How to build your own focus wheel

[Aaron Grumtek]

Originally Posted by Chris Hurd

You've done well, Aaron!

The curious thing is that Canon's new HG10 -- the HDD equivalent of the HV20 -- doesn't even have the little focus wheel, so manual focus will probably be even more of a challenge, just because it won't be possible to use Aaron's focus wheel thingy with that camcorder. Manual focus is in there somewhere -- it has to be -- it's probably just harder to get to.

Cool Barbie-cam by the way.

Well.. I can't speak much about the HG10 but I can only tell you what I feel inside.. I hate HDD cams! I'm sorry, but backup is a bitch. Granted it's faster; yeah I know.. Never need to switch tapes, fiddle with tapes, look at tapes, worry about tapes, lose tapes, buy tapes, steal tapes, set it to lock on your tapes, label tapes, pry out jammed tapes, organize tapes, and store tapes!

BUT, HDD'S NEED 1.21 GIGAWATTS!

I mean come on. Tapes are the greatest thing invented! First 8-tracks and now "step aside mini-dv! Big bad and hard drive coming through"! If we don't make a stand for mini-dv they might not make it!

NO SIR! GIVE ME YOUR HUNGRY! GIVE ME YOUR NEEDY! AND GIVE ME ONLY 1 HOUR TO RECORD!

But, for real. I have to spend 5 bucks for 1 tape and only having 1 hour of record time; it makes me pick and choose my shots very carefully as well as my crappy actors. I have to be as cheap, strategic, and conservative as possible because I can't afford to spend 5 more bucks. Plus, you have a hard copy of ALL your footage. Oops all your footage on your comp hdd has crashed! Bye bye to everything that you have ever worked on to never be seen again! At least until next season’s episodes…

BTW! HG10 doesn't have a focus ring.. Or even the crappy focus dial like the hv20. Nope! You focus with your joystick.... I know what you are saying to yourself. "That Aaron sure is one funny fellow.."

Barbie Cam 2.0 thanks you

[Chris Ames]

Originally Posted by Aaron Grumtek

dude. i'd totally buy that Barbie cam.

actually i wouldn't mind the focus wheel so much if they had a menu setting to increase/decrease sensitivity like they do for the tele/wide flipper.

I bought the HV20 over other camcorders out there because that's the type of consumer I am. I always buy the nearly-prosumer toys and then I try and squeeze everything I can out of them.

Chris
http://dewde.com

[Aaron Grumtek]

Well, you are in luck my man! I am the creator and designer of the Barbie HIV20!

I might be renting her out..

[Wes Vasher]

Aaron, this is by far the greatest video I've ever seen about making a focus wheel for the HV20! I've been thinking of designing a geared down focus drive with a heavy fly wheel control, at least that's my theory. I would assume by using the large wheel to the small focus dial on the HV20 that you are going to be going through the focus range quite quickly, I'm curious how easy it is to find focus.

[Chris Barcellos]

Wes:

I did a similar one and using a wheel from a kids toy. You will focus through the whole range with less that one revolution, as I recall. My thing was a concept idea based on what Aaron had been discussing: http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=98909

[Aaron Grumtek]

Originally Posted by Wes Vasher

Aaron, this is by far the greatest video I've ever seen about making a focus wheel for the HV20! I've been thinking of designing a geared down focus drive with a heavy fly wheel control, at least that's my theory. I would assume by using the large wheel to the small focus dial on the HV20 that you are going to be going through the focus range quite quickly, I'm curious how easy it is to find focus.

Thanks! Actually it isn't that sensitive as you would believe. Freaking canon made that little dial need to spin so much for so little result! Good luck!

[Richard Alvarez]

Aaron wrote

"But, for real. I have to spend 5 bucks for 1 tape and only having 1 hour of record time; it makes me pick and choose my shots very carefully as well as my crappy actors. I have to be as cheap, strategic, and conservative as possible because I can't afford to spend 5 more bucks"

Cue 'old geezer' voice - Why boy, when I was learnin the trade, we paid 7 bucks for three MINUTES of Super 8 film, not to mention 16 or 35 rates! (And we had to use our focus gears uphill in the snow...)

