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Live Air 2S a wireless Follow focus you can trust?

First hands on PD movie's tiny Follow focus system


The Live Air 2S by PD MOVIE is a tiny wireless follow focus system. Probably the smallest in the world right now? I don't know, but I never had such a small controller in my hands. How does it perform is it reliable and above all, is it affordable?

I usually use simple mechanical follow focus systems for two reasons. One It's cheap to rent, and two, I am always worried that these wireless systems would fail on a job. If you want a reliable system, you have to go all in and get one of these industry standard super expensive units. So getting one for one of your small projects, is usually out of the question.


But technology has caught up, and prices keep on going down, and we’ve reached a point where maybe now an affordable solution might be worth the investment.


Here is the LIVE AIR 2S at a glance:


Controller:

  • Weights 28g

  • Rotation angle 300°

  • Bluetooth 5.0

  • Battery life 10-12 hours

  • Auto calibration

  • Motor A-B point

  • A-B point cycle operation

  • Change the motor direction of rotation

  • Switch mode focus or zoom


Motor:


  • Weighs 132g

  • Torque: 0.5Nm

  • Bluetooth 5.0

  • Battery life 8-10 hours

  • Auto calibration

  • Manual calibration

  • Change the motor direction of rotation

  • Switch to slider or turntable mode


It is small but it is light too. I also have the remote air rig if you want a proper handwheel on occasion. The first thing I noticed is the build quality… And I have to admit, it is really well built.


The other thing I really enjoyed is how easy you can set it up and use it right away. So far the controller and motor paired flawlessly. And the two are really responsive.


PD MOVIE states the motor are strong. "High torque motor", I am not making this up, it’s on the website. I used it on a cinema zoom lens and it worked perfectly.