DIY Photography

Your one stop shop for everything photo-video

  • News
  • Inspiration
  • Reviews
  • Tutorials
  • DIY
  • Gear
Search

Submit A Story

The CamFi ZF is a remote controlled zoom and focus unit for timelapse and macro focus stacking

Jul 8, 2020 by John Aldred 1 Comment

  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Flipboard
  • WhatsApp

CamFi is a popular name when it comes to remotely controlling your camera. But two of the things you typically can’t control via a simple smartphone app are the zoom and exact focus of your lens. There are various options out there when it comes to video, but they typically tend to require a gimbal to work alongside them.

Well, now, CamFi team have a solution. It’s called the CamFi ZF and it connects to the CamFi Pro, Pro Plus and a couple of other models via USB and adds focus and zoom control to the smartphone app to let you take charge remotely over WiFi. The project’s currently on Indiegogo although it doesn’t have long left to go.

The CamFi ZF can be used with either the CamFi CF101, CF102, Pro or Pro Plus. It connects via USB cable to let you control everything from the existing CamFi smartphone app. It also supports live view for previewing and compositing.

While the advantages of such a system over devices like the Tilta Nucleus Nano or the Moza iFocus might not be immediately apparent, it does offer some great features for stills and timelapse photographers that more video-oriented focus units cannot provide. Of course, if your needs are primarily video, then this isn’t the unit for you.

One of those benefits for stills photographers, though is focus stacking – something that can be difficult to achieve manually but is easily achievable when the process is automated. All you need to do is set your near and far focus points, tell it the increment, and the smartphone app does the rest.

For timelapse shooters, you can combine both the zoom and the focus features simultaneously to create zoom hyperlapses – because if you’re not using a parfocal lens, you’ll need to adjust the focus as you zoom in or out. Just set it and forget it.

The system is based around a baseplate with a pair of carbon fibre rods in 110mm, 150mm or 200mm lengths, depending on the length of your lens. To this you attach the motor module, lens support and other brackets and bits to make sure everything stays rock solid. The unit then plugs into the CamFi attached to your camera.

The battery is a 500mAh 3.7v lithium-ion which CamFi says offers up to around 3 hours of use or 25 hours of standby. They don’t say how long it takes to charge or whether you can charge it while using it, though.

It looks like a pretty cool option for existing CamFi users, and if you don’t already have one, it might be worth taking advantage of the Indiegogo prices. It looks like the CamFi ZF with the CamFi Pro Plus is about the same price as the regular retail on the Pro Plus alone.

Head on over to Indiegogo to find out more.

FIND THIS INTERESTING? SHARE IT WITH YOUR FRIENDS!

  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Flipboard
  • WhatsApp

Related posts:

The best way to do a focus stacking: Macro Focusing Rails vs Focus Variation Default ThumbnailA DIY Focus Rail For Focus Stacking The NiSi NM-180 Macro Focusing Rail makes shooting for focus stacking a breeze This Remote Controlled BuggyCam Looks Like Even More Fun To Use Than A Drone

Filed Under: news Tagged With: Camfi, CamFi ZF, IndieGoGo

John Aldred: from diyphotography.net

About John Aldred

John Aldred is a photographer with over 20 years of experience in the portrait and commercial worlds. He is based in Scotland and has been an early adopter - and occasional beta tester - of almost every digital imaging technology in that time. As well as his creative visual work, John uses 3D printing, electronics and programming to create his own photography and filmmaking tools and consults for a number of brands across the industry.

« How I planned and shot an entire automotive campaign remotely over FaceTime
Profoto AirX lets you shoot your iPhone with the Profoto B10 at up to 1/25,000 of a second »

Submit A Story

Get our FREE Lighting Book

DIYP lighting book cover

* download requires newsletter signup
DIYPhotography

Recent Comments

Free Resources

Advanced lighting book

Recent Posts

  • Panasonic PanaTrack is a big bendy motorised camera slider
  • Once again, tourists are getting too close to bison for photos
  • Fujifilm announces shipping delays for the new Fuji X-S20
  • International Photography Awards reveals breathtaking 2022 winners (mildly NSFW)
  • 7artisans launches a 24mm f/1.4 lens for only $109

Udi Tirosh: from diyphotography.netUdi Tirosh is an entrepreneur, photography inventor, journalist, educator, and writer based in Israel. With over 25 years of experience in the photo-video industry, Udi has built and sold several photography-related brands. Udi has a double degree in mass media communications and computer science.

Alex Baker: from diyphotography.netAlex Baker is a portrait and lifestyle driven photographer based in Valencia, Spain. She works on a range of projects from commercial to fine art and has had work featured in publications such as The Daily Mail, Conde Nast Traveller and El Mundo, and has exhibited work across Europe

David Williams: from diyphotography.netDave Williams is an accomplished travel photographer, writer, and best-selling author from the UK. He is also a photography educator and published Aurora expert. Dave has traveled extensively in recent years, capturing stunning images from around the world in a modified van. His work has been featured in various publications and he has worked with notable brands such as Skoda, EE, Boeing, Huawei, Microsoft, BMW, Conde Nast, Electronic Arts, Discovery, BBC, The Guardian, ESPN, NBC, and many others.

John Aldred: from diyphotography.netJohn Aldred is a photographer with over 20 years of experience in the portrait and commercial worlds. He is based in Scotland and has been an early adopter - and occasional beta tester - of almost every digital imaging technology in that time. As well as his creative visual work, John uses 3D printing, electronics and programming to create his own photography and filmmaking tools and consults for a number of brands across the industry.

Dunja Djudjic: from diyphotography.netDunja Djudjic is a multi-talented artist based in Novi Sad, Serbia. With 15 years of experience as a photographer, she specializes in capturing the beauty of nature, travel, and fine art. In addition to her photography, Dunja also expresses her creativity through writing, embroidery, and jewelry making.

Copyright © DIYPhotography 2006 - 2023 | About | Contact | Advertise | Write for DIYP | Full Disclosure | Privacy Policy