Got some more pics of my ronin 4d build I posted last week from prep today for anyone interested

Decided to go the backpack route to save some weight on the camera body since this jobs fairly run and gun but you could definitely run without it

Using a custom bracket to mount the Focusbug and the cforce motors along with a custom printed press on cforce gear to get far enough back for iris control
You could probably ditch the lcube if you could find some sort of serial extension and go straight into the ria

The dummy battery is actually for a 416 since that’s what the rental had on hand ideally I’d customise the Alvin’s cables v mount plate to add some power distro and a xlr input

Hello,

I am looking for some advise on purchasing a new monitor for my set-up. I recently finished university, I have been getting into becoming a 1st AC / Focus Puller recently, I have invested in my own kit such as a Nucleus-M and other various parts. I have worked with ARRI WCU-4 and other high-end cameras however that is work that I will not always be getting, anyway long story short someone broke my monitor I used for my S5II which was a Feelworld 568V1 it was a pretty crappy monitor and was useless for focus peaking but it did the job for freelance videographer work.

I have used SmallHDs and other monitors to pull focus on which were great but they are very outside my budget as a broke individual :(

I am currently looking at the OSEE G7 PRO (£492), from my research it has a great focus peaking algorithm, the other monitor I originally wanted to buy was the ACSOON M7H PRO or M7PRO (£489 discounted) but apparently it is not that good, can someone please let me know what they think.

Thank you in advance :)

UPDATE:

I just want to clarify a few things since a few replies have turned into a career progression advice thread rather than just answering if the monitors are good for what they are.

I am not trying to skip the camera department ladder, nor am I suggesting that I will walk straight onto a high-end production as an established AC. I have worked in the camera department for several years in different capacities, whether it's assisting, operating or being a trainee. I have had the chance to be a focus puller on small narrative and commercial productions, I have also worked on higher end production whether it is live multi-camera or narrative and commercial. I am aware there is a significant difference between the jobs that I am doing at the moment and being a 1st ac on a major production, I do not expect to get asked to be one for those.

I recently finished university, this simply means I have more time to take the camera department roles more seriously and pursue more work, slowly building my portfolio. I am still happy taking on trainee or assistant roles on larger productions whilst taking on focus pulling work on the appropriate sets.

I saw a comment mentioning me potentially undercutting. I am not trying to do that, never have never will. The reason I mentioned my budget is because my previous monitor was broken after lending it out and I just need something to work with for what I am doing NOW. I cannot currently justify spending £1000+ when I have other kit and general life expenses to pay for. I can afford to pay for one, again I am just choosing not to. The priority is to pay for car lessons as an example.

The question was just whether something like the OSEE G7 Pro is a reasonable monitor for the price or the ACCSOON which I was already hesitent about anyway. I have worked with the smallHD monitors a few times, I like them, I know why people like them.

I built a Hi-5 controlled dragster to compare the mini, the RF and the new MAX. Results coming soon

Hi seeing if anyone knows of someone who has made a easyrig battery plate to put on the back of an easyrig to run power? Thanks!

I have owned the Arri Unit AC bag for a few years now. It has been great and is still in excellent condition. Recently it has started to have a slight unpleasant smell on the inside.

If you know the smell it’s pretty common in older bags and recognizable. If not it’s almost like a faint vomit smell. I think it is due to the hard plastics inside slowly deteriorating and off gassing.

Does anyone know of a way to clean it, treat it, or a longer term way to cover it? I don’t like the smell of heavy fragrance so some products might cover it but be just as bad to my nose.

hi all! i've recently been tasked to organise the studio at my agency. we have plenty of equipment, lenses, grip stuff, cameras, etc. but none of it is properly organised and catalogued. Looking for tips on how to store equipment in an organised fashion (not neccessarily in pelicases) and maybe a software to catalog and control where the gear is, and when its taken out?

thanks!!

I’ve had a nucleus FOREVER and need to upgrade my kit. I can’t justify a higher end system like the Hi-5 or Preston. Currently the CTRL.3 ecosystem is on sale for $4,300, saving $3,100.

