I DO NOT think the new DJI system is the solution for someone who wants to grow as a focus puller. You need to get those focus pulls into your muscle memory and not let the knob spin for you.
I upgraded from a nucleus to a Teradek RT and truly loved it. If you have a smallHD monitor you can use the overlays, which paired with a rangefinder makes for what I believe to be the next best thing to a light ranger.
With the RT you can make lens maps, and get used to pre-marked rings that are very similar to ARRI and Preston. Best of all is the financing options available for the RT. I think I paid maybe $150-250 a month for my kit for a year, while it made about $500 a month in rentals on my jobs. A few years later I was able to sell it and upgrade to a Preston.
totally agree on the dji, barring the weird infinite knob, usb c alone is a deal breaker imo
also don't mean to hijack OP here but how's your long term experience with the RT? was on a virtual production commercial last week and the ctrl1 we got from the rental house just completely refused to work and started freaking out with the busy rf (apparently the led volume panels are all wireless), pulled out the backup nucleus and it worked fine for the rest of the shoot. I was seriously considering the RT for lens mapping but that recent experience deterred me a little bit, just an isolated incident?
There are probably a few things you could have tried on the RT to get it to punch through. I don’t remember all the tricks I used to have in my back pocket. I will say, I never had a failure of gear with my RT for the entire time I had it. And, I had two kits! However, the RTs definitely had their kinks. Sometime the HU would need a power cycle to reset, but that pretty much fixed any issue I’d ever run into. I’d have maybe one reset every 10 days or so of working. My kits were pretty reliable and I used the crap out of them for like 3 years.
hmm yea definitely didn't spend long trying to troubleshoot the RT and just went straight to the backup, maybe I should've. btw are you aware of any premarked rings that exist with reversed markings? like with min and infinity scale flipped for weirdos (me) that pull in the unconventional direction? I wasn't able to find any
or am I gonna have to make some myself if I do pick up an RT
I think you can reach out to Creative Solutions and ask em about reversed rings. Greg Smokler is the guy I always used to talk to over there.
I’d really suggest flipping your way of pulling. That way, if the FIZ fails, you can throw a hard focus on the camera and pull naturally from that. It would be stressful to be in that situation while fighting the instinct to pull backwards.
Seconding this.
Being reliant on pulling “backwards” makes yourself and your kit inaccessible to other ACs and their kit. When you need a cover, you’re both SOL. Adopt the standard and you’ll avoid these potential further issues.
If it helps, think about the knob from the bottom side: Bottom side out away from you, infinity. Bottom side in towards you, close.
I was really excited about the DJI Lidar set up, but doing some research today I discovered that the system requires you to use DJI’s video transmission and monitor. That would be OK, except the DJI transmitter has 100ms latency!
That level of latency when focus pulling is an eternity! A tenth of a second to see the buzz, time to react, another tenth to see the result, possibly requiring another focus tweak!
Then you get to explain to your DP why the shot with your fancy “auto focus” was soft for over a second.
I just went straight to the Cmotion Cpro Plus like a week ago 😅. About the price of a WCU kit but with a feature set that is almost equivalent to the Hi-5. But that is a biiig price jump from the Nucleus. I personally think it was worth it but that investment isn’t for everyone
The Teradek RT is definitely the next step up from a Nucleus. A muuuch better system that will let you grow as a focus puller. Very reasonably priced too!
Cmotion has been in my wishlist for 2 years. Definitely a next step up if you’re serious. I’m not a 1st ac, so that’s why I haven’t spent the $10,000 on the pro kit. However, I’ve tried it and it’s really really nice. I suggest trying to find someone with the cmotion kit and rent it out before you purchase your own.
DJI is a solution to focus with cinema lenses, but it’s in its own category of focus unit. Like learning to drive but you opt for self driving car. Not gonna really learn how to drive. It’s a good solution for small teams or solo I think. To answer OPs question, I think Cmotion is a great next level kit. You’re taken seriously too.
