C300: What zoom can be de-clicked for ENG shooting?

nedcam

nedcam

Well-known member
Had a bad experience today with the 300, actually the lenses I was using. I had set up four people standing outdoors, when I started it was overcast so I felt my exposure would be constant. Well, the roving interview went on for an hour (handheld) and the clouds started moving so I'd go from bright daylight to dark soup. Unfortunately the Canon 24-70 I was using has click stops so I could not subtly roll exposure without the viewer noticing and creating a lot more work for the editor.

So my question is, when in a documentary/ENG situation where you have to roll exposure live during a shot, what ZOOM lenses are you using that have been declicked? I spoke with Duclos company and the newer lenses with no manual f-stop ring they say can not be de-clicked.

Thanks
 
The only two I know of are the wheel on the handle and the wheel on the back of the camera.
 
Same thing with my C100 and 24-105. Very annoying. The fine iris doesn't change anything. It's a fake, you have one more wheel click but it doesn't change the iris compare to the 1/3 iris setting
 
Ned,

in the menu settings of the C300 there is a setting to control fine iris adjustment. It adjusts the iris in smaller increments making the change less noticeable. Now while this does not replace a smooth iris move on a professional broadcast lens it is better than the default setting.
 
the solution is very simple - get any zoom lens with manual iris and de click its iris ! nikons for example, or older manual lenses.... canon FD lenses now can be adopted to EF (there is UK lens doctor who does it), contax CY, old Angenieux zooms for still (Angenieux 28-70mm f/2.6).... in fact Tons of options
 
I've switched mine over to fine iris and it helps quite a bit. There is still a slight step but if you are able to work the iris adjustment into another move it is be unnoticeable.

It is also quieter, I don't hear it in the footage.
 
mcgeedigital said:
This is why I mainly shoot with manual declicked nikons on my C100.
Click to expand...
Which Nikon lenses should one look for? Is there a certain name or model number that work especially well? And is there a service for declicking or does one have to DIY it?
I´m always hesitant to use legacy lenses, since matching looks in post can become a pita...
 
I use one of the newer Variable ND filters with a built in Lens hood and that way I have the advantage of using Canon primes and zooms that can take advantage of the one push auto focus for gaining focus quickly. That way I have all my Canons
lenses and can use them on another body (5D III, etc. ) for stills or video. I started out with nikons and decided to move to Canons because of the versatility and nice glass. For stills they can't be beat and they are great for video especially with IS built in. For narrative work I can see choosing the declicked nikons for a project. But for everyday versatility the new Canons have found a home.

I also find that the Auto Iris function works fairly well with Canon EF lenses in a run and gun situation.
 
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