Canon ZR1000 or VariZoom Pro-L?....

Wayne Orr · December 30th, 2002, 12:11 PM

Great news on the Zoe zoom controller. I spoke with Marianne at Abel Cine in North Hollywood, and she will sell the Zoe for $325.00. Still expensive, but this is a very fair price, and I know because I have shopped it here and in Europe. If you are interested in the Zoe, please call Marianne at 888-700-4416 , and tell her Wayne said to call.

In regards to Chris Hurd's comments, sorry Chris, but what you call an advantage, I call a liability. The Zoe works exactly as all professional controllers work: the more you turn the controller, the faster the lens zooms, less turn equals slower zoom. If you are a professional camera operator, you will have zero learning curve with the Zoe. If you are not a pro, it will take a bit longer. Check out the footage at http://www.digitalprods.com/temptations.htm
This was a multiple camera PD150 shoot, and I demoed the Zoe on my camera and this shoot convinced me it was the best of class.

I'll put it to rest now.

Wayne

December 31st, 2002, 09:12 AM

Wayne, I have ruined more shots with the stupid variable zoom on the XL1s - the hiccup maker! The dial-in speed of the ZR1000 is the way to go - it is permanently attached to my tripod handle.

Wayne Orr · December 31st, 2002, 01:20 PM

I absolutely agree with you, Randall. The ZR1000 is the best controller for the money. I bought one for my PD150, which has the same "hiccup" problem, because this is built into the preprogrammed, digital command, step increments, that these cameras use in their lens design. (The DVX100 uses an analogue control system and does not suffer the hiccup, however it does have other problems, such as the notorious "dead spot")

But the ZR1000 has problems with the manual control, which is the preferred method of operation, versus setting a predetermined speed. As I point out in my review of the Zoe, no professional zoom controls use predetermined speed controls, since shooting under these restrictions would be very counter-intuitive.

The problem I encountered with the ZR1000 occured during an interview I was shooting, and I noticed when I tried to manually zoom in on the subject, there was considerable lag time between my squeeze on the controller, and when the lens actually began to tighten. This problem only happened with a slow zoom; otherwise the ZR1000 worked quite well, and certainly as well as other brands I had tested that cost more money.

Why didn't I use the pre-set #1 speed on the ZR1000? What if after zooming in to a tight shot on the subject, after a bit of dialogue, I decided to pop back to a looser size? Would I have to re-set the dial to the faster speed, zoom back, and then re-set it again to the slower speed? Maybe I could have told the interviewer to wait while I zoomed back at the slow speed? It was after suffering in this situation that I determined to look for a "better mousetrap," while still holding on to my ZR1000.

I read an article on the Zoe in a European website, and it sounded very interesting, but it was not available in the U.S. On a lark, I contacted the head of Bebob Broadcast Engineering in Germany, gave him my credentials, and told him I was interested in "test driving" the Zoe, and that afterward I would write a review. He sent me a demo unit, and I paid the import duty on it. After giving the Zoe a thorough work out, I determined that it was the best controller I had ever used with my PD150, and the most like the controllers I was used to on higher end professional cameras.

While I was writing my review, Bebob secured an American distributor, 16x9Inc in Burbank, CA., who set a "list" price that I told them was way too high, in my opinion. Their response was, it was only the list price, and indeed, you can find the Zoe for $325.00, which is close to what I ended up paying for it, when I determined that I was not returning my demo unit to the manufacturer.

Thanks to DV Info Net for the opportunity to state my case, lest someone think that I have some tie to the manufacturer or the distributor.

And again, Randall, I think the ZR1000 is the best controller for the money, but the Zoe is better, as it should be for almost twice the price.

Wayne

Joe Camerlinck · June 9th, 2003, 10:50 PM

The ZR1000 rocks, I love using it! It is made out of light weight plastic but I take care of it and it takes care of me!

Barry Uddstrom · June 10th, 2003, 03:15 AM

I are interested in this thread as I are also thinking of purchasing a controller and would like to know if any one has had any experience with the Manfrotto Lanc Remote Control Cat. No:522c, it seems to come with the handle also and would suit my Manfrotto tripod?

