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RJ Follow Focus, looks very good
  • Had been a hit leaving DFocus in the dust some time ago :-)

    Custom (not Huco!) gearbox.
    Gear drive can be mounted from either side.
    One universal lens gear included.

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    Video reviews:





    Again - price is $156 shipped! This thing is selling fast!

    Preferably use this seller now (cheaper and free extra gear!) -
    http://cgi.ebay.com/DSLR-Follow-Focus-FF-15mm-rod-support-60D-600D-5D2-/290577642938


  • 187 Replies sorted by
  • @feha , thanks a lot, finally I think I will wait for the Lanparte FF to be on the Personal-view's periodical catch deals!

  • @jobilo , i asked them and they said it is made from same factory as LanParte ...

  • Hi everyone,

    I have the first RJ FF and the Fotga Quick release FF. Both quite nice for their price (Fotga lacks the possibility of changing side of the wheel in contact with the gear). So now I want to upgrade a bit and I am aiming at the Lanparte A/B Hard stop FF.

    Does anyone knows about that follow focus? Is it the same quality than Lanparte but without the colours and brand? I tried to search reviews on the net but found nothing...

    Thanks in advance.

  • @jasonp mine has a definite play to it, not big but rather noticeable; I can't bother to ship it from Russia back to China and you've mentioned that you've opened the gearbox — any suggestions on how to do that?

  • Unfortunately not cos this FF draws its stability from being fastened onto the rods. It's designed to fit a 15mm rail system (industry standard) so am not sure how you could put it to alternative uses. Also, there isn't any lever for you to adjust the vertical level of this gear (unlike some more expensive FFs).

    When you incorporate this FF into a proper rail system (by this I mean one designed and built acccording to industry specs) you would notice how intricate and precise these systems are in terms of their construction. I actually bought a quick release plate thinking I could mount it on my rig, but I soon realised that the thinkness of the plate completely threw my camera out of alignment with the FF gear.
  • Hello everyone,
    Do you think it will be feasible to mount this FF without any rails system ? As the D-Focus one (detachable rail clamp et optional 1/4" screw plate).
    Basically I'm looking for a cheap FF solution that doesn't involve special rigs. Don't need marking : I only want to avoid direct fingers contact with the lens.
    I'll appreciate any advices.
  • @kazuo Thank you for the information although I returned the FF to jinfinance a few months ago.

    Right now I'm using an adjustable bottle opener - I know, sounds a bit "ghetto" and looks corny but it works great and best of all it saved me roughly $140 :)
  • So, are people using this FF ok with the pancakes now, by friction, per the video? I've always been interested in this FF, but with my heavy use of the 20mm 1.7, i'd always resisted the temptation.
  • My cinematic FF broke down so went for a cheaper alternative. Just picked this up, works like a charm

    @killagram
    Think the trick is to find a biting point of contact between the two gears. Dun stack them right against each other. The way to do it is stagger the contact.

    To be fair, some aspects of the design could be improved - eg, the gear strapped to the lenses could be better built. If you use it on small MF lenses (even the Nokton 0.95) which have longer throws, the excess part of the wheel gets in the way.
  • A little late but I bought this follow focus and am mostly happy with it. I say mostly because the shaft has a wobble (its slightly warped) which is severe enough to pull the lens gear out of track with some of the Nikon lens I use with my GH2. I can usually avoid it by paying close attention when I line the gears up but its not ideal. Otherwise, for $150, it has a nice feel and does a solid job when lined up correctly.
  • Found the answer. Thanks anyways. Think I'm going for it.

    Thanks for the headsup!
  • Can I screw the (Rail rod system hand grip for Follow Focus 600D GH2 GH1) rig to a tripod? I'm using the Velbon C-600 + PH-368 kit. It's cheap and has a "fluid head" which pans and tilts pretty smooth.
  • @ stonebat Brilliant!!! --but sadly my gear isn't reverseable and I don't know if I can flip it because of the hand grip....Ill have to try that though sure if I cant get it to work with the Fotga-worse case then I'm just out 3 bucks...

  • I'm gonna try this later this week.
  • I'm sure you're right - jinfinance has likely sold hundreds of these FF w/o any issues whatsoever, I probably received a bad apple off the assembly line. Although I'm certain it had a lens gear. I remember there being a separate cog off the FF knob that rotated when no pressure was applied to it. Once you placed a gear ring to your lens and mounted it the cog wouldn't budge and the knob kept rotating without friction.
  • >The FF knob would rotate endlessly without turning the gears

    You just had defective FF, and hundreds of people use this FF without problems.
    But anyway "didn't have enough friction between its gears" sounds extra strange.
    Sound like you used FF without lens gears like friction FF.
  • When turning the follow focus knob, it didn't have enough friction between its gears to turn the focal ring on any of my lens (tested on Lumix 14-140mm and 14-42mm). The FF knob would rotate endlessly without turning the gears.

    When I spoke to jinfinance he recommended taking apart the FF and tightening the dampening clamp inside it. After doing so it still rotated freely without enough strength to turn the ring. Any more modifications could possibly damage the unit and I felt it wasn't worth the risk in case I had to return it (which I ultimately did).
  • >and it never had enough friction to turn the focal rings!

    Can you please describe what this means?
  • What about Ikan friction ff?
  • @Vitaliy_Kiselev
    Thanks for the info. I'm looking for a good follow focus and purchased one that was recommended on this topic a few months back from jinfinance ( http://www.ebay.com/itm/DSLR-Follow-Focus-FF-15mm-rod-support-60D-600D-5D2-/140559292554 ). The follow focus unit itself seemed to be good quality until I mounted it to multiple lenses and it never had enough friction to turn the focal rings! Jinfinance was honorable and understanding, they took the unit back and offered me a refund w/o any hassle. He also stated they'll be revising their design and it will be better in the future.
  • @killagram
    This thing is mostly crap.
    If you want friction FF, but Fotga FF and add rubber ring other FF gear.
  • Has anyone here evaluated the iDC Follow Focus for the GH2? It's completely friction based (and accurate from one review I read on B&H Photo). It also goes for about $400 but it doesn't require you to place gear rings on each of your lens...

    http://www.idcphotography.com/kart/index.php?p=product&id=166&parent=42
  • I bought the follow focus and the fotga quick release rails - both nice build quality (especially the rails). Used once so far, can't really find fault for the money.
  • @No_SuRReNDeR you could flip the FF unit to the other side of the lens. The gear would then be closer to the body to perhaps reach the 20mm.

    The problem with any of these units in regards to small lenses is that the size of the wheel and unit as a whole make it hard to squeeze very closely to the camera body itself.
  • Does anyone know a way to use the Fotga FF with the 20mm pancake?....Its gear is not reversible and its looking pretty impossible to me. It was all i could afford to buy :(....

    I guess i should have got the other one-
    <----kicking himself....