Tilta Nucleus Nano II Wireless Follow Focus – Now Shipping

Follow Focus

by Jeff LochSeptember 1^st, 2023

Close to a year after the first images popped up on the Internet, Tilta is finally shipping its Nucleus Nano II wireless follow focus. The basic kit with the Follow Focus motor and hand controller costs $299. So, let’s take a closer look at it!

If you’re like me, you’re probably not a massive fan of long-delayed products. However, it’s not rare for companies to announce a product – like the Nucleus Nano II in October 2022 – and then showcase it during one or multiple events to get user feedback. Indeed, if you missed it, we had the chance to talk with Nicholas from Tilta during NAB 2023 to learn more about their latest compact wireless follow focus.

The wait is finally over this time, and the second version of the Nucleus Nano is shipping now!

Tilta Nucleus Nano II – key features

The Tilta Nucleus Nano II base kit consists of a hand controller, a follow focus motor, and a USB-C to USB-C cable to power the motor and charge the hand controller. If you have already used the first version of the Nucleus Nano, you’ll immediately see significant changes in the hand controller design.

Indeed, the hand controller now features a big touchscreen LCD to adjust all your settings, and if you have multiple motors, adjust your zoom and iris on top of the focus. An excellent addition to the hand controller is that you can now save and recall lens calibration profiles, so you don’t need to recalibrate the Nucleus Nano II every time you swap lenses.

However, the Nucleus Nano II now has a built-in battery that offers a maximum battery life of 7 hours, as per Tilta, in contrast to the original version, which had a removable battery. To me, this is the biggest drawback, given that I’ve already pulled focus for 12 hours with the Nucleus Nano, so the removable/rechargeable battery came in handy. We are currently testing the new Nucleus Nano II and we will share our findings when we are done reviewing it. Stay tuned.

On the motor side, the Nano II motors have, according to Tilta, up to five times more torque than the original Nano. An intriguing aspect is that the motors can now be linked in a daisy-chain configuration, reducing the amount of cables connecting to your power supply. The Micro-USB port on the motor has finally been upgraded to USB-C, but it still requires external power.

Moreover, suppose you have already invested in the Tilta Nucleus ecosystem. In that case, you’ll be pleased to know that your Nano, Nucleus M, and even Mirage VND motors are backward compatible with the Nucleus Nano II. The LCD touchscreen on the hand unit should make adjusting and controlling all these motors a breeze with visual feedback on your settings.

Alongside the Nucleus Nano II, Tilta is releasing a hand unit that facilitates mounting both a monitor and the hand controller onto it. Also, this hand unit replicates some of the control of the DJI RS 3/RS 3 Pro gimbal so your camera assistant can control the gimbal or start/stop recording, for example.

Pricing and availability

The Tilta Nucleus Nano II is available now, starting at $299 for the base kit, which is the same as the previous version. In the box, you’ll find the hand controller, follow focus motor, a USB-C to USB-C cable, a 15mm rod and mounting clamp, an Allen wrench, a follow focus ring, and a lens stabilization strap.

For more information, please visit Tilta’s website here.

What do you think about this upgraded version of the Nucleus Nano? Did you already use Tilta’s Nucleus follow focus systems on some projects? What is your go-to wireless follow-focus system? Don’t hesitate to let us know in the comments below!