Good evening,

I agree with John on the lanc remote!!!!

My lanc socket has been broken for a month and I am here to tell you I have got so used to always using it that I forgot how much harder it is without it!! of all my peripheral kit I use the lanc the most!!!

This must be the clearest quote I've read on DVInfo. Its implications are taking a week to sink in.

Sure I'm thick between the ears ... it's 2.5 years now since I got my XM2(GL2) and only today have I tried to figure out how the wireless controller works. I wonder how its controls might compare with those of a Varizoom?

Brendan,

John's advice is spot on there. I do high mag stuff and camera movement is a beast even though everything is solidly mounted on a Vinten 6. I now have a Libec lanc controller attached to facilitate faster recording and a Redrock Micro follow focus unit to avoid touching the lens to follow focus. These 2 items are a godsend and really really works.

Cheers

WeeHan

Yeo,

What camera are you using the micro follow focus on?!!!

I use a gl and xl and i was under the impression these do not work acceptably on the canons!!

Is that not true?

Grazie,

Geeze, It never occurred to me to find that old remote, what a capital idea.

Dale,

Not true at all! All you need is a road system and lens gears to allow the FF unit to be used successfully with the cameras!

Im using the H1 and using the Redrock Micro Follow Focus. It's one of the better prices units and frankly, its really really smooth. Im using it with the EF adaptor and the 180 Canon macro. To have the follow focus unit work with this setup, you will need to "gear" the lens which is basically having a geared ring (Redrock sells this) and a of course rods to mount the focus unit. Im using the Vocas MB-250 mattebox which came with a rod system. Too expensive and you can get something way cheaper if you shop around.

After gearing the lens, it just a 10sec business to get the unit in place. Then you will have super smooth focusing esp when doing high mag rate or telephoto work.

I rec the follow focus whips as well. Got a set of them and use the 3 inch and the 12 inch the most.

I will post a pic once I have the chance to shoot my setup.

Cheers

WeeHan

Good Evening, Brendan.

I am not aquainted with your cam. With my Xl-1s, or, my Xl-2, I shoot many tapes each year on wild life.

My solution to your backlight problems, is to find a ground level coloration of your subject; and, than, use the exposure lock on the lens, which will keep the iris from changing as you pan into the sky. (I do not know if your cam has exposure lock).

For instance: If your subject is dark in colouring, lock on a deeply shaded item. If it is lighter, adjust accordingly.

Any other comments on remote controllers with slow zoom and good focus? Some are having trouble using ZR 1000 with Canon ... does anyone use Bebob Zoe with Canon. Varizoom recommend VZ Pro-L and VZ PG-L for Canon ... any experience with these, please?

Robert, I'm going to try out your exposure lock suggestion ... thank you.

prairie person
 

I have owned a Varizoom VZ Pro-L for a number of years. I love it.

Working fine here.

Grazie

Tom and Grazie, thank you. You are both Canon users.

1. What length of cable to use with your controllers? I'm being offered 30cm (= 1 ft) with ZR 1000. I need up to 20ft ...
2. Have you used autofocus and manual focus via your controllers, successfully?

Brendan,

I am curious what you are planning on doing where you need a 20 foot remote??

My immediate thought is setting camera at a nest site where your blind has to be elsewhere.

I to am curious about how others may sove this problem.

Dale

At one roadside cliff location where vultures roost (2 pics on this thread) the sun can be fierce and the only shade is in the car. 20ft cable would give me scope to park the car so that both my wife and I can shoot out from the same side.

On second thoughts I have now found that the standard wireless controller zooms quite smoothly when the zoom rate in CAM SET-UP is set to SLOW. I'm not sure that the autofocus adjusts as efficiently but I'll keep practising.

Brendan,

I would think that shooting in better light is the first solution you should think of unless the birds are only at their spot during the midday.

Another point is you will have totally no control of the tripod head movement when you are zooming in from 20ft. The action of zooming is 99% of the time accompanied by a pan, tilt or a combo of both.

Cheers

WeeHan

yeo,

there is a wireless remote monitor that is good up to a couple hundrred feet, with that you could then zoom apporpriately.

ShotWatcher.com

To get even more exotic you could get a 12 volt remote pan head similar to the ones used on a crane and run it from the blind or car as well.

I recently bought a small and economical car battery and for 6.00 dollars I bought a lighter socket with clips. I clip it to the battery and run any 12 volt device off it. It lasts for ages and is rechargable. with ac available one can hook straight to a trickle charger and run forever.

another option is an inverter to run off your car.

Have I digressed again???

You're right on Dale. My issue was the movement of the head when zooming and the remote head comes into play here...:)

Cheers

WeeHan

.... and the answer that works for me is described above by Robert. After repeat testing on a house chimney at 40 yards with a bright grey sky behind I can clearly identify an inch square patch of lichen on the brick wall of the chimney (after locking autoexposure while focussing on the dull tiled roof). As expected the silvery hoods on the chimney pots are almost completely washed out and that's fine.

Many thanks Robert.

And thanks to everybody for the usual generous sharing of wisdom (among other things) on DVInfo ... my wireless controller may be adequate for the remote problem but I have more tests to do.