Steve, I would agree with that assessment of ALAC. I have a Fujinon 22x7.6 on my F800 and I don't see any CA with or without it on. Even looking very closely at a monitor (while shooting something that would usually suffer from CA) and switching ALAC on/off, I can rarely see it doing anything because there's no CA either way. Of course I leave it turned on anyway because I have it, but I don' t feel like that particular function of the camea is doing me any good.

It's a Catch-22 situation. If your lens is good enough and new enough to have ALAC, then it probably doesn't need ALAC in the first place. Just my opinion, from what I have observed with a couple of lenses, so don't take it as gospel.

Steve I agree with Doug it is very hard to see a difference with my lens having ALAC on or off.

Thanks again Paul and to Steve & Doug for your comments, even if your posts were not directly answering my question.

Best wishes

Is the ALAC switch on the lens?

I don't see a place to enable it anywhere in the PMW350 camera menu. The kit lens must not have ALAC, there is no switch for it.

Tom,

From my understanding, the kit lens does have ALAC and it is a software/in camera 'silent' setup. I stand to be corrected. Hence my previous post asking about the ZA lens and ALAC or as Fujinon term it, CAC (Chromatic Aberration Correction).

The ZA lens with CAC has M58H as the last letters/digits.

Again, I understand it to have certain 'inbuilt' parameters that the camera/lens both understand. I guess it might be set up using test chart or selecting lens type in camera.

Paul, could you please chime in and enlighten me/us as I am most interested in how it works with the kit & ZA lens. But if you have the camera as well Tom and cannot find any setting, maybe I am off target.

Tom, page 42 of the manual may hold the answer.

Cheers

Thanks David. According to page 42 ALAC is activated automatically at start up. The kit lens does include it. It says if a lens has ALAC built in, more time may be required to load the data at start up.

So the question goes to Doug, how were you able to compare the difference of ALAC on versus off, to say there is very little difference on a good lens, unless the PDW800 has something the PMW350 does not, namely the ability to switch ALAC off?

Tom, David,

Sorry I am flat out and headed out the door for the day.

Correct ALAC is activated when the camera is turned on. I thought I was turning it off in the Ma menu but I was wrong. When you go to "Lens" in the menu there are no options. So I guess it is on all the time. And the ZA is doing a better job the the kit lens.

As for the kit lens I never checked if I could turn it on/off. But Tom answered that question.

I think the F800 has a option in the menu to turn it on/off. Will know more today when I shoot with Doug to test both cameras and the EX1r.

And to answer one of your questions Tom. The PDW-F800 has a lot the PMW-350 does not have and I think this is one of the many, many upgrades when you buy a PDW-F800

The Varicams certainly have the option to turn CAC off in the menus.
Steve

So Paul,

After all of your broadcast lens testing on your PMW-350 camera and settling on the ZA lens, are you keeping the lens for the F800 or will you start your search again?

David have you tested the 350 yet?

No the ZA works great on the F800. I put my lens on Doug's F800 and it is excellent.

I tested the ZA along side the HA and HJ and the HA and ZA won out. And when it came to the ZA/HA we could not see a difference in the lens. Build is slightly different but the picture is the same from the two I tested. Now I may have been lucky and got a great one but I don't think so. I know others with F800's and ZA and they are very happy.

I will have Abel shade the lens and do the white/black to match it to the F800.

Hi Paul,

I have heard many good comments (including yours) on the ZA lenses. Good to know that you will be keeping it and not having to go through the lens testing formalities. Once would be somewhat fun and a great learning experience. Twice would perhaps be a little boring.

I did see the 350k at my dealer a short while back. Had a bit of a 'play' with it. K lens seemed to be quite good but I was in their showroom for another reason and spent the few mins with the camera while I was waiting for the sales pro to attend to me. In fact at that time, I was not terribly interested in it.

Paul, it was your's and Alister's positive comments on this forum that sparked my interest in the PMW-350 shortly thereafter. Your's towards the 350L + ZA, so thanks very much for that. And for all your answers as well.

I have not had an opportunity to spend 'quality time' with it but I hope to within the next couple of weeks, although I have had quite a few shoulder mounted 2/3 inch Sonys in my previous life shooting in SD, so I am accustomed to the camera's style.

Cheers

Hi David,

One lens test is enough for now. I will be looking at a wide lens in the summer but at least now I know it will be Fujinon or a prime.

If you test out the 350 check out the 700/800 at the same time. Always better to have options. I don't think you can go wrong with any of them. And I am always happy to help if I can.