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Old August 8th, 2005, 06:56 AM   #31
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Steven Davis
Well it's a done deal, I ordered the EZ Rock from Varizoom, I will post when I get it.

I like it so far. I'm just plum purple with anticipation of having more control at my finger tips. I have a wedding this weekend so I've been playing with it to get used to it. Thanks again to all who responded to this thread. It helped alot.
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Old August 8th, 2005, 10:04 AM   #32
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Functional controller for XM2 ( or any LANC camera)

Brought this controller last week and its great -

smooth zoom, focus control between A/M, photo shot..


http://www.keene.co.uk/cgi-bin/codesearch.pl?JLR
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Old August 8th, 2005, 01:45 PM   #33
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Nice, but not very comfortable when mounted on a tripod bar, And no zoom speed control...
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Old August 9th, 2005, 04:48 PM   #34
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Robin wrote:

I've just upgraded from my old ZR1000 Canon zoom controller to the Manfrotto 523 Pro for my FX1 (and client's Z1)
I think that the build is very good and I like the feel of it a lot.
The one thing that concerns me however is that I cannot achieve the slowest zoom speed with the controller that I can with the rocker control on the camera itself.
I thought that the controller was only as good as the LANC settings of the actual camera, so what gives here then?
Please tell me that I've not set something correctly (though I've yet to discover anything that can be set...)


Robin, have you resolved the issue of getting the LANC controller to use the lowest FX1/Z1 zoom speed? I know that the slowest preset speed available for the handle zoom is faster than what can be achieved on the camera's rocker (I got almost 2 minutes end-to-end with a light touch).

The real question is whether the Manfrotto must choose between the 8 preset speeds or whether it has the full zoom speed range to work with.

I'm looking for the ideal LANC controller for my Z1 and any insights would be appreciated!

David McCallister
Fort Mill, SC USA
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Old August 10th, 2005, 01:40 AM   #35
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David,
So far, I haven't been able to resolve this issue...
However, if I want a very slow - almost imperceptible - zoom, I'm using the manual zoom ring more and more.
It's like going back to my film days...

Robin
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Old August 10th, 2005, 02:05 AM   #36
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Not your model, I've got the 521Pro. Info on this has been scarce. As a result of your post, did some more detective work and have just discovered I can set Zoom speeds - any good?:

"521PRO enables you to control power, recording, zoom and focus.

Like the 523PRO, the 521PRO features manual focus buttons and an auto focus button, allowing you to achieve in-focus images easily when working in manual focus mode.

It also has a progressive zoom speed (the further you rotate the zoom wheel, the faster the zoom), a fixed zoomspeed (irrespective of the rotation applied to the wheel, zoom speed remains constant), or a customizable maximum speed, which you can set to exactly the level you want.

To set a custom zoom speed, simply holdthe zoom speed button until the LED flashes and use the wheel to record your speed. The LED shows you which speed you have selected.



I guess, Robin, Zoom wheels are mechanical or are they too Fly-by-wire? If FBW, then it would be a simple thing for a ZOOM toggle to be upgraded to a ZOOM/TOGGLE/WHEEL? See what I mean?

Grazie
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Old August 10th, 2005, 02:23 PM   #37
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Robin Davies-Rollinson
David,
So far, I haven't been able to resolve this issue...
However, if I want a very slow - almost imperceptible - zoom, I'm using the manual zoom ring more and more.
It's like going back to my film days...

Robin

Robin:

I did some exploration of the LANC technical spec. It allows for 8 tele and 8 wide zoom speeds. Since a controller can only select one of 8 speeds in either direction, no stepless zoom is possible. So I think it all depends on what actual speeds Sony has mapped to the 8 speed "slots" the LANC can access. In the case of the Z1, speed slot #1 is an approximately 20 second zoom. The highest mapped speed (#8) seems to correlate with the max zoom speed you can get with the rocker: about 2 seconds.

Your idea of going manual sounds good. Does anyone make a longer shaft one could put over the zoom ring knob to permit more subtle control? Say something about 4-6 inches long?

Dave McCallister
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Old August 10th, 2005, 03:09 PM   #38
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Dave,
Thanks for looking into the LANC specs.

I haven't heard of any commercial extender for the zoom knob- I guess it's something that will have to be made up in the workshop...

Regards,

Robin
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Old August 11th, 2005, 11:53 AM   #39
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Don't I recall an executive from Manfrotto posting on this group awhile back? Maybe had something to do with the FigRig? Certainly he should be able to help Dave out with his question.

