everything else checks out, then it could be a flaw in the focus gear.

It might also be worth having your lenses serviced by a technician and see if they can't use a lighter grease to loosen up the focus rings. I had Duclos work on my Canon Cine Zooms which are also helical focus. They are smoother focusing than CP2s, but stiffer than cam focus lenses. Matt mentioned regreasing the focus helicoids was a possibility.
 
jordan levy said:
i actually bought one of those http://www.shoot35.com ones because everyone was raving about them, i had litttle to no expectations but when it arrived and i put it to use i feel like its the best deal ive ever got on anything.
Click to expand...

I feld absolutely the same when I received mine from shoot 35 cineFF. The quality is really very good.
 
Had both the FF4 & FF5, fantastic FF systems no doubt, but sold both in favor of the CFF-1 for preference working on a smaller set up on the Epic, and then sold that too in favor of the Revolvr as even so I haven't shot anything with yet, it is that good on paper as it is in your hands and on close inspection of all the bits it is made of and how it felt in the short time playing with it at the show.

Now just waiting for the Revolvr to ship out already... :)
 
The Shoot35 CineFF is very good for the price and I'm glad I bought it. Didn't fail me once on the feature I just wrapped on (which was 95% hand held). My problem is with the detachable side. It makes the unit pretty wide when attached, a touch too wide for me really but manageable. The holding screw is however not good enough. I've had to replace mine with a shop bought nut as the alan key hole stripped out on it after a few uses. Wish it had a regular thumb screw like on the ff4 but can't find anything that I can make work like that.

For £300 it is fantastic, worth £800 easily. Not as robust as the FF4, but still pretty durable.
 
I also ordered the shoot35 cine ff not expecting much but since I have heard so many good things I thought I would give it a try. It absolutely exceeded my expectations. Build quality is amazing and it's super smooth and well featured. I'll see how it holds up over time but it is definitely a great deal.
 
Order directly from Shoot35, declare yourself as a Non-EU resident so you don't pay EU taxes. Free shipping worldwide. Bit of a hassle with import duties but probably still work out cheaper than buying it in the UK.
I understand it's annoying waiting for over seas orders and dealing with import duties but I can't find a better option short of buying one second hand (DVXuser had one go in December).

Being in the UK, I'm pretty used to overseas orders. Seems like everything ships from either Hong Kong or the US
 
I still prefer my FF4 for most every manual focus task. Unfortunately it's a bit big with the latest cameras. Although most of the bulk comes from the wheel. When mounted on 15mm rods without the add-on bridge, the thing is as compact as you're going to get for a manual dual-sided capable FF. And yes, the FF4 is still in production. And yes, they hold their value too. Used ones don't seem to come up very often and I think it's one of those things where they last forever and always just work if you take care of them.

As they say: Buy once, cry once.
 
Yes the FF4 is still the king although the BT unit looks good. We've been replacing all of our Arri mattboxes with BT and if they ever ship their FF we will pick one up. Bringing a low price Chinese knock off on a real production could be hard to explain if something goes wrong.
 
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