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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 :)

LENS TEST: Zeiss Super Speed (MK3) VS Zeiss ZF SLR's (Shot on RED)

Mitch Gross said:
The Arri unit only works with Arri followfocuses (almost all of 'em) and the Chroszeil unit only works with the Chro. DV followfocus. Still no universal unit, but it wouldn't be the cheapest if I commissioned it.

As for their performance, I just got the Arri unit today and it is a solid and simple design. Didn't have a chance to mount it to one of our FF4s, but I'll try tomorrow. There is enough room for adjustment that I don't think it will introduce any significant play. All I've seen of the Chros. unit is a photo, but in concept it is about the same as the Arri so I expect performance to be equal (if limited to a single model followfocus).

There is a bit of a revalation coming in simple but versatile mattebox and followfocus units. We sneak peaked Arri's new prototypes for the EX1 at NAB, and I just got the first production models in my hands today. We'll have them at CineGear and let me tell you, you're all gonna want a set for your REDs. Sweet!
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Thanks for the heads up Mitch, much appreciated. :)
 
koffi said:
Does it fit this one?
eBayISAPI.dll
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Don't know -- that's one of the very old models that would have to be checked.
 
Redrock Follow Focus Idler Gear: $4.76

Redrock Follow Focus Idler Gear: $4.76

So I have just spent the morning figuring out how to make an idler gear for the redrock follow focus that I have, and I now have a solution! So now the Zeiss ZF lenses that I have rotate correctly when using the follow focus. And All it cost me was $4.76 in home depot materials.

What I did is as follows:

HOME DEPOT PARTS:
Post Base: $3.78 (Part# 707392228301)
6-32 x 1.5" Screws & Nuts (6 pack): $0.98 (Part# 030699283514)

Extra Redrock Parts:
Extra drive gear
Extra drive box
(You'll have to talk with Brian at RR to see about pricing on these)


1. Disassemble the RR drive box, you will now have two shafts and gears.
2. Cut down the post base, and drill holes in the base to mount it to the follow focus. You can use the plate as a guide.
3. When cutting the post base, make sure to cut around the big hole in the plate, as this will be where you will mount the drive shaft & gear. If you mess up do not worry, you can use the other side of the plate, as there are two holes.
4. Mount the drive shaft in the big hole. It will be a VERY tight fit, but if you mount it with the small black gear end in, first, then it will fit. If you try the reverse, it will not work.
5. Once the gear is in the mount, reassemble everything. Except use the 1.5" screws instead. the head of the screw will need to mount in the upwards direction.
6. After putting the screws in, add the new gear mount you just made. Then add one nut on to each screw. (This is to raise the height of the original gear box.) Then add the original gear box and cover.
7. Once it is reassembled, now you can add the final nuts on top to hold it all in place.
8. Lastly, attache the extra drive gear to the shaft and you are ready to go.

Enjoy!

Here are some pix showing what I'm talking about. (I know it is not mounted on the RED, but the idea is to get it to work with the SLR lenses.)
 
Nice work Ryan - I love the specificity of $4.76!


Brian
 
Awesome, I wonder if this rig will work with other FF units like the ARRI or a Chrosziel..
 
Pretty nice man. Now if only the ZF prices would come down some. ;B
 
rgdfilmsRED said:
Awesome, I wonder if this rig will work with other FF units like the ARRI or a Chrosziel..
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The idea / concept will work, however this specific design will not. I made this to work with the follow focus that I have- Redrock.

I have been asked if there is any play / slop in the unit, and there is none- which was one of my requirements. However, since I was making this by hand, I had to make 4 of them and get rid of the three that didn't measure up. If I was using precision tools, like a drill press, saws, etc. I'm sure the tolerances would have been easy to meet.

The basic idea is to get an arm that will extend the free spinning gear in-between the follow focus gear and the lens gear ring.
 
Haskell said:
Well done Ryan, nice rig...I think this is def something for Brian to look into as still lenses are becoming more of a player in the AC world.
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Thanks. I agree- I've encouraged Brian to look into this, as I'm sure it would be a seller, especially since they sell the ZF lenses and the follow focus already. The R&D has been done, now it is just a matter of the build....
 
posted by Ryan walters
Thanks, glad it was helpful to you.

In regards to what lenses I'll be taking with me- I'm going to take the SLR lens due to their compact and light weight nature. I'll be filling out the collection I have with the rest of the lens set, and then I need to find a wide angle (wider then 21mm) and a couple of long lenses (200mm or 300mm range). The tough part there is finding lenses that will match the Zeiss- I may have to go the Leica route to get a complete set of matched lenses in the ranges that I want, so we'll see what happens. But as for the wrong way of the lens movement, I've been looking into getting an idler gear for my follow focus- once I do that it will solve that issue. (But if I went with the Leica lenses, that would also solve the issue, from what it sounds like.)

Anyway- all that to say, I was comfortable enough with the SLR lenses to use them on the documentary.
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thanks for that and goodluck with your lenses.
 
Wow!, what a post, thanks a lot Ryan, I love SLR glass.

Thanks, really!
 
Thanks glad to help. Now that they have an 18mm, that solves the wide end of the spectrum... but that doesn't really help my bank account :( .....
 
Thanks very much for the test. But like one person before said, Super Speeds are older lenses.

If anyone could do an Ultra Prime or Master Prime comparison to the ZF's, that would be great. I'm assuming the new cine lenses would at least = and in many cases be > their SLR counterparts. Or course the price difference is huge.
 
I have a set of ZF lenses that we've used on a canon XLH-1 and mini-35 adapter. Nice lenses, and I think sharper than SuperSpeeds, but to get a more contemporary comparison to Zeiss glass, you should test them against Ultra Primes or Master Primes. And yes, mechanics are a major reason why you want them on a digital cinema camera.
 
Updated and corrected the links on the first page. :)
 
Mark Pedersen said:
I have a set of ZF lenses that we've used on a canon XLH-1 and mini-35 adapter. Nice lenses, and I think sharper than SuperSpeeds, but to get a more contemporary comparison to Zeiss glass, you should test them against Ultra Primes or Master Primes. And yes, mechanics are a major reason why you want them on a digital cinema camera.
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Yeah, I am interested in doing a test with the UP or MP lenses- as soon as I get some time, I'll be back with those tests. (But it will probably be a while, as I'm swamped right now.)
 
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