Donzo98 wrote:
I was talking to a friend recently about this issue... the lens has INTERNAL creep, and slips back to 100mm.
He was quite annoyed, as I would be.
Have any of you noticed this issue? I'm somewhat interested in the lens... but not if it has this issue.
Zoom creep on a non internal zoom is annoying, but internal seems even worse.
There is a discussion of this issue in the regular 100-400 f/4.5 GM thread. People have noticed it, but most seem to report tightening the zoom tightness ring when moved to the tight setting prevents it. It of course remains to be seen if the issue is a bigger problem as the lens ages. I don't have the lens and don't plan to get it, so I have no experience to add and what I am reporting here is just second hand information. For the full discussion see the other thread.
Steve Spencer wrote:
There is a discussion of this issue in the regular 100-400 f/4.5 GM thread. People have noticed it, but most seem to report tightening the zoom tightness ring when moved to the tight setting prevents it. It of course remains to be seen if the issue is a bigger problem as the lens ages. I don't have the lens and don't plan to get it, so I have no experience to add and what I am reporting here is just second hand information. For the full discussion see the other thread.
Yes, it does, and fairly quickly unless you tighten it. Personally, it's a non-issue to me; I realize it's going to happen and automatically give the ring a quick turn when I bring it up to my eye.
GraysonLake1987 wrote:
Sony intentionally designed that way and it's really annoying. The zoom ring will move by itself whenever you aim high or low.
A design flaw.
After using mine a couple weeks, this is not an issue and does not warrant this kind of statement. I personally like that it has a delicate touch to zoom when in the smooth setting where two fingers can zoom it out or back very quickly. I find that I end up with the tripod foot in my palm and use finger tips to zoom back and forth. A very light touch on the zoom ring as I follow something eliminates zoom creep. If you need it to not creep pointing up or down with no hand on the zoom ring, switch to the tight setting and it does not move. The tight setting is only marginally stiffer to turn than with it in the smooth setting. I really don't understand all the drama about this and going as far as calling it a design flaw. If they made it so that it would not creep at all in any setting people would be complaining about how stiff the zoom action was. This is not a real issue.
I have found two reports from people who have a copy that doesn't creep when pointed down on the Smooth setting.
But the majority of people, including all the early reviews noted that it would creep to 100mm on Smooth. Also Steve Perry noted it changes balance on a gimbal when zoomed.
My copy does the creep on Smooth. On Tight it doesn't creep.
I've gotten used to it and always have the habit of applying clockwise force to the zoom ring when handholding it. This is something I've learned to do in the past with lenses like 200-600 which doesn't creep but does have a very smooth/loose zoom ring that can easily leave you a bit off of 600mm.
Most of the time I leave it on Tight because it is still easy to zoom it on Tight. It is not like the old 100-400GM that was almost impossible to zoom on the tightest setting. I put it to Loose when wanting to zoom during BIF sequences.
There is no doubt I'd prefer a lens that didn't creep but not if it made both my Loose and Tight settings tighter than they currently are. I'd actually prefer the Loose to be a bit looser as it isn't as smooth as the 200-600. Still it is totally fine in the field.
CPWarner wrote:
After using mine a couple weeks, this is not an issue and does not warrant this kind of statement. I personally like that it has a delicate touch to zoom when in the smooth setting where two fingers can zoom it out or back very quickly. I find that I end up with the tripod foot in my palm and use finger tips to zoom back and forth. A very light touch on the zoom ring as I follow something eliminates zoom creep. If you need it to not creep pointing up or down with no hand on the zoom ring, switch to the tight setting and it does not move. The tight setting is only marginally stiffer to turn than with it in the smooth setting. I really don't understand all the drama about this and going as far as calling it a design flaw. If they made it so that it would not creep at all in any setting people would be complaining about how stiff the zoom action was. This is not a real issue. ...Show more →
I have kind of a “both sides” response to this, having used some lenses that suffer from “zoom creep.”
I agree that the lighter touch is a plus, though if I had to choose between that and a slightly less light touch and no zoom creep, I’d prefer the latter. (I suppose that the option to use the stiffer setting in cases where it may be an issue is one solution.)
Zoom creep can be a frustrating problem in some real world situations. With one of my older, non-Sony lenses that had the issue, I didn’t notice it in normal shooting… but putting the camera/lens on the tripod and aiming it down could be extremely frustrating, as I’d have to hold the zoom ring on the tripod-mounted lens, which kind of defeats the purpose of the tripod!
