Ignite Digi’s Servo Link translates Tilta FIZ commands to industry-standard broadcast servo and cine servo lens control. This allows you to use a Canon or Fujinon Zoom demand with a Tilta Nucleus-M or Nucleus-M II Hand Unit and Grips to control focus, iris, and/or zoom, either cabled or wirelessly. You can also use the Nucleus Nano II hand wheel as well.

Even though native zoom/focus demands provide smooth operation, most of them don’t allow you to set A/B limits. By using Servo Link, you can bridge this gap by converting Tilta positional data into servo-lens data. This gives you the best of both worlds, as you can use a Canon or Fujinon zoom demand for smooth, rate-based zooming while simultaneously using a Nucleus-M II grip for focus control and setting A/B limits. While you could use the Tilta hand grips for zoom control, you are using absolute (positional) zoom, which does not provide the same smooth, rate-based movement as a dedicated zoom demand or rocker.

To set up the Servo Link, you use a Nucleus-M/M II motor as a wireless hub; this lets you connect hand units or grips wirelessly to the Servo Link, passing the data through without the motor needing to act on the lens gears themselves. Servo Link: It receives wireless signals from a Nucleus hand unit, hand wheel, or hand grips via the Tilta 2.4 GHz protocol. Instead of physically moving the lens gears, the motor passes this control data through the system to the Servo Link. By setting the motor to a specific channel (like motor 4), it ensures that focus, iris, or zoom commands sent to the Servo Link do not trigger the motor itself, preventing any interference with the lens.

The Nano II hand wheel can also be configured to control focus while relinquishing zoom control back to the lens rocker, and if you are doing handheld work, a dual-grip configuration can be used, with one grip handling focus and the other handling iris, plus a pressure module for zoom. The Nano II Hand Wheel Controller functions as a wireless focus controller by passing data through a Nucleus-M motor acting as a wireless hub.

Ignite Digi’s Servo Link costs $1,524 USD.

Matthew Allard is a multi-award-winning, ACS accredited freelance Director of Photography with over 36 years' of experience working in more than 50 countries around the world.

He is the Editor of Newsshooter.com and has been writing on the site since 2010.

Matthew has won 51 ACS Awards, including six prestigious Golden Tripods. In 2016 he won the Award for Best Cinematography at the 21st Asian Television Awards.

Matthew is available to hire as a DP in Japan or for work anywhere else in the world.