I've just realized something with the proximity. I have the handheld unit right next to the motor without the lock and it'll work. If i have it in the lock, it acts jittery. I've then tested to see if this was the issue, I put it in the lock just enough but with the gold pins still showing - and the unit works fine.
Get the Tilta rod mount and put the motor on one side of the rails and the follow focus on the other. Edward Lee did that on his BMPCC6K rig video on here and it seems to work for him
Great in-depth and levelheaded review! One thing I love about the N is the modularity of the system. So if I rent a Nucleus M for a bigger shoot (or decide to upgrade down the line), I can still use the N motor with that to control my iris or zoom.
Great review! Very helpful. Well done! One other thing. You did not include looped background music. What a pleasure. Personally, I find the loops very irritating. It is so nice to just have quiet and be able to concentrate on your presentation - which is excellent.
This is an incredibly useful video to anyone interested in the Nucleus. You've really shared the benefit of your experience here, in a very easy to digest format. Thanks Matt, super helpful :)
2 years later and this video is still helpful. I purchased one of these second hand (less than $200). I looked at getting the one for the Ronin S but it only works with that system. I also looked at getting just a basic follow focus like the one from smallrig and it really can't be used for the Ronin. This seems like a more versatile unit and can work on a variety of platforms.
Such a good review The point is that you have actually used the product in the shooting domain... makes the comments cogent when you are delving into the mine field of purchasing camera gear Thanks
Good run through. For me the point of the handle is for someone shooting handheld who likes using a handle on a cage. So why add something extra if you can have a focus dial on the handle? Seems like one hand more loose on a regular focus puller would make things less stable. I'd rather have two hands firmly on the rig keeping it stable.
some very helpful information in this video. i didn't get the wheel, i got the side handle, and so far i am 85% sure i will just return it. waiting on some gears to show up so i can test it better. but just getting it to do anything with the motor beyond powering it is way more effort than it is worth. i think i will be happier with a mechanical system, or a more advanced electronic one.
Thanks for the in-depth review! Considering picking one of these up for my FS7 rig (mostly used handheld ENG style, shooting concerts and the like) as having the ability to pull focus with the left hand down on the left side grip would make operating it SO much easier. Was it a pain to figure out how to rig up something to mount it, or were you able to figure something out with just what came with the Nucleus unit?
That's interesting... I emailed Tilta in November 2019 to ask this and they said that it doesn't charge through the micro USB. Maybe it's been updated somehow. How long do you use it for?
@@definitelymatt3708 I’ve used it for 7/8 hours at a time, in fact I often forget to turn it off then when I check it’s still all linked up and working. Tilta don’t always know what there products can or can’t do. My camera in a normal situation is set up on a Ronin SC about 30 feet away from me and I remote control it with Panasonic app, tilta on the zoom ring and either a PlayStation controller or force mobile controlling the gimbal. I can get close up wildlife video without scaring the animals or birds.
hi, I have a short lens combination.. GH5s with a prime Panasonic Lumix 15mm/f1.7 lens. The focus ring on the lens is very close to the camera body, so I'm curious to know if this system can and will work with my current setup coz the original follow focus unit that came with the Zhiyun Weebill S doesn't work with it. Please advise.
I don't have a way to test that unfortunately. The only reason it might not work is if you had the focus wheel right next to the motor. Your best bet is to try the setup before you buy
Hi Matt, thanks for the video, very helpfull. About the issue of min 12:09 it would be possible to have the wheel in the right side and the motor in the left side for example? or is not enough distance? And another question is : does the motor needs to be connected to the camera with a cable to be used?
Would the wheel be good to mount on top of a smallrig handle? I have a wooden handle on the side of the cage on my black magic 6k pro, so I'm wondering if this is good for that? If it was, I'd plan to turn the wheel with my thumb.
Hello, thanks for video! is there a way to invert the focus system, in the way that is pulls focus. Im using on vintage lens and needed to flip the motor. and now my focus pulling is inverted. Do you know if we can change that through the nano controller?
Great review, the only thing I don't like about the FF is how to powering the motor. Would have been awesome if my Small HD 5" focus monitor could power it but that cable dosen't excist.
just buy a small power bank for phones. it only needs a normal USB power port. but you cant use a regular USB port for data. it specifically needs to be a charger, or a port that is meant to also charge. thy probably didnt use a battery because it would drain in a matter of 15 minutes.
