Fujinon ENG Focus Gear Pitch

[Earl Thurston]

Hi folks. Does anyone know what the focus gear pitch is for the stock Fujinon lens on the HD100?

It's supposed to be the standard for all Fujinon ENG lenses. I tried doing a Google search but kept getting articles about their cine-style lenses, which have a Module 0.8 pitch and "most video lenses also have a different gear pitch than film-style lenses". Trouble is, I can't find out what the ENG pitch is. Couldn't find it in the lens manual either.

[Nate Weaver]

Usually, when referring to gear pitches when it comes to lens accessories, they're all just referred to as "film pitch", or "video pitch".

The people who are usually experts on this are jib and steadicam operators, who always have to make sure they have what it takes to get remote focus working on any camera given to them.

Anyway, after 15 years, I've never heard one of them refer to the actual numerical pitch, even when purchasing the parts!

Of course somebody will reply in a minute with the actual numbers, making me sound silly.

[Brian Drysdale]

Just to confuse even further, Canon & Fujinon ENG lenses have different pitches.

Checking on the Preston Cinema Systems web site gave me these figures:

0.50M gear Canon Video
0.60M gear Fuji Video - Focus, Zoom
0.40M gear Fuji Video - Iris

My Steadicam's follow focus gears just say "F" & "C" and as Nate says I don't worry about the actual pitch number. It would be more of a problem if I was going to ask a machinist who doesn't work in the industry to make up a gear,

[Earl Thurston]

Originally Posted by Brian Drysdale

0.60M gear Fuji Video - Focus, Zoom

Thanks guys, that's exactly what I was looking for.

I'm a bit of a tinkerer, so was thinking of creating my own servo-remote for this. None of the gears I have fit, so this will help a lot.

But I know what you guys mean about the vernacular. I'd be hopeless as a grip because I don't know all the lingo, even though I understand the underlying concepts.

[Charles Papert]

Yeah, I wouldn't have come up with the numbers myself, but I'm definitely familar with them. Although the headscratcher is the two different pitches for Fuji lenses--could swear that I use the same gear on all three. Hmm...

Regarding the "film pitch", while most modern PL lenses use the standard 32 pitch gear for focus, iris and zoom when applicable, some will use 48 for the iris; and Panavision's standard is 32 for focus, 48 for zoom and 64 for iris. Confused yet? How about the fact that the depth of the gear is slightly different between PL and Panavision spec, so while a standard 32 pitch gear will work on both, allegedly the correct gear will work more quietly on the appropriate manufacturer's lenses...

oy vey!

Can we also talk about the fact that while both Fuji and Canon are using the same multi-pin Hirose connector on their lenses (for zoom and run controls), the pin configuration is different between the two??!! Considering that back in the day Fuji was using a different connector and they switched to Canon's connector, you would think they would have made them compatible. Then again, that would be too easy.

[Guy Barwood]

"Can we also talk about the fact that while both Fuji and Canon are using the same multi-pin Hirose connector on their lenses (for zoom and run controls), the pin configuration is different between the two??!!"

Thankfully the JVC HZ-ZS13U Zoom controller supports both Canon and Fujinon with a simple switch position...

Just picked one up on eBay for $307
http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI....m=160045088514

[Charles Papert]

Smart--thanks for that note.

[Charles Papert]

Oh, and oddly enough I had to mount an iris motor on a Fuji lens today--I was able to use the Panavision 64 pitch iris motor; it may not be 100% the same gear depth etc. but it works fine.