But seriously, you make a great case for the price of filmstock forcing economy and pre-production. I guess 'cost' is relative though. Five bucks is a lot of money for some people, and for others is couch change.

[Aaron Grumtek]

5 Bucks isn't a lot. But, like smoking it all adds up over time and takes a big goug out of your funds. You're right film was really hard on filmmakers because it was the only real choice they had and the film costs a lot for only a few minutes of film. Then you would have to get it developed which was probably more than what your whole production costs were.

I'm only half serious about the whole thing. I hadn't slept in 48 hours when I wrote that so I might have been talking a whole lot about nothing. But, I personally am not a fan of hdd as a format. It just seems like greater risks to me. You fully rely on a hard drive to keep all of your footage safe and if it fails. You are screwed. I wouldn't buy it for anything more than family stuff as well as some other little (not that important) kind of things no matter how amazing it might be. When it comes to camera equipment and format there really isn't (old and never used anymore) like with a lot of today’s "upgrades" that push the old out to make room for the new. Sure, there were mistakes and crappy formats which were improved upon and still use today. 35mm film was created by Thomas Edison and is STILL the best and unsurpassed format today. But, even Thomas' 35mm that he made had many flaws and wasn't perfect. New formats are always a risk because the technology is still new and haven't had time for others to come by and improve upon the idea and troubleshoot to make the format what it truly can be and needs to be.

[Chris Hurd]

Originally Posted by Aaron Grumtek

35mm film was created by Thomas Edison

Er ah... actually, like most of his inventions, it was created by people who were working for him.

[Aaron Grumtek]

Originally Posted by Chris Hurd

Er ah... actually, like most of his inventions, it was created by people who were working for him.

I don't believe that has ever been proven true. It might be, but rather he personally invented it or not doesn't really matter. How you see someone and how they might inspire you to do great things is more important than any truth behind the curtain.

Btw.. I am the real creater of the Light Bulb! I sold it on Ebay..

[Aaron Grumtek]

I have finished my demo reel for the focus wheel. It's not a fantastic demo because the irus was open nearly all the way and couldn't get a very good narrow depth of field..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F0CuQhk0T7M

Download HQ:
http://www.hv20.com/showthread.php?t=1188

[Aaron Grumtek]

UPDATE:
High Quality Demo Added

[Michael Westphal]

Originally Posted by Richard Alvarez

Aaron wrote
Cue 'old geezer' voice - Why boy, when I was learnin the trade, we paid 7 bucks for three MINUTES of Super 8 film, not to mention 16 or 35 rates! (And we had to use our focus gears uphill in the snow...)

Darn it, Richard, that was my thought exactly. I love having a whole hour AND 3 minutes to play with. SO I can take the 3 minutes of video I need, plus have another hour for mistakes... :-)

Aaron, the focus wheel is kewl. I may have to do one of these. Since the existing wheel is so hard to use it's been difficult to determine, but with your focus "enhancer" are you finding rack focusing easy to do? (I didn't notice any good examples in your demo.)

[Aaron Grumtek]

Demo 2:
This is my last demo for the focus wheel as well as the last over all thing that I am adding to the project. It works the way that I want it to and does very well. This demo was filmed and edited in about 30 mins so it's not perfect and the focus isn't perfect either. But, it shows how smooth, easy, quiet, and well it works. The focus is off some of the time because it's just impossible at times to tell if I am infocus on the HV20's LCD especially with the sun either glaring in my eyes or on the LCD itself... No BS, no filters, no music, and no planning. Just raw footage and audio from the onboard camera mic.

DOWNLOAD DEMO 2:
720p HD - http://hv20.info/yopu/FWDemo2.wmv

[Chris Ames]

Good job, Aaron! Now *thats* the footage I've been waiting to see! Brilliant!