Rx10 ii lens wobble while zoom and does noise

Noa Put · September 5th, 2015, 05:30 PM

Don't be that sure about it, this reminds me a bit about the sony nex-ea50 stocklens, many complained it did twitch at the start of a zoom, mine did, but there where others that did not experience that problem, if I recall right someone who send it in got the lens back saying the play on the lens was within specifications, I have a feeling it will be the same here though I hope for you it won't.

Simon Denny · September 6th, 2015, 01:27 AM

Yeah, I'm jumping to conclusions. When I returned my camera they said this was normal behaviour…. I was thinking really?

I have lived with the issue an this does'nt effect what I do.

Noa Put · September 6th, 2015, 01:37 AM

It might be the design of the camera that doesn't allow Sony to produce the lens to the same specifications of a regular videocamera, I"m sure if this kind of behavior would occur on Sony's x70 you would get a replacement camera without question, now the rx10 lens, just like the stocklens on the Sony is not supposed to function in that way and you either are lucky to get a good functioning one or you are not. The fact is that Sony seems to be able to produce good functioning lenses as some report they don't have any zoom wobble so not sure we should accept that kind of nonsense from them that this is "normal behaviour"...

Simon Denny · September 6th, 2015, 02:06 AM

Yes, I agree Noa.

Wacharapong Chiowanich · September 6th, 2015, 09:09 AM

Looking at it another way I would say the smooth zoom on Steve's RX10 II, in Sony's service own words, is "abnormal". Because every RX10 I've tried from the Mk1 to Mk2 at a few different dealers, every one of them had wobble zoom mechanism. This is one of the reasons I have given the cameras a pass. All the consumer class real camcorders from Sony I own from the AX100 down to CX350E, interlaced-only palm-sized cam have a perfectly smooth zoom with no wobble whatsoever.

Technically speaking, it is probably very difficult to make a lens with extending zooming mechanism since the weight shifts too far away from the camera's housing support to provide enough rigidity to prevent the lens barrel from sagging from its own weight or twitching to either side.

I guess how tolerant you have for wobbling zoom depends very much on your style of shooting and the kind of video you use the camera for.

Phil Stanley · September 11th, 2015, 01:41 AM

No lens wobble on mine either

Noa Put · September 11th, 2015, 01:54 AM

If you zoom out completely and take the outer end of the lens and move it, is it rock solid or can you move it around?

Phil Stanley · September 11th, 2015, 02:29 AM

I retract my earlier statement, there is some lens wobble when fully out

Noa Put · September 11th, 2015, 03:00 AM

As far as I know Sony didn't make any changes to the lens outside the fact that it can zoom in and out faster during record, maybe that is why they limited the zoomspeed on the original version because the lens design is not intended for fast zooms? I guess for reframing purposes it's not a big deal but if you want a guarantee for a smooth zoom you are better of with a videocamera.

Steve Bleasdale · September 13th, 2015, 11:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Noa Put

If you zoom out completely and take the outer end of the lens and move it, is it rock solid or can you move it around?

OK yep here to but what a cam....

Noa Put · September 13th, 2015, 11:50 AM

I have a love hate relation with my rx10 and I"m sure the rx10 II won't change that feeling that much.

Steve Bleasdale · September 14th, 2015, 03:05 AM

Beginning to love it Noa but it wont take the place of my trusty canon 70 d still the best...

Phil Stanley · September 14th, 2015, 05:29 AM

Can I ask what technique people are using to focus on the RX10 and RX10 II.

If I am correct you cannot set a function button to AF when pressed, hence I have set a button to switch AF and MF on and off but you then rely on the Camera to AF which can tend to hunt

You can also set a button the hold manual focus when pressed, but you have to keep it pressed which is kind of annoying

My ideal would be like my G7 which you can set a button to AF and leave the camera in manual and just hit the focus button when refocus is required.

Nigel Barker · September 18th, 2015, 01:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Anthony Mozora

the 24-240 will give better low light with the ff sensor and the bokeh will be better anyway...

The 24-240 will not give better low light. The A7s will give better low light performance with the FF sensor but it needs it When the 24-240mm lens aperture range is f/3.5-6.3

Dave Blackhurst · September 19th, 2015, 02:55 PM

Alrighty, got a MkII "In hand", and as a long time Sony user, I'll take a minute to address the "lens wobble and noise"... an absolutely ridiculous reason to bag on the camera... but anyway.

