XL2 Follow Focus Blocks Zoom Lever
 

Hi,
I just received my new new XL2, 16x Manual Lens, Chrosziel Mattebox and DV Follow Focus rig. I assembled everything and in order for the .05 gear on the the DV Follow Focus to mate with the focus ring on the 16x lens, the rig gets in the way of the Zoom Lever so I can't zoom all of the way in. If I flip the .05 gear to the other side, the zoom lever now clears but the flare of the front of the lens prevents the gear from getting close enough to mesh with the focus ring. I'm stuck.
Anyone else run onto this?

Thanks,
Tripp

I'm going to use the same set-up as you, Tripp, but my follow focus gear has not arrived yet, so I don't know if I have the same problem.

As a workaround you could remove the zoom lever and use the servo zoom. It's not the same, I know, but at least you could use the full zoom range.

Edit: I just tried to remove the zoom lever. I thought it was screwed into the barrel of the lens, but you can't remove it easily. This scares me a bit.

I'll post as soon as my follow focus arrives.

How do I remove the zoom lever? I tried unscrewing it with my fingers but it didn't seem to want to move so I didn't force it.

EDIT: Just caught your edit. I discovered the same thing, doesn't want to budge.

I'm thinking maybe if I get a gear with a larger diameter it will push the rig away from the lens and the lever will clear (Or I can flip the gear to the other sice and the front flare of the lens will clear). But I'm thinking there must be a reason Canon lens use the .05 gear and not one twice the size.

I'm assuming there's an easy answer to this as many must have this set up.

Could you post a pic of your set up? Both sides?

Here are the pics of the situation:

http://homepage.mac.com/trippsf/XL2/

I'm betting that there's a really easy answer to this and I just simply set up something incorrectly.

Thanks for your help and advice.

Could you mount the FF on the other side of the lens? (right side) so you can get going.. or... better yet a pic or link for the FF alone (opposite side of the knob and top view if avail) Thanks for the pics

It can't be mounted on the other side b/c the focus servo is completely in the way.
However, I talked to Barb at ZGC today (That's where I got my set-up and she and ZGC are great, btw) and she said that I need to unscrew and remove the focus lever. As she put it, "...this (unscrewing and removing the focus lever) is not a work-around, it IS what you're supposed to do for the Chrosziel DV FF on the Canon 16x Manual Lens..."

She mentioned that Canon puts something on the threads of the focus lever to make it seem like it doesn't unscrew, but it does. She suggested some rubber tipped pliers or the like to unscrew it.

I'm going to try removing the lever tomorrow and will report back here.

Thanks for all of your help.

Tripp,

I just got my follow focus gear and assembled it. Indeed the focus gear blocks the zoom lever. However, when I put the gear on the other side of the gear box (as in one of your pics) the gear box clears the lens barrel by about 3mm. So somehow my setup is different from yours. There is no need to remove the zoom lever in my case. Only the focus wheel is located a bit far forward perhaps. But this does not bother me.

Before you remove the zoom lever from your lens, may be we can figure out what the difference between our set-ups is?

Tripp,

I just had another look at your photographs. It seems that your gear has a smaller diameter than mine (about 38mm). You suggested that already.

Rainer,
Can you post a pic of your set-up? Maybe I should look into a larger diameter gear. Do you know what model number yours is?

Rainer,
My guess is that your gear is the 0,8. At bhphoto.com search on "20612" or follow this link:
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/cont...=316166&is=REG

Whereas mine is the 0,5, presumably a smaller diameter, model #20610.

Can you confirm that on the front of your gear it says: 0,8?

If so, looks like I need the larger gear that you have.

Tripp,

no, it's 0.5. And it is supposed to be because the "modulo" is a measure of the tooth size on the gear, not the diameter of the gear. You can have a gear of, say 100mm diameter and still have a modulo of 0.5 (don't know if it's 'modulo' in english). What is the diameter of your gear?

The model number of my gear is 206-15. On the little bag it says: 'Focus drive (DV-Studio Rig) for Canon, Angenieux - mod 0.5, diameter 38mm.

