Quick Look: Red 3-Axis Lens Control System

[Matt Gottshalk]

Pretty sweet.

Did they add the ability to power the WMD from a ptap adapter cable?

 

[Ketch Rossi]

Nice Phil!

I was not really as happy as I wanted to be with ET's first Hand Controllers which shipped with the Atom 3D rig... But I have seen very happily that the design and functionality of the newly redesigned ET/RED HC is far better, and the WMD surely looks as a nice solid piece of gear too... But the Love on my end went all to the Motors themselves, just beautiful!

 

[Marcus Friedlander]

Hey everyone!

I got the chance to 1st AC with the ET version of this WFF system and all I can say is it is a fantastic piece of kit. Besides a few minor issues, this 3-axis system is an absolute joy to work with! The motors are fantastic and the swivel mounts make running cables a breeze. On top of that, we were shooting on RPP's and the motors had no problem working through the stiffer than average lenses. I also had a moment that Ac's live for that was provided solely by this device.

We were doing a somewhat complicated steadicam shot that required a character coming from bright daylight exterior to normal light interior. The DP was unhappy that he had to blow the highlights on the exterior to make the interior exposure work (the more important part of the scene). While arguing with his Gaffer, he off-handedly asked me how long and difficult it would be to throw on the iris motor, rebalance the camera and do the move as an iris pull. I knew he was expecting me to say 5-10 minutes and possibly out of the question with production schedules being what they are. But, because of the AMAZING clamp rod mounts that they use, I was confident in saying it would only take a minute. Without having to remove the Mattebox I clamped on the new motor and ran the cable. The Steadicam Op barely had to adjust the balance and we were ready to start rehearsing the move in about a minute. We did the move as a combined iris/focus pull and it worked perfectly! The DP was very impressed with our quick work, and in turn I was very impressed with this system! :emote_happyhappy::emote_happyhappy::emote_happyhappy::emote_happyhappy:

The motors themselves are fantastic but they are not the only great feature in this system. Using the lens profile system (if you are lucky enough to actually get a camera prep...:cursing you can adjust the torque strength for each set of lenses you will using for the project. FWIW when I got my hands on the device, a handful of major lens sets had already been programed in (RPP's, Master Primes, Ultra Primes, S4's, CP.2's maybe a couple more I'm forgetting) however, I don't know if that is standard or if ET had already pre-programed the system I was using. Either way it is a great addition for productions that are mixing lenses, and more importantly for the rental market.


The only real issue I had with the system was size related. The WMD is pretty bulky especially when you compare it to the EPIC brain. It's in no way a deal breaker for me, it is just something to be aware of. If you want to use this system on your DSMC, I would plan on saving the whole dumb side of the camera for the WMD. As such, I don't recommend using this product with the RED SIDE HANDLE. The THC also felt very top heavy in my hand, I didn't think to do a balance test but I would be curious to see how it would play out. Also, during takes I had to be incredibly cognisant of any extraneous movements if I was using the lanyard. The metal fastener that attaches to the actual hand controller is metal on metal, so the slightest movements can make noise that might be picked up by an angry sound guy. The only other thing is that I wish you could turn the device off without the on/off switch making an audible click. Again, for long takes this started to become more of an annoyance than an issue.
Besides a couple of minor gripes, this is a fantastic 3-axis system and when I finally get to buy my own DRAGONarty:arty:arty:arty:, this system will definitely be coming along for the ride!

 

[Phil Holland]

@Marcus - interesting notes and I agree with pretty much everything you said. I think from a rigging perspective using one of the tactical cages or mounting to the top or side of the Top Plate makes things look nice and tidy. I'm doing some weird stuff because I'm at the moment trying to rig it every way I can think of.

Pretty sweet.

Did they add the ability to power the WMD from a ptap adapter cable?

I have little interest in p-tap here and have been avoiding it for a while, but I'm sure you can get a cable made for that if necessary. I'm not going to put this thing up 25-100 feet in the air and rely on a p-tap, especially since the LEMO is vastly stronger and not going to get destroyed with repeated use.


So onto Day 2 of testing. Lots of fun.

Range

I have no real idea what the maximum range is on the Red 3-Axis LCS, but I think it's over 100 feet. Also, when actually initializing the controller it was able to pair at the distance of 60 feet without a problem either and that was through walls. So far I'm impressed, but I will do more extreme testing when I take this thing out next week.

The system takes a few seconds to "come alive", but nothing insane. The blue light on the THC indicating a successful pairing with the WMD is pretty damn quick to go from blink to solid. So far I also haven't swapped out a battery in the THC which is cool. Decent runtime for sure.


