There are many follow focus systems on the market today, including the high-end brands Arri and Preston, more accessible brands like Tilta and DJI, and brands that are somewhere in the middle like Cinegears. To me, the Tilta Nucleus-M is the perfect wireless follow focus system for getting great results without breaking the bank. It has nearly all the features of the higher end systems including soft stops, adjusting the range of the focus pull, and adding digital marks.
The only thing it doesn’t really have is the ability to program lens calibrations into the device. You have to rely on making analog marks on a plastic ring the old-fashioned way. But the reality is, even with digital lens calibrations, you still need to carry around different rings for different lenses anyway, so having the lens data stored in the hand unit doesn’t really increase capabilities or efficiency. In fact, it just adds one more step to the lens swap process whereby you need to go into the memory on the hand unit and select a different lens from the menu. This also adds extra time to a camera prep, having to code all the lenses you’re using. If you don’t have time for a full-fledged camera prep before the shoot, it’s a process that typically takes too long to be able to do it on set. So all in all, that’s not a feature I miss having when using a Tilta.
The main thing, however, that makes the higher end brands priced so much higher is that they use more robust dedicated wireless signals that won’t have as much interference. So your latency will be lower, and you won’t have any signal interruptions. On the Tilta, I occasionally experience signal interruptions which can indeed ruin a shot and require a second take. The only other difficulties I’ve had with the Tilta is if I’m trying to pull focus around a corner of a concrete wall, the signal sometimes struggles. But if you have line of sight to the camera, the signal is usually great 90% of the time.
You also can’t beat the price. The Tilta is about 10 times cheaper than an Arri or Preston, so it pays for itself after only few gigs. This makes it really a no-brainer in my opinion, and a tool that every serious filmmaker should have in their kit.