When I first saw this pop up on amazon I was very skeptical, I know you usually get what you pay for. After getting this I realized when you spend $500-$1000+ on a rig and follow focus you pay for the brand name (red rock, zaucto, etc).This rig/follow focus seems very sturdy. When I took it out of the box I was expecting a very light cheap set up, but the whole thing has a very high quality feel. The only thing that I could see maybe breaking years down the road are the blue thumb tightening screws since they are plastic.
The follow focus is very nice, the whole system has no play. The final gear to the lens has a SMALL amount of play nothing I am concerned about. The gear for the lens stays in place and I have not had any issues, I just need one for each lens now. I trimmed about an inch off the end so I didn't have as much hanging off the end and I can still get around all the lenses I have.
The mounting block has 4 tripod mounting holes and is made of nice solid metal. All the rails are very high quality and seem very sturdy.
The only part of this that is not amazing is the shoulder mount, I didn't expect it to be amazing from the pictures. It really needs the shoulder and either a mono pod or a 2nd support for the torso.
Overall if you are an indie HD DSLR film maker or are looking for a cheap non DIY follow focus rig this is a nice high quality rig that I will be shooting with for years to come. I would highly recommend this to a friend.
In fewer words...Buy this, You won't regret it.Overall, the rig is very nice. I'm happy with it. Easy to hold, and the mount is broad enough to use HD DSLR or full sized camcorder like the Canon XH-A1. I have only tried it out around the house, making home movies of our new puppy, but even though there's no counterweight, it isn't heavy on your arms.
Hand Grips are comfortable. The machining isn't quite precise, as the holes are VERY tight, and it is difficult to slip the rods through. I needed to pry it open with a flat sided screwdriver. However, the threads are tight and responsive. The thumbscrews are plastic, so we'll see how long they last. But I think it is a great option for newbies who can't afford Zacuto or Cinevate rigs.
If you are looking for other options, I would choose eBay. There are better rigs and better prices. I also saw this same item that came straight from the factory for $290. That set includes a chintzy matte box that looks pretty useless (I bought it because I needed a follow focus). I am keeping the one I bought from Amazon because at least I can return it if I need to. I've contact ePhoto through their website twice thus far asking about their LED lights, but no response. So this is a "take what you get" Here is the list of second hand items
Cons: Follow focus has a little play in the internal worm gear (this might be adjustable, but I have not taken the time to check). If you are truly wanting to mark out and preform bidirectional focus pulls, it might be 2-3% off, one way pulls are on mark.
Full size DSLRs or battery grips will need to use rail spacers to fit the focuser (spend your money on a better rig for a D4).
The shoulder pad could be better.
Pros: Well made and engineered. Very nice cuts and finishing. I was not expecting the quality for the price. Like all good rigs, this one is just a few hex bolts (metric) from perfect. The blue nuts have the VERY NICE pull up to adjust feature that I wish my more expensive rig had. My XH-G1 and Z1U fit well and are usable but if you are looking for a full 15mm bar solution for a nice head, look to spend the correct dough on something more suited.
Nitpicking: The rails could be a bit thicker walled. The grips could be better (but after days of shooting, I have had no problems after I locked them in place.
Modifications: It depends on your cameras and lenses, but I would recommend reversing the top plate with the three 2.5mm hex bolts. You will also need a set of 6mm metric hex to tighten down the grips (use blue Loctite as well). A tiny dab of contact cement (no need to let it set up) can give you the well needed friction you need if you use a heavy hand (true about every tube rig).
Overall: I have three rigs, and none of them are perfect out of the box, but this cheap rig, has been the best overall. Using Nikon d7000 d800 and d600 cams with lenses from 15mm 2.8 to 70-200 2.8 with this rig is a pleasure. Features like the pull to adjust thumb screws, and overall versatility, make this a great buy, and a good starting point for anyone wanting to add stability to their hand held shots.I should start this review by saying I use this all the time, but make sure to work out your upper body because it has some pitfalls. Also I am going to break this review down in two parts because it really is two different products that you are getting bundled.
The Shoulder Rig: 3.5 out of 5
The shoulder pad itself, is primarily something you can use to push the rig against your body to stabalize your shot, and it works well. There is not counter weight system, all the weight is put on your arms, partly extended, and after a few hours of shooting, it's a work out to say the least. I have run a gambit of different dslrs and lenses and it can take pretty much all of them, it's a pretty sturdy build, at first I questioned the plastic knobs that tighten all the pieces but they have worked really well. A big thing for me is space, and this product disassembles really easily and I can pack it in pretty much anything, which is one of my favorite things about it.
Follow Focus:
For the price I have yet to find something of this quality. I was blown away by how good this thing was. I have since bought a 15" whip that I works perfectly with it. I also use this bad boy off the rig and on a tripod, this follow focus alone is worth the money I spent on the whole thing. One not so great thing is the actual gear ring that goes on the lens is one straight piece that connects to itself so you can't have the focus go 360 around, which I know, I would never need to use, but It's just a small complaint. The focus itself would work great with some 3rd party gear rings, but it hasn't bothered me enough to go out of my way to buy it.
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