Whats the name of the smallrig plate 2:03 and whats the name of the control cable 3:28? Do you know if its possible to connect to motor to the wheel and have one for zoom and one for focus. Or just buy 2 system as you have 2 wheels (one for focus and one for zoom). I use a GH6 (Black Mamba Rig) - with Nato Handle on both side. Do you have a good advice there to mount it?
The SmallRig plate is no longer made or offered. You can use two units with one for Zoom and one for focus provided that they do not have some sort of RF interference. Obviously, they must both be on different channels.
That's very strange about your unit that it won't work if it's too close. Do you suppose it's a bluetooth thing? I just checked my unit and it works perfectly fine at all distances. My bluetooth is OFF on the unit. Maybe if yours is on, there's a problem?? The reason I was looking at long time reviews is because my screen is REALLY dim. And there's no way that I know of to make it brighter. I can see it indoors, in a darker room, but in a bright room and especially outside, I can't see it at all and have to rely on the vibrations to even tell me that it's on.
Hmm, interesting... I'll see if Bluetooth makes any difference. When did you buy yours? And yeah, the screen is pretty dim. Looking back now I think I only ever used it inside but it's definitely something I should have tested. Thanks for watching!
@@definitelymatt3708 I had the same problem with mine and chaning the bluetooth off and on didn't help anything. Even having it attached to my hand grip 9-10 inches away wasn't far enough away at certain angles. I literally could just move it up just an inch and it would start working again. What helped was trying all the channels. It seems some are better than others when around other wi-fi and bluetooth signals. I couldn't really find one that was flawless but some most definitely work better than others even when I was surrounded by other bluetooth and wifi devices causing interference. I had issues with mine when I had my phone, ps4, and a bluetooth keyboard and mouse going the same time. I also couldn't find anybody else with this issue which makes me think it is to do with all my wireless devices in my house, because it does run off the same 2.4 Ghz frequency. I had similar issues with my PS4 controllers and the bluetooth in that making my controller lag very often. So I'm not sure if your house is littered with devices like mine (probably 15-20 devices using some sort of wireless signal), but I feel like that was definitely a factor to my disconnecting signal. Hope this helps a bit. I'd say best way to test this is try all the channels and try it in different locations.
Great video Matt! I just bought a second hand Nucleus Nano and the screw of the base plate is missing. I tried all screws from Smallrig 1713 and none worked out. Could you tell me what kind of screw i should buy to mount the plate under the camera? That would help me tons!!!!
Just got mine and it's driving me crazy. From one end to another the numbers on the wheel do not read 0 and 999 respectively. At one end the numbers read 830 and as I rotate anticlockwise the numbers go down to 0 and then jump to 999. I've tried everything to reset these...can anyone help me out please?
Do you have info on that quick release plate from Manfroto? Would love to add that on my rig to be able to snap on and off tripods, etc!! Exactly what I've been looking for!
Good review! Did you ever find out the reason for the bug with the system being close a particular way? Does the issue occur at that particular angle at longer distance or only when it get's that close? I am considering the unit, but concerned about torque, can you whip focus? How is the lag, when your pulling continuous focus on a moving subject? Thank you.
Nice video man! I am having struggles trying to figure out how to actually use the record button...I figure I have to connect the nucleus to my Sony A7RIV somehow to allow the button to actually let me record remotely, any ideas how I do that, I have tried bluetooth...unsuccessfully. Cheers
@@charlie_wood_filmmaker You need a 2.5mm to the specific camera you have. It is some question to expect Tilta to read your mind to know what camera you have or to include 129,673,000 different camera cables.
Excellent video and thank you! Every point you shared I can relate too and still yet love the device. I actually by mistake fried my wheel by connecting it with a d-tap with a Sooner power handle for my bmpcc 6k set up. Lesson learned…. However purchased a new wheel and I’m good. Thank you for mentioning how sometimes it will not work if the wheel is positioned near the motor in a certain way. I think I’ve had that problem and was not aware. So again…. “Thank you’. Oh yeah! You can power the wheel via cord…. More info at ruclips.net/video/BYgurYfrQNA/видео.html
Wow, that proximity issue will definitely have an effect on how I build my rig
I've just realized something with the proximity. I have the handheld unit right next to the motor without the lock and it'll work. If i have it in the lock, it acts jittery. I've then tested to see if this was the issue, I put it in the lock just enough but with the gold pins still showing - and the unit works fine.
@@ryanbennett2650 that's really weird, but thanks for taking the time to test it
@@MossCoveredBonez What's even stranger is I can have it all the way in and have further back away from the motor and it'll work fine.
