Servo Zoom Speeds

K

krab photog

New member
I'm new to the forum, and I've done some searching on this topic, but I haven't found a solid yes or no answer to the following question:

Does the 200 have true "infinitely variable zoom" speeds when using the primary (not handle-mounted) rocker switch?

I currently use a Sony PD150 which will be replaced by a HVX200. My biggest gripe about the PD150 is that the zoom servo's slowest speed is way too fast; it's impossible to perform the nice, slow pushes or pulls that a "real" detachable lens offers.

I'm the chief news photog for a small-market CBS/NBC duopoly, and our days of full-size ENG-style cameras ended over 5 years ago when we bought the PD150s. While my spine and shoulder don't miss the weight of a 30-pound Betacam or DVCPRO unit, I do miss the flexibility that detachable lenses offer.

Our parent company, Nextar Broadcasting, has signed a multi-year deal with Panasonic to outfit their news operations with P2 gear. While the larger stations are getting full-size 500 or 700 camcorders, we'll be receiving about a dozen 200s, since they're cheaper and most of our reporters are one-man-bands.

I'm extremely excited about the new gear, but this zoom issue has me concerned.

Thanks for any help!
 
No, the HVX has three speeds: slow (about 30 seconds from wide to tele), mid (about 8 seconds) and fast (about 3 seconds). Using the main switch will choose among those three speeds depending on how hard you depress the switch.
 
And the same goes for an external controller like the Varizoom Rock-PZFI (zoom, iris, focus, record/pause) which may come in quite handy for ENG when a two-handed handheld or shoulder mount rig is being used.
 
I've been wondering if it would be possible to trigger the zoom at the slowest speed for just a millisecond, if you could do that, do you think you could "fool" it into servoing a slower zoom? Or would it just be a bunch of big steps each time it engaged?

Have tested my theory yet, don't know enough about pulse generators and transistors.

-Tom
 
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