Powering

Right now I have the WMD receiving power via the 1B-to-0B 2-pin LEMO connected to the QUICKPLATE MODULE (not the corded one). Same cable works with the XL MODULE, which I don't have, but it's the same connector. The QUICKPLATE BACKPACK (SHORT) will require a 1B-to-1B 2-pin, which I believe if you inform Red in advance can be added to your kit. There's also a 2-pin 1B-to-XLR power cable included in the kit if you need to go to an external source. I'm doing my best to keep this system powered off the same V-Mount Brick Battery and the QUICKPLATE MODULE is doing a nice job.

One thing that is interesting, and it's been brought up is you physically have to unplug the WMD if you need to power it down for any reason. Not a real big deal. I was happy to learn that using the QUICKPLATE MODULE while connected to AC power to the camera brain powered up the module and fed power to the WMD. Really, really nice for big crane work.


THC Ergonomics

I don't have the biggest hands on earth, but I can comfortably hold the THC and get at focus, iris, and zoom easily. I really like the recessed buttons for things like Start/Stop as it minimizes potential for accidental chaos. Start/Stop is in great place and nice and easy to get to. So far it feels nicely laid out. Best to just show pictures of my grubby hands so you can see:

One note. There is an additional 1/4-20 threaded hole on the THC. I'm going to likely devise a rig to use with a field monitor w/ wireless video and attach it via that hole.


Rigging Considerations

Ah rigging. This is what I think about a lot. So the retractable 1/4-20 bolt on the WMD is rad. You can literally place this anywhere. But you don't want to go too nuts because cabling needs to make a bit of sense.

At the moment I'm using an ACCESSORY ATTACHMENT BRACKET and a SWAT RAIL CLAMP to attach it to my TOP PLATE. Basically I rigged my TOP PLATE some time ago with 100mm SWAT RAILS all over for quick release rigging. This will actually allow me to place the WMD out horizontally or vertically and I can always bolt it straight onto the TOP PLATE if necessary.

There is a method to this particular rigging madness. I'm fairly sure I'm going with a Paralinx Arrow + wireless video solution with HD-SDI. Using the ACCESSORY ATTACHMENT BRACKET in this way should give me ample space to attach it to the same bracket and more importantly rig up on the same piece of hardware in case I need to strip the camera small suddenly. More on that once I jump that gap.

I'll add that Red included 4 Motor Cables in the kit. 3X 12" and 1X 18", so for lenses that have gear way out front you can deal with it. Didn't notice that 18" was longer at first, but it's nice to have it for some zooms out there. I haven't even opened up the 50' CAN Command Cable, but I did use the 5' at first start when pairing the WMD to the THC.


Quick Note on the Lens Motors

These thing have incredible torque.

I personally would set them to low in the WMD before attaching them to a new lens and start from there. I'm actually feeling that low torque might be suitable for 90% of lenses out there in reality.


That's where I'm at on Day 2. Today was mostly about getting nice and comfy with the system. Rig it up. See what I could do wrong and figure out if I got stuck anywhere. So far nothing really weird has happened and it's actually been alarmingly simple to use.


What has been fun is I'm stress testing this system and making some tricky marks to see if everything is solid. I'm also doing some rather brutal slow macro focus pulls that I know other motors have had problems with in the past. So far so good. My tomatoes look good to me.

If curious, that's Epic Dragon 6K HD with a Schneider Cine-Xenar III 50mm under tungsten and white balanced off the knife.

 

[Matt Gottshalk]

I like the way you rigged it off of tne top plate.

Very cool.

 

[Marcus Friedlander]

Rigging Considerations

Ah rigging. This is what I think about a lot. So the retractable 1/4-20 bolt on the WMD is rad. You can literally place this anywhere. But you don't want to go too nuts because cabling needs to make a bit of sense.

At the moment I'm using an ACCESSORY ATTACHMENT BRACKET and a SWAT RAIL CLAMP to attach it to my TOP PLATE. Basically I rigged my TOP PLATE some time ago with 100mm SWAT RAILS all over for quick release rigging. This will actually allow me to place the WMD out horizontally or vertically and I can always bolt it straight onto the TOP PLATE if necessary.

There is a method to this particular rigging madness. I'm fairly sure I'm going with a Paralinx Arrow + wireless video solution with HD-SDI. Using the ACCESSORY ATTACHMENT BRACKET in this way should give me ample space to attach it to the same bracket and more importantly rig up on the same piece of hardware in case I need to strip the camera small suddenly. More on that once I jump that gap.

I'll add that Red included 4 Motor Cables in the kit. 3X 12" and 1X 18", so for lenses that have gear way out front you can deal with it. Didn't notice that 18" was longer at first, but it's nice to have it for some zooms out there. I haven't even opened up the 50' CAN Command Cable, but I did use the 5' at first start when pairing the WMD to the THC.