@@ryanbennett2650 youre living in a simulation man and its glitching lol
Get the Tilta rod mount and put the motor on one side of the rails and the follow focus on the other. Edward Lee did that on his BMPCC6K rig video on here and it seems to work for him
Thank you for pointing out that short distance issue. It gave up on me on so many shoots, I was under impression that I have a faulty unit... 👍
Great in-depth and levelheaded review! One thing I love about the N is the modularity of the system. So if I rent a Nucleus M for a bigger shoot (or decide to upgrade down the line), I can still use the N motor with that to control my iris or zoom.
Great review! Very helpful. Well done! One other thing. You did not include looped background music. What a pleasure. Personally, I find the loops very irritating. It is so nice to just have quiet and be able to concentrate on your presentation - which is excellent.
This is an incredibly useful video to anyone interested in the Nucleus. You've really shared the benefit of your experience here, in a very easy to digest format. Thanks Matt, super helpful :)
2 years later and this video is still helpful. I purchased one of these second hand (less than $200). I looked at getting the one for the Ronin S but it only works with that system. I also looked at getting just a basic follow focus like the one from smallrig and it really can't be used for the Ronin. This seems like a more versatile unit and can work on a variety of platforms.
I am truly amazed by this video and the quality of your production. Great work!
Thank you!
Thanks for the honest review. This helped me make a decision about it.
Such a good review The point is that you have actually used the product in the shooting domain... makes the comments cogent when you are delving into the mine field of purchasing camera gear Thanks
Good run through. For me the point of the handle is for someone shooting handheld who likes using a handle on a cage. So why add something extra if you can have a focus dial on the handle? Seems like one hand more loose on a regular focus puller would make things less stable. I'd rather have two hands firmly on the rig keeping it stable.
Love the review! Gotta say the out of pocket clip at 15:10 made me laugh hysterically.
Great review and coverage. Easy to watch. Thanks!
some very helpful information in this video. i didn't get the wheel, i got the side handle, and so far i am 85% sure i will just return it. waiting on some gears to show up so i can test it better. but just getting it to do anything with the motor beyond powering it is way more effort than it is worth. i think i will be happier with a mechanical system, or a more advanced electronic one.
I can't find extra 3.7 rechargeable batteries. Can someone help me?
Thanks for the in-depth review! Considering picking one of these up for my FS7 rig (mostly used handheld ENG style, shooting concerts and the like) as having the ability to pull focus with the left hand down on the left side grip would make operating it SO much easier. Was it a pain to figure out how to rig up something to mount it, or were you able to figure something out with just what came with the Nucleus unit?
Great video, very informative!!! Thanks 👍🏼
Great video, Matt, thanks for the helpful insights!
Best Nucleus Nano review on RUclips...nice job!
You might want to check you handwheel powering option via the USB port. I use mine all the time powered with a small 5 volt power bank. Great review.
That's interesting... I emailed Tilta in November 2019 to ask this and they said that it doesn't charge through the micro USB. Maybe it's been updated somehow. How long do you use it for?
@@definitelymatt3708 I’ve used it for 7/8 hours at a time, in fact I often forget to turn it off then when I check it’s still all linked up and working. Tilta don’t always know what there products can or can’t do. My camera in a normal situation is set up on a Ronin SC about 30 feet away from me and I remote control it with Panasonic app, tilta on the zoom ring and either a PlayStation controller or force mobile controlling the gimbal.
I can get close up wildlife video without scaring the animals or birds.
i didnt use my set a lot and yet the display of the handle went almost complete dark...very hard to read something.
The USB port is a 5 volt input for power. Great review!
Very useful thanks.
The last b-roll shot is awesome! Also really informative!
Fantastic Review! Looking forward to picking one up for my ZCam E2-S6
Wow, I def need to buy one of this for my BMPCC 4K rig.
Great video, covers the points. Well produced.
super thumbs up for the tips in this video!
really honest review, super helpful
Thanks!
The pins on the wheel are for their gimbal.
Great video bro tha ks for sharing, 8 am actuallybthink8ng of buying the tilta nucleous nano
This is soo helpful.. thank you for sharing.. keep posting videos like this
hi, I have a short lens combination.. GH5s with a prime Panasonic Lumix 15mm/f1.7 lens. The focus ring on the lens is very close to the camera body, so I'm curious to know if this system can and will work with my current setup coz the original follow focus unit that came with the Zhiyun Weebill S doesn't work with it. Please advise.
I don't have a way to test that unfortunately. The only reason it might not work is if you had the focus wheel right next to the motor.
