to work with a one touch SLR zoom lens and primes

without drilling and tapping holes into the lens

this is a tough call sorry :)

One Touch is a Canon pro lens?

If so, the focus puller can easily be mounted. Just have to build one that fits which isn't all that difficult a trick. Just have to have a machine shop. :-)))

You want a moving arm or knob? Fine control or fast speed?

I'm asking questions without having any idea of a commercially available solution but with a machine shop sitting 10 feet away.

Many years ago, while working in the Camera Department of CineVideoTech in Miami, the owner, Egon Stephan,gave all of his guys a gadget that he then began selling to camera assistants.

It worked on the same concept of an oil filter wrench and opened far enough to slip over the zoom or focus barrel of the Angenieux and Cooke 5-1 and 10-1 lenses. You would then turn the knob at the bottom to close the loop and make it snug against the barrel and, PRESTO...you had a manual zoom/focus handle.
Much to my chagrin, years later I saw this same gadget in a kitchen store. It seems that it was originally made, and continues to be made by Zyliss, a Swiss company that specializes in some very cool kitchen stuff!

I have always carried a couple in my ditty bag and have one in the kitchen as well.

You can still find them at: http://www.zyliss.com/

Go to the search box and type in "strongboy".

By the way, the blue "half moon" you see at the end of the opener is used to keep the band straight during storage, thus avoiding any kinks in the band.

RB

Somehow the handle needs a counterbalance. At least on my lens, the weight of the handle would cause it to move the focus or zoom sleeves.

so get two

Thanks for the suggestion on the gizmo, Rick. Seems they are being sold off Amazon for about 13 bucks but I'm sure someone else on the web is selling them for less.


MIKE: Since you mentioned you've got a machine shop aching to be used for this sort of thing, what's the possibilities of a follow focus unit for the XL1S?

I've actually seen that a lot of the follow focus units around seem to be a stock unit with a camera specific ring.

I've thought of building a couple for my cameras. But one thing has always held me back. It can be done better electronically with servo-based lens.

For example. My PD150 has a focus and a zoom ring that are both just electronic inputs to the servo system. So a mechanical drive from my fingers to the ring is going to be a grossly inexact tool as we all know.

OK, but we know how to model servo systems. So a decent servo engineer can map out the servo system responses to ring motion, velocity, duration, acceleration so as to predict lens response to any physical input.

Once that is done, it would then be possible to program a stepper-drive system to move the rings the right amount to hit multiple focus marks, zoom between two settings (equal to Canon's Shuttle Zoom) and change focus while zooming. Even lock focus and zoom to dolly motion.

BTW, I wouldn't use clamp rings to grab onto the focus and zoom controls, I'd use a soft toothed belt drive. Shouldn't put too much side force on the lens and will be more universal (i.e. cheaper).

John, two won't work if you have a pro camera and the viewfinder is in the way. Or something like a PD150 and the microphone is mounted over the lens. A small counterweight is a more elegant solution.

Well, Mike I'll apply to go back to school for engineering... :)

'Fraid for me that is the option for a couple of years from now....

Today I need to be able to get one for my XL1S and would love a more refined method then the one I'm using now which is marking the lens and the focus ring with a wax pencil for the points of focus and having an assistant stand beside the DP and turn it manually.

I'd love a dial.

If you are in the mood to build one I know I'd buy one but I've also got a contact or two in some supply houses that I know would be VERY interested as well.

That's how proper focus is pulled today regardless of whether you are shooting film or HD.

If you are using a manual lens and can actually hire a skilled focus puller, going to any other system would be like putting your foot through a Rembrandt!

If what you are looking for is a support system with a follow focus assembly, take a look at the Chrosziel pricelist. The best stuff in the business although not the cheapest. Probably cheaper and easier than re-engineering the thing.

http://www.chrosziel.com/ACPL09_03.pdf

Hey Mike, if we ever get stuck on Gilligan's Island, I can be Gilligan and you can be the Professor! :)

Keep it sharp!

RB

P.S. I've got dibs on MaryAnne!

Oh hell no. I want to be one of the sharks!

