Tilta Tiltaing Side Power Handle Type I (F970, Tilta Gray)

Technically, this unit functions perfectly and as designed. The calibration works great, you can set in and out points on focus to limit the range for focus pulls. The grip and the rotating joint are high quality. But personally, I would not recommend getting this. As a doc DP, using a finger to control a tiny nucleus nano makes me feel so removed from shooting. I want my camera to be an extension of my arm and to put a motor in between just disconnects everything. Plus, I found my focus drifting a LOT because the focus wheel is so sensitive. I'd much prefer a right side wooden handle and using my left hand to pull focus on the barrel or a manual follow focus like the one smallrig makes. If you find this product useful, then great, but it wasn't for me.

The product built quality is perfect, feels and looks solid in the hand. I only wish this worked as it should since the Nato Rail grip for some reason seems to be off by 1mm that it doesn't fit any of my camera cages. I mainly bought it for my FX3 and A7SIII cameras, but none of them fit. I even tried another attachable nato rail, it still doesn't work wit it. Pretty disappointed, will have to return it.

This product slides onto my Titla cage without issue. The ergonomics of the handle are amazing and, at least for now, the tilt function/button is solid and will not somehow slip position when filming. I am writing this review 48 hours after using the handle for the first time, and a major annoyance is the positioning of the calibration button. While gripping the handle, I pressed it several times during shooting. It meets right at the base of my thumb where my thumb meets my palm. I had to stop recording on a couple takes. I am not certain whether if you use the record button on the handle it disables calibration, or generally whether there is any way to disable calibration while shooting. Other than this issue, the handle is solid. It is one of my favorite purchases.

I first bought the larger version of this tilta side handle for use with my Bmpcc4k, but that handle was so uncomfortable that I switched to this one. This side handle is very comfortable, and it mostly does everything it's designed to do. But for use with the Bmpcc4k I still have some complaints. First, the Bmpcc4k is just a super wide camera. So adding any side handle, even a smaller one like this, makes it too wide to pack easily and still a bit awkward to hold. Second, the size of battery that fits in this smaller handle is still just not big enough to power the Bmpcc4k for long periods. I found myself still switching batteries out every 30-40 minutes. If that's a big deal to you, do what I did and just make the transition to v-mount. 3+ hours on a single battery powering literally everything on my rig. Third, I had trouble with the latch on the bottom not properly holding the batteries in place, and a few times I had batteries actually fall out. That could be user error, but it shouldn't feel so finicky to ensure that your battery is properly retained. Fourth, the focus thumb wheel works well but it has a short travel, so at large apertures and/or longer focal lengths it can be really difficult to nail focus. This isn't really a fault of tilta, any longer travel wouldn't work ergonomically. It's just something to be aware of; if your coming from the large nucleus nano wheel or even a traditional follow focus wheel, this will feel very different and hard. Aside from those factors, which are largely specific to my camera and preference, the handle is very well made and does exactly what it is advertised to do.

There are no directions on how to set it up (because it should be simple). I cannot get the run/stop feature to work on an FX3, changed the obvious settings in the camera and got cable unrecognized message. Waiting on Tilta support. Will update this review.

This is a nice handle for pulling focus. It is very sturdy and solid. I find the focus throw to be sufficient, though I'm still working on calibrating it properly. I had also purchased the advanced handle, but it was too small for my hand. This was much more comfortable. I wish they had picked a different location for the micro USB port though.

The electronics work fine. Calibration and focus wheel do their job. Now for the mount: Came with mount dangling from one screw. The other screw stayed in the box. The screw in the box was stripped. Really poor show there Tilta. Do I exchange it and risk the same or similar results? Do I put my nano motor back in moth balls and return it? Gorilla glue!!!! One of my favorite fixers. The screws tightened enough to keep the glue pressed and overnight I had a working unit. Nasty looking mess but it works perfectly. Really a shame.