Your best bet is to try the setup before you buy
hello nice video, I got a a7siii and im wondering if I can use the record button of the focus wheel to start recording. Do you know if its possible?
Definitely Matt = definitely subscribe
Thanks for reviewing this.
Thanks to you it goes on my wishlist.
Hi Matt, thanks for the video, very helpfull.
About the issue of min 12:09 it would be possible to have the wheel in the right side and the motor in the left side for example? or is not enough distance?
And another question is : does the motor needs to be connected to the camera with a cable to be used?
12:30 ... wow that's really stupid, I wanted to buy this for that setup too. Thank You for this review
Thanks for the Tips man!
where can I get batteries for the focus puller wheel. can't find them anywhere..any links would be appreciated
tilta has the information on their page. you can buy them from amazon..EDIT, I just literally saw him hold up the battery 2:16
Would the wheel be good to mount on top of a smallrig handle? I have a wooden handle on the side of the cage on my black magic 6k pro, so I'm wondering if this is good for that? If it was, I'd plan to turn the wheel with my thumb.
Could you use the follow focus without the gimbal stand alone?
Great review. Thanks
Hello, thanks for video! is there a way to invert the focus system, in the way that is pulls focus. Im using on vintage lens and needed to flip the motor. and now my focus pulling is inverted. Do you know if we can change that through the nano controller?
Any idea what that handle is you used at 8:45?
Great review, the only thing I don't like about the FF is how to powering the motor. Would have been awesome if my Small HD 5" focus monitor could power it but that cable dosen't excist.
just buy a small power bank for phones. it only needs a normal USB power port. but you cant use a regular USB port for data. it specifically needs to be a charger, or a port that is meant to also charge. thy probably didnt use a battery because it would drain in a matter of 15 minutes.
Whats the name of the smallrig plate 2:03 and whats the name of the control cable 3:28?
Do you know if its possible to connect to motor to the wheel and have one for zoom and one for focus. Or just buy 2 system as you have 2 wheels (one for focus and one for zoom).
I use a GH6 (Black Mamba Rig) - with Nato Handle on both side. Do you have a good advice there to mount it?
The SmallRig plate is no longer made or offered. You can use two units with one for Zoom and one for focus provided that they do not have some sort of RF interference. Obviously, they must both be on different channels.
That's very strange about your unit that it won't work if it's too close. Do you suppose it's a bluetooth thing? I just checked my unit and it works perfectly fine at all distances. My bluetooth is OFF on the unit. Maybe if yours is on, there's a problem??
The reason I was looking at long time reviews is because my screen is REALLY dim. And there's no way that I know of to make it brighter. I can see it indoors, in a darker room, but in a bright room and especially outside, I can't see it at all and have to rely on the vibrations to even tell me that it's on.
Hmm, interesting... I'll see if Bluetooth makes any difference. When did you buy yours?
And yeah, the screen is pretty dim. Looking back now I think I only ever used it inside but it's definitely something I should have tested. Thanks for watching!
@@definitelymatt3708 I had the same problem with mine and chaning the bluetooth off and on didn't help anything. Even having it attached to my hand grip 9-10 inches away wasn't far enough away at certain angles. I literally could just move it up just an inch and it would start working again. What helped was trying all the channels. It seems some are better than others when around other wi-fi and bluetooth signals. I couldn't really find one that was flawless but some most definitely work better than others even when I was surrounded by other bluetooth and wifi devices causing interference.
I had issues with mine when I had my phone, ps4, and a bluetooth keyboard and mouse going the same time. I also couldn't find anybody else with this issue which makes me think it is to do with all my wireless devices in my house, because it does run off the same 2.4 Ghz frequency.
I had similar issues with my PS4 controllers and the bluetooth in that making my controller lag very often. So I'm not sure if your house is littered with devices like mine (probably 15-20 devices using some sort of wireless signal), but I feel like that was definitely a factor to my disconnecting signal. Hope this helps a bit. I'd say best way to test this is try all the channels and try it in different locations.
where do I get that grip where you attached the monitor and nucleus?
Hi Definitely,
nucleus nano can use for cp2 leans , or nano comfortable for cp2 leans
great review! Can you use it in a zoom set up? Is there a way to adjust the speed?
Excellent
is there any delay with this?
My USB port does power my focus wheel
and how does the charcher work? There is nothing in the manual. That is a big lack!
You might get a reply if you write in English.
Great review
Thanks!
Do you guys facing problem like oil leaking??