Actually, from what I can tell, Hollywood's focus pullers, at least on difficult shots are computers.

I'd bet that in 10 years, except for the simplest of locked-down shots, the pedestal and camera and all its functions will all be located at an IP address. WiFi'd. The DP/CO will sit in a trailer somewhere very much like the control rooms on wheels we see now for video.

As soon as I get this training video on Lathes completed, maybe I'll see what I can do. I think the mechanism can be very simple and yet lose no functionality. Want a dial to move, eh?

Mike,

I pulled focus for 20 years on feature films, TV shows, music videos and hundreds of commercials and I can tell you this...the focus is pulled by the first camera assistant and not a computer. My specialty, besides pulling on SteadiCam, was long lenses, wide open, and following actors that couldn't hit their marks!

The only time a computer was used to pull focus was when the shot was done with a motion control rig that had to replicate the shot time and time again with absolutley no variations.


RB

I've looked MANY times at their stuff, Rick but the cash just isn't there.

Maybe I can sneak it into a budget in the not too distant future but not for now and I (like a lot of people) would love to find a lower cost option.


Pulling focus is a thankless job except to the people who've tried it on a moving camera.... and those of us that have are always amazed at the people who do it well.

Im glad to see there is interest on this topic

My quest is for a focus puller to work with SLR one touch zooms and primes in connection with a device like a P+S Mini 35.

The zoom is the most difficult case and I have some pictures for comment here..

http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2004-1/612657/pull1.jpg

http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2004-1/612657/pull2.jpg

http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2004-1/612657/pull3.jpg

http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2004-1/612657/pull4.jpg

http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2004-1/612657/pull5.jpg


the legend is as follows

A is a laser pointer

B is a perspex dial

C is a counterweight

D is a collar

E is a lever/strut


A brief summary is that a focus pull is achieved by activating the laser pointer and moving it as a lever in accordance with the readings on the dial


I havent worked out the precise engineering on how it is assembled, but the chief aspects are

A is a cheap keyring bullet type laser pointer avaiable for a few $, they feature an on/off button on the side

B is a perspex calibrated distance dial which looks like it will fit just after the aperture ring using a snap on circlip action

the counterweight C is necessary to back off the laser weight

D is an aluminium collar (probably in two haves and assembed on the focus ring using hidden countersunk screws)

the struts E screw into the collar

the attachment A-E will be worked out when the exact laser pointer type is known


Your thoughts are welcome

Hey John, you're over your limit at that URL, can't access the pics.

Hell yeah, there's a lot of interest in this sort of thing. Like I said above, I know someone at a major equipment house that would love to buy some inexpensive follow focus units for XL1's to resell or rent.

The ones from chrosziel just don't fit into the low/no budget indy film market.

check ebay, I saw several in the $150-$2500 zone :)

Hi

I have asked Chris to host the pictures referenced above

I expect they will be up shortly



PS --- the village photos seem to be ok today

also I found a cheap laser which may be just right - although a shorter one would be preferable

http://www.allelectronics.com/cgi-bin/category.cgi?category=335&item=LP-506&type=store

to back track a little off topic...
after 2 or 3 weeks of gillian eating the coconut radio and other ways of screwing up the professors fool-proof plans, the fourth episode would be either <to use a very played out joke> him being voted off the island, or more real than reallity tv, a lynch-mob. next episode, they all go home and say gillian died in the ship wreck. END OF SERIES!

I have an interesting idea I've been working on for creating a home-made follow focus system for the XL-1s 16x manual/servo lense. So far, I've only come as far as creating a very cheap and inexpensive dial. So cheap it's beautifull, and looks just like the real thing, with just as much functionality.

For the marking dial, I used the end of a cardboard tube package. Sort of like the white plastic end of a tootsie-roll piggy bank, but a bit wider and without a slit for coins. I then screwed in a knob I got from an old broken office chair. Nice big black knob, with a screw that goes back.. making it very easy for any future rigging to whatever system I come up with to act as gears.