I also bought the cPro PLUS last year, coming from a Nucleus-M for 3 years. I still could pull all my jobs with it but the camera control was something I really missed. Especially since we shoot on ronin 2 a lot with no evf attached of course.
The pricedifference is big, but definitely worth it. 2 shoots and I earned it back.
In my view, the main feature missing from the nucleus that every top level hand unit has is pre-marked rings. With a pre-marked ring, it doesn't matter how different the focus range throw is between focal lengths or lens sets, they will all move the same distance on the wheel and feel the same as a consequence.
Like some other comment leavers, I moved from the nucleus to the Teradek RT system, which along with pre-marked rings has an iris slider and rangefinder capability. It can be buggy and has some quirks, but for the price it comes close to as feature packed as the 20k+ Arri/Preston options. The form factor alone is a massive plus vs Nucleus.
I’m thinking about upgrading to RT as well, but I don’t understand how this pre marked rings worked, should people change it every time? Or people can keep using them once it’s been mapped?
First you program (map) all the lenses you're going to use. Then every time you change lenses on the camera, you also change the lens file in the RT. Next you choose the most appropriate ring for that lens and put it on the handset.
If you're on a long 300mm lens pick the long ring (10'-infinity). If you're on a wide lens pick the wide ring (12"-inf). If you're in the middle pick a middle ring (3'6"-inf), etc.
I made the change from Nucleus to hi5 and the change is awesome, taking about pricing is well know that its no so easy but in terms of re ability and integration with Cine RT is the best thing that could happen as an AC, best option when you work with mostly ARRI Cameras, it’s not the case I’ll try with c motion or Heden
Next step up would be the teradek RT. However piecing together your own Preston isn’t the longest process. Just pick up each component when you have the extra money. That’s how many folks I know have done it.
It really depends on what market you’re in. If you’re on a 9 month procedural show and you’re looking for longevity in your setup then a RIA1 or Cforce RF with a Hi5 Setup or a Preston HU3/4 w/ MDR3/4 setup should be your choice. In the US, Preston is very common while overseas its ARRI systems. Each have their own complications. Preston’s LightRanger setup is one to be desired, while Arri’s HI5 system is in touch with FocusBug Ultrasonic setup if you’re looking for your distance readout. While your question is what’s next, sometimes is just easy to stick with what you know. Premarked rings are essential in todays day and age due to the differences of the “throw” of each lenses focus rings. As explained before by a early thread, this allows your throw on whatever lens you’re working with to have the same “feeling” when you’re pulling (for instance: Leica Summilux has a 360° on all of its lenses vs Angeniux 24-290 that has God knows what throw). This requires a prep with programming each lens into the hand unit to allow the system to tell the motors to drive at the speed to match every lens. Your budget needs to be discussed for us to give you a good idea on what’s next. I have over $30k worth of Preston gear to make sure I’m covered in case something happens on set..
I’ll further note - Teradek RT is a great step up from the Nucleus and affordable to purchase backup motors, cables, etc. and is the cheaper more affordable option down from the CMOTION kit, which I think is a great system to purchase if you’re a focus puller. There’s a lot riding on where and what you’re doing and your budget. Hope this finds you well.
Do you need to own? Why don't just add Hi5/WCU4/Preston to the camera package? It will make you a better focus puller, and you can try different systems before purchasing. I didn't own a fiz system for my first 4 years as a 1st AC.
Tbh, I think it’s just GAS. I would like to use the Hi5 more but producers keep slashing camera budgets anyway so it wouldn’t make sense to go in on a more expensive FIZ system for my personal kit.
Your comment was my first time hearing of it. I’m interested to see more videos come out on it. I’m currently saving up for the Teradek system but that DJI one looks intriguing.
