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HVX200 Zoom Problem
Does the 200 have a focal-length preset or focus check feature on the lens???
I have a camera that today started zooming in by itself. The rocker switches seem to work correctly but, no matter where the shot is set, the camera zooms itself all the way in(!).
The only way to override is to switch to manual zoom.
Is this a call to Panasonic support or did I miss something in the manual?
-joe
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7 Replies
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I thought I had this problem when I 1st got the camera but then I discovered my hand was resting on the other rocker. Does this happen when you are not even touching the camera? Do you have the remote jammed into your pocket with something against it’s zoom button?
“everything is broken” ……1st. coined by Esther Philips I believe.
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I know that this is kind of obvious when posted here….
But, are you using an external zoom controller (Foxi/Varizoom, or similar, etc.) We had one of these finely made units go bad on us…and experienced similar INTERMITTENT and non-reproducable problems.
Obviously (once identified) powering down and disconnecting the external control solved our problem. (A quick Warranty claim fixed the controller issue…)
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Outside of outright abuse or serious cable mangling….I would never have thought one of these units could go bad….but ours DID.
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(Not naming the company for fear of verbal retribution by well-intentioned but overly religous newbie zealots that always seem to pop up in these forums…)
-C
I edit video. I post sometimes.
I fix things. I eat marshmallows.
I play drums. I drink scotch.
I like TV.Done typing now.
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I eat marshmallows.
I drink scotch.Hopefully not at the same time!!!
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Thanks everybody,
I appreciate the input.
No hands or cables touching the rockers. No third-party controllers. No remote near.
It clears up briefly if the camera is powered down for a while but starts again after a few zooms.Sadly, it seems that I am not engaging some hidden feature but, rather, the damn thing’s broke.
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Wow, J.C., I couldn’t believe it when I saw your post (lo these many years later). My HVX200 is doing the exact same thing, only it slowly zooms all the way out. No remotes, no external controllers, tested in multiple environments (so it can’t be some screwy issue where it’s interpreting some other input through its remote sensor).
I can override it by leaning on the zoom controller, which is exhausting after a few minutes. Oddly, this same issue seems to have disabled the handle zoom completely, no matter how it’s set up in the menu. Dang!
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Mine just started doing the EXACT same thing: slowly zooms on its own, and the top tiny rocker isn’t working.
Nothing else is connected to the camera.
Any ideas?
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Hi Mark–
Good news: it’s repairable, and not a horribly expensive fix either. The explanation I got was that after about the first year of HVX200 production, Panasonic began outsourcing the rubber menu selector buttons (it’s all one piece) to another manufacturer. That rubber degrades and leaches a chemical that causes poor connections in a couple nearby ribbon connectors. It’s especially a problem for cameras whose tape drives don’t get used, as regular exposure to air (opening the tape door) helps alleviate the buildup of crud. Strange but true.The fella who fixed mine did a top-notch job and I got it back same-day… but then I do have the good fortune to live close by. He’s a Panasonic tech, so he knows these cameras inside and out. When I was at their office, they were FedEx’ing a couple repaired HVX200’s out to a New York City TV station, so they do some biz with bigger accounts as well as us indie guys. Here’s his company site:
https://studiocityengineering.com/
I’d have to check the records to see what the repair cost was exactly, but it was something like $200 bucks. Half the cost of having Panasonic do it at one of their repair shops, I’m told, and it’s apparently the exact same repair.
Good luck!
BRUCE
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