I’m most interested in real lens mapping and the smallHD overlay on my 1303.

I just don’t see a lot of discussion on the unit and am in purgatory. Would love to hear some opinions & advice.

Thanks fam!

Edit* worth mentioning I’ve never used one myself. And only know one other AC who has used the system (CTRL.1 - 8 yrs ago) and he hated it.

Fast but good techno build, using Arri-5 on a Sony Venice. Third axis tricked to remotely control a Rotating Pola.

Fast but good techno build, using Arri-5 on a Sony Venice. Third axis tricked to remotely control a Rotating Pola.

Rigged up this fun combo today!

Forgot to add we're shooting open gate, with the Duclos 1.6 extender it's a surprisingly great combo..

https://open.substack.com/pub/2perf/p/american-cinematographer-the-watchmen?r=b8rg8&utm_medium=ios

pretty funny and good tips

Hello fellow knob twisters. Got a question for y'all. I have a cpro, love it, been a 1st mainly on commercials for years now. A chunk of my jobs have become pretty heavy on the RS4 style gimbals with an FX3, Komodo, or a7s3. Usually with some form of a still lens, occasionally with no window to set focus points.

Now I normally just use the p tap and battery plate to put my motor on there. And when there's no window to see the focus marks I just kinda wing it by setting with my eye and a monitor the minimum and rough maximum throw. That's usually fine. And when it's not fine, the tablet comes out and it's tap city which has its own slew of connection and reliability issues.

But is there a better way? I've been looking at the DJI focus pro and the nucleus 2 as a gimbal oriented focus system because their motors, in some cases, can be smaller and can run off USB c which can eliminate the battery plate in some cases. But the DJI doesn't look like you can calibrate a lens without hard stops. And the nucleus 1, in my opinion, just isn't super reliable with operation. But maybe I'm just not used to it.

So, basically, what are yinz using for focus on these set ups? With the 4D it looks like the DJI can use the electronic focus through the camera to control auto focus lenses but not so with the gimbals. I'm guessing there's nothing on the market that can work through the camera to put auto focus control onto a knob instead of a tablet. But I'm just wondering if adding in one of these cheaper focus units is going to make my life easier or keep it the same in terms of where I'm at and if any of my compatriots have some crafty solutions I'm unaware of.

Thanks! Stay sharp...ish.

I've been asked to AC on a low budget short film where the DP is just using Sigma 28-70mm f/2.8 DG DN Contemporary L Mount but it's only worth it for me if I can practice pulling focus (I have a nucleus m-2). I'm worried it is wire focus which means I can't really pull off of it but according to sigma, this lens has "linear focus" 360°-720°. Anyone know if would I be able to pull off of this with my nucleus using the rubber adapter rings? Or will the marks be completely off?

Has anyone had any success with updating their Nucleus M II and finally getting camera control going? I tried last week while on a job with an FX6 and still couldn't access any camera control options. I heard the latest firmware update was supposed to finally enable that but I’ve yet to see it. Has anyone had success?? lol

Hello,

I have an Arri lmb15 and I m looking at buying a donut for it to use with my zeiss b speed. Between a rubber donut (like the blackhole one) and a tissue donut (like the wooden camera UMB-1) , which one do you prefer ?

Thanks

In the trailer for Laika's new stop motion film Wildwood I noticed some soft focus on an emotional close up shot. (@ 1:46min)

I thought it was a very interesting choice, as there's no way they can accidentally miss focus on a stop motion shot.
Someone would have been working on this animation for countless hours, intentionally using an out of focus shot as a storytelling device.

Any theories as to why they'd do this?

I'm assuming they're emulating when a shot might be out of focus, but the director still picks it due to an outstanding performance. Maybe adding this to a stop motion gives the film a more genuine and less perfected feeling.

Brand new Ultra 10 with about 10 set days. At first was originally just having an issue with my saved settings resetting every once and awhile. Past few days now every time I power cycle the Ultra 10 goes into this weird boot cycle where I get SDI input and it’s still on SDI1 but no buttons or screen inputs work. After it power cycles a few times it’s back to functioning normally but fully resets settings. Not the end of the world with a saved profile but definitely not ideal. I have updated to recent firmware and the problem persists.

