I just got my Canon 16X manual lens What a GREAT Lens.

16X Manual Servo Lens - Focus Question
 

I recently purchased the 16X Manual Servo Lens. Great lens but I am having trouble getting a really sharp image. I am sure that it is due to my inability with it. My viewfinder is color, which I think might also be part of the problem.

Do any of you old pros have any suggestions on how to insure a sharp image/shot?

Hello, fellow Houstonian. I have that lens, and perhaps you need to adjust the back focus? I have no problems getting a sharp image with this lens when focusing with the color viewfinder, whereas I did before with the ISII.

Anyway, if your back focus is screwed up, it could be throwing your focus off. Unscrew the. . .little screw near where the lens meets the body, and when you're zoomed all the way wide, focus by rotating the ring with the little "m" button, then, carefully (so as not to accidentally turn the ring) screw the screw back in.

I know all these little pieces and parts have technical names, but I'll be damned if I remember them at five in the morning.

If this is not your problem, forget you've read the last three paragraphs.

Josh,

Thanks man! And what the heck are you doing up so early!!

I will give your suggestions a try today. Supposed to shot a short this weekend, so I worked out this issue.

Last weekend I shot a mountian bike clinic over at Memorial Park. This is the footage that is not as sharp as I would like.

Search the term back focus and you should be able to find several threads covering the complete procedure for adjusting back focus. It might even be covered in an article on the XL1 Watchdog.

Jeff

Yeah, what he said. My procedure's correct, but there's a more technical one. I left some stuff out. . .my fault. Be sure to critcally focus the regular way on an object 75 feet away, or whatever the farthest away you can focus (bad grammar).

After that, do the whole shebang I told you about.

And it's not up early, it's up late.

Thank you Josh and Jeff. I just found the thread via search that covers this. It was a thread the Josh posted. Very informative stuff:

http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?s=&threadid=2333

Yes yes thank you thank you . . .oh you're too kind. . .no I don't do autographs.

Josh,

Now my question is did you coach Vin Diesel in his latest quote (which I love):

"People keep asking if I've changed since becoming a celebrity. But I haven't changed because I've always thought I was a celebrity. It was the rest of the world that hadn't figured it out."

No. Ick, Vin Diesel.

manual 16X
 

I read where the manual 16x lens does have a power zoom capability. Who sells something that would make this work? Would it be for tripod use only or could you somehow use the existing zoom control?

Jonathan

The 16x lens power zoom works with the xl1s zoom control via a motor mounted on the lens. There is a switch on the bottom that allows a choice of full (mechanical) zoom, or servo, so in servo it works essentially the same as the auto lens, without the autofocus.

Barry

Barry,
So your saying the existing zoom control on the Xl-1 will work with the 16x manual lens without any wiring or extra parts and pieces?

True plug n' play my friend. Just mount it and forget it. Just make sure you flip the switch if you decide to go manual.

Barry

Also, any LANC remote lens controller, such as the Canon ZR1000 or any VariZoom LANC model, will remotely control zoom on this manual lens. Not focus, though... that requires a separate VariZoom focus controller. Hope this helps,