Using PD 170 with wide angle lens. When zooming out the brightness will change, it is darker when I zoom out. Is this normal?

Thanks

Actually it should be the other way around. When you zoom in (to the max telephoto setting) the lens' widest f-stop should be 2.4. When you zoom out (to the max wide setting) the lens' widest f-stop should be 1.6. This has to do with the way the lens is designed and is common to just about all camcorders.

Or maybe you're asking something else?

Boyd, I was just playing with the manual exposure and gain on my PD170 and VX2100 and yes you are right regarding the PD. I could never get it to open to f1.6 at telephoto even in manual mode. I guess this is just the way the PD works. However, on my VX. I don't have problem zooming in using f1.6 in manual mode.

Ray

I don't think so, but I suppose they might have made some major change with the VX-2100 (I have a VX-2000). See these threads for more info:

http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=37526
http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=9576