I’m the other hand, I’m still going to be interested to see if this is an issue that affects a few early-release copies and is then fixed in later batches. ADDED: To be clear, my question is whether it might be a manufacturing flaw, not necessarily a design flaw.
I will repeat. Set it to tight and there is no zoom creep. Gone, never happen. Point the lens down while using a tripod and it does not creep. Much to do about nothing.
CPWarner wrote:
I will repeat. Set it to tight and there is no zoom creep. Gone, never happen. Point the lens down while using a tripod and it does not creep. Much to do about nothing.
I’m not saying it’s a huge issue… but I don’t think that’s a normal characteristic of an internal zoom.
Donzo98 wrote:
I’m not saying it’s a huge issue… but I don’t think that’s a normal characteristic of an internal zoom.
The lenses you were comparing to in the previous note were the 70-200 and 50-150. The size of the lens elements in those are in a different scale from this lens. All zooms have to move groups of elements. Regardless of whether they are internal vs external, there is typically a series of helical pin in slot mechanisms to move the groups. Depending on the angle of those helixes, the weight of the elements and hardware can overcome the friction in the slot. There is no reason that this can not happen in internal or external zooming lenses. External zooms are typically worse because you have additional mass of the tubes and hardware for the part that extends.
As I have said, there is no zoom creep in tight. If Sony had just made that setting, there would be no conversation. What they did was make a super light effort to allow very fast easy racking. Yes that has consequences. They provided a solution. What has everyone up in arms about this who does not own or have tried it, is that the tight setting sounds bad. Probably based on the old 100-400. It is very different. This is not a design flaw or anywhere near the level of issue people are making it out to be.
CPWarner wrote:
The lenses you were comparing to in the previous note were the 70-200 and 50-150. The size of the lens elements in those are in a different scale from this lens. All zooms have to move groups of elements. Regardless of whether they are internal vs external, there is typically a series of helical pin in slot mechanisms to move the groups. Depending on the angle of those helixes, the weight of the elements and hardware can overcome the friction in the slot. There is no reason that this can not happen in internal or external zooming lenses. External zooms are typically worse because you have additional mass of the tubes and hardware for the part that extends.
As I have said, there is no zoom creep in tight. If Sony had just made that setting, there would be no conversation. What they did was make a super light effort to allow very fast easy racking. Yes that has consequences. They provided a solution. What has everyone up in arms about this who does not own or have tried it, is that the tight setting sounds bad. Probably based on the old 100-400. It is very different. This is not a design flaw or anywhere near the level of issue people are making it out to be. ...Show more →
I might agree with you if the manual or Sony documentation said something like: "The zoom may 'creep' to a different focal length if you use the looser setting. Use the normal setting if this occurs."
I don't know how big of a deal it is, but I'm less certain that you that it is an intentional design feature.
My plan in using this lens has always been to frame at 100mm and zoom in from there. To me the creep is a feature, it resets to 100mm automatically . It's a non issue for me so far but I guess if one is looking for a reason to dislike this lens the creep is as good as any.
gdanmitchell wrote:
I might agree with you if the manual or Sony documentation said something like: "The zoom may 'creep' to a different focal length if you use the looser setting. Use the normal setting if this occurs."
I don't know how big of a deal it is, but I'm less certain that you that it is an intentional design feature.
I'm sure we'll find out as time goes on.
As the saying goes, it's not a bug, it's a feature. I wonder how many people would read the manual to find that info if it was there. Personally, I'll settle for quick zooming and creep, versus tighter. I wonder if Sony will comment on it if enough people make a mountain out of this mole hill?
The tight setting is essentially what I would expect the “normal” resistance to be for a lens with this much glass.
If Tight was the only setting, I’d have no issue getting shots. The Snooth setting just makes it more fun to shoot and handle.
My hands are relatively large, and the switch being aligned with my focus recall buttons is convenient and allows for a pleasant workflow in the field.
Several reports indicate that early and pre-production models have zoom creep WHILE a newer version does NOT on both smooth and tight mode. It seems Sony fixed this issue for latter version as several people reported this on Facebook.
I guess it was a lens issue and I was right all along.
I find the tight to be a little too tight for easy turning. The creep is irritating, but I may end up leaving it on smooth and hopefully learn to deal with it.
Several reports indicate that early and pre-production models have zoom creep WHILE a newer version does NOT on both smooth and tight mode. It seems Sony fixed this issue for latter version as several people reported this on Facebook.
I guess it was a lens issue and I was right all along.
. It's a non issue for me so far but I guess if one is looking for a reason to dislike this lens the creep is as good as any.