I've had this follow focus, I ended up selling it because I got a LanParte FF.. It was a well built FF, smooth, no noticeable backlash.

I did have two major problems with it: One is that the gear wheel is plastic, and was a bit wobbly (though it still worked fine). The biggest problem was that the stopper can not be temporarily moved out of the way for when you don't need hard stops - you have to remove the whole thing. Ended up just leaving it off and giving up the hard stop capability, too inconvenient to keep installing/uninstalling it..

Thanks @Django

So if I put the focusing gear away from the camera I should be fine, actually my only concern was that this filter holder might hit the focusing ring of the FF, the back side of the main "knob". Because it goes for few cm immediately in 90 degrees angle. Other lenses are bigger and I have no worries.

But I guess that If I run into clearance problem, that huge cinematics gear might solve it.

Could someone who owns Dp500 Follow focus tell me if it could fit this setup (images attached).

I use nikkor lenses and cokin P filter holder. This lens in the picture is the smallest and I can't figure out judging by the videos and pics if the gear ring and box would fit here. Lens has very narrow focusing ring and it is only few millimeters from the holder.

Thanks!

Just an FYI to my original post. I have had some correspondence with the supplier from whom I got the Fotga II and they indicated that they are planning to make a (series??) of larger gears for the FF unit to accommodate larger diameter lenses/gear rings. No firm word on when but they indicated it will be soon. This seems to be the only major issue with this otherwise excellent FF unit.

Glad to see others are having good experience with this unit. I had to return the base that I had purchased for this rig and am now saving to buy the new Manfrotto adjustable base unit as it seems to be the best choice for me to keep full compatibility with my other Manfrotto tripods and gear. So, the Fotga II has been sitting on the shelf waiting to get a full workout.

@CFreak - Quite right, and I'm a dunce. I didn't see the mechanism for switching the gear sides, but yes of course, you can. Well that makes me like this follow focus a lot more. And once I pick up some larger gears, all three of my issues will have been resolved. I would now recommend this unit to anyone. Truly exceptional build quality, at the price point.

I am not sure if I follow. Can you post a picture? You can use the FF gear in the rear position right? with the FF knob on the left side of the camera, and you put the FF 0.8 (small) gear on the rear position (towards the GH2 body) and you need 2" to clear the screen, due to the knob size?

What kind of lenses are you using? C mounts?

Sangye -

How is the backlash on it? Comparable or better than the D|Focus?

My Fotga DP500 II just arrived, and I have to say I'm disappointed.

To start, though, I must say that I'm impressed by the build quality. It makes my old D|Focus feel like a cheap plastic toy. This unit is solid, robust, and operates very smoothly. It at least feels like a piece of professional equipment.

That having been said, I'm frustrated for three (big) reasons). For one, it does not work with a Varavon viewfinder loupe, on a lens with a focus ring closer than about two inches from the camera, unless it's mounted on the right side of the camera. Nearly all of my lenses have focus rings closer than that, and I don't want to switch to having my follow focus on the right side of my rig -- just feels weird.

I was ready to forgive this issue though, as just yesterday I melted a hole in my LCD screen because I left the loupe on in sunlight, and decided that I'd stop using it so much.

But then, I realized that even with the hard stops in line with each other, it cannot pull through the full focus throw of any of my lenses, all of which are around 270 degrees. This unit is clearly designed for modern AF glass that has short focus throws, which alienates a pretty large number of people.

To add insult to injury at this point, I tried putting my brand new focus crank in the socket, and realized that it was machined just a little too loose. It falls right out. WTF!

All the same I'll probably keep it, and just remove the hardstops and find an HDMI EVF or a small field monitor that I can use with a viewfinder mounted somewhere else on my rig. But I am frustrated by these issues.

I just got my dp500 ii and first impressions is very good

So, i've been using the Fotga DP500 II now for 3 full days of hard shooting and it has performed almost flawlessly. I did notice some backlash after 1 day of use but nothing major. The dampening adjustment helps to reduce the backlash but it makes the focus wheel a little heavier to turn.

The gear and gearbox works well, but would be good to have a little bigger gear to utilize the whole focus range of large diameter lenses. Included with the FF is one gear belt made of soft rubber, the quality is ok but feels a bit flimsy. I would recommend to buy gear belts from elsewhere. I have a set of zip tie gear belts from half inch rails that work well and feel very solid for my lenses and this unit.

The 2 hard stops are very useful but i had to tighten them very hard to keep them from moving, but not a big problem. Index pointer is very solid and doesn't need to be tightened so hard for it to stay put, also a great feature that it can be put in what position you want. Very helpful in many situations. Removable marking disk is great, the magnets are solid and easy to take off. I use a whiteboard marker and the disk cleans off easily with a plain cloth.

I bought this follow focus because i had a little extra budget money left for a job that i would do and decided it would be fun to try one of these units. I didn't expect it to last a long time considering that i only paid 155 dollars for it. It has some small issues and details that could be improved on but it does the job that a follow focus should do. Overall it exceeded my expectations and at this price point it's a steal. I wouldn't rely on it to last a lifetime, but it's a good alternative to those who can't afford the more expensive FF's.

Just ordered a Fotga DP500 II. If it's anything like the quality of the Fotga baseplate, it'll be a solid piece of professional equipment. Will post my thoughts once it arrives.

I bought a 50-Dollar Follow Focus from the Kickstarter campaign, and while it's great for one-person operation (you can remember focus points based on the handle angle and pull focus while your eye is glued to the finder/monitor) the lack of hard stops on lenses with friction-couple focus rings that have no hard stops on their own makes the Fotga with hard stops quite tempting, especially given the price.