Cheers All-
Just received my Focus-One Follow Focus from Edelkrone and wanted to put out some initial thoughts. Since I have JUST received it, and I don't think there are many in the Wild yet, forgive if there is a lack of field-use feedback here to start since, well, its brand new.
Some caveats - I am not a dedicated FF user (EFP-doco background, not cinematic) but the Scarlet/Canon workflow seems to suggest these will be helpful. As such I was not interested in paying big buck$ for something like an Arri-built unit. I have had some exposure to FF (Arri) but not enough that I can qualify myself as an FF-guru by any means.
What attracted me to the Focus One was, frankly, the price ($300) and the BlackDiamond Award rating given to the prototypes shown at NAB. I wanted something well built (which might be asking a lot at the price-point), easy to set up and use and compact. The Focus One appears to fulfill all these requirements. At least for me.
Build:
Nice alloy/metal chassis. excellent fit and finish. all the materials seem to be top quality hardware. The focus knob is a machined unit with the right amount of solid heft. It is fitted to accept a standard flexible focus whip. (and perhaps other bits I am less familiar with?)
Gears are plastic or nylon and look and feel very substantial. They all appear to be easily accessible for replacement swap-outs. I don't know what ratio the 2 gears have but it appears to be geared for short-throw DSLR lenses like my Canon set and has a very pleasant action.
Install:
Single-rod mount. I prefer this for its seconds-to-mount quickness and compact footprint. I can pop the FF into/out of a belt-mounted carry-case (generic, not supplied) instantly for quick access which is great for my run-and-gun.
Accessories:
Edelkrone sells a set of 3 gear-straps that mount/clamp rather ingeniously to the lenses (see photo). I did have to re-trim and remount the straps (by releasing then mechanically trimming back the teeth) after initial use. This may have been because of a reluctance to fit the strap too tight at first. The $300 intro price included my purchase of the 3 gear straps. They are about $45 for the 3. They can be bought in several package quantities.
Use:
GOOD:
Bearing in mind its spanking-brand-new (when most everything works great)... it works great.
The slop between gears is negligible, and they bite nicely to the strap's gears for a very positive connection. The focus knob is machine-knurled and feels great to use. Its heavy enough to give a sense of mass when rotating it and this provides a very pleasant "weighted" feed back. It is adjustable with a simple machined thumb-screw so you can adjust the angle for the lens being used. Likewise the gear assembly is adjustable to set the attack angle to the lens.
One feature I like (and Edelkrone promotes) is the fact the focus Marker face/wheel _faces_ the DP. So it is not the traditional side-facing surface that favors a focus-puller, but rather allows the operator to see the scales, which I think is a smart feature for one-man ops.
BAD:
-Unless I don't "get it", there does not seem to be any way to REVERSE mount this on the opposite side of the camera. So if you need to pull focus from that side you might have to get creative. Perhaps if they read this, the Edelkrone folks can correct me. There was no ops manual with the unit. They include a note with it to go On Line to view/download a manual but this was not up-and-running when I checked.
-the marker face is a white-plastic disc which seems to suggest you can mark focus-points on it for specific shots. I am a bit confused as to how this works since (if that is its intent) the white face ROTATES along the FIXED outer scale, thereby negating a marker position. ? This may be a my lack of FF ops showing.
-no stops are supplied or fitted and I see no where to attach them.
Buying experience:
I opted in for an early pre-production deposit which, at the time, seemed a bit of a leap-of-faith since I was not aware of the company's history or product line other than what I reviews I had read of prototype pieces, and there web-site videos. And wait, these guys are in TURKEY? I frankly figured that I might be throwing $300 into a product that was going to be vaporware.
Well, quite the contrary, the product was delivered on-time as promised and showed up at my door via DHL. Thru out the process the Company updated me on delivery date and shipping info.
So this has been a great buying experience for me. It appears a nicely thought-out and well-built unit that is simple and convenient to use. And the price point is fabulous for what I am getting (IMHO). I will try and post follow-ups as I use it in the field and am happy to answer any questions I can, allowing for my limited use. And if anyone else has one, please post your thoughts here too.
I have added a few images of my unit on the Scarlet - note on these: I did NOT adjust the Focus Wheel to correct the operating angle - so don't let the various angles throw you!
http://www.edelkrone.com/focus-one/
Stu Aull
SX 199
Alaska
Originally Posted by Rob Castiglione
