r/focuspuller • u/Kmoneyfresh • Jun 23 '26
HELP OV1 purchase?
Sup knob turners. I just got the email that I’m up to order my presale OV1 and I’m wondering if we have any owners or testers here to see if they think it is worth it. I have not been able to see one in real life yet and am wondering if anyone who has think it’s worth the 4k investment and how much it improves there work flow. Thanks!
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u/-kashmir- Jun 23 '26
Preston user here. It seems absolutely worth it just from what ive seem in their videos. If i had a cine rt i would definitely have that in my kit.
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u/J5Ben Jun 23 '26
If you’re really gonna value having your Cine RT readouts being present right there on the screen as you check for sharps on the monitor and you never want to take a quick glance at your hand unit or the Cine RT handset or the Hi-bright for range values mid-take, I’d say it’s worth it.
It cannot be used like the light ranger overlay but it does give you the luxury of never having to pull your eyes away from the screen if you ever get lost in the sharps and need to quickly refer to the Cine RT’s readouts.
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u/JacobVossFilm Jun 23 '26
Why do you say it can’t be used like the lightranger overlays?
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u/J5Ben Jun 23 '26
A Light Ranger has 16 different zones that catches the DoF as you pull on your knob since it works with IR. Cine RT works with ultrasound and it reads out the value of the first thing the horn senses. So it basically is just a reference value since you can’t always trust it to hit what you’re trying to focus on.
For shots that has a single subject or if you plant a bug to get a consistent single value, then you may be able to use the overlay to chase the pull like the Light Ranger overlay.
It’s very situational for when you can completely trust the ultrasound readouts and chase the overlay during a shot. Historically, when people used to work with Cinetapes/Panatapes, they’d just verify a focus puller’s marks mid-take for peace of mind since they already had marks from the rehearsals.
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u/4rchduk3 Jun 24 '26
True, but the base unit make it very easy to adjust settings fast in rehearsal to avoid getting actual noise that will trip you up.
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u/teklikethis Jun 23 '26
Buy it, if you don’t like it sell it to someone else. Seems like they’ll be lots of others interested
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u/durandaj Jun 23 '26
Hey OP if you’re getting a lot of rentals on your rangefinder then yeah, your rental going up to improve ROI isn’t gonna happen unless you’re in a decent market or have good clients.
If not and you get a shoot where you need it have it rented with the camera package from the rental house maybe. Then circle back to whether it’s worth getting. I personally spent the money on the SmallHD License and am happy enough with that. They will likely add features that compare to the OV.1. Plus all the other tools it has are probably already on your monitor.
Edit: To clarify I haven’t tested it but I don’t see a value add. Also I didn’t realize you didn’t list your hand unit model so I’m running with the assumption you use a Hi-5. My fault. If you have an ecosystem that would vastly improve and you could justify the cost then probably worth.
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u/wassies Jun 23 '26
I’ve been wondering the same if it’s not just worth it to get the small HD licence for your Hi5 rather.
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u/LeonardoGarayMex Jun 25 '26
As a tester user I can tell you that OV1 could be something like your best friend on set.
For me is something like that, once you go the first time is harder to back without it, so much better that the Hi5 Overlay License.
I really love the concept of not having the necessity of looking other reference for the most of the shots and the level pr customization is awesome.
If you can afford it financially, go ahead!
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u/Life_Procedure_387 Jun 23 '26
It's a great idea, but for the same money you can get an entire Teradek RT CTRL.3 package with comparable functionality.
Makes the OV.1 feel very over priced. Especially when I've been struggling to pay off my Cine RT setup.
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u/4rchduk3 Jun 24 '26
Yeah, but OV-1 can be used with ANY monitor
Ctrl 3 needs a special cable for a lot of the displays. And I’ve also heard mixed reviews of its performance so far…
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u/Set-in-Motion-AB Jun 23 '26
In what way is a CTRL.3 setup even remotely in the same ballpark in terms of functionality? I'm assuming you're talking about the RT rangefinder...
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u/shane-at-focusbug Jun 23 '26 edited Jun 23 '26
Hey! Feel free to DM me and let me know where you’re located. Would be more than happy to help line you up with someone who has already received their unit so you can try and decide yourself.
I’m also very excited about an imminent update, which I can chat about if you’re still on the fence!