iDC PhotoVideo Zero Follow-Focus Standard Combo Kit for Canon 5D Mark III

The iDC PhotoVideo System Zero Follow-Focus Standard Combo for Canon 5D Mark III is a follow-focus kit that includes a top handle and tripod spacer that mounts as one unit onto a tripod.

This kit is for the 5D Mark III because the camera plate is 5D III-specific. "Standard" means the included focusing plate is the standard version with four dovetail slots, as opposed to the longer XL version with seven slots. The difference between the two is that the longer XL plate can support longer telephoto lenses.

The focusing plate's dovetail slots are the connection points for the kit's components.

The focus wheel assembly slides into one of the four slots of the focusing plate and tightens into place with a thumbscrew underneath the plate. The focus wheel is equipped with a replaceable, soft yet tough O-ring that presses against a lens and adjusts focus when the wheel is turned. The assembly has no gearbox and does not need lens gears making lens changes faster and easier. The kit is compatible with a long list of lenses because the focusing plate has a fore and aft micro-adjustment for perfect alignment of the correct slot.

The accessory mounting bracket also slides into one of the focusing plate's dovetails and tightens by a thumbscrew. A grip handle and a tall cold shoe are attached to the top of the bracket and together they provide a handle and a mount for accessories such as a shotgun mic or fill light. The shoe features a pin registration hole for Speedlites with locking pins. On the side of the bracket is another cold shoe and a quick-release clamp that accepts Arca-Swiss type plates. The bracket has many other mounting holes for the accessory mounts to be repositioned or for additional mounts to be attached.

Fastened to the bottom of the focusing plate is a spacer that allows the kit can be mounted to a tripod quick-release plate. It provides one inch of clearance between the focusing plate and the tripod plate providing access to the thumbscrews. The spacer also allows the kit to be moved along a quick-release plate so it can be positioned to best distribute the weight on a tripod or monopod.

Lastly, the camera plate is also useful for adding viewfinders to the 5D III. Two quick-release thumbscrews on the camera plate can hold the iDC-modified Hoodman Loupe or a Zacuto Zfinder Pro.