I have also, a very cheap nd practical way to create a mount to span between the two support rods and hold it in place. However you create the gears, you can mount the system to the support rails below by creating a train-track mount. Basically, the support rods act as the rail road, and you're creating the wheels for the train tracks.. like how they lock in on the inner sides of the rails.

Ghetto Text Diagram:
_______
O| 8 |O

The top line is a piece of metal that goes on top of the two rails. it has a hole in the center for a screw to tighten the symetrical lower piece up and down together, clamping the support rods. The "|" marks are adjustable vertical pieces that hold against the inner-sides of the rods. These pieces can be found at your local hardware store or even in Erector sets (usually great for homemade things like this) Anyway, the piece is a horizontal to vertical joint fastener. In the shape of an "L". You'd put the top and bottom plate on, barely screw it in.. place the L backets between them.. slide them to the left and right and then tighten the brackets to the top piece.. followed by tightening the bottom and top pieces tight.

This should be able to create an easily hardware mountable, cheap solution to fixing whatever system you create to the support rods below.

Anyone have any ideas as to the actual follow focus gears and part to make the focus ring turn? Lets try to make this as super super cheap as possible.

Don't use gears, use a kevlar-filled toothed belt. You can get any length and cross-section. No lost motion either.

Why do you say "don't use gears", Mike? Since if I'm not mistaken
I see them being used all the time on "pro" gear. Ofcourse that
should not mean we have to do it the same, but I was just
wondering why...

Geartrains have some inherent problems:

1. They have backlash unless you use some special systems with springs to prevent the problem.
2. Have to be kept clean. Either you clean them often or you enclose them.
3. Are somewhat expensive since you have to have a matching gear on the lens. Either use the gear molded onto the control ring (if it has one) or make a gear ring that clamps onto the lens control ring.
4. Can have temperature-related problems at the extremes.


A Kevlar-filled belt, OTOH:

1. Stretches less than steel (that's what they use to drive printer heads).
2. Will turn corners (talking about the instrument-sized belts here).
3. Does not need matching gears on the lens control rings as the friction between the belt and the lens control is sufficient.
4. Doesn't have backlash issues.
5. Doesn't have temperature-related problems in normal operating environments (If you can survive, so can the belt).
6. Is much more tolerant of dirt.

These characteristics are true of properly engineered designs.

What amazes me is that the traditional design, with the focus-puller required to be right there next to the camera hasn't been replaced with a simple stepper-motor drive for the functions. Can be the same 'feel' as a direct-drive setup and the puller could be sitting or standing almost anywhere. But not with hands on the cameras which must force some limitations on camera movement.

Steadicams have such remote controlled focus devices, Mike.
I'm assuming there is a good reason why they are only used
in that specific field.

I'm certain it is primarily one of, 'that isn't the way we've done it before.' Which is a good reason.

And, given the price of Hollywood-level gear, it is bound to be more than the existing tools since they already exist.

There is a great quote that comes to mindKind of like the young daughter who was watching her mother prepare a ham for baking. The mother sliced off both ends of the ham, placed it in a baking pan, and slid it in the oven. Wondering if the ends of the ham, which looked perfectly delicious, were harmful to eat, the daughter asked her mother why she removed them. "I don’t know," said the mother. "That’s the way my mother prepared a ham. Let’s call her and find out."

The mother rang up the grandmother and asked her why she cut off the ends of a ham before baking it. The grandmother replied, "That’s the way my mother prepared a ham."

Determined to get an answer, the mother called the great-grandmother and asked her why they’d all been taught to cut the ends off a ham. She replied without hesitation and with a smile in her voice along with a little chuckle......

The reason that she cut the ends off of the ham was because back in the early days of their marriage she didn't have a pan big enough to hold the ham. They couldn't afford to buy a bigger pan either. So that was the only way to make the ham fit in the pan.

[they have really big pigs in the Netherlands?]

:)

Btw, I ordered a Zylis jar opener which im gonna modify. Should be here anytime soon.

Didn't you know? <g>

For anyone interested in a stepper-moter focus puller that might be somewhere near our price-range:

http://www.dvxuser.com/cgi-bin/DVX/YaBB.cgi?board=news;action=display;num=1074845388