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HVX 200 remote zoom / focus
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The ‘bump’ I mention is present in ALL low end cameras that I have personally used (Hi8, MiniDV, Sony, Canon, Panasonic, etc…roughly 2 dozen or so over the past decade.). Not just the HVX. Listen closely here….
COMPARED to lenses with dedicated servo motors (READ: component lenses that you buy separately and put on a camera body.) the HVX and other cameras….COMPARATIVELY….have difficulty zooming in and out of a dead stop smoothly. You simply can’t feather then in and out from a dead stop as smoothly as you can with a big lens. There is always a small ‘bump’ at the beginning and end of the zoom.
Again, not trying to insult anyone here, but if you have shot a ‘big rig’ for considerable time…you understand the difference.My post was not to scare anyone away from buying the HVX or even trying to cause concern. The HVX is an incredible product for the price point. We use it regularly on national shoots in places we used to shoot HDCam.
ANALOGY: Not to beat a dead bovine any further than I usually do (which is a lot..I tend to give long explanations.)….I was simply stating that “…the fake leather seats in my new Honda Accord weren’t as comfortable as the real leather seats in my Rolls Royce. I tried a few third party products to see if I could fake it…but they didn’t help.”
Its an unfair comparison to begin with—but the topic of issue was funtionality. I simply stated that I like the seats in my Rolls better and stated why. (Multiple lumbar positions and real italian leather as opposed to non-adjustable synthetic in the Accord.)
Point being I was stating the obvious.
Most low end cameras have only one motor to handle focus and zoom. (Therefore they often can’t do both at the same time.) So the tradeoffs that occur in the manufacturing/design process to save the end user on retail cost can sometimes cause exceedingly minor inconveniences.
Regards,
-P -
“ANALOGY: Not to beat a dead bovine any further than I usually do..”
Actually, beat all you want – makes for an extra tender filet mignon… 😉
No worries. Thanks for the additional insight.
-Scott
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Very insightful. Thank you for the additional details.
I do usually rent bigger cameras, such as the D35 with servo and mechanical control, and of course, the HD equivalent is not worth the price tag right now unless there is a large budget involved.
As many of you, I would love to be able to use the HVX on smaller dynamic productions instead of renting, but I want to make sure it will be usable with remote controls.
Vince
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Just wanted to let you that after your advice I ended up purchasing the Foxi and Zoe combination for a total of $700.00 (not that bad). There is indeed a tiny bump, so thanks for lowering my expectations 😉 I am nonetheless very happy with both !
Now, on to saving for the M2 adapter…
Vince
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A bit wrong here. I have NEVER EVER experienced a bump in any Sony low-end camera including PD170, 150, PDX10, Hi-8, V1, VX2000
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