Jar Opener as a Follow Focus
Here is an old trick that (surprisingly) not a lot of guys I’ve spoken to recently know about! If you’re on that shoestring budget, perhaps this could be an easy solution until you make your first million. Or at least a few extra hundred to acquire a proper follow focus lol.
The Silicone jar opener will have some flex in the design that might not be very accurate with your pulls, so another option is the Sunwayfoto Zoom / Focus lever. This lever is available in a few different sizes depending on the diameter of your lens, but also yields for a more professional look if that’s something you have to worry about. They are available on both Amazon (click here)
SunwayFoto Adjustable Zoom Focus Levers
In my experience these work best with really loose focus rings (cheap kit lenses). A nice smooth focus ring usually has too much drag to be very responsive to the flexible silicone. It also becomes a bit unnecessary because you can always mark your focus points on a piece of gaff tape on the lens barrel and pull focus of the lens. And that’s even cheaper.
Hey if you guys are looking to buy these they are about 1/2 the price after shipping if you buy them here:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Trudeau-Twist-Jar-Opener-Follow-Focus-Ring-/190631421416?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&var=&hash=item2c6284a5e8#ht_2078wt_922
Hi, Olivia. I have a couple of those jar openers and they are a great low-budget solution. For just a little more money, though, I recently discovered these focus levers from a new company called LensStrap:
http://www.ebay.com/sch/jmps1113/m.html?_nkw=Lever+Focus&_sacat=0&_odkw=&_osacat=0&_trksid=p3911.c0.m270.l1313
Got my first one last week and I’m pretty impressed. No, it’s not a rod-and-rails gear-ring focus knob, but it feels steadier than the jar opener and for the money ($10) it would be tough to find better. The seller also seems to be a really nice guy.
I totally agree with you I just got a pack of Lensstraps and they blow the jar opener away. Really nicely made and the guy who owns it ships crazy fast. I use them to control zoom because I have a follow focus, but the are great and made really well. My friend got a custom rig from his site and it’s real nice too.
P.S. Just realized that LensStrap has its own website: click here
This goes into much more detail than the eBay pages and is worth a look.