Back in early 2018, Teradek purchased wireless follow focus manufacturer RT Motion and since then we’ve seen a variety of new wireless products appearing under the Teradek RT name. The TOF.1 Rangefinder may not be labeled with the RT moniker, but it too represents a real effort by Teradek and parent company Vitec Group to become a one-stop-shop for all your on-camera wireless accessories. The TOF.1 Rangefinder integrates with parts of the Teradek RT wireless follow focus system and sends data to your favorite SmallHD monitor (made pre-2015). I recently had a chance to take the TOF.1 Rangefinder out for a spin and what follows is my take on the device. Also, as a cinematographer and producer with great respect for the camera assistants I’ve worked with, I reached out to several union and non-union AC’s for this article to get their thoughts on rangefinder usage in general. The CTRL.3 with Bolt 703 monitor cable connected to the top and a lens ring installed. Image Credit: Graham Sheldon What is a rangefinder? In a nutshell, the purpose of a rangefinder as it is used in film is to provide distance measurements between the camera focal plane and the subject, and it’s particularly useful for keeping things in focus with manual-focus cine lenses. The camera focal plane is easy to spot – just look for the circle with a line through it. This notation exists on every camera body and has even morphed into nerdy film tattoos and been used in...
Published By: CineD - Friday, 15 January, 2021