Just tested our new VariZoom control for the Panasonic DVX 100.

Model# Stealth-DVX

The controller is very different internally then our other controllers. The zoom control allows for very smooth ramping up and down whether going wide or telephoto. The new control allows for Zoom, pause, record.

We will have it available at Dv Expo West in our booth #118 the product will be shipping in early January.

Tom McKay

VariZoom Lens Controls

Had my hands on this controller today for a brief test -- it works great. More to follow very soon.

I built my own zoom controller for the DVX100, which was just a 20k variable resistor for zoom, and a momentary-contact switch for record (which is certainly different than the 9600 bps serial bitstream of a LANC control).

However from what I could tell, the DVX100 would not zoom any more slowly with external control than with the internal zoom rocker, so I could not gradually "ease-in" to a zoom, instead it always started suddenly. The slowest zoom speed was still about 15 seconds from full-wide to tight, or back. My controller did not give me the smoothly-variable control I had hoped for. Does the new "StealthDVX" control work differently?

thanks,
john

I didn't play with it long enough to tell. There seem to be about five discrete speeds in each direction. The slowest is not as slow as the beautiful creeping zoom on the 16x IS II lens on the XL1S. The connection is not LANC but seems to behave in a similar manner.

That's not good. I thought I read several months ago that a company (thought it was Vari-zoom) was building a controller that would work through the firewire port so that more of the camera functions could be controlled.

I was skeptical because I did not think Firewire could control such features. (like focus) Anyway, I guess all we will have is this sad contoller to work zoom and start/stop. Not worth the money!

FireWire can definitely control focus on Canon camcorder models made after Feb 2002. Their software DV Messenger allows remote (internet) control of zoom and focus through FireWire.

So there IS hope. Maybe varizoom will step up to the plate and make a IEEE1394 controller for the DVX.

You know what would be really neat. A contoller that would let you program in a rack focus that could be executed from the push of a button from memory.

It's not up to VariZoom, It's up to the camera. Not all DV camcorders support lens control over FireWire. Quite possibly the DVX may not have the capability.

Can the Varizoom stealth I bough a few months ago for my XL1s also work on all the same functions with a AGDVX100 or must I buy a different model???
Ron CHarles