Remote Lens Control on the PDW-EX1

[Piotr Wozniacki]

OK guys - the Manfrotto MN521 EX - will be out very soon now (premiere at NAB). And believe me - worth waiting for!

[Gerald Loidl]

Originally Posted by Piotr Wozniacki

OK guys - the Manfrotto MN521 EX - will be out very soon now (premiere at NAB). And believe me - worth waiting for!

Piotr,
you make me curious! Can you tell me more about its features?

cu,
Gerald

[Piotr Wozniacki]

Sorry - all I can say at the moment is that it's definitely worth waiting for :)

[Brent Ethington]

did some posts get deleted from this thread (or maybe I read them posted elsewhere) about the Manfrotto?

While it sounded nice, it didn't sound like it added a whole lot more than any of the other units already on the market - still no focus adjustment, for example. On the other hand, if it retails for $99, I'll buy one... :-)

[Brendan Pyatt]

Originally Posted by Brent Ethington

did some posts get deleted from this thread (or maybe I read them posted elsewhere) about the Manfrotto?

While it sounded nice, it didn't sound like it added a whole lot more than any of the other units already on the market - still no focus adjustment, for example. On the other hand, if it retails for $99, I'll buy one... :-)

Yeh I got an email from this thread about a post that isnt here!

[Buba Kastorski]

take a look
http://www.varizoom.com/controlsindex.html
wanted to get STEALTH-EX with the 10ft extension, ( I need EX on the crane), they don't ship outside of US,
well, will have to find Canadian distributors,
:-)

[Thomas McKay]

I wish you had taken us up on our offer for the exchange control. The units you first received lack one component and now they all have this important addition. Anyway that is sometime the price of being first out you will get a bug or something that can be improved. As you found out we have a pretty liberal return policy and we always try to satisfy.

I do appreciate the business and if you care to try a Rock or other control we will ship it free and discount steeply to make up for the inconvenience.

We had only a few go out that were not optimized. Sales have been strong and high level of satisfaction on all units sold.

Best regards,

Tom

Originally Posted by Adam Simpson

I have 2 EX1 cameras. I previously had three HVX cameras and had 2 Varizoom controllers and one ZOE-DVX controllers for them. Overall they were very similar and worked great and very similar.

So when I needed zoom controllers for my new EX1's I initially called Varizoom and ordered two of the first units available. I received them and unfortunately was not impressed. It was almost impossible to get predictable slow zooms. They were very "notchy" and went very fast from slow to fast with a quick jump from no zoom to quick zoom with abrupt stops. With a little practice I got better but not great.

I made a few calls and found someone who had 2 Zoe-EX in stock and ordered them because I had a shoot coming up. I got them the day before the shoot. The difference was night and day. In addition to being more compact and amazingly more controllable, they have a speed adjustment wheel which sets the maximum speed for zoom, but still lets you use the full rocker. The quality of zoom reminds me of high end professional zooms as opposed to stepped LANC and my older HVX cameras. I am thoroughly pleased. The zoom is more controllable than even the built in rocker. You can get true feathered starts and stops unlike the HVX zoom mechanism.

I called to return my Varizoom controllers and was assured by them that the problems in the controllers have been fixed. Because I had already bought the Bebob controllers and was totally satisfied, I did not take them up on replacing them. So I cannot vouch for whether newer models have the problems resolved. They did return them with no problems. So thanks for good customer service.

Even assuming they have fixed the problems in the Varizoom controllers, I really like the speed adjustment of the Bebob, something Varizoom does not offer. So I am totally sold on the Zoe-EX controllers.

[John Hewat]

I've never needed a remote control for my cameras but have started looking into one for the EX1.

What I want to know is how do you control the focus? All of the ones linked to above seem to just be zoom controls. Wouldn't focus control be equally important?

Maybe they do and I'm just missing something...

[Bruce Rawlings]

You focus in the standard. Zoom in to subject - manual focus- pull out and work as normal. There is no connection for remote focussing on this camera. Relying on auto focus does not look very good, whatever the camera.

[John Hewat]

Originally Posted by Bruce Rawlings

You focus in the standard. Zoom in to subject - manual focus- pull out and work as normal. There is no connection for remote focussing on this camera. Relying on auto focus does not look very good, whatever the camera.

That's right but with the camera on a crane it can't be done. Remote focusing is required.

[Thomas McKay]

John and Bruce,

Remote focus control is possible and I have already made a unit but have not yet brought it to market. The camera does not make it easy to provide but it will be available in the coming weeks possibly months. I don't like to introduce a product until I have it in production and stocked for sale.

The cost of focus control will be about double the cost of the zoom control. VariZoom now makes cranes too so that feature has become a little more important to us as well.

Tom

VariZoom

Originally Posted by John Hewat

I've never needed a remote control for my cameras but have started looking into one for the EX1.

What I want to know is how do you control the focus? All of the ones linked to above seem to just be zoom controls. Wouldn't focus control be equally important?

Maybe they do and I'm just missing something...

[Bruce Rawlings]

That's useful to know. I think I have read somewhere that the remote control socket has no provision for focus control in the protocol. Presumably you are going to fit a motorised focussing unit?

[Dan Gunn]

I own Verizoom, Libec, Canon and Sony zoom controllers. When I got the EX-1, I ordered and I am using another Libec unit. Very, very smooth, compact and lets you crawl if you wish.

[Raymond Schlogel]

It seems to me that there has to be a way to control the focus with a controller, it's not like the lens is completely manual, there is an autofocus. Not that I'm the one to figure out how to build something like that but I would have to think it is possible.

- Ray

[Paul Joy]

Originally Posted by John Hewat

What I want to know is how do you control the focus? All of the ones linked to above seem to just be zoom controls. Wouldn't focus control be equally important?

I use a Libec controller and the nice thing about any zoom controller is that you can control zoom with your right hand on the tripod arm, and focus with your left hand on the lens. Trying to do both on camera at the same time is extremely tricky.

I can't think of many situations other than jib shots where you would even want to control focus on the tripod arm. The lens ring is so much better at doing that job, especially the non-servo EX1 lens.

Paul.