Matthew Verkler
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- Dec 31, 2006
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Chris Layhe, a Red owner in Santa Cruz, CA, asked me to provide a Red camera to shoot the Chickenfoot concert at the Fillmore in San Francisco last week. He wanted me to bring my Red 50-150 lens and zoom motor and controller. I had heard of the Chrosziel fluid zoom drive and wanted to try it out for this application. Michael Ibanez of 16x9 Inc. was kind enough to send a unit for evaluation and to use for the concert if needed.
If you have use zoom lenses like Red's 18-50 and 50-150 and need to do any zooming during a take, this is a pretty sweet solution. My old zooms, like my Angenieux 20-120, all have zoom sticks and a very long zoom throw, so it's possible to do really nice zooms by hand, but with the newer short throw zooms there isn't even a place to attach a stick, and if there was, their action is short and not smooth.
The Chrosziel unit has an adjustable clutch, so you can change how much force it takes to move, and the "fluid" part dampens your moves so they can be smoother, like a fluid head. I found it easy to make nice zoom moves after a few minutes of playing with it, and even very slow zooms can be smooth. There are two sizes of stick available, so you choose the longer one for more feel, or the shorter one for more speed. I used just the long one.
It's possible to get a motor and controller to accomplish the same thing that the Chrosziel unit does, and many people may prefer that, but I find it easier to get the feel I want manually. And, the Chrosziel cuts down on the number of wires hanging off the camera.
This isn't the solution for zoom lenses with a long throw, as you will run out of movement by the stick. And, it requires a dedicated hand to operate, instead of having a controller where you just need a thumb to operate a motor while holding a pan arm or handle. Lastly, the Chrosziel is not cheap, especially with the current exchange rate with Germany, but it is certainly cheaper than a used zoom motor and controller.
I rarely zoom while shooting anything narrative, but the occasional need to zoom comes up now and then. It's good to know that I can use my Red 18-50 and 50-150 in this manner when needed.
Matthew Verkler
If you have use zoom lenses like Red's 18-50 and 50-150 and need to do any zooming during a take, this is a pretty sweet solution. My old zooms, like my Angenieux 20-120, all have zoom sticks and a very long zoom throw, so it's possible to do really nice zooms by hand, but with the newer short throw zooms there isn't even a place to attach a stick, and if there was, their action is short and not smooth.
The Chrosziel unit has an adjustable clutch, so you can change how much force it takes to move, and the "fluid" part dampens your moves so they can be smoother, like a fluid head. I found it easy to make nice zoom moves after a few minutes of playing with it, and even very slow zooms can be smooth. There are two sizes of stick available, so you choose the longer one for more feel, or the shorter one for more speed. I used just the long one.
It's possible to get a motor and controller to accomplish the same thing that the Chrosziel unit does, and many people may prefer that, but I find it easier to get the feel I want manually. And, the Chrosziel cuts down on the number of wires hanging off the camera.
This isn't the solution for zoom lenses with a long throw, as you will run out of movement by the stick. And, it requires a dedicated hand to operate, instead of having a controller where you just need a thumb to operate a motor while holding a pan arm or handle. Lastly, the Chrosziel is not cheap, especially with the current exchange rate with Germany, but it is certainly cheaper than a used zoom motor and controller.
I rarely zoom while shooting anything narrative, but the occasional need to zoom comes up now and then. It's good to know that I can use my Red 18-50 and 50-150 in this manner when needed.
Matthew Verkler
