***The OConnor O-Focus DM Cine and Photo Sets***OFFICIAL THREAD!!!

[Bob Gundu]

Quick question Eric... I have a set of Leica -R lenses which are very small and with the x LW bracket (http://www.x.com/lw-15mm-bracket) attached, I have about an inch or less of space on the rods for a FF. So I'm wondering if the gear can be flipped on the O-Focus? Also, the Leicas have about 270 degrees of rotation. Does it still make sense to get the Cine set?

Thanks.

[Trevor Meeks]

Quick question Eric... I have a set of Leica -R lenses which are very small and with the x LW bracket (http://www.x.com/lw-15mm-bracket) attached, I have about an inch or less of space on the rods for a FF. So I'm wondering if the gear can be flipped on the O-Focus? Also, the Leicas have about 270 degrees of rotation. Does it still make sense to get the Cine set?

Thanks.

Yes and yes. You can flip the gear around to the other side of the lens, and you can mount the gear on either the "front" or "back" side of the gearbox. Also, the 1" clearance won't be a problem... this is one of the slimmest main bridge assemblies I've ever seen on a FF. I think the cine set would produce the most comfortable pull for your lenses, and the two different sizes of 0.8 pitch gears that are included will let you fine-tune your feel.

[Jim Elias]

Thanks all for your comments. Good stuff.

Lately, we've gotten a lot of correspondence regarding how to best drive lenses originally intended for still photography.

First and foremost is to understand that not all still lenses are alike. The differences between 1) autofocus-type lenses such as Canon EOS-Ls and 2) manual-focus still lenses such as Zeiss ZFs and Leica M/Rs are decisive when it comes to how to drive them properly.

Autofocus: there are good reasons why autofocus still lenses have very little (if any) barrel damping and extra-short focus throws. Even moderate damping or slightly longer focus throws would require heftier, noisier motors and the battery power to drive those motors. The general compactness of the lenses and the small size of most still-camera batteries has directly to do with the fact that the lenses, due to low damping and short focus throws, do not need much energy to drive.

It is these non-damped lenses that can be driven reliably by friction-driver wheels, because the risk of slippage is low. And these short throws are what the O-Focus main bridge transmission, with its very low gear ratio, was designed for.

Manual-focus lenses, on the other hand, will have damping for much the same reason a fluid head does -- in order to minimize unwanted movements and feel more comfortable in manual operation. The focus-throws are often still shorter than those of dedicated motion-picture lenses, primarily in order to help quick eye-focussing. So again, the O-Focus gear ratio will work well with most of these lenses, but a friction-driver wheel will not, because the lens damping will cause slippage. These lenses with damping should always be used with geared drive, and with most lenses, a larger lens gear (as opposed to a zip gear) will help even more regarding range spread.

[Eric J. Johnston]

Here’s a nice pic from a shoot I’m currently on with the O-Focus DM Photo Set adapted to 19mm rods and the friction gear mated to a Canon 17-55 lens on a Scarlet.

[Will Keir]

The OConnor FF is far more flexible and a much more finely-tuned product than the RR Blue, and although the RR is obviously desirable because of the price, when you stack it up against the OConnor, you'll see the OConnor shine in terms of features, performance, and professional quality.

Good info here. We went with the FF1 and the O Box, in addition you can add the O'Connor O grips and they screw on straight to the mattbox. Just looking for a shoulder pad to drop off 19mm rails now.

[Will Keir]

The feature I like most about the DM was that it had two "hard stops" that can be set manually. So you can set two focus points to rack back and forth to. I wish there was a product that allowed 3-4 hard stops.

Here’s a nice pic from a shoot I’m currently on with the O-Focus DM Photo Set adapted to 19mm rods and the friction gear mated to a Canon 17-55 lens on a Scarlet.

[Vladimir Eugene]

NEED a swing arm similar to the CFF-1 for my O focus. My shorter Leica R primes are not fitting my O focus and lightweight matte box at the same time.
I love my O focus, more than any other FF I've had, including the Arri FF4, and O'connor CFF-1

I need to get the O focus as close to the camera body as possible on the 15mm rails, this over shoots the focus gear on my lenses by about 1cm, if you guys can make a swing arm, so I can mount the focus gear... Swing arm on the outside of the O focus, focus gear on the inside of the swing arm. That should solve the shorter... Still lense plus matte box, both riding on lightweight 15 mm rails

[Les C.]

I've got both the O-Box and O-Focus DM Photo. Great products!

I'd love to see one thing.

An additional larger friction wheel/gear that would provide finer focusing for Canon lenses.

[Satsuki Murashige]

I know OConnor is working on a larger friction gear for driving small stills lenses, that should solve your problem unless you need a 0.8 pitch gear.

[Les C.]

I know OConnor is working on a larger friction gear for driving small stills lenses, that should solve your problem unless you need a 0.8 pitch gear.

That's great news!

I hope that as the DM Photo is such a recent product, that they will offer that to the current owners at no cost.

Certainly helps to build good will and free advertising from happy users - if the product just keeps getting better, kind of like the RED cameras do with every free new build!!!!