Servo Zoom and focus? at DVinfo.net

Barry Gribble · September 27th, 2006, 01:47 PM

So is this camera going to have the servo driven zoom and focus like the XL2?

That truly may make the difference for me between this and the HVX200.

Jack Jenkins · September 27th, 2006, 04:32 PM

Is the HVX zoom non-servo assisted?

Barry Gribble · September 27th, 2006, 09:13 PM

Good question.

I believe that the HVX has distance markings on the lens and that you can rack the focus and zoom to a particular place reliably. In the XL's, the lens move with relation to the rings, but not an absolute relation and you can't reliably rack to one place or another.

Am I right about the HVX? Or no?

Marty Hudzik · September 28th, 2006, 07:04 AM

There are not markings on the lens barrel and there are not hard stops either. The focus distance is presented on the LCD or EVF like the XL-H1. The focus ring is "free" spinning but from my experience it is very repeatable. Some people love it in comparison to canons servos. It definitely feels different than a real manual focus lens.

I found it takes much too long of a turn to get from one end of the range to the other on the HVX/DVX lenses. You'd have to try the HVX to see if you like it. It is definitely looser than the XL series but that is not neccesarily a good thing.

September 27th, 2006, 01:47 PM	#1
Barry Gribble Major Player Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Los Angeles, CA Posts: 817	Servo Zoom and focus? So is this camera going to have the servo driven zoom and focus like the XL2? That truly may make the difference for me between this and the HVX200. __________________ Barry Gribble Integral Arts, IMDB

September 27th, 2006, 09:13 PM	#3
Barry Gribble Major Player Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Los Angeles, CA Posts: 817	Good question. I believe that the HVX has distance markings on the lens and that you can rack the focus and zoom to a particular place reliably. In the XL's, the lens move with relation to the rings, but not an absolute relation and you can't reliably rack to one place or another. Am I right about the HVX? Or no? __________________ Barry Gribble Integral Arts, IMDB

September 27th, 2006, 04:32 PM	#2
Jack Jenkins Regular Crew Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Austin, TX Posts: 122	Is the HVX zoom non-servo assisted?

September 28th, 2006, 07:04 AM	#4
Marty Hudzik Trustee Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Canton, Ohio Posts: 1,771	There are not markings on the lens barrel and there are not hard stops either. The focus distance is presented on the LCD or EVF like the XL-H1. The focus ring is "free" spinning but from my experience it is very repeatable. Some people love it in comparison to canons servos. It definitely feels different than a real manual focus lens. I found it takes much too long of a turn to get from one end of the range to the other on the HVX/DVX lenses. You'd have to try the HVX to see if you like it. It is definitely looser than the XL series but that is not neccesarily a good thing.