DIY Follow Focus System for Canon HV20/30/40

[Almohada]

Maybe someone else can make and start selling them. I would make my own but I'm not too good with those small parts. I can't tell exactly how he made his anyways. Even if I do make one, I don't think I would sell them after the failed attempt of my DIY shoulder rig, the Shoulder Holder

[darthpaully]

I find it fascinating that the design is so simple. Irv's focus wheel is simple enough and sharp, for sure, but shane 88's is SLICK, and really, IMO a better overall tool. Plus it's cheaper and you don't have to have your hand on the camera. I hope they are available soon.....

[Almohada]

Still waiting.....................

[tuboo]

OMG. How much longer. I'm dying here waiting. Does anyone know of any other options on sale other than "Shane" and "Irv".

[Steve_Karl]

Or if you're not going the sell them ( shane ) how about some more details about the parts?
Thanks!

[tuboo]

i was watching shane's video closer... and if i understand correctly....the wheel moves the built in HV20/30/40 manual focus knob. So this is actually quite different from Irv's.

Does scrolling the Canon MF knob acheive the same results as Irv's focus ring?

[Steve_Karl]

The focusing results would be the same.

[tuboo]

thanks steve. Maybe i'll just go to the Home Depot this weekend and see what i can muster up.

[Steve_Karl]

I've been butchering some mice ( computer mice ) to get wheels, so I'm kinda working on it also ... but very slowly.
Keep us posted on what you find. Maybe collectively we can help with design ideas and parts ideas.

My only complaint about the one shane designed is that it's too close to the back of the LCD.

I had an IRV for a day or 2 and sent it back for a refund. IRV was very gracious about it. It was too stiff and kept falling off the camera.

I'm thinking shane might have used some large rubber washers.

A thin piece cut off the end of a 2" PVC pipe with a section cut out of it will work for mounting.
I've already done that part and it's good.

Mounting that ring piece to something that holds the wheels, a small " L" bracket ... or something is where I'm stuck at the moment.

I downloaded shane's video so I'll be able to do screen grabs and blow them up and brighten them so I can see the actual design better.

[Almohada]

Man, I really just want to build my own now. This is taking too long. Steve, that's a good place to start.
Maybe I will go to the hardware store and they'll give me a 2" PVC scrap and I'll cut a piece off and
mount it to the HV. Once I get that done I have to go from there and find a way to gear together parts and
make them into a knob for a follow focus like Shane_88's. What is this? Takes him 88 years to respond???

[Steve_Karl]

Yes! I'm glad you're in on this.
Most of the problems I see with suggested DIY projects is poor instructions or unclear / dark images.
Of course the FrugalFilmmaker is the best exception to the rule and also my newest benchmark for quality instruction in the DIY realm.

If we can collectively help each other define the parts we might get this project into a place where it's easy to finish.

[Daniel Rutter]

Why not ask Frugal to make one?

[Steve_Karl]

I pretty sure Frugal has a different Canon camera than the HV but I'll send him a link to this thread and maybe if we're lucky ... the guru of DIY will help. :-)

[Almohada]

I just watched the video again. Since it was so dark, I couldn't really see what his parts exactly were, but it looks like he didn't use any gears for the wheel. They're just 2 discs, one for follow focus knob, and the other one perpendicular to it spins the HV's focus wheel. Like Steve said the hard part is how to mount this mechanism to the small L bracket. I don't think hardware stores carry a knob like shane used for his follow focus though, maybe that was custom ordered or he found it online somewhere...

Great idea Daniel

[danristei]

Hello everyone,

I've been following this forum for a while and I found this thread. I noticed that there are some of you who are interested in getting their own follow focus wheel. I designed and made one for you and I am willing to sell it if you guys need it. Here is a preview of how the wheel looks and works. Of course the finished product will be painted black. If you are interested please let me know as I can make as many of them as you need.

[Steve_Karl]

Did you forget the link?

[danristei]

Sorry, now there's a video at the end of my post. One more thing. I've noticed that one of the screws is too long and it is blocking the access to the focus button. It will be shorter in the final version.

[hv30user]

Hey could you post a picture of the other side of your FF? It looks like a good design.

[Steve_Karl]

Nice initial "teaser" video,

....but there's not enough detail to be sure if it's worth buying.
For all we can see it could be attached by a metal hose clamp that needs to be put on / taken off with a screw driver.

If you really want to sell these then I think you need to provide detailed information and detailed pictures.
If it's a good design then I'd buy one. Obviously I don't have the time to do it myself. :-)

Thanks!

[danristei]

Sorry about the late reply. I was working late in the garage to improve the design and functionality of the wheel.

There's no metal hose clamp to attach the wheel to the camera. I chose to use a piece of round plastic that fits the aluminum ring of the camera. This round plastic is coated with rubber inside for a good adherence. The ends are put together using a cable tie because I tried to use Velcro but it was not staying well on the camera.

Here are some pictures and some more videos about the wheel. Let me know what you think.

[danristei]

I just posted some pictures and a description. Waiting for the forum to update. In the meantime you can go here and see the other 2 videos about the wheel.

[Almohada]

Thank heaven!!!!!!! YOU ARE A GENIUS!!!!!!! I will definitely be buying one from you. Looks pretty simple to make though, I wish someone would just post a detailed tutorial so everyone will benefit and be able to make it on their own

Great job. Looking forward to seeing the pictures

[danristei]

You're right, the design is simple. The down part is that it requires very exact measurements, cuts and assembly in order for it to work. I made about 3 versions before coming down to this one. You also require a lot of tools. Anyway I can start making the FFW16 (follow focus wheel) as soon as orders come in.

[Almohada]

The only problem I would run into would be that tiny U bracket. I can see how you mounted the U bracket to the PVC, and added rubber inside the PVC.

[hv30user]

Isn't the "U bracket" just some C iron cut really short? Also is the PVC 2 inch? Im thinking about making one...