Whilst working on a shoot recently, I had the opportunity to work with Pete Hoare.  Pete is a talented creative type who spends time solving problems he comes across working on the productions he gets the opportunity to assist.  One of the age old problems is low cost lens control on Steadicam.  Not everyone is fortunate enough to have the kit I have in my set-up.

  

  

  

Considering the investment necessary for a Preston like mine, it isn’t surprising that many operators struggle when starting out.  Even the (very) capable and (very) high quality Bartech still sees you having to shell out quite a few readies, so its good to see a low budget contender that doesn’t take short cuts on quality.

Anyway here’s a quick review - want to know more?  Contact Pete via his website or email me for more details and I’ll tell you what I can.

Kit supplied

The kit turns up well presented in a black storm case with custom cut foam.  Inside was a handheld transmitter about the same size and dimensions as a BFD transmitter, a small receiver unit, cables, motor, marking ring and motor gears. 

Functionality

Completely wireless, the HoFo is a single axis unit which allows the user to precisely operate the focus ring on a 35mm lens.  It was a real surprise when the AC headed over the field some 2-300 meters away and the kit still functioned (although I couldn’t see much benefit from this but never-the-less it shows the range of the system).

For its pricing point (and quality - see below), the system is well specified with a choice of ten bands on which to transmit the encoded data stream, and two user definable limits to calibrate motor movement or serve as focus stops.

The transmitter requires only a single 9v battery and the receiver utilises a standard 4-pin XLR for 12v power input, (I normally have a suitable cable terminated with a dtap connection that would sensibly drive this), or mount a Sony NP (Z1 type) battery to the back of the receiver using the built in NP battery plate.

Quality

I have to say one of the most impressive attributes of this kit is the quality of the kit supplied.  Great machining, quality anodised finish with very nicely executed laser etching.  All the kit had a good quality and durable feel to it.  Well made, well thought out and with a robust finish, for its price, this kit could give more expensive systems a run for its money.

Performance

Ok, in use, he motor was relatively quiet (or certainly not too intrusive), accurate with marks and quick to rig and set-up.  It did exactly what was expected of it and without any interference with other kit.

Overall

I have to be honest here and say that I didn’t like the size of the motor gears.  The film pitch gear .8 was large.  This is a factor of the type of motor housed inside the sleek machined aluminium case.  This was pretty much the only downside (again - like I said before you have to set all of this in the context of much more expensive systems).  For low budget users I’d say it was well worth checking this kit out as its nicely made, functional and low cost.  More details here.