I want to see when you use it
Does it always remember? Mine doesn't, 9 out of ten times it will but sometimes it doesn't
Great video. Can you give me a link for the small rig items I’m not certain which handle or arm you are using. Thanks 🙏🏻
Did your LCD screen on the Hand wheel still ok? Right now my hand wheel LCD got dimmer, I can't even see the information well.😢
Yes! I hadn't used the nucleus nano for a while but I just checked it and the screen is barely visible...
Tilta is aware of this issue and has an RMA process to fix it as of May 28, 24.
Great video Matt! I just bought a second hand Nucleus Nano and the screw of the base plate is missing. I tried all screws from Smallrig 1713 and none worked out. Could you tell me what kind of screw i should buy to mount the plate under the camera? That would help me tons!!!!
Can you send me a photo on instagram so I can see which screw you mean exactly? @matt.les
@@definitelymatt3708 that's nice of you but in between i ordered the Smallrig screw kit and found the screw i wanted. thanks again.
Just got mine and it's driving me crazy. From one end to another the numbers on the wheel do not read 0 and 999 respectively. At one end the numbers read 830 and as I rotate anticlockwise the numbers go down to 0 and then jump to 999. I've tried everything to reset these...can anyone help me out please?
You need to calibrate the wheel. I can't remember how to do it exactly but it should be in the manual
Definitely Matt manual doesnt mention anything. Managed to find a tutorial on youtube.
hi what kind of shoots do you do?
Great video
Hi, have you evere use the "Rec" button to start recording? I'm trying to do it, but even with Tilta's cable it just doesn't work on the GH5.
Did you ever find a solution to this? Currently wondering about this for my S5....would be nice to know if the rec button was an option...
@@misteral1083 actually no. It has never worked, sorry.
Whats this in 8:43? Thank you great review!
How did you power the motor when rigged up to the FS7?
I use my IDX battery with USB power output or a small power bank attached with dual lock to the side of the camera
@@definitelymatt3708 Ok Cheers for that! :)
Do you have info on that quick release plate from Manfroto? Would love to add that on my rig to be able to snap on and off tripods, etc!! Exactly what I've been looking for!
It's just a manfrotto base plate with a Smallrig rod clamp screwed in from the bottom
Good review! Did you ever find out the reason for the bug with the system being close a particular way? Does the issue occur at that particular angle at longer distance or only when it get's that close? I am considering the unit, but concerned about torque, can you whip focus? How is the lag, when your pulling continuous focus on a moving subject? Thank you.
Nice video man! I am having struggles trying to figure out how to actually use the record button...I figure I have to connect the nucleus to my Sony A7RIV somehow to allow the button to actually let me record remotely, any ideas how I do that, I have tried bluetooth...unsuccessfully. Cheers
If you want to use the Nucleus rec button to trigger your camera you'll need a run/stop cable which goes from the motor to the micro usb multiport
@@definitelymatt3708 Ah ok thanks for that, do you know if that is typically included in the box? Thanks again
No, it's something you need to buy separately. There are different cables for different cameras so make sure you buy the right one. Hope that helps!
@@definitelymatt3708 You are a hero, thanks Matt!
@@charlie_wood_filmmaker You need a 2.5mm to the specific camera you have. It is some question to expect Tilta to read your mind to know what camera you have or to include 129,673,000 different camera cables.
You went into a whole lot of scenarios but did not explore range and you did not explain how the record function is triggered.
it works with usb power, just let the battery in it. i never charge them.
What handle is that at 8:49 ?
It's the Smallrig 1955 NATO Handle
Can you link the shoulder rig parts?
It's a manfrotto plate with Smallrig Super lightweight 15mm RailBlock v3 942 and a couple of their carbon fibre rods
@@definitelymatt3708 What about the arms that you were holding at 12:00? I need long arm handles like those.
Excellent video and thank you! Every point you shared I can relate too and still yet love the device. I actually by mistake fried my wheel by connecting it with a d-tap with a Sooner power handle for my bmpcc 6k set up. Lesson learned…. However purchased a new wheel and I’m good. Thank you for mentioning how sometimes it will not work if the wheel is positioned near the motor in a certain way. I think I’ve had that problem and was not aware. So again…. “Thank you’. Oh yeah! You can power the wheel via cord…. More info at ruclips.net/video/BYgurYfrQNA/видео.html
It's me, Tech-Know Scope! (That's my RUclips channel name as well.) Great video! Subscribed! Check out Tech-Know Scope some time.
????....I power mine handset through USB....
Granted it needs to have a battery inside but once its wasted i power it up again with a USB powerbank.
You really need to work on your lighting.