Zoom and Focus Demand Questions

Hi all, I'm currently running a Studio Camera 4K Pro and am working on setting up the focus / zoom demands with our lens: the Canon Zoom Lens CN-E 18-80mm, powered by the Metabones EF-BMPCC4K T Ultra 0.71x Speedbooster. I've got everything working pretty well but have a couple questions:

1. In the manual for the camera, it is indicated that there should be settings for the Focus Demand in the OS (for instance, to change focus direction). I cannot find the settings anywhere. Currently, my software on the camera is 7.6 and it's not showing up. Any ideas?

2. I'm having no luck getting the Zoom Demand working - I assume this is due to lack of communication/support between the lens/adapter and the camera. Anyone have any luck with this specific lens-adapter-camera combination?

Thanks.

Hi Joey, I am VERY interested in this exact use case.
Did you ever find an answer to the zoom not working?
How well does focus work? Is it snappy and responsive?
Does iris adjustment in camera function properly?

As for troubleshooting, have you tried updating the Metabones adapter?

Hi Joey, I am VERY interested in this exact use case.
Did you ever find an answer to the zoom not working?
How well does focus work? Is it snappy and responsive?
Does iris adjustment in camera function properly?

As for troubleshooting, have you tried updating the Metabones adapter?

Hi Mitchell - happy to answer your questions.

Unfortunately, we weren't able to get the zoom working. However - we did find a third party zoom rocker that connects directly to the lens rather than passing through the camera. It's only (I think) about a hundred more than the Blackmagic brand one, but I haven't received it yet and can't specifically speak to the quality just yet.

The focus works very well. It is snappy and responsive - for our purposes it is perfect (three camera studio installation). I have noticed at the slowest rotation on the demand that the focus adjusts in small steps rather than proceeding fluidly but it is barely noticeable. One touch auto-focus works as well but isn't perfect.

Iris adjustment works perfectly. The camera overrides the iris control on the lens and can be controlled via the physical control dial or the touchscreen. And with the speed booster, the F stops extend down to 3.2.

I did try updating the Metabones adapter to no avail. Just doesn't seem like the support is there. Perhaps the functionality could come in an update but I wouldn't plan on it.

As an aside - we hooked all of these up to the Blackmagic Camera Control unit and it works marvelously. We can control Iris and Focus from our remote control room where our switcher is, so we can adjust these settings without having to approach the cameras - perfect for fixing focus in the middle of a show.

All in all, I'm very happy with the cameras and lenses. The image quality is very good for the price of all of the equipment and is miles better than the old Panasonic ENG system we were running prior to this installation. Hope that all helps.

That's great to hear Joey, thanks for the detailed response.

Is the zoom demand you ordered the VariZoom VZPGC20? If so I'll be curious to hear how well it works. Varizoom demands can sometimes feel a little dinky if all you've ever used is the official Canon ones, but it's miles better than a hand on the lens.

That's great to hear Joey, thanks for the detailed response.

Is the zoom demand you ordered the VariZoom VZPGC20? If so I'll be curious to hear how well it works. Varizoom demands can sometimes feel a little dinky if all you've ever used is the official Canon ones, but it's miles better than a hand on the lens.

Yep, that's the exact model we ordered. I'll try to remember to let you know how they work once I get them in!

I just ran this test myself for the first time and there have been some updates. The BMD zoom demand works, but only at one speed. Watch the video to see the full breakdown:

I just ran this test myself for the first time and there have been some updates. The BMD zoom demand works, but only at one speed. Watch the video to see the full breakdown:

Yeah. I have the CN-E 70-200mm and I'm based in Melbourne and pushed pretty hard for this down at BMD HQ. They say the code is different for the 'cheaper' CN-E lenses (like ours) compared to the dearer CN-E lenses like the 30-300mm (which they have).

If you put the same lens on the original micro studio cameras with Metabones speed boosters, you get full adjustable zoom speed via the ATEM software control. So I've never quite understood why the new studio cameras seem to not handle this.