Servo zoom and manual movement

[Simply Cinema]

I'm wanting to know if everyone else's DVX200 lens can be moved so easily manually when the servo switch is on servo. I remember our HVX200 had a fair amount of resistance so it was harder to manually move the lens when in servo mode. This prevented us from moving the lens by accident without disengaging the servo. However with the Dvx200, I don't notice much (if any) change in resistance when the servo switch is engaged. Is this true for the rest of you? Or is my camera/lens faulty?

 

[Greg Smith]

I hadn't paid much attention to this before, but you're right, the difference in resistance is not very much. There's definitely a sense of gears and motors turning when you spin the ring in servo mode, but not a lot more force required. I find the manual mode to be very smooth and well damped, better than any fixed lens camera I've used in a long time. But that probably contributes to the sense of more resistance when in manual.

It doesn't really concern me much one way or the other as long as the zoom isn't so loose it will move by itself when you do a rapid pan or point it up and down. I haven't had any problems like that with the DVX.

It still makes sense not to manually zoom the lens with the servo engaged if you can help it. It's obviously more wear on the internal mechanics.

- Greg

 

[mapper65]

I hadn't paid much attention to this before, but you're right, the difference in resistance is not very much. There's definitely a sense of gears and motors turning when you spin the ring in servo mode, but not a lot more force required. I find the manual mode to be very smooth and well damped, better than any fixed lens camera I've used in a long time. But that probably contributes to the sense of more resistance when in manual.

It doesn't really concern me much one way or the other as long as the zoom isn't so loose it will move by itself when you do a rapid pan or point it up and down. I haven't had any problems like that with the DVX.

It still makes sense not to manually zoom the lens with the servo engaged if you can help it. It's obviously more wear on the internal mechanics.

- Greg

I'm agree with Greg, I can feel a slight difference when the servo is engaged but not much. I don't consider this a problem. On my Sony FX1 if you engage the zoom servo, it's really noticible almost to the point that I'm afraid that I will break something if I move the zoom ring by hand. I've done that many times over the 10 years that I've had that camera and never had a problem but I'm sure it's not recommended. I really think that the focus ring on the FX1 and the DVX200 are very similar as far as the feel goes if the focus servo is engaged. The FX1 is a fixed lens camera also.

 

[Simply Cinema]

Thanks for the input guys. I think my main concern is that I know I'll inevitably go to adjust the zoom ring sometime without disengaging the servo. With that little of resistance, I might have already made the adjustment before I rememeber to disengage servo.

Glad to know it's not just my camera.