X5 and Olympus 14-42 Zoom Question and Noise

[Zak]

Hello All,

I can seem to find this anywhere, so sorry if I am repeating.

I really enjoy the 14-42 lens for what I am doing. I wish I had a little more reach. I don't need it for photos/video but just for view purposes. I can pitch digitally zoom on my tablet when I am at 14mm but when I zoom to 42 I lose that feature. I also noticed the auto focus assistant will not work when zoomed in. Is there anyway around this problem?

Also sometime when I start the I1 and the gimbal cycles there is noise other times there is not. I have the latest firmware and the balanced hasn't changed. Am I wearing out the motors? I also hear the same noise if I zoom quickly fro 42 to 14. It is almost like the lens is still trying to zoom. I have to move the zoom range around until is stops. Do other people experience these problems?

Thanks for any help.

 

[Kenneth Sands]

Hello All,

I can seem to find this anywhere, so sorry if I am repeating.

I really enjoy the 14-42 lens for what I am doing. I wish I had a little more reach. I don't need it for photos/video but just for view purposes. I can pitch digitally zoom on my tablet when I am at 14mm but when I zoom to 42 I lose that feature. I also noticed the auto focus assistant will not work when zoomed in. Is there anyway around this problem?

Also sometime when I start the I1 and the gimbal cycles there is noise other times there is not. I have the latest firmware and the balanced hasn't changed. Am I wearing out the motors? I also hear the same noise if I zoom quickly fro 42 to 14. It is almost like the lens is still trying to zoom. I have to move the zoom range around until is stops. Do other people experience these problems?

Thanks for any help.

I've only recently purchased this Lens for Inspection work and I am getting exactly the same issues, the noise will only go away if I tweak the zoom slightly tighter or wider from where I actually want to be, but I can also get rid of the noise after I've selected the zoom angle by tilting the camera 90° straight down and back up!

 

[Mixchief]

question for you Oly 14-42 users, is hyperfocus an option on this lens? Since it seems to change focus as the
length is changed, will it hold infinity? can it be calibrated as normal?

 

[Zak]

I've only recently purchased this Lens for Inspection work and I am getting exactly the same issues, the noise will only go away if I tweak the zoom slightly tighter or wider from where I actually want to be, but I can also get rid of the noise after I've selected the zoom angle by tilting the camera 90° straight down and back up!

Sorry I am just now getting back to this. It is odd, most of the time I do not get the noise anymore on start up. But I still have the noise coming out of the lens like you do when zooming. It seems the motor is stuck and trying to zoom even tho I'm at 42mm. I have found if I zoom slower and also go all the way to 42mm and then back off to 41 or so and then back to 42mm the lens motor stops with the noise.

To the me (the layman) the zoom lens isn't completely compatible with the X5. So I will take what I can get.

 

[Zak]

question for you Oly 14-42 users, is hyperfocus an option on this lens? Since it seems to change focus as the
length is changed, will it hold infinity? can it be calibrated as normal?

From what I understand Oly 14-42 lens calibration only calibrates to the zoom level (mm) you are on during calibration. Many people suggest setting infinity in the middle range. But what I am finding is usually when using the lens I am taking photos at 42mm so I calibrate accordingly. I hope that helps.

 

[Mixchief]

From what I understand Oly 14-42 lens calibration only calibrates to the zoom level (mm) you are on during calibration. Many people suggest setting infinity in the middle range. But what I am finding is usually when using the lens I am taking photos at 42mm so I calibrate accordingly. I hope that helps.

That’s pretty much what I thought

 

[Mixchief]

OK, I'm not in love with the balance on this lens, though I'm using the DJI suggested ring, this past weekend I was flying in, granted, strong breeze, according to UAV Forecast winds between 18 and 25 mph, where the lens at one point starting literally bouncing very uncomfortably enough that I decided to land. What exactly are some of you that ARE happy with the balance doing? Though this lens is not perfect, I love being able to choose my focus length and the compression, I know the Oly 45mm (is it) is a much better lens, but hey it's also twice as much money as this little pancake. I am also having balance issues with the 8mm SLR Magic, to the point that I haven't flown it yet as I don't think it is good for the gimbal until I have the issue solved.

 

[sUAVe Imagery]

I just installed the same set up and found if I remove the balance ring, the noise stopped when I’m extending and retracting. I put on a clear lens cover that is very light weight and the noise appears very faint only when at 14mm setting. I’m guessing it’s a weight issue. I will be trying more test and post later.

 

[sUAVe Imagery]

I meant to add that with the original DJI lens installed there is no noise, so I’m guessing it’s not the gimbal itself, just the weight of the Olympus and balance.

 

[Mixchief]

I just installed the same set up and found if I remove the balance ring, the noise stopped when I’m extending and retracting. I put on a clear lens cover that is very light weight and the noise appears very faint only when at 14mm setting. I’m guessing it’s a weight issue. I will be trying more test and post later.

I'm not getting any noise, but with the bird shut down and lens extended the lens stands at attention and will not stay at any position moved, also during flight on windy days it bounces terribly. I assume that the balance is as variable as the focusing distance but there must be some happy medium. Also I am getting a little tired at the not so perfect clarity of the lens and although it is convenient to have the zoom capability not being able to use it smoothly when capturing video is also becoming annoying. A 45mm prime might be in my future if I decide to keep the bird.

 

[Zak]

I have found that none of the balancing rings from DJI are perfect. I agree that when you change the level of zoom the weight shifts. I found that most of the noise/vibration is coming from the zoom itself and not the gimbal. If I go from 14 to 42 the lens itself keeps the motor engaged like it is trying to go past its limit. I often have to back off to 40mm to make it stop. I still like the lens for inspection type work but I got the 45mm lens and haven't used the zoom in a while.

 

[Mixchief]

I have found that none of the balancing rings from DJI are perfect. I agree that when you change the level of zoom the weight shifts. I found that most of the noise/vibration is coming from the zoom itself and not the gimbal. If I go from 14 to 42 the lens itself keeps the motor engaged like it is trying to go past its limit. I often have to back off to 40mm to make it stop. I still like the lens for inspection type work but I got the 45mm lens and haven't used the zoom in a while.

out of curiosity, have you tried using another devise? Maybe the current devise is still sending a stuck zoom command. Mine doesn't do this, I've tested it in the house on the Inspire