And yes, I’ve handled a very wide range of matte boxes in my career.Īgain, like everything Proaim (sigh), it’s made of crackers and spit. It effectively does the same job as a $2000 matte box with little to no “functional” difference (actual differences later).
I’m not going to say that it’s great or sing any kind of praise for it, but it holds 2 4×4 filters, they moves and rotate (together, not individualy), the foam donuts cut light from entering the box, and the hood and wings cut down on stray light entering the lens. You can break 4 of them before you get into the price range of a legit brand name one. At $200, it’s probably the cheapest “real” matte box around. I bought 3 of them for my rental business about a year ago, so I might as well share my opinions on them. Or at least… (as I’ve learned) they’ve copied someone else’s design and made it cheaper. Thus, it doesn’t take very much to make a decent, functional unit at a low price, and Proaim has done just that.
PRO AIM FOLLOW FOCUS FULL
I will point out that I’ve heard bad things about the Proaim V1 and V3 units and that I’m only speaking for the V2, so be careful.ĭISCLAIMER: I paid full price from mine from who have been excellent with replacing parts for my Proaim gear. It’s not pretty and won’t impress anyone, but it works very well. If you’re a low budget guy, this is a pretty good value for the dollar and actually does compete with units in the $800+ range. Whether or not that’s an issue is up to you. Two of the three focus marking rings have broken (though one came back from a shoot nicely repaired with multi-color tape.Īnd of course, (from what I’ve been told) you’re supporting a company that steals other people’s designs. The build quality is on par with what you’d expect for $300, that is to say, no one will drool over it. I have surprisingly little in the way of complaints. A speed crank and whip are included too, though in Proaim tradition, the tip of each whip fell off within a month and had to be glued in place. The screw system is a little flimsy, but otherwise they work fine. Yes, I’m a little amazed.Įach follow focus comes with a set of 6 gear rings, which will screw onto most lenses you’ll ever use. All three are fully functional and in good working order. I’ve had one unit on the rental shelf for a year and the other two for just under that. It’s still very usable, but it’s not something you would tolerate if you spent $2000 on it.ĭurability is surprisingly good. It feels as if the gearing is slightly off, causing a bit of grating when you turn it. Two of my three are perfect, but one is ever so slightly rough. After really liking the first one, I bought 2 more. My Proaim unit has been used side by side with Arri and Chrosziel units on the same set, and while no focus puller complimented it, no one complained about it either. The big question is lash, the unhappy wiggle room between one direction and the other, and I’m surprised to say that the V2 unit has little. Ripoff or not, it’s on the market and people are buying it, so I might as well give you my opinion. It wasn’t until much later that someone else told me (unconfirmed but likely) that it is a direct rip-off of the Redrock V2 unit.
Curious, I dropped the $300ish and ordered one. I tried some $1000+ units that simply felt rough and sloppy.Īs I was in the market for one, someone suggest to me that Proaim made a few and one of them was half decent. Not build quality but the movement of the gearing, smoothness and lash. One of the big surprises I found was how little the price had to do with the action. Two years ago at NAB, I spent a good amount of time testing out almost every follow focus I could find, from $200-$3000. Stabilizers – Steadicam/Glidecam reviews.Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.
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