Neewer Follow Focus CN-90F Review
NEEWER® Follow-Focus CN-90F With Gear Ring Belt for HDSLR cameras
I recently spent a day using the NEEWER® Follow-Focus CN-90F With Gear Ring Belt for HDSLR cameras
while recording a music video. The price point was irresistible, and a follow focus was needed while using the Neewer FilmMaker rig for hand held shots (separate review here).
The build quality of the follow focus is actually quite nice for the price point. I was using this on a Canon 5D Mark III, with the 24-105MM L lens. The follow focus includes a gear ring, but it was not necessary with the 24-105 lens, and I was able to directly engage the gear to the lens.
I had read some reviews that mentioned there was some wobbling of the camera from the friction of the follow focus. I want to point out, this is not a fault of the follow focus, it is a fault of the mounting plate the camera sits on. I experienced a similar issue, however after taking some time to really lock everything down tightly, there was no wobble. I also suspect, regardless of which follow focus was used, if the camera is not secured tightly to the rig, the pressure of the follow focus is going to push the camera side to side.
The follow focus is a left hand follow focus, and is not reversible like some more expensive models. In the particular application I was using this, and paired with the Neewer FilmMaker Rig, having the ability to put the follow focus on the right would have provided better balance on that particular rig. I do realize most follow focuses are designed for the left hand, as it’s virtually impossible to manually focus a lens with your right hand.
The follow focus provides a large area to mark set points on the knob. It does not have the ability to set a hard stop. There are ridges on the wheel that don’t make sense, as it makes it harder to mark the set points on the wheel with a felt marker. The motion of the knob is smooth and fluid and at this price point I was very impressed.
I’ll admit, this is the first time I’ve used a follow focus on a shoot. I’ve had the opportunity to play with some expensive follow focuses at NAB in 2014, and like everything in this business you generally get what you pay for. While it’s perfectly functional for those on a budget, it certainly doesn’t have the luxurious feel of a Zacuto Z-Drive ($500+), but it’s less than $50 and it turns the focus ring!
At this price point everything inside is plastic. There are many reviews of people who quickly stripped the internal gears, and were left with a useless spinning wheel. I think this is the nature of an inexpensive product – you may end up with a unit that lasts a day, month, or a year. It’s always a risk when purchasing equipment like this, and if your filming a serious project it could be much more expensive to have equipment go faulty at the time of a shoot.
I’m actually surprised at the number of people who seem to use this, then compare it to far more expensive equipment. I can’t see how anyone would debate if they should get this model, or something that is nearly $1000 or more.
If you’re in the market for a follow focus under a $100, then my guess is that you’re not planning on using it on a major production. If you are looking for an easier way to pull focus shooting with a rig, are a student, or just messing around, then it’s worth risking the money. You can literally replace it ten times and still not have spent what a good quality unit would run.
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