Wayne Orr, SOC
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Old August 22nd, 2005, 09:02 AM   #40
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Dave McCallister
Robin:

I did some exploration of the LANC technical spec. It allows for 8 tele and 8 wide zoom speeds. Since a controller can only select one of 8 speeds in either direction, no stepless zoom is possible. So I think it all depends on what actual speeds Sony has mapped to the 8 speed "slots" the LANC can access. In the case of the Z1, speed slot #1 is an approximately 20 second zoom. The highest mapped speed (#8) seems to correlate with the max zoom speed you can get with the rocker: about 2 seconds.

Your idea of going manual sounds good. Does anyone make a longer shaft one could put over the zoom ring knob to permit more subtle control? Say something about 4-6 inches long?

Dave McCallister
Dave is correct in his research. LANC controllers only send the information to the camera (in this case the slowest speed number) and then the camera interprets this information. On the Z1 camera Sony might have unintentionally (?) changed how the camera maps the speeds.

Marc Schotland
Manfrotto
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Old August 27th, 2005, 08:57 AM   #41
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Zoom this

I bought the Zoe (Lanc) controller for my XL-1s this summer. When I ordered it (from ZGC), I made sure they knew it was going to be used on the 16X Manual Servo Lens. They told me it would work fine, except there wouldn't be any focus control. Fine with me... I didn't want it for focusing. The gadget works nicely, for the most part.

But there are a few issues. The first is it came with no instructions. Just the gadget inside the box. That seemed peculiar. Then there's the on/off issue: I keep my Xl-1s in the Standby Mode, oftentimes; but if I have the Zoe controller hooked up, it automatically brings the camera back to life in 10 seconds. So I have to unplug it when I want to remain in Standby. Another thing is sometimes left pressure zooms out, and right pressure zooms in. The next time I plug it in, it might work just the opposite. So I find myself "testing" often, just to make sure I don't go the wrong way when I need the shot. This issue makes me nuts. Sometimes, if I hit the zoom rocker too soon after plugging in the connector, the zoom doesn't work at all. The fix is to unplug and plug it back in. But my biggest peeve is the skanky little screws they use to mount the thing to the bar. They're thin and long, and sometimes they catch on things because they stick out so far. And, aesthetically, the gadget doesn't look like something that costs over three hundred bucks.

Other than these things, I'm okay with it. But I'd probably trade it for a Manfrotto (I have a couple of their tripods & heads, and I'm pleased with them), if someone wanted to.
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Old August 27th, 2005, 11:27 AM   #42
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Charles Newcomb
I bought the Zoe (Lanc) controller for my XL-1s... But I'd probably trade it for a Manfrotto (I have a couple of their tripods & heads, and I'm pleased with them), if someone wanted to....
No thanks, I tried the Zoe and returned it even without the problems you mention. Just didn't care for the feel (and the look) for the money.

But your issues seem like warranty issues. And there was a little instruction sheet in my box. You have to be wondering, as I am, whether that might be a unit already returned once for those problems.
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Old August 27th, 2005, 12:24 PM   #43
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I would suggest Charles forward a copy of his post to 16x9inc, the U.S. distributors of the Zoe product line, and see if you get a response from them concerning your problems. Let us know what transpires. If you spend the amount of money a Zoe costs, you deserve to have a reliable device, and yours seems suspect, as Fred pointed out. BTW, the Zoe has a 2 year warranty, so you should be in good shape. I would assume 16x9 will want you to return the unit to them for investigation, but let's see what happens.

As far as those long screws, I'm sure there are a lot of users that like them becuase they allow the device to be mounted to a variety of pan bars, jib handles, steadicam-type devices, etc. Guess you can't please everybody, but I found the Zoe to have the most professional-like feel and performance available in the market. But that's just my opinion.

Please contact 16x9inc.
Tel: 818-972-2839
James Lee
Technical Support Manager/Sales
jamesl@16x9inc.com

HTH

Wayne Orr, SOC
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Old August 27th, 2005, 12:47 PM   #44
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My first post reads more negatively than I intended. I should have said that I personally didn't like the feel, and for that much money one needs to be satisfied, so I returned it. Someone else might not like the feel of the Manfrotto I wound up with.

Regarding the possiblity that this unit was a previous return, any seller who accepts returns necessarily fills some orders with goods that have been returned. The previous buyer, if there was one, might not have even mentioned any problems.
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Old August 27th, 2005, 01:10 PM   #45
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Fred Retread
Regarding the possiblity that this unit was a previous return, any seller who accepts returns necessarily fills some orders with goods that have been returned.
Well I'll admit to being a babe in the woods when it comes to the retail business.... but it seems to me that if you ordered a new unit you should have received one. One that was refurbished or returned should be flagged as an "open box special" from my experience. Your mileage may vary...
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