WOW!!!! I love the solution you came up with for mounting the WMD. Great idea Phil! I'm definitely going to push to add the swat rail and accessory mount to the camera package next time I get my hands on this system!

 

[Phil Holland]

I like the way you rigged it off of tne top plate.

Very cool.

WOW!!!! I love the solution you came up with for mounting the WMD. Great idea Phil! I'm definitely going to push to add the swat rail and accessory mount to the camera package next time I get my hands on this system!

I'm all about dovetails, rails, and quick releases. Bolting on is much more secure, but for speed of rigging on a tight production schedule sliding things on and off is fantastic.

A few more things to figure out in terms of wireless transmission and placement. The big thing is when this is up on the jib the monitor is coming off and I'll likely remove the Side Handle at that point, though on a full crane system I could see leaving all that on as they are typically rated for more weight and fine balancing is less of an issue.

So for a thing like a MoVI or a DJI Ronin I'd likely strip this down a whole lot. Camera, WMD, lens, wireless video, power (or cabled and rigged to the support frame). That's all you need to make it real tiny. This setup for the moment is more about flexibility.

 

[Isaac Marchionna]

Figured I'd throw my input in here, since I ended up finally receiving the Element Technica version that I pre-ordered through Abel Cine way back in oh....May of 2013.

Either way, I wanted to share some first impressions using it on a job this past weekend. I also wanted to point out some difference between the RED version and the Element Technica version, as a few of them are critical. In addition I've compiled some feedback, which I passed along to Element Technica that I believe will improve the product.

So in full disclosure I fully admit that wireless follow focuses are usually a personal preference, and with that said I consider the Preston Single Channel and FI+Z to be the best wireless follow focus systems out there. I've played with the Scorpios, which suck, and the CMotions (which are okay), so I sort of snobby about how motors and hand controllers should feel.

So a few weeks back I talked with Phil, since Abel called me to tell me my order was finally in, and they wanted to see if I still wanted the damn thing. Which was a fair question since I was very close to buying a Single Channel Preston rig, since 90 percent of the time, as a 1st AC I'm on a 1-channel, with the DP riding zoom on a Preston Microforce. I find a 3-channel mainly comes into play on jibs/cranes, or steadicam. So I was very much on the fence about going with a Preston + DM1X motor.

Long story short I pulled the trigger on the ET 3-AXIS kit.

So first impressions:
Simply put for the money it's excellent. If you're used to a Preston I don't think you're going to suddenly sell off your FIZ3, but this thing blows Bartech's and other systems away. I'd be very interested to compare this to the upcoming TILTA FIZ which I still plan on buying as a backup unit. Quality is very high. I'm not going to do a full recap as Phil nailed it. That said I'd put this way above a Bartech, but not quite a Preston system, but at the same time it's also not 30 thousand dollars. And most of the things that separate it from being preston quality come down to your feelings regarding the hand controller and motor response.

So the things that I was surprised by:
-I love that ET included OEM Sony batteries and charger. They could have easily cheaped out and given us 3rd Party knock offs to save a buck. Huge props. Each battery will last you most of the day depending on use. I'd say one battery will go an entire day if push came to shove.
-I was wary about included cases, since that could have been another cheap out move, but the case is honestly pretty well done.
-Motors are really torque-y considering their size, and the ability to angle the port connector is huge for cable management.
-Focus discs, I'm not entirely sure but they opted to go with Preston style. Which was a wise choice because the original design they showed off looked dumb, really dumb. I'd like to confirm they're the same size, if so that's wonderful. I don't mind stealing designs from already proven systems.

Some things I don't care for:
-The Handcontroller by default is set much too stiff in term of tension. The good news is that the 6 cover screws are easily removable, and a 3/16th's nut can be adjusted to loosen up the handset. I basically sat there with a Preston hand controller and matched it as close as possible, sealed it back up, and had no more complaints about that one aspect.
-The Handcontroller's left side is slick, and as such is slippery. It absolutely needs a rubber pad or knurling to provide grip. Especially on hot days or if you have butterfingers.
-The included neckstrap is useless. It's probably great for a badge holder at NAB. But it's too narrow, nylon, and too short. I want a neck strap that will be comfortable all day, and allows me to slip an arm through for when I have to haul the camera from cart to sticks/dolly/jib/whatever.
-While I love the motor mounting system, it can be a bit fiddly to get your fingers inside or under the lens to tighten the throw levers. I may just opt to keep the levers on the outside for ease of access.
-The motors are extremely torque-y for their size. The downside is on some stiffer lenses they can be a little bit louder than silent. This is based on testing them out on a Red Pro Zoom 18-85 and RPPs, which I'll admit are frankly geared pretty poorly and require a higher torque setting. On a set of Cooke S4 Minis and CP2s they're near silent at a low/medium torque setting.
-Some of the readouts on the hand controller and motor driver need some revisions. I'll cover this in my suggested changes section below.
-Focus discs, I think this unit should include six at the very least, since 3 just isn't enough right off the bat.

