All focusing gone!

Stu Siegal

Stu Siegal

Well-known member
Got to my shoot this a.m. at 6:45, tuned on the camera, loud clunk. Hmmm, I thought, don't recognize that noise. Set up first shot, went to focus - nothing. The focus number on the LED changed, but no movement on the lens. Tried auto focus, nothing. Shut camera off, same loud clunk. Going in for service, anyone have any thoughts? Experience similar? Needless to say I am most bummed, as this is a 100A with next to no hours on it - only my third official shoot.
 
Re: All focusing gone!

Same happened to me weeks ago. I turned it off and on tilting it forward and back and the next time I turned it on it did a "clunk" and started working... til today (knock on wood). If this is common I might think sending it for service.
 
Re: All focusing gone!

Mine went out overnight today. Sorry you had the same problem, but glad its not just some bonehead obvious thing I was doing wrong. Of course, when I tried it one last time, whatever was loose must've clicked in and of course it worked fine, but it needs to work 100% of the time - the ability to focus is pretty necessary for most of the shooting I do :) I do have the dubious honor of having the first 100A going in for warrantied service.

When I get the diagnosis I'll post it here. Is yours a 100A ?
 
Re: All focusing gone!

Yes it is a 100A. I was one of the first to get it the third-fourth week of December. It just did it that day and haven't done it again since. I'll definately send it if it does it again. I bet it was some mechanism issue triggered by the angle the camera was at the moment I turned it on. Hummm... I SHOULD BE WORRIED THEN!!!! :o
 
How to fix lens "lockup"

How to fix lens "lockup"

I've had the same problem as drHST a few different times before. Yesterday on a very important client shoot, I powered up my DVX100A and heard the loud clunk sound he described. No focus. Before I just shut it off and turned it off again but nothing seemed to work, even shaking the camera. I've shot with broadcast cameras for years and I always heard that it's a good idea to close the iris and zoom full wide before shutting off a camera. So I closed the iris, zoomed out, and cycled the power. Viola! Working like normal.

I'm not a Pansonic tech or anything, but my guess is that it has to do with the image stablilizer when the unit powers up. The tolerances inside the lens must be so tight that at the right point the iris/zoom mechanisms interfere with the image stablizer. I call it "lens lockup", though that's probably not an entirely correct term. I don't know if the HVX does this or not, but I've had the problem with both the DVX100P and 100A.

Happy Shooting!
 
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