Hope this helps.

Sorry, at the moment I can't post a pic because I'm not at my home office at the moment.

I understand. I don't know the technical term, but from what you're saying the 0,8 designation refers to the teeth depth/spacing of the gear and not the diameter of the gear itself.

I can't seem to find the 201-15 anywhere, not even on the Chrosziel site. I'll call ZGC tomorrow and see if they have one.

Where did you get the gear from?

Exactly!


I bought mine from a pro dealer in Hamburg, Germany. They ordered it directly from Chrosziel in Munich. Perhaps the 206-15 gear is new because they discovered the problem? May be that's why it is not on their website (yet).

Anyway, the problem can be solved without removing the zoom lever.

Tripp,

here is a photograph of my set-up:

http://www.tsc-hansa-syke.de/data/ma...llow_Focus.jpg

Thanks for the great picture Rainer. I sent it off to ZGC.com with all of the info and they are going to contact Chrosziel directly to get the larger gear for me.

I'm surprised this hasn't come up before as many others must have the 16x Manual Lens witth the Chrosziel DV Studio Follow Focus rig.

Potential Buyers
 

Hello!

Would it probably be wise to hold off on buying the focus drive and Follow Focus Rig until the 206-15 gear becomes more readily available? I've been in the market for an XL2 and this seems like a good tool to have for more precise focusing, but wouldn't mind getting it at another point (for $$$ reasons, mainly :)) if it means maximizing its utility with the XL2.


Thanks so much for your help!

It seems that ZGC, B&H and other retailers in the US have stocked quite a few FF rigs whereas the dealer I bought it from doesn't stock them. So they had to order it from Chrosziel and it came with the (probably) new 206-15 gear. As Tripp already mentioned, it is neither on their website nor in the catalogue.

Anyway, it is strange that nobody has reported this problem so far.

Just a little bit more info on the Chrosziel Follow Focus rig and gear and how it blocks the zoom lever on the Canon 16x Manual Lens. I've got ZGC & 16x9 Inc (16x9 seems to be a direct USA Chrosziel distributer) in the process of contacting Chrosziel to find out what the availability is for the larger diameter gear which won't block the lever. In the mean time, here was the initial respionse from 16x9:

"This is a common problem. To use the follow focus with this lens, the zoom stick must be unscrewed out. Most people do not realize that the zoom stick is removeable. It will be a bit stiff if it is the first time you are removing it as they put an antivibration non permanent thread lock fluid on it."

That's strange--I've never seen a lens whose zoom lever couldn't be unscrewed. Still, I wouldn't force it. Could it be threaded backwards?

PLIERS!

The silly zoom stick is removable.

Yes, it's definitely removable, just needs a little forcing. The point is that I don't want to remove it b/c I like having a zoom lever. And, there appears a way to keep it by using the larger diameter gear. However, for those who are ok with removing the lever, see above suggestion: pliers.

I think you'll find that having an electronic means of zooming will give you a smoother, more fluid zoom. I will sometimes switch off the electric zoom and use it manually to quickly get a focal length, but I prefer to use an electronic means of zooming during an actual shot.

On the XL2, you can vary the zoom speed over a pretty good range of speeds. Unless I'm going for a snap zoom, or something funky, I'm using the built in zoom.

Good point Mark for the auto lenses. But my issue is with the 16x Manual lens which is manual zoom as well as focus. So I'd prefer to keep the lever if I have to touch the lens.

Tripp,

The 16x manual lens is both servo and manual zoom. The focus is manual only. When you place the 16x in servo mode (selector on lower left side of lens), it works just like the auto lens, even via lanc control.

That selector, by the way, is just a mechanical engage/disengage of the zoom motor.

-gb-

Greg, you couldn't be more right. I thought I might have missed something after my post b/c I went and looked at hte lens and the 16x does have what looks like a a big servo box on the side. But I didn't look underneath for the switch. I stand corrected, with servo control, the lever is basically unnecessary.