Many Thanks
Barry

December 30th, 2002, 12:11 PM	#16
Wayne Orr Major Player Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Northridge Ca Posts: 734	Great news on the Zoe zoom controller. I spoke with Marianne at Abel Cine in North Hollywood, and she will sell the Zoe for $325.00. Still expensive, but this is a very fair price, and I know because I have shopped it here and in Europe. If you are interested in the Zoe, please call Marianne at 888-700-4416 , and tell her Wayne said to call. In regards to Chris Hurd's comments, sorry Chris, but what you call an advantage, I call a liability. The Zoe works exactly as all professional controllers work: the more you turn the controller, the faster the lens zooms, less turn equals slower zoom. If you are a professional camera operator, you will have zero learning curve with the Zoe. If you are not a pro, it will take a bit longer. Check out the footage at http://www.digitalprods.com/temptations.htm This was a multiple camera PD150 shoot, and I demoed the Zoe on my camera and this shoot convinced me it was the best of class. I'll put it to rest now. Wayne __________________ Wayne If it was easy, they'd get a relative to do it.

June 10th, 2003, 03:15 AM	#20
Barry Uddstrom Regular Crew Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: New Zealand Greymouth Posts: 39	Manfrotto camera controller I are interested in this thread as I are also thinking of purchasing a controller and would like to know if any one has had any experience with the Manfrotto Lanc Remote Control Cat. No:522c, it seems to come with the handle also and would suit my Manfrotto tripod? Many Thanks Barry

December 31st, 2002, 09:12 AM	#17
Guest Posts: n/a	Wayne, I have ruined more shots with the stupid variable zoom on the XL1s - the hiccup maker! The dial-in speed of the ZR1000 is the way to go - it is permanently attached to my tripod handle.

December 31st, 2002, 01:20 PM	#18
Wayne Orr Major Player Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Northridge Ca Posts: 734	I absolutely agree with you, Randall. The ZR1000 is the best controller for the money. I bought one for my PD150, which has the same "hiccup" problem, because this is built into the preprogrammed, digital command, step increments, that these cameras use in their lens design. (The DVX100 uses an analogue control system and does not suffer the hiccup, however it does have other problems, such as the notorious "dead spot") But the ZR1000 has problems with the manual control, which is the preferred method of operation, versus setting a predetermined speed. As I point out in my review of the Zoe, no professional zoom controls use predetermined speed controls, since shooting under these restrictions would be very counter-intuitive. The problem I encountered with the ZR1000 occured during an interview I was shooting, and I noticed when I tried to manually zoom in on the subject, there was considerable lag time between my squeeze on the controller, and when the lens actually began to tighten. This problem only happened with a slow zoom; otherwise the ZR1000 worked quite well, and certainly as well as other brands I had tested that cost more money. Why didn't I use the pre-set #1 speed on the ZR1000? What if after zooming in to a tight shot on the subject, after a bit of dialogue, I decided to pop back to a looser size? Would I have to re-set the dial to the faster speed, zoom back, and then re-set it again to the slower speed? Maybe I could have told the interviewer to wait while I zoomed back at the slow speed? It was after suffering in this situation that I determined to look for a "better mousetrap," while still holding on to my ZR1000. I read an article on the Zoe in a European website, and it sounded very interesting, but it was not available in the U.S. On a lark, I contacted the head of Bebob Broadcast Engineering in Germany, gave him my credentials, and told him I was interested in "test driving" the Zoe, and that afterward I would write a review. He sent me a demo unit, and I paid the import duty on it. After giving the Zoe a thorough work out, I determined that it was the best controller I had ever used with my PD150, and the most like the controllers I was used to on higher end professional cameras. While I was writing my review, Bebob secured an American distributor, 16x9Inc in Burbank, CA., who set a "list" price that I told them was way too high, in my opinion. Their response was, it was only the list price, and indeed, you can find the Zoe for $325.00, which is close to what I ended up paying for it, when I determined that I was not returning my demo unit to the manufacturer. Thanks to DV Info Net for the opportunity to state my case, lest someone think that I have some tie to the manufacturer or the distributor. And again, Randall, I think the ZR1000 is the best controller for the money, but the Zoe is better, as it should be for almost twice the price. Wayne

June 9th, 2003, 10:50 PM	#19
Joe Camerlinck New Boot Join Date: May 2003 Location: Overland Park, KS Posts: 8	The ZR1000 rocks, I love using it! It is made out of light weight plastic but I take care of it and it takes care of me!