Using the Gini iFocus follow focus

[Jon de Zwaan]

Hi everyone,

I've been using the iFocus from Gini Rigs for a couple of weeks now and I just thought I had to share my opinion about using it.

First of all, it's a nice follow focus, it's got hardly noticeable backlash and offers smooth focusing. The main disadvantage in my opinion is its size. It's really big and looks somewhat silly on my GH2 rig, but it does the job right when used properly.

So how to get the most out of it? Well, out of the box, it has it's focusgear on the right side, closest to your camera, which is very common for follow focuses. But due to it's size, it will get in the FOV of (smaller) wide angle M43 lenses (<14mm). It also won't allow the use of sunhoods, because of the small space between the gearbox and gear, the gearbox will hit the hood before the focusgear can slip into lensgear.

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So the first thing I did was switching the gear from the right to the left side. You'll just need two small hex keys (I think its 2 and 3mm) to do this.

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But after this, the follow focus will block the view of the FL and DOF markings on the lens, and will make it harder to adjust aperture when having a manual aperture ring.

[attachment=303:003.jpg]

To solve this little problem I attached the 15mm connecter to the other side of the rig, so a large part of the FF will be under the lens. You can rotate the gearbox, so the wheel will be vertical again.

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So this is my opinion on using this follow focus, just thought to share it with you. Any tips or recommendations are welcome.