And like a brilliant flash, a realization came to me, why has no one ever made an Ellipsoidal with some sort of screw-feed focus mechanism? Why must every ERS use a hand-tightened knob? I know the S4 Zoom uses a single knob, but why are ERS's still using a hand knob, when even the best Fresnel's use a screw feed? Just my random musings.
If you're talking about the lens train, I'd speculate that it would make it more expensive, AND make it harder to swap tubes. --Sean
Yea, that's what I thought too, but hey, this is Controlbooth, so I felt safe posting my random thoughts.
I have a strong dislike of screw feed fresnels.....and I can see how that would be amplified with an ERS
I'd be fine with a house full of Warp Zooms. Now that's a nice fixture. As close to "screw focus" as you're gonna get.
Ya... don't get me started on those... Interesting idea but it takes to long to get a focus laid in for one unit, plus you never really know where everything is. Basically, they made a mechanism for a mover to interact with and then went "I wonder if anyone will buy this without the yoke".
I definitely see how that would be the case. But the mover version does look like quite a spiffy unit.
One more thing on the screw thing.... because it worked soooo well on the 8" fres.... the number of hours that I have spent fixing those...
As set up on the old Strand lights. There is a long worm screw fitted along one side of the body internally. The lamp housing is fitted to this worm screw in such a way that it will move forwards or backwards as the external screw knob is rotated. It was given to jamming in earlier models and needed a certain amount of care and attention even in more recent versions. Use graphite or heat proof silicon lubricant to keep operating smoothly.