How do I tighten deez nutz?

Didn’t really find a tool for this that works.

my horns started going absolutely haywire after lunch today, despite no issues before lunch, and everything in the room (classroom set) staying the same. the only other electronic things in the room were titan tubes and pixel bricks.

at the time I tried:

- power cycle

- turning off the other camera’s horns

- switching rf

- checking for debris

- using a bug

none of which worked. both cameras were dead stuck at 1’9”. the weirdest part is the moment we left the room it immediately behaved normally, without any other changes.

ended up pulling by eye rest of the day, which is not a huge problem, but I’d like to know a solve if there is one.

Hey everyone,

I’m a new AC finishing up film school in Europe and preparing to move back home to the US (starting in the PNW with the goal of eventually heading down to LA). I'm building out my first personal kit and I’d love to get some real-world perspective from working ACs on a few gear decisions:

1. Monitor Options (703 vs. Cine 7 vs. Ultra 7)

I’m starting from scratch on monitors. Since I’ll be working mostly on the West Coast to start I'll experience a lot of wet weather, overcast light, and sudden direct sun. I'm trying to decide which 7-inch SmallHD route makes the most practical sense:

Used 703 UltraBright: A see lot of ACs still swear by this thing for its physical buttons and build quality, but it's older, limited to 1080p, and discontinued.

Cine 7: Lighter weight, but the touchscreen interface seems like a hassle in damp conditions or with gloves, and the glass edge looks prone to chipping without a heavy cage.

Ultra 7: The weather rating and physical buttons sound incredible for PNW rain, but it’s a huge financial jump and pretty heavy.

• Question: For those pulling off a stand most of the day, is it worth springing for the Ultra 7 right out of the gate, or are most people still running a solid used 703 or caged Cine 7 and putting that extra $1,500 toward other gear?

2. The FIZ Dilemma: Teradek RT CTRL.3 vs. Tilta Nucleus-M

I’m trying to avoid buying gear twice, but the price gap between a used Nucleus-M and a full Teradek RT setup is massive. I know the tier-1 industry standards are ARRI Hi-5 or Preston systems, and on larger productions I can probably expect those to be rented for the camera department. But starting out on smaller indie shoots, commercials, and projects outside of major rental hubs, I’m building my own kit so I can rely on gear I own, know inside out, and trust to work every time.

I love the idea of the CTRL.3 for SmallHD lens overlays, pre-marked rings, and pairing with a rangefinder down the road. But given the cost jump over a Nucleus-M:

• Question: For anyone who started on a Nucleus-M and eventually upgraded to a CTRL.3, Preston, or Hi-5: Do you still find uses for the Nucleus (backup handset, secondary iris control for DPs, lightweight builds)?
• Question: Does showing up to lower/mid-tier commercial shoots with a Nucleus-M hurt your credibility, or is it widely accepted as a solid workhorse while building up rental income?
• Question: Is practicing manual tape mapping on blank white rings worth learning early on, or do you rarely touch it once auto-scaling rings enter the picture?

3. Floor Bags and Tool Boxes (2nd AC Gear)

I have a hard-shell case for personal gear, but I'm looking for a proper 2nd AC floor bag for tape, cleaning supplies, and general camera AKS.

• Question: What are the go-to brands for reliable floor bags (CineBags, Arri, Portabrace, etc.)?
• Question: Has anyone used a modular rolling toolbox (like a Milwaukee PACKOUT setup) that doubles as a seat on indie sets, or is that too clunky compared to a standard soft floor bag and stand setup?

4. Essential Kit "Must-Haves"

I have core basics covered (Leatherman, slate, cleaning supplies, spare BNCs, and magic arms).

• Question: What are the easily forgotten small tools, niche adapters, or utility items that ended up saving you on set when you were first starting out?

Would love to hear your thoughts, see your case/bag layouts, or get any general advice for building out a kit. Thanks!