Smooth Zoom for Video Production with Canon 80D
I bought about 8 Canon lenses to test with the Canon 80D for VIDEO production. I tried various lengths (15 mm, 70 mm, 300 mm), etc. I tried STM, USM, non STM, non USM, etc.
I found out that lenses made several years ago (can't remember exact year) do not move as smoothly with Auto Focus. I believe this may be because DSLR cameras were not intended for motion filming (video production) at the time. Now that many are using the DSLR cameras for film making and music video production, Canon probably realized they needed to give an option for video film producers. They probably left is as an option so that the still photography people would not have to pay for an unnecessary gadget.
So the Canon lenses I tried ranged from $70 - $350 used. The Auto Focus on most of them were jerky and noisy. Way too jerky for video production.
This Power Zoom Adapter is for the zoom (of course - and not for the Auto Focus). But I mention the above background information to say that this Power Zoom combined with the required EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM lens are PERFECT for video production.
The zoom motor on the PZ-E1 works extremely well when moving the respective lens. The mating between the two devices is robust and solid. The Auto Focus on the EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM lens is smooth, quiet, and fast. Canon must have really engineering this pair to enable DSLRs to become like video cameras.
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