First, there were some complaints (Noa <wink>) that the limited zoom speed on the original RX10 when in record mode (a "standard feature" of all the cybershots I tested, probably to avoid the noise of the zoom motors when zooming quickly) was a problem... Arguably in live/event shooting, it was painfully slow, but of course achieved the objective of a slow, quiet, steady (more professional looking?) zoom.

With the MkII There's a new "fast" setting for zoom speed in the menus, no doubt at least in part to the complaints. You can set it or not, and more importantly invoke it or not when in USE.

What this means is if you "feather" the zoom lever (the lens rings seems to default to "slow", the lever has a two speed switch at least), you can still zoom slowly, but if you smash it, it'll now do a typical Sony style "crash zoom" at a higher rate of speed (almost instantaneous in the clear zoom range... limited by physics in the optical range, but now as fast as the "not recording" zoom speed). Yes, the zoom motors overcoming the mass and inertia of the big honking chunk o' glass do make a bit more noise... that's how motors WORK.

SO, if you NEED "crash zoom" for fast reframing, it's there now, you don't HAVE to use it, as well as being able to disable it if the "noise" bothers you and you have sausage fingers...

Second, yes, due to the size and physics of the lens, when the piezo motors kick in, there's a bit of a jolt, it's noticeable, but really if one is "crash zooming", you're going to be doing a quick cutaway, right? And really the wobble isn't THAT bad if the content is otherwise OK, you COULD use the shot in a pinch... Just say you were inspired by the Bourne movies or sumthin'...

How often does one need to crash zoom, and when doing so, a little wobble is likely the least of one's worries...

I'll start a new post with other initial thoughts, but wanted to hit this thread first, as it suggests a problem where there is a new (and requested... and useful!) "feature" making the RX10II more like traditional video cameras, at least as far as "zooming" is concerned.

September 5th, 2015, 05:30 PM	#16
Noa Put Inner Circle Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Belgium Posts: 9,510	Re: Rx10 ii lens wobble while zoom and does noise Don't be that sure about it, this reminds me a bit about the sony nex-ea50 stocklens, many complained it did twitch at the start of a zoom, mine did, but there where others that did not experience that problem, if I recall right someone who send it in got the lens back saying the play on the lens was within specifications, I have a feeling it will be the same here though I hope for you it won't.

September 6th, 2015, 01:27 AM	#17
Simon Denny Trustee Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Australia Posts: 1,409	Re: Rx10 ii lens wobble while zoom and does noise Yeah, I'm jumping to conclusions. When I returned my camera they said this was normal behaviour…. I was thinking really? I have lived with the issue an this does'nt effect what I do.

September 6th, 2015, 01:37 AM	#18
Noa Put Inner Circle Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Belgium Posts: 9,510	Re: Rx10 ii lens wobble while zoom and does noise It might be the design of the camera that doesn't allow Sony to produce the lens to the same specifications of a regular videocamera, I"m sure if this kind of behavior would occur on Sony's x70 you would get a replacement camera without question, now the rx10 lens, just like the stocklens on the Sony is not supposed to function in that way and you either are lucky to get a good functioning one or you are not. The fact is that Sony seems to be able to produce good functioning lenses as some report they don't have any zoom wobble so not sure we should accept that kind of nonsense from them that this is "normal behaviour"...

September 6th, 2015, 02:06 AM	#19
Simon Denny Trustee Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Australia Posts: 1,409	Re: Rx10 ii lens wobble while zoom and does noise Yes, I agree Noa.

September 6th, 2015, 09:09 AM	#20
Wacharapong Chiowanich Major Player Join Date: May 2008 Location: Bangkok, Thailand Posts: 400	Re: Rx10 ii lens wobble while zoom and does noise Looking at it another way I would say the smooth zoom on Steve's RX10 II, in Sony's service own words, is "abnormal". Because every RX10 I've tried from the Mk1 to Mk2 at a few different dealers, every one of them had wobble zoom mechanism. This is one of the reasons I have given the cameras a pass. All the consumer class real camcorders from Sony I own from the AX100 down to CX350E, interlaced-only palm-sized cam have a perfectly smooth zoom with no wobble whatsoever. Technically speaking, it is probably very difficult to make a lens with extending zooming mechanism since the weight shifts too far away from the camera's housing support to provide enough rigidity to prevent the lens barrel from sagging from its own weight or twitching to either side. I guess how tolerant you have for wobbling zoom depends very much on your style of shooting and the kind of video you use the camera for.

