FAQ

How big is the Moon Smart Focus system? 

  • Dimensions of the Brain are 124 x 61 x 53 mm / 4.88 x 2.40 x 2.09″. Weight is approximately 400 g / 14.11 oz.

  • Dimensions of the EYES are 124 x 30 x 31 mm / 4.88 x 1.18 x 1.22”.  Weight is approximately 100 grams / 3.53 oz.

What are the different tracking modes? 

The Moon Smart Focus system currently has four tracking modes:

  • SPOT: Click on a spot in the Moon View and instantly get the distance to that spot.

  • NEAREST POINT: In this mode you will get the distance to the nearest point inside a defined area.

  • PERSON: The system will find every person that it sees, give the distance to that person’s eyes and track them. To send the distance of a person to your lens control system, click on that persons label!

  • NEAREST PERSON This mode works similar to Person mode, only the system automatically selects the nearest person it finds. You can change this to the second nearest person, third nearest person etc. 

To learn more about the different modes see the section about the Moon App above.

What is the range and accuracy?

The Moon Smart Focus system is built to assist you when shooting with a moving camera and/or moving actors. We have selected the best available sensor and algorithms for this job. The system cannot be compared to a tape measure or laser though, which should always be your preferred tool for very precise mark taking.

The sensor precision is hyperbolic, just like a cine lens. We selected the sensor to accommodate working with shallow depth of field on any wide and normal focal length lenses.

Close range (minimum measuring distance) is 35 cm / 13.78”. If you need closer range, you can mount the eyes further back on your camera - even behind the focal plane (and then enter a negative offset value).

  • Person tracking is working up to 10 m / 32 ft. The system will track multiple persons.

  • Nearest Point tracking is working up to 16 m /52 ft and beyond if the conditions are right.

Performance will increase with proper lighting conditions. We are constantly evaluating and working on ways to make the precision even better.

How many persons can the system track? 

The Moon Smart Focus system will easily track up to five people and more. If you are shooting in crowds, you can quickly reduce the tracking area or tracking depth range to exclude persons that you do not need or want the distance to at the moment. You can have sliders and area regions easily accessible for super quick live adjustments.

What is the field of view (FoV) of the Eyes? 

The FoV of the Moon View is user configurable from 20 to 80 degrees. Widest is approximately the same as a 20 mm lens on Super35, the tightest approximately the same as a 75 mm lens.

We recommend setting the FoV to 10-15% larger than the FoV of your main camera lens. By doing this you can detect actors - and get the distance to them - even before they enter the frame. A more narrow FoV will make the system capable of recognizing persons at a greater distance.

Can the system track animals or vehicles? 

The system can track any object in Nearest Point mode or Spot mode with ease. That ”object” can be an animal or a vehicle, however the current software version does not have AI based auto detection of objects, animals or vehicles.

How and where does Moon Smart Focus track a person?

In Person and Nearest Person modes the system uses AI algorithms to detect humans and measures the distance to their eyes. If the human turns around or the eyes are not visible, this is the order of priority the distances the system will give:

  1. Nearest eye (you can select left eye, right eye, nearest eye, farthest eye or an average of the eyes in settings).

  2. Nearest ear (if no eye is visible).

  3. Back of the head (if no ear or eye are visible).

  4. Chest or back (if no head is visible).


Can I use Moon Smart Focus for autofocus? 

Yes. Most Lens Control Systems have a configurable function button for focus tracking or autofocus. For this to work you need to connect the Moon Brain to your lens control system with a custom serial cable. See more about this under the section about connectiong to a lens control system above. Feel free to try it out! Once you get to know the Moon Smart Focus system, this might become more useful than you think! If only just for snippets of a take.

What are the mounting options?

The Eyes have a 1/4” female threaded hole with a 3/8” adapter screwed into it on the backside for mounting. See more about mounting the Eyes above under the section about the Eyes.

The Brain has a 1/4” female threaded hole with holes for locating pins according to the latest standards on the back. It also has a hole for mounting on the top, between the two antennas.

What are the power requirements?

How much power the Brain uses depends on what mode it operates in. Calculating the distance to multiple persons means a lot more computing than figuring out the distance to a nearest point, for instance. Peak power usage is 35 W (20-25 W on average in Person mode). The Brain accepts 10-30 W and draws 1-3 A. For more about power see the section about the Brain above.

Can I just unplug the cable?

Yes you can. If you want to power it down while plugged in, you can also power it down from the settings menu. Replug the power cord to restart. Please then wait for the boot process which on rare occasions can take minutes.

Can I use any focus hand unit system together with it?

Yes! You can connect any lens control system which accepts serial input from range finders /distance measuring systems. Our aim is to support all systems on there market. Tests and development are ongoing! See more about this under the section about connecting to a lens control system above.

Can I use my own iPhone or iPad? 

Yes you can. We recommend a dedicated iPhone or iPad though, and supply an iPhone 12 mini pre-configured for use with the Moon Smart Focus system. We do not currently support other types of mobile devices, but will be happy to instruct you how to use your own device.

Multiple devices can be connected to the same brain and you can actually log onto the Brain with a laptop as well. Just connect to the wifi network of your brain and go to moonsmartfocus.local in a web browser.

Do I need any type of training or course to be able to use the system? 

Most users would say no training is needed to get started. However, to really get an edge and explore new techniques, you are welcome to join one of our workshops or online demos for inspiration. Rental houses will normally offer new users a brief introduction if you ask them.

How can I contact you? 

Start with michel@moonlightingindustries.com — he will be your guide!