Rail System Follow Focus FF + 15mm Rod Rig Base Plate with Quick Release Plate for HD DSLRs

While it was adequate, not completely accurate, it was getting the job done. That is until the knob fell of after normal use and now the focus gear won't turn even after i reinserted the knob. Looks like this one's heading into the trash.

The follow focus is ok at best, but it keeps disassembling itself with even light use. Save your money for a better follow focus. The riser and quick release work fine, aside from the cheap screws, which have a habit of breaking off. The 15mm rods are good though, it's the only part I am still able to use two years after purchasing.

It was easy ot assemble. The down side was that the camera did not sit center. Which caused the donuts to not sit correctly which would cause issues with the follow focus. The work around is to use a sock or similar to get the job done.

I normally don't review any products I buy, but I decided to review this one just because most potential buyers would be a bit suspicious at these low cost DSLR rigs. I was either going to take the plunge and get some expensive camera support from a company like Zacuto or fabricate my own with aluminum, but I noticed this rig at such a low price that included a follow focus, lens support, and quick release plate so I decided to take the risk and buy it.I'm glad I did. This rig is extremely well built and it even looks nice too. (That's the important part right?) The base plate and rails are very lightweight compared to other low-cost DSLR rigs like the ones from Pro-aim. Yet, this is all metal construction. I haven't seen any plastic yet. But that is one thing I would have liked to see on the follow focus.My only complaint is that the follow focus is on the heavy side and could benefit from having a plastic wheel rather than a sold metal one. But I believe this problem could be fixed by adding some handles and a shoulder pad to disperse the weight. It also helps to know that most follow focuses cost twice the amount of this entire rig or more! So if a little weight is the only drawback, I'll just have to lift some more weights then.If you are on the fence about buying this rig over any other, save yourself some money, and buy it. A $2000 rig isn't going to make your shots look better than a $300 dollar rig, so use that extra money and buy a nice lens for whatever camera you use. I know I will.

Naturally, I was hesitant about purchasing something like this at this low price point. It just doesn't make sense that one could acquire a base plate AND a follow focus for this kind of money without making some serious, regrettable compromises, right? Well, sometimes it works out. This appears to be one of those happy occasions. I have a Panasonic AF100 and wanted to be able to put a follow focus on it. Prior to this, I'd shot on a Panasonic HVX200 camera equipped with a full complement of Zacuto gear including the universal base plate, Z-Focus follow focus and Petroff matte box. I've mounted my camera on this EzFoto base plate and have set up the follow focus. My initial impressions are positive. The plate, rails, follow focus and aluminum adjustment knobs and levers are all nice quality and easy to manipulate. It took only a few minutes to get the adjustable gear belt on my Panasonic Lumix 14-140 lens and then rail-mount and align the follow focus with it. For my purposes, the action and feel of this EzFoto follow focus is just as smooth as the Z-Focus system I've used for years. I'm a bit premature in writing this review, because I have not received the Red Star DV DSLR Pro II Matte Box I also ordered. But, based on what I'm seeing, I doubt I'll have any trouble mounting it on the quality 15mm rails of this rig. Based on the high adjustability of the follow focus, I think it would be easy to mount it with any number of lenses. It's made to accommodate all kinds of configurations.Like other reviewers, I don't like the fact that the quick release plate has no safety provision on it. If its thumb screw comes loose (or is accidentally not tightened in the first place) the plate can easily slide and the whole camera rig can fall off. So, something needs to be done about this. Another minor complaint is that the adjustable-height lens support piece does not slide high enough to reach my lens. It needs to go higher, or the camera plate should have the ability to go lower.I'm accustomed to using the follow focus on the left side of the camera/rails. Placing it in that position does cause it to block the lens' manual zoom ring on its left side, but not to the degree that it can't be manipulated. It's just a bit more awkward, requiring the operator to come in from the top of the ring rather than the side. No big deal to me, as I don't use the zoom during shooting much. (The AF100 camera doesn't offer a motorized zoom, so any zooming must be done with the manual zoom ring, unless one is using an external, independently motorized zoom of some sort.)So, my overall initial impressions are very positive and this is a robust and impressive piece of camera gear at any price point. I'm very happy I bought it and I look forward to using it in the field. I'll try and update this review once I've mounted the matte box on it and gotten some shooting done.

The follow focus is missing some parts that keep the peer attached to the body when turning backwards, so everytime I use it, it falls.

I hate to combine the product review with the service review but I received the wrong part twice. I think it is only fair that Amazon owns up to this as well since they do the fulfillment and twice they sent me the wrong item. To fair they sent me item x0008xj2jf(scanable) which is the same for the order part and the pulled part. However, the description and picture is clearly two different items. What i got was this little tri-pod mounting screw. Obviously not a rail-system as described above. The other possibility is that this screw is part of a whole assembly and the picker just didn't grab everything that goes together for shipping. Either ways you'll be disappointed to receive the wrong part especially if you're spending $300 for a screw. Anyways, hold off on this buy til I get this figured out with Amazon and the seller.