September 11th, 2015, 01:41 AM	#21
Phil Stanley Regular Crew Join Date: Nov 2013 Location: London Posts: 148	Re: Rx10 ii lens wobble while zoom and does noise No lens wobble on mine either

September 11th, 2015, 01:54 AM	#22
Noa Put Inner Circle Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Belgium Posts: 9,510	Re: Rx10 ii lens wobble while zoom and does noise If you zoom out completely and take the outer end of the lens and move it, is it rock solid or can you move it around?

September 11th, 2015, 02:29 AM	#23
Phil Stanley Regular Crew Join Date: Nov 2013 Location: London Posts: 148	Re: Rx10 ii lens wobble while zoom and does noise I retract my earlier statement, there is some lens wobble when fully out

September 11th, 2015, 03:00 AM	#24
Noa Put Inner Circle Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Belgium Posts: 9,510	Re: Rx10 ii lens wobble while zoom and does noise As far as I know Sony didn't make any changes to the lens outside the fact that it can zoom in and out faster during record, maybe that is why they limited the zoomspeed on the original version because the lens design is not intended for fast zooms? I guess for reframing purposes it's not a big deal but if you want a guarantee for a smooth zoom you are better of with a videocamera.

September 13th, 2015, 11:50 AM	#26
Noa Put Inner Circle Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Belgium Posts: 9,510	Re: Rx10 ii lens wobble while zoom and does noise I have a love hate relation with my rx10 and I"m sure the rx10 II won't change that feeling that much.

September 14th, 2015, 03:05 AM	#27
Steve Bleasdale Trustee Join Date: May 2010 Location: England liverpool Posts: 1,343	Re: Rx10 ii lens wobble while zoom and does noise Beginning to love it Noa but it wont take the place of my trusty canon 70 d still the best...

September 14th, 2015, 05:29 AM	#28
Phil Stanley Regular Crew Join Date: Nov 2013 Location: London Posts: 148	Re: Rx10 ii lens wobble while zoom and does noise Can I ask what technique people are using to focus on the RX10 and RX10 II. If I am correct you cannot set a function button to AF when pressed, hence I have set a button to switch AF and MF on and off but you then rely on the Camera to AF which can tend to hunt You can also set a button the hold manual focus when pressed, but you have to keep it pressed which is kind of annoying My ideal would be like my G7 which you can set a button to AF and leave the camera in manual and just hit the focus button when refocus is required.

September 19th, 2015, 02:55 PM	#30
Dave Blackhurst Inner Circle Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Apple Valley CA Posts: 4,874	Re: Rx10 ii lens wobble while zoom and does noise Alrighty, got a MkII "In hand", and as a long time Sony user, I'll take a minute to address the "lens wobble and noise"... an absolutely ridiculous reason to bag on the camera... but anyway. First, there were some complaints (Noa <wink>) that the limited zoom speed on the original RX10 when in record mode (a "standard feature" of all the cybershots I tested, probably to avoid the noise of the zoom motors when zooming quickly) was a problem... Arguably in live/event shooting, it was painfully slow, but of course achieved the objective of a slow, quiet, steady (more professional looking?) zoom. With the MkII There's a new "fast" setting for zoom speed in the menus, no doubt at least in part to the complaints. You can set it or not, and more importantly invoke it or not when in USE. What this means is if you "feather" the zoom lever (the lens rings seems to default to "slow", the lever has a two speed switch at least), you can still zoom slowly, but if you smash it, it'll now do a typical Sony style "crash zoom" at a higher rate of speed (almost instantaneous in the clear zoom range... limited by physics in the optical range, but now as fast as the "not recording" zoom speed). Yes, the zoom motors overcoming the mass and inertia of the big honking chunk o' glass do make a bit more noise... that's how motors WORK. SO, if you NEED "crash zoom" for fast reframing, it's there now, you don't HAVE to use it, as well as being able to disable it if the "noise" bothers you and you have sausage fingers... Second, yes, due to the size and physics of the lens, when the piezo motors kick in, there's a bit of a jolt, it's noticeable, but really if one is "crash zooming", you're going to be doing a quick cutaway, right? And really the wobble isn't THAT bad if the content is otherwise OK, you COULD use the shot in a pinch... Just say you were inspired by the Bourne movies or sumthin'... How often does one need to crash zoom, and when doing so, a little wobble is likely the least of one's worries... I'll start a new post with other initial thoughts, but wanted to hit this thread first, as it suggests a problem where there is a new (and requested... and useful!) "feature" making the RX10II more like traditional video cameras, at least as far as "zooming" is concerned. Last edited by Dave Blackhurst; September 19th, 2015 at 03:59 PM.