RED version vs ET version:
There's been some confusion about what the difference is, but it's mostly cosmetic and how it's configured. I do notice the ET motor driver is more rounded and smoother than the RED version, this may be because the RED versions were produced first, and all production versions of both RED/ET might be the same cosmetically now. But I mainly wanted the ET version so that I could rent it out and not have other 1st AC's worry that if you added this to an ALEXA that things would catch fire just out of spite. I also don't care for THC, WMD, etc engraved all over the unit. I love RED, but I didn't want a brand specific follow focus.

The other thing is that the ET version comes with a more versatile set of cabling. For example the RED version includes 3x 12" motor cables, and 1x 18" motor cable. The ET version includes 3x 18" motor cables, and 1x 24" motor cable. The ET version also includes a PTAP-to-2Pin Lemo, which is a godsend for rentals. The other thing is the RED version pretty much just comes with the cables to provide Run/Stop commands to the RED systems only. Whereas the ET version can do R/S with RED, ARRI, Sony, and Canon. So it's platform agnostic, with all the required Lemo or LANC cables. Other than that, and not having any RED branding, that's about it. If you want the RED look and feel, sure, go for it. But frankly I work on a lot of different setups, so having something that's camera independent means a lot to me, especially since Element Technica has a great reputation amongst camera folks.

Experience:
So I've only done two jobs with it so far. But I have very few issues as far as performance go. So I'll go back and update this section as I get more wheel time in. I'd say off the top of my head I do think ET needs to create a standalone, pan-handle mounted zoom controller that can interface with the motor driver, as often times I'll pull focus while the DP prefers to control zoom on the tripod's pan handle. That'd be a great addition to the kit, and ET, if you're listening I will buy one of those in a heartbeat. Mostly because I think the zoom wheel isn't all that great for crash zooms. I get that this is a carry over from their 3D rigs, but the microforce is just better designed, and guys like Tilta are copying the design which just works. Steal that design, no one will blame you, it's better.

So that sort of leads us into some product improvements I think can be made:

Improvements*:
Handcontroller -
-Some of the LED indicators need to be rethought out, specifically the current indicator for recording on the THC is solid green on standby, and flashing green on recording. No, sorry, wrong. Leave green to indicate power status. If you hit record have the LED go solid red. It's a universal symbol for recording.
-Allow users to define the duration of time required to set a lens lock. 3 seconds is absurdly too long in my humble opinion. The PCS 1-channel and FIZ have dedicated buttons for this, don't make me wait 3 seconds to prevent the lens from changing. At the very least shorten it to 1.5 seconds if possible.
-The THC *NEEEEEEDS* some sort of rubber pad for both ergonomics and for the simple fact that sweaty hands on slick metal always equals for a mess. I've pulled focus on the prestons while sweaty, muddy, bloody (don't ask, it required stitches), and having something to provide grip would be a big step up for the hand controller that's already pretty great.
-Include a better neck strap or at least a longer one, that stuff hangs around your neck for 10-12 hours, having some comfort is appreciated.

Motor Driver-
-Allow the WMD's motor driver to turn the screen off after 5-10 seconds of none use (after exiting the menus). The backlight is just too bright, which can reflect in the shot, or distract the talent. I'd rather not have to paper tape over the screen at night.

*Note: I contacted ET about this yesterday, and they were very responsive about feedback. So I hope to see some of the behavioral issues addressed in a firmware update. I think the only one that requires a physical fix is some sort of grip upgrade for the THC, or the neck strap. I'm going to order some adhesive 2mm rubber material to see about adding something to the THC that doesn't add bulk, but adds grip on days requiring gloves or when it's hot out.

Since I plan on sending this out on rentals when possible, I'm also going to snag another 3-4 focus discs, another Dtap-to-Lemo cable, 2x 24" motor cables, and a 19mm V-lock mount, since I typically mount motor drivers on the dumbside 19mm rail under the lens. Thankfully ET offers all of these as extra parts you can easily order.

I also supported a local leather shop and snagged a Tanner Goods SLR strap, which is super stylish, comfortable, and makes me feel like the Indiana Jones of focus pulling. Huge step up for sure.

 

[Isaac Marchionna]

Conclusions:
I'm cautiously optimistic about the ET 3-Axis LCS. I'm so used to the Preston systems that I'm always comparing this system to that system, but so far it's been solid, hasn't skipped a beat. I think after 6 months of use I'll be at ease enough to get behind this idea that I'm kicking around...that this system is as excellent as I want it to be. I think with a few tweaks from the firmware, ET could really have a system that could dominate in its price point.