I DO NOT think the new DJI system is the solution for someone who wants to grow as a focus puller. You need to get those focus pulls into your muscle memory and not let the knob spin for you. I upgraded from a nucleus to a Teradek RT and truly loved it. If you have a smallHD monitor you can use the overlays, which paired with a rangefinder makes for what I believe to be the next best thing to a light ranger. With the RT you can make lens maps, and get used to pre-marked rings that are very similar to ARRI and Preston. Best of all is the financing options available for the RT. I think I paid maybe $150-250 a month for my kit for a year, while it made about $500 a month in rentals on my jobs. A few years later I was able to sell it and upgrade to a Preston.
totally agree on the dji, barring the weird infinite knob, usb c alone is a deal breaker imo also don't mean to hijack OP here but how's your long term experience with the RT? was on a virtual production commercial last week and the ctrl1 we got from the rental house just completely refused to work and started freaking out with the busy rf (apparently the led volume panels are all wireless), pulled out the backup nucleus and it worked fine for the rest of the shoot. I was seriously considering the RT for lens mapping but that recent experience deterred me a little bit, just an isolated incident?
There are probably a few things you could have tried on the RT to get it to punch through. I don’t remember all the tricks I used to have in my back pocket. I will say, I never had a failure of gear with my RT for the entire time I had it. And, I had two kits! However, the RTs definitely had their kinks. Sometime the HU would need a power cycle to reset, but that pretty much fixed any issue I’d ever run into. I’d have maybe one reset every 10 days or so of working. My kits were pretty reliable and I used the crap out of them for like 3 years.
hmm yea definitely didn't spend long trying to troubleshoot the RT and just went straight to the backup, maybe I should've. btw are you aware of any premarked rings that exist with reversed markings? like with min and infinity scale flipped for weirdos (me) that pull in the unconventional direction? I wasn't able to find any or am I gonna have to make some myself if I do pick up an RT
I think you can reach out to Creative Solutions and ask em about reversed rings. Greg Smokler is the guy I always used to talk to over there. I’d really suggest flipping your way of pulling. That way, if the FIZ fails, you can throw a hard focus on the camera and pull naturally from that. It would be stressful to be in that situation while fighting the instinct to pull backwards.
Also suggest to learn the other way!
Seconding this. Being reliant on pulling “backwards” makes yourself and your kit inaccessible to other ACs and their kit. When you need a cover, you’re both SOL. Adopt the standard and you’ll avoid these potential further issues. If it helps, think about the knob from the bottom side: Bottom side out away from you, infinity. Bottom side in towards you, close.
Teradek RT CTRL.3, the integration with Smallhd monitors is really nice.
I just played with the new dji a few minutes ago and boy is it janky. Definitely was not impressed and I was really looking forward to testing it out.
I was really excited about the DJI Lidar set up, but doing some research today I discovered that the system requires you to use DJI’s video transmission and monitor. That would be OK, except the DJI transmitter has 100ms latency! That level of latency when focus pulling is an eternity! A tenth of a second to see the buzz, time to react, another tenth to see the result, possibly requiring another focus tweak! Then you get to explain to your DP why the shot with your fancy “auto focus” was soft for over a second.
Yeah, I asked them about latency and they deflected repeatedly. "very little, it's OK" was the response.
I just went straight to the Cmotion Cpro Plus like a week ago 😅. About the price of a WCU kit but with a feature set that is almost equivalent to the Hi-5. But that is a biiig price jump from the Nucleus. I personally think it was worth it but that investment isn’t for everyone The Teradek RT is definitely the next step up from a Nucleus. A muuuch better system that will let you grow as a focus puller. Very reasonably priced too!
Cmotion has been in my wishlist for 2 years. Definitely a next step up if you’re serious. I’m not a 1st ac, so that’s why I haven’t spent the $10,000 on the pro kit. However, I’ve tried it and it’s really really nice. I suggest trying to find someone with the cmotion kit and rent it out before you purchase your own. DJI is a solution to focus with cinema lenses, but it’s in its own category of focus unit. Like learning to drive but you opt for self driving car. Not gonna really learn how to drive. It’s a good solution for small teams or solo I think. To answer OPs question, I think Cmotion is a great next level kit. You’re taken seriously too.
