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RedRock microRemote (Handheld) vs. Cinegears Single Axix (Expresso)

Ashok.Vardhan

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First time Gimbal owner here (Letus Helix Jr.). I am divided between investing in these two very interesting options for a one-person operator setup (through a finger-controller):

a) RedRock microRemote (Handheld) - Fingerwheel only version
b) Cinegears Single Axis (Expresso)

Would appreciate those with experience of having used them to weigh in on pro's and cons:

Questions that I am interested to get feedback on are:

- RedRock microRemote (Handheld): Can the range & speed of the finger controller be calibrated or it is fixed to a certain speed and range (i.e. degree of rotation)
- Cinegears Single Axix (Expresso): How is the battery life of the Expresso unit? Is the battery removable or fixed?

Any other input welcome. Thanks!
 
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Dan, did you use the finger-wheel controller on the Redrock?

Right now I'm using it. IMHO This is the best follow focus for the price. I'm thrilled how well it's build and working like a charm. It's my favorite so far.

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We've had pretty sad experience with the Redrock. Unrealiable. And a poor investement. At least for us.

Cinegears works great.

Looking forward to DJI!
 
I think there were some early motor issues with the redrock that have since been straightened out. I was using version 1.0 - like early early batch.

while in my personal use the Redrock was great, finger wheel was great. Rented it out a few times and someone blew the motor.

the finger wheel is really well done.

if you don't need the wireless portion you can get it cheaper :

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produ...2_microremote_handheld_fingerwheel_bndle.html

the other upside of the redrock is that it's compatible to higher end systems motors and drivers, so you could upgrade to a higher end motor (see Red/Element motor) or crossgrade handsets.

Tried a cinegears. Hated basically everything about it except the price (now can be had for ~$900) The motor ramping (described by others as reaction time) is not acceptable for my work, don't have time to try several different import/export motors to find one that works ok (maybe).

other people seem to like it, so who knows?
 
I have used and rented the RRM FF, many times, without a complaint, except range, on two occasions. Since then, RR has replaced the radios in the kit and range has not been an issue for endusers. Tech support has been stellar for me as well.
I'll keep this as a single channel back up for my new Preston kit.

Thank you very much

Fury
 
Dan, when we met a few months ago you had the Redrock for sale, do you still have it?

Looking forward to DJI!

The DJI Focus system looks very attractive too, however, I don't seem to find a finger-wheel controller accessory, it seems to have only the palm-held controller so far?
 
Not used the Cinegears but I have the RedRock and it is unreliable. i would not invest in this system at all..... it CANNOT handle fine/small movements. The lag is also unacceptable.... I am now having to plan the purchase of a Cmotion Compact 1 to replace it.
 
I am now having to plan the purchase of a Cmotion Compact 1 to replace it.

Thanks for input. Impressive as the C Motion kits look, they are way beyond my current budget. Have you considered TiltaMax or Movcam's wireless controllers? Their full system (3-motor) costs ~ $5000 (Not sure if they have been released yet. There are few group buys at Reduser to acquire them at a very affordable $3500 range I think, check them out)


Malk the Came-TV kit has a massive discount too lately (available at $880 only), attractive though as it appears, I would need something with a finger controller so that the gimbal can be used by a single-operator, do you have any other suggestions that offer a finger controller? In my search I was able to identify only the Redrock & Cinegears.
 
After buying the Redrock system, I have decided to just spend the money for Cmotion whose motors are "recognised" by Arri. My worry is, if I buy the Tilta system, it may still have first generation issues. Cmotion is a trusted manufacturer and experienced in making remote follow focuses.
 
If you are using Canon ef, try the Opitron 2, group buy going on now, maybe you could still get in.
 
Thanks for input. Impressive as the C Motion kits look, they are way beyond my current budget. Have you considered TiltaMax or Movcam's wireless controllers? Their full system (3-motor) costs ~ $5000 (Not sure if they have been released yet. There are few group buys at Reduser to acquire them at a very affordable $3500 range I think, check them out)



Malk the Came-TV kit has a massive discount too lately (available at $880 only), attractive though as it appears, I would need something with a finger controller so that the gimbal can be used by a single-operator, do you have any other suggestions that offer a finger controller? In my search I was able to identify only the Redrock & Cinegears.


Hi everyone, we had recently noticed that there were someone in the market bargaining away the refurbished units of CINEGEARS / SFAIMO products.
The company is investigating the case now

From the photo, I believe they are selling previous used models by sticking CINEGEARS or SFAIMO(Cinegears China distribution partner) logo.

Unfortunately, Cinegears Express Follow focus controller and standard motor may be illegal copied or cloned, Cinegears is invisgating this case.
Cinegears will not provides any more refurbished product to CAME -TV.

CAME-TV_0210-20-14-05-45.jpg
 
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If you've the money, Heden Carat is awesome. Simple, works, and has unbelievable range.
 
Hi everyone, we had recently noticed that there were someone in the market bargaining away the refurbished units of CINEGEARS / SFAIMO products.
The company is investigating the case now

From the photo, I believe they are selling previous used models by sticking CINEGEARS or SFAIMO(Cinegears China distribution partner) logo.

Unfortunately, Cinegears Express Follow focus controller and standard motor may be illegal copied or cloned, Cinegears is invisgating this case.
Cinegears will not provides any more refurbished product to CAME -TV.

First the CAME-TV purchase some refurbish wireless follow focus from SFAIMO (aka. Cinegears China distribution partner) and sold the equipment without permission $1680. After we put a stop to this, the CAME-TV decided to clone the Cinegears Express Controller and Standard Motor.

banner_rolex_movement_small.jpg

Even cloned Rolex can be sold at 50$ in China.
It does tell time though.
:glare:
 
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If you are using Canon ef, try the Opitron 2, group buy going on now, maybe you could still get in.

I am using Canon CN-E cine lens (manual focus), the Opitron might not work for my setup.

I'm thrilled how well it's build and working like a charm. It's my favorite so far.

Peter, could you please give me some input to the questions I have listed below regarding the Redrock system?

Nosa,

Have you updated to the new firmware 3.0? I have seen it dramatically (like can not stress that enough) improve small moves

Loren, I did not find any videos online regarding the finger-controller of the Redrock system. Could you please share some more info:

Q: Once the range of the focus throw of the lens is calibrated by the motor, how is this range exactly mapped to the motion of the finger wheel?
a) Is it mapped to a 360 degree rotation of the finger wheel; or
b) Is it mapped only to a fraction of an angle (can this angle be adjusted?)

Appreciate any information. Are there any videos you are aware of that show the operation of the finger-wheel?
 
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Ashok,

The finger wheel has a 270 degree rotation to it, and it maps whatever range you calibrate to its full rotation.

So you could do the whole lens to 270 degrees, or if you were doing a closer macro pull, you could manually calibrate a smaller range of the lens (say 8" to 2ft) and it would expand that to the 270 degree of the finger wheel.

No videos come to immediate mind, but check their vimeo channel.
 
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