Iris servo for cinestyle lens

[Mike Brennan]

Anyone seen a iris servo that is powered and controlled from the front lens socket on sd and hd cameras?

Idea is to control cinestyle lens from DT tent by RMB remote.

 

 

I ask this every year....

Seems the remote lens control manufacturers want to sell wireless remotes and lens manufacturers prefer you to buy an additional video style lens:(

 

 

 

 

mike brennan

[Mitch Gross]

Interesting. I can visualize exactly what that box would be, but I don't know of any in existence. I guess no one else is interested. It shouldn't be that hard for someone to hack one together. I'd suggest contacting Jim Bartell who makes the wireless Bartech Focus Device (BFD). Seems up his alley.

[Luke Prendergast]

I'm working on something like this but... could you just bolt an ENG grip on it?

[Mike Brennan]

I have raised the idea with the remote guys before.

It isn't quite so easy as there needs to be a circuit that understands if the RMB remote wants the servo to be in auto, manual or auto with +- override.

 

The remote guys have worked on servos that need high torque to shift focus and zoom elements around and that also need to be able to do both a snap zoom as well as a very slow and smooth zoom.

Apparently these motors draw too much current to use the lens socket and they need their own processing box.

 

So existing servos are not right for the job.

 

I'd prefer a lower power servo that need only have enough power to drive the iris. Have mentioned it to Fuji and recently spoken at length to Canon about it and they may be willing to supply existing circuit boards to a third party but they are not setup to do low volume.

 

I've suggested to Canon that such a motor could sell for $1500 and that over time there could be sales of 200, for both HD and SD.

 

As I understand it there is no simple signal on the socket to drive a motor, it needs a circuit board.

 

However if enough boffins look at the problem perhaps there is a clever work around?

 

This motor would be very usefull any time a DP or DT plugged a remote into the camera. No more shouting "open up a bit!"

 

Even auto mode has a (rare) use for low budget work.

 

Finally it would integrate cinestyle lenses into the OB environment. In Europe there has been a shortage of HD video style lenses for OBs. Not being able to control iris via the remote makes cinestyle lenses unatractive for OBs.

 

Given that it is possible/desirable to use the Genesis for a rock concert and the Genesis can be controlled by RMB remotes, this little iris motor continues to be a useful idea that has gone no where :(

 

It could encourage f900 owners to spend a few $$$ and buy the motorised version of the ND CC filter wheel, thus giving full DoF control to the DT and DP under the cloth.

 

A wireless remote for the RMB series would be wicked! (until Sony change the protocole)

 

 

Mike Brennan