Servo Zoom?!

J

Jim Simon

Veteran
I saw some of the posts about the lack of servo zoom on the AF100. I haven't read them all, however, so please forgive if the question has been answered.

Doesn't the AF100 have a remote input for zoom/rec control? Wouldn't such an input suggest the existence (current or planned) of servo zoom lenses that will fit this camera?

If that is so, I'm completely baffled by the lack of the industry standard zoom rocker on this camera, which effectively eliminates the AF100 as a viable option for a LOT of event shooters. (We want shallow DoF too, you know.)
 
No input for servo zoom.

There isn't a single lens outside of the Panny 14-140 zoom that behaves like a video lens, and it doesn't have power zoom.
 
It's simply not an ENG camera. Maybe someone will create a lens with a servo zoom, but its zoom control would be independent of the body.
 
The "industry standard" for me is Prestons and Haydens or the servos that come with aerial mount systems such as Tyler /Continental.

Modular cameras mean modular solutions.

BTW. A cine zoom lens is very easy to zoom manually ( by hand) and such shots can have a lot more "feeling" than a mechanical feeling servo zoom shot.

Some one is sure to come forward sooner or later with real 4/3 lenses and doubtlessly... a servo'd zoom as well. Demands such as your will provide a market for them Jim.
 
The handle is detachable.

Make a handle with rec button and zoom rocker then we have ENG style AF100.
You might even fit a battery in there for the servo motor :D
 
One problem is that small on-board battery recommended for the AF. A servo zoom would soon deplete its tiny reservoir, so a different battery system would be needed as well.
 
I'm somewhat OK with reading between the lines, but sometimes it helps to have a clear, direct answer.

You guys telling me there isn't a single lens out there with a servo zoom that can connect to a camera? What about the Canon and Sony handheld models with detachable lenses?

And if there are no lenses out there with servo zoom, why does the AF100 have a remote input for a zoom rocker like those from Varizoom?
 
Shooter said:
A cine zoom lens is very easy to zoom manually ( by hand)
Click to expand...

Not so much when the camera is in a studio config and you're standing behind it looking up at an attached LCD. Also not so ideal when you're moving all over the dance floor of a wedding reception trying not to step on anyone's toes. Or when you're holding the camera 3 feet overhead trying to peer in over the crowd.

Event shooters really do NEED servo zoom.
 
Jim Simon said:
You guys telling me there isn't a single lens out there with a servo zoom that can connect to a camera?
Click to expand...
For an SLR-sized sensor? No there isn't one. The largest sensor you'll find with a servo zoom is 2/3". The AF100's sensor is 4x bigger than a 2/3".

What about the Canon and Sony handheld models with detachable lenses?
Click to expand...
Canon has no large-sensor detachable-lens camera (unless you count the SLRs, which don't have any servo zooms). I don't know about the Sony NEX, maybe they have one, I don't know.

And if there are no lenses out there with servo zoom, why does the AF100 have a remote input for a zoom rocker like those from Varizoom?
Click to expand...
It doesn't. It has a remote input for focus, iris, and start-stop, but not for zoom.
 
Jim Simon said:
Event shooters really do NEED servo zoom.
Click to expand...
I agree. But why would you want to use a shallow-DOF camcorder for event work? Seems like the ideal situation for a small-sensor camera, and there are dozens and dozens of those on the market.

And why would you want to use a shallow-DOF large-sensor camera for studio work? There are tons of 2/3" studio-config cameras out there that would be more suitable for that job.

I've done my share of events before, and the AF100 is not configured for event work.
 
If you really must have a servo zoom lens on the AF100, you have only two choices that I know of, either a cine zoom lens with a motor such as the Heden and a controller such as the Microforce, or a 2/3" lens with the doubler. I have no experience with the latter and have no idea the optical quality or other trade-offs.

Zooming by hand is very difficult to conceal and tends to be very jerky; unless that's the look you're after, I don't think it's a satisfactory solution. I don't know if they are still available, but there were some fluid-dampened zoom rings that produced better hand-operated results, in much the same way a fluid head works, but you're still putting torque on the lens & camera, so I'm not sure how well they work. I've never tried one.

Good shooting and best regards,

Leo
 
Pre ENG cameras and pre Preston, Hayden Microforce...all film cameras used Zoom lenses un servo'd and we all used to operate them manually.

It was an operator or AC skill required because there was no other way.

Absolutely not an issue and I can still do it. Of course ...some zooms were better to use than others. (I woudnt even contemplate it using a still zoom lens though!)

I am actually not much of a fan for for zoom shots but will use a "little creep" hidden in a reframe or a tiny push in / pull out. Never enough to feel the focal length change though. ie the effect of the lens change.

I can see the event guys requirement for servo though . eg a conference or a sports game etc.

Dont understand the requirement for weddings though. Develop a nice cinematic discipline and use the zoom manually as a variable prime.
 
Jim Simon said:
Event shooters really do NEED servo zoom.
Click to expand...

It's just not that style of camera - maybe at some point in the future it might exist, but not today. I would think that there are several cameras that do fit the job, so why not use one of them? I guess I'm not sure why one camera has to do every job
 
As a primarily event/corporate shooter myself, I was a little disappointed to see that a servo zoom wouldn't be in the works with the AF100. I'm looking forward to this camera not as much for the shallow DOF options but rather the lens options, combined with the HD-SDI out. Just the overall image control that's not available on most cameras under $5K.

That being said, I can certainly work around that. I'm sure there are some of these servo focus accessories that could be modified for operating a zoom lens, and I imagine Varizoom would be the first to offer a zoom control product once the proper market desire has been determined.

Until then, I'll be changing the way I operate slightly on the few occasions where I do need a zoom shot to accomplish what the client wants. For the most part though, I'm just going to try finding other was to work around it. What was a "huge" deal when I first started reading up on the AF100 is now a "eh...okay" deal.

The main thing is, unlike many integrated lens camcorders I've worked with in the past, I will have the ability to put on a very nice long tele lens that will give me greater event video reach than the typical camcorder "10x zoom" that many cameras offer. Then I can swap out the wide angle lens for running around getting interviews and such.

More to love on the AF100 than there is to hate, and the manufacturers are already bombarding my inbox with their new accessories for this thing.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top