Digital Video - October 2007 - (Page 23)

can be quickly moved to the opposite side of the gearbox. Additionally, the standard gear can be replaced with optional pitch ratios for other lens types. The removable white marking ring has a unique flat upper face that also allows it to be read from the operator’s side. You can rotate the metal marking indicator all the way around the ring with a simple adjustment knob. There is also a standard accessory port for extension whips or a speed crank. Overall, this is a reliable unit with a beautiful fit and finish that inspires confidence. (Thanks to Chrosziel authorized reseller 16x9, Inc. for providing the demo unit used in this review.) TITANIUM SL pulls. The grooved focus dial is composed of a hard plastic, but you can also outfit your unit with a optional polished wood focus dial. The Cinetech is unique in offering three standard ports for speed crank and extension whip accessories. The first is located where you would expect it, on the face of the focus dial. Under the lens barrel you’ll find another port, for operation from the opposing side of the camera. Finally, a third port points directly back to the camera operator. This one works really well with Cinetech’s handlemounted remote manual lens control, a very handy optional accessory. The Cinetech Titanium SL follow focus unit is a solid, unique design that can be used in a number of useful configurations. It drove our 35mm adapter and PL lens without breaking a sweat. While we weren’t thrilled with the rubber belt drive design, the unit counters that by offering additional handy options and features that set it apart. INDIFOCUS T he Cinetech Titanium SL Universal Follow Focus is a lightweight unit with a unique, highly configurable design. It spans and attaches to a pair of standard 15mm rods, though we noted the locking mechanism only tightens down on a single rod. Despite SCORE CINETECH PROS: Highly configurable design. Multiple accessory ports lets one pull from the opposing side and rear of the camera. Swing-away focus gear facilitates quick lens replacement. CONS: Rubber belt drive adds unnecessary play in the system and looks like a potential weak point. BOTTOM LINE: A fully-loaded follow focus solution that offers reasonably solid performance and is at home in a number of unique camera rig configurations. By far the most feature-rich unit we tested. MSRP: $1,750 CONTACT: www.cinete chonline.com www.dv.com this curious design, we found it stayed securely in place during our tests. There is no horizontal adjustment in the base of the unit, but the follow focus gear is mounted on a quick-release swing-away arm that allows the unit to be readjusted for a variety of lens barrel diameters. A replaceable rubber belt on this arm drives the focus gear, and provides some dampening of the gearbox action. Testing the unit with a millimeter marking scale, we noted some excess give in the gearbox and belt drive, measuring between 3mm and 3.5mm of play. The belt also seemed to create some additional noise and vibration. The 0.8/32 pitch focus gear can be used on either side of the swing arm, and quickly replaced with optional pitch ratios. A small, articulated LED light illuminates the lens barrel or the unit’s removable white marking ring. A metal clip (that can be positioned anywhere on the marking ring) provides a hard stop for difficult focus T he IndiFocus that we tested initially arrived equipped with a proprietary focus gear that only interfaces with IndiFocus lens gears. For standard 0.8/32 pitch lens gears you’ll need the $20 Cine-Pitch gear option, which is what we conducted our tests with. The follow focus attaches to standard 15mm rods and locks in place with a single knob. A center knob underneath locks the horizontal slide. You can fully loosen that knob and quickly re-mount the follow focus on the opposing side of the camera without unlocking the base from the rods. Fit and finish is lacking somewhat; for example, the base that mounts to the rods is floppy when loosened. You tend to fumble around for a bit when first mounting the unit. There is also a vertical riser adjustment that, unfortunately, tends to flex forward and back under load. Exacerbating that issue is the fact that the face of the focus gear is very narrow. The end result is that the focus gear tends to dv october 2007 23 http://www.cinetechonline.com http://www.cinetechonline.com http://www.dv.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Digital Video - October 2007

Cover Contents Letters DV Update R&D Fest Circuit Light Brigade Follow Focus Shootout Image Conscious Instant Expert Close-Ups Eastern Europe Exploit Call of the Wild Four Principles of Storage Storage Media Production Diary

Digital Video - October 2007

For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.