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setup M5 with Sony A7s and follow focus

Discussion in 'MōVI M5' started by Peter Fischer, Oct 14, 2016.

  1. Peter Fischer

    Peter Fischer New Member

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    Hello everybody,

    I want to setup my M5 with the A7s and a follow focus motor. The lightweight of this camera makes it difficult to mount the follow focus motor because I'm to much limited in the positioning of the camera. As I actually think, I need more weight in the back of the camera.

    Have anybody experience with this kind of setup? What is the big trick?

    Thank you in advance for helping me!

    Peter
     
  2. Tim Joy

    Tim Joy Active Member

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    I have done it. I have a cage on my camera and that helps a bit, I think. I've never tried it without.
    It will depend on the lenses used as well.
     
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  3. Ben Gibb

    Ben Gibb New Member

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    Is the issue that you don't have the space to mount the motor or that the balance of the camera is too delicate?
     
  4. Peter Fischer

    Peter Fischer New Member

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    It`s the issue of both. I have no space to mount the motor because of the balance of the camera. To mount the base plate correct that I can mount the motor, prevents to balance correctly. The camera don`t have enough weight in the back.
     
  5. Graham Futerfas

    Graham Futerfas Well-Known Member

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    Cinemilled makes a Movi M5 baseplate that can add counterweights to the back to help with balancing. I think they just started shipping them.
     
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  6. Peter Fischer

    Peter Fischer New Member

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    Thank you!
    I think the counterweights can be the solution. On the website of Cinemilled I can`t find the baseplate for the M5. I write a request to them.

    Is there anybody else who had solved this problem?
     
  7. Ben Gibb

    Ben Gibb New Member

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    This video on CineMilled's vimeo channel from 3 weeks ago says the M5 version should be coming out "shortly". The M10 & M15 version is in their store and shipping now.

     
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  8. Ben Gibb

    Ben Gibb New Member

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    Here's the reply I got from CineMilled re: the M5 dovetail

    "I am finally working on it this week. I should have it ready shortly. Just keep an eye on our instagram/FB feed."
     
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  9. Peter Fischer

    Peter Fischer New Member

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    That sounds great! So I wait. But what has been the solution in the past without CineMilled dovetail?
     
  10. Chris Fox

    Chris Fox Active Member

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    Hi All,

    To mount cameras that need to go further back in the cage of the M5 I have been building these extended camera plates, these are built specifically for the M5 dovetail and are hard anodised black, they weigh in at 70grams. It also has M3 threaded holes in both ends, so follow focus on the front, and if you get really stuck the holes on the back can be used to attach some counterweight if things get ugly.

    Plate.jpg

    I use them for odd cameras like the A7S, or when we squeeze a Red Epic into an M5

    Here is a photo of the plate next to the standard M5 plate. size comparison.jpg

    I have four of the plates in stock at the moment. Drop me a message if they are something you would like.

    Cheers

    Chris
     
  11. Peter Fischer

    Peter Fischer New Member

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    Thank you very much for sharing of your solution!
     
  12. Dylan Glockler

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    The issue i'm finding is that if you're mounting the a7s directly to the plate (no cage or riser) the motor won't fit properly. I have tried the MOVI Rod Mount Adapter but because the body of the camera is too close, the motor won't connect to the gears unless you raise the camera up on a riser somehow.

    CORRECTION:

    The mounting bracket on the FF motor slipped off and I had it on reversed! Everything works as long as it's on correctly! Still, it would be nice to have the option to mount the motor from above somehow to keep the weight more central.


    An option might be something like the RedRock Rhino - where you mount a rail from above. If Freefly had engineered the hot shoe bracket on the m5 just slightly larger - the standard size of the hot-shoe itself, it could have acted as a sort of repeater and allowed for mounting of a rail to that top bracket.

    Incidentally, that'd be a great adapter for someone to make - something that mounts to the m5 camera top-bracket (the one that ties into the hot-shoe) and allows you to mount a 15mm rail above the camera - similar to the RedRock Rhino, but on the MOVI bracket.

    Alternatively, if RedRock had moved the tightening knob on the Rhino to the side and repeated a hot-shoe on top, you could mount the Rhino between the MOVI top bracket and the cage, which would be awesome, but as it stands now, I have no decent solution for putting my RedRock follow-focus on the MOVI with the a7s.
     
    #12 Dylan Glockler, Nov 5, 2016
    Last edited: Nov 5, 2016
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  13. Chris Fox

    Chris Fox Active Member

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    G'Day Dylan,

    What lens are you using? For shooting with the A7, we used a MetaBones adapter (to get EF Mount) and then Zeiss CPs with this setup I machined a special riser plate that lifted the camera, but more importantly it picked up the 1/4-20 tripod hole in the Metabones, as well as the 1/4-20 in the camera base. This eliminated that annoying bit of wobble you get between the camera, metabones, and lens. As a result it also improves the M5 stiffness settings, contributing to better shots.

    The only problem I have found from that is that they A7 and A7II are slightly different shapes, so require a different standoff/riser

    Making a rod mount for the top Movi plate would be possible, as well as making a top plate that holds the Movi follow focus rails and works with the hot shoe mount. Just some ideas.

    Cheers
     
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  14. Dylan Glockler

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    That's pretty interesting - the longer plate I messaged you about - would that allow me to use both mounts (metabones and camera)? I've always thought that would be great. Quite the customization!
     
  15. Chris Fox

    Chris Fox Active Member

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    Hey Dylan,
    I will have to double check. I used the riser, which picked up both the metabones and camera, and then bolted that to the plate.

    It would be possible to build the camera plate with a slot and a hole, which would be adaptable to picking up both the metabones and camera, then it just needs a riser pack, to lift the package high enough for the 114mm diameter lenses to fit, and be able to slide the camera far enough back to achieve balance.

    It's all possible to build.
     
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  16. Peter Fischer

    Peter Fischer New Member

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    Hi

    @Dylan & Chris,

    Thank you for all your inspiration. I`m using the Zeiss Loxia Lenses with the Zeiss Lens Gear.
    Very small and lightweight, but It seems that is on of the biggest problems in this application.
    Please can you share also pictures if you have, because it`s much easier to understanding?

    Cheers

    Peter
     
  17. Patrick Cone

    Patrick Cone New Member

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    Having these issues with my GH4.

    The Redrock Hotshoe is too big to fit on M5 top rail or vice versa.

    Has anyone found a workaround for this, when mounting the focus motor?
     
  18. Dylan Glockler

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    Patrick,

    Thought about buying a hotshoe adapter and grinding it down to fit in the M5 top mount rail but I haven't tried it yet. Thought it'd be a nice option to be able to mount the RR motor from above at times.

    It ended up working for me with the a7s ii just mounting the motor to the FF rails that mount to the front of the bottom m5 sled.
     
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  19. Patrick Cone

    Patrick Cone New Member

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    Thanks for the info, Dylan. My issue is that because of the GH4's weight, it has to sit too far back and I don't think that FF rails front mount would work.

    I had sent the Redrock hot shoe mount back because it didn't fit but I may try the Rhino and filing it. Just so frustrating for that issue creating a problem for a 5k+ setup.
     
  20. Dylan Glockler

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    Yeah I hear you - spend all that money and it's still like playing with legos sans-instructions to get it to work right. I actually mount the RR receiver towards the back to get it to balance. It's much clunkier than I'd like. Thought I had a photo but no luck.

    I'm itching for that PRO and integrated FIZ, but I can't afford to spring for all that madness right now.
     
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