The VariZoom Lanc controller looks good, especially with
the power switch, MF control, small size and nice design,
and long cable - though it doesn't permit selectable fixed
zoom rates and its price is only temporarily $199 ($299
later...). The Canon, at $180, or the Sony Lanc controllers
at $75, may still be the better buys - though this is an
interesting alternative...

On Sat, 01 Dec 2001 03:47:32 GMT, "WM" wrote:
>
>Here is a user report on by the XL1 Watchdog on the new zoom control by
>VariZoom that is in the $199. price range.
>http://www.dvinfo.net/stealth.htm

>> >In article <3c05fe45.1461792@newsstand.cit.cornell.edu>,
>> >d_ruether@hotmail.com wrote:
>>
>> OK, ya got m' curiosity up, so I just went down and
>> checked the Canon and Sony (RM-95) Lanc controllers.
>> The Sony RM-95 has a rocker, fixed-speed, a count of
>> "11" to go from wide to tele extremes with the VX2000
>> (my "count" is a tad slower than seconds - just checked
>> that, too, so use the count as relative...). The other
>> Sony controllers I have (pistol grip, and ones off
>> cheap Sony tripods) all have variable-speed rockers.
>> The Canon also has a rocker for variable-speed zooming,
>> and "mashed", it zooms in a count of "2+". At a fixed
>> speed of "1", the count is "16", for the others,
>> "2" = 13, "3" = "9", "4" = "6+", "5" = "5". BTW, the
>> Cannon cannot restart the camera if it goes into standby
>> in camera-record mode (it can only start/stop recording);
>> the Sony remotes can power up/down the camera, and restart
>> it from standby, and the RM-95 can also switch between
>> AF/MF, and control manual focus. The RM-95 is small,
>> flat, and rectangular (like a small wireless remote, but
>> with a cord, and an LCD window showing timecode); the
>> pistol grip looks like just that; the tripod remotes
>> off the tripod grip are compact, are "small-banana"
>> shaped, and show a light when the camera is active.
>> The Sony RM-95 is about $75; the Sony grip is no longer
>> available; the cheap Sony tripods with controlers are
>> about $75; the Canon Lanc controller is about $180...