2011General Discussion forum
Zoom drift issues when using analog zoom controllers with digital camera lenses
15 years old. Gear and prices may have changed since.
What the thread found
- Zoom creep can occur when an analog controller is used to manage a digital lens, as the two systems may not integrate smoothly
- Canon lenses are more prone to zoom drift than Fuji lenses when paired with analog zoom controllers
- Older Canon lenses exhibit less zoom drift compared to newer Canon models
- Adjusting the lens zoom speed to its slowest usable rate and tweaking the centering potentiometer for each specific lens can reduce drift
- Cleaning the centering potentiometer by turning it end-to-end several times may resolve zoom drift issues
- Powering down all equipment, unplugging connections, and restarting can temporarily improve zoom drift problems
- Fuji lenses are generally more tolerant of analog zoom controller input and are preferred for consistent zoom control
- Some alternative zoom control systems use lens-reading technology that eliminates drift by establishing a connection delay with the lens
Depends on
- Solutions are specific to analog controllers paired with digital lenses
- The potentiometer cleaning fix may only work temporarily or for minor drift
- Canon stated they addressed tolerance issues in newer lenses, but drift problems persist according to user experience
- No definitive technical explanation for why Fuji lenses perform better was provided