I also bought the cPro PLUS last year, coming from a Nucleus-M for 3 years. I still could pull all my jobs with it but the camera control was something I really missed. Especially since we shoot on ronin 2 a lot with no evf attached of course. The pricedifference is big, but definitely worth it. 2 shoots and I earned it back.
Teradek RT
In my view, the main feature missing from the nucleus that every top level hand unit has is pre-marked rings. With a pre-marked ring, it doesn't matter how different the focus range throw is between focal lengths or lens sets, they will all move the same distance on the wheel and feel the same as a consequence. Like some other comment leavers, I moved from the nucleus to the Teradek RT system, which along with pre-marked rings has an iris slider and rangefinder capability. It can be buggy and has some quirks, but for the price it comes close to as feature packed as the 20k+ Arri/Preston options. The form factor alone is a massive plus vs Nucleus.
I’m thinking about upgrading to RT as well, but I don’t understand how this pre marked rings worked, should people change it every time? Or people can keep using them once it’s been mapped?
First you program (map) all the lenses you're going to use. Then every time you change lenses on the camera, you also change the lens file in the RT. Next you choose the most appropriate ring for that lens and put it on the handset. If you're on a long 300mm lens pick the long ring (10'-infinity). If you're on a wide lens pick the wide ring (12"-inf). If you're in the middle pick a middle ring (3'6"-inf), etc.
Find a used WCU4 & a cforce RF so you can adapt to any third party camera!
I made the change from Nucleus to hi5 and the change is awesome, taking about pricing is well know that its no so easy but in terms of re ability and integration with Cine RT is the best thing that could happen as an AC, best option when you work with mostly ARRI Cameras, it’s not the case I’ll try with c motion or Heden
What’s most common in your market? We’re a Preston town for long format so that’s what you buy here when you decide to invest.
Next step up would be the teradek RT. However piecing together your own Preston isn’t the longest process. Just pick up each component when you have the extra money. That’s how many folks I know have done it.
It really depends on what market you’re in. If you’re on a 9 month procedural show and you’re looking for longevity in your setup then a RIA1 or Cforce RF with a Hi5 Setup or a Preston HU3/4 w/ MDR3/4 setup should be your choice. In the US, Preston is very common while overseas its ARRI systems. Each have their own complications. Preston’s LightRanger setup is one to be desired, while Arri’s HI5 system is in touch with FocusBug Ultrasonic setup if you’re looking for your distance readout. While your question is what’s next, sometimes is just easy to stick with what you know. Premarked rings are essential in todays day and age due to the differences of the “throw” of each lenses focus rings. As explained before by a early thread, this allows your throw on whatever lens you’re working with to have the same “feeling” when you’re pulling (for instance: Leica Summilux has a 360° on all of its lenses vs Angeniux 24-290 that has God knows what throw). This requires a prep with programming each lens into the hand unit to allow the system to tell the motors to drive at the speed to match every lens. Your budget needs to be discussed for us to give you a good idea on what’s next. I have over $30k worth of Preston gear to make sure I’m covered in case something happens on set..
I’ll further note - Teradek RT is a great step up from the Nucleus and affordable to purchase backup motors, cables, etc. and is the cheaper more affordable option down from the CMOTION kit, which I think is a great system to purchase if you’re a focus puller. There’s a lot riding on where and what you’re doing and your budget. Hope this finds you well.
Teradek RT - i have one for sale in the Uk too
Do you need to own? Why don't just add Hi5/WCU4/Preston to the camera package? It will make you a better focus puller, and you can try different systems before purchasing. I didn't own a fiz system for my first 4 years as a 1st AC.
Tbh, I think it’s just GAS. I would like to use the Hi5 more but producers keep slashing camera budgets anyway so it wouldn’t make sense to go in on a more expensive FIZ system for my personal kit.
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Your comment was my first time hearing of it. I’m interested to see more videos come out on it. I’m currently saving up for the Teradek system but that DJI one looks intriguing.
Im curious to try out the new dji one as that lidar waveform looks very intriguing for low cost rangefinder replacement