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MFF-2, FF-4, FF-5, Shoot35 R3 - Help me decide!

S

Scott Pultz

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Hello,

I am in the market for my first follow focus. I want to start with something quality that will last me a very long time rather than buying something lousy and wanting to upgrade later. I have been lucky enough to do this with tripods and such and I'm happy that I did.

Right now my most used lenses are DSLR style:

Canon 24-70 F2.8 II
Canon 70-200 F2.8 IS II
Sigma 50mm Art or Otus 55mm (deciding soon)
Otus 85mm (planned in the future)

So one thing that I'm worried about is that the Canon/Sigma lenses are relatively short throw compared to the Zeiss. Maybe this can be dealt with with lens gear sizes?

The follow focuses listed in my title are on my short list. Arri being expensive and Shoot35 being cheaper but apparently very high quality. Sorry for being such a NOOB but I'm having trouble deciding especially between the Arri units. If I do go with Arri, I plan on renting one first.

Obviously I want something with smooth action and no play. My Rokinon lenses have a tiny bit of play in them which drives me crazy compared to the Otus that I have rented.

So for those of you experienced in this area, I am very grateful for your help.

Thanks,

Scott
 
Hi, Scott. I went through the same debate and finally settled on the Arri FF1. It is versatile and lightweight and I have yet to find a setup that it doesn't handle well. It is also much cheaper than the other units.

If you have the cash and want to increase the focus throw on your lenses, the O'Connor is very nice.
 
Julio Quintana said:
Hi, Scott. I went through the same debate and finally settled on the Arri FF1. It is versatile and lightweight and I have yet to find a setup that it doesn't handle well. It is also much cheaper than the other units.

If you have the cash and want to increase the focus throw on your lenses, the O'Connor is very nice.
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Are you referring to the CFF-1? Wow that is expensive. Their o-focus is less than half the cost but I have seen mixed reviews if I remember correctly.

I have seen some "FF-4 or FF-5 or go home", but I'd like to know more about why before deciding.
 
If you can wait a couple months Bright Tangerine will be releasing their new FF unit. For those of you who don't know Andy the owner and designer used to work at RED's main competitor (think Blue and 4 letters) and leader in cameras/camera accessories, then left to form his own company. His matte boxes have features not available anywhere else and I guarantee you their follow focus will be top notch. I own a Strummer DNA and a Viv mattebox of theirs and I couldn't have made a better decision. It is definitely worth looking at the BT follow focus.

I have used the O-Focus and CFF-1 from O'Connor and to be honest I wont use them again. We had quite a bit of backlash with the CFF-1. The Arri units are nice but way overpriced. For me, I'm waiting for Bright Tangerine to release theirs before I make my final decision. I might not end up going that route but it's worth comparing before making the leap.

brighttangerine.com
 
Matt Ryan said:
If you can wait a couple months Bright Tangerine will be releasing their new FF unit. For those of you who don't know Andy the owner and designer used to work at RED's main competitor (think Blue and 4 letters) and leader in cameras/camera accessories, then left to form his own company. His matte boxes have features not available anywhere else and I guarantee you their follow focus will be top notch. I own a Strummer DNA and a Viv mattebox of theirs and I couldn't have made a better decision. It is definitely worth looking at the BT follow focus.

I have used the O-Focus and CFF-1 from O'Connor and to be honest I wont use them again. We had quite a bit of backlash with the CFF-1. The Arri units are nice but way overpriced. For me, I'm waiting for Bright Tangerine to release theirs before I make my final decision. I might not end up going that route but it's worth comparing before making the leap.

brighttangerine.com
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Hi Matt,

I am not in a huge hurry and don't mind waiting a few months. I don't want to wait until next year however, so I hope that they show something soon!

Scott
 
Scott Pultz said:
Is there any info about this online? How do we know that it is happening?
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I know Matt has a pretty good relationship with the Bright Tangerine team, and I believe helped at their NAB booth, so odds are he has a pretty good idea what they are planning! Looking forward to hearing more!
 
They were telling customers at NAB that the Follow Focus is coming in the next couple of months. You can email rob@brighttangerine.com to get more info. I'm just a customer of theres so I don't have all the details and actually just met Andy and Rob in person for the first time at NAB. Anyways, they have some cool products that I really like so I'm looking forward to the follow focus.
 
Matt Ryan said:
They were telling customers at NAB that the Follow Focus is coming in the next couple of months. You can email rob@brighttangerine.com to get more info. I'm just a customer of theres so I don't have all the details and actually just met Andy and Rob in person for the first time at NAB. Anyways, they have some cool products that I really like so I'm looking forward to the follow focus.
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Thanks!
 
I just ordered the Shoot35 v3. It's 25% off right now! I'll report once I get it but all of the reviews have been great. For the price it's hard to go wrong. If nothing else it makes a great backup.
 
Troy Bakewell said:
I just ordered the Shoot35 v3. It's 25% off right now! I'll report once I get it but all of the reviews have been great. For the price it's hard to go wrong. If nothing else it makes a great backup.
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That is tempting. Not a lot of reviews out there though, but some people seem impressed. I'm guessing that the Bright Tangerine unit will be in the price range of the Arri.
 
Scott Pultz said:
That is tempting. Not a lot of reviews out there though, but some people seem impressed. I'm guessing that the Bright Tangerine unit will be in the price range of the Arri.
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No, the BT will most likely be less. Their comparable matte boxes are less than Arri, so my best guess is the BT unit will be less.
 
Although the Shoot35 sale is tempting, I'll be kicking myself if I don't wait to see what Bright Tangerine offers. Hopefully they release details within the next month or so. I contacted them in email and they weren't able to tell me anything specific other than they are working on it.
 
Scott Pultz said:
Although the Shoot35 sale is tempting, I'll be kicking myself if I don't wait to see what Bright Tangerine offers. Hopefully they release details within the next month or so. I contacted them in email and they weren't able to tell me anything specific other than they are working on it.
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Listen, to be waiting on a completely unknown quantity for which there is little to no information and which will be a first generation product is a big mistake. How are you going to know how it feels in your hand if you can't test it before buying it, if you don't have any reports from anyone who has used it and cant even get info from BT themselves? Waiting on your decision for such an as yet unkown quantity is a BIG mistake.

I would never, ever recommend an as yet unseen product which is first generation to anyone. Are we basing all of our faith on the fact that the BT designer happened to work for ARRI before? Well Jim Elias, who made Willytech and the LFF-1 and a whole host of other great stuff also worked for ARRI and if there is anyone who understands FF's in the industry it is him, but the O'Connor FF's were still a flop.

With a new product line there will always be bugs and design issues to work out. Witness the changes BT has already made with their old Strummer vs.new DNA line. I have seen this kind of thing with reputable names too like O'Connor, Denz, Elements Technica, etc. If you are buying long term, big money, forget first generaton anything!

Wait to see how committed they are to the long term and how their product performs in the reviews over time before buying.

Here, is the reality as well.
If you are only using it for yourself, buy whatever you like.
HOWEVER, If you ever are going to be working with an 1AC, the industry standard is spelled ARRI. The reason you buy a serious FF is as much for your 1AC as it is for you.
You want to have a FF that they are accustomed to. Trust me I have been through this already with 4 other very solid, yet off brand FF's. In the end the guy who is pulling focus wants and needs what he knows. As much for muscle memory as for anything else. Given the choice, 9 out of 10 will choose an FF-4 (and for good reason) and will complain long and loudly when they don't have it. That particular FF will last you 30 years and you will able to resell it for not much less than you paid for it. I am not saying that the large price tag of many ARRi products is justified and I don't like many of their mattebox's for instance, but in the case of the FF-4, I think the aclaim is merited.
 
Clayton Burkhart said:
Frankly, Matt is a nice guy, but he always seems to be MARKETING for BT, and there is something that feels unclean about all of this because it sure feels like he is always fishing for clients here for them to me.
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Clayton, you too are a nice guy, but I'm concerned you may be crossing the line here. Matt seems passionate about BT yes, but no more so than Phil is for Schneider, Zeb for Ronin, or almost everyone here is for RED. As far as I know none of the before mentioned are paid representatives, just passionate customers. I see nothing wrong with that. I personally enjoy Matt's enthusiasm for BT, and it has certainly helped me give a longer look at a new company that may otherwise have overlooked my gaze.
 
Nick Morrison said:
Clayton, you too are a nice guy, but I'm concerned you may be crossing the line here. Matt seems passionate about BT yes, but no more so than Phil is for Schneider, Zeb for Ronin, or almost everyone here is for RED. As far as I know none of the before mentioned are paid representatives, just passionate customers. I see nothing wrong with that. I personally enjoy Matt's enthusiasm for BT, and it has certainly helped me give a longer look at a new company that may otherwise have overlooked my gaze.
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Perhaps you are right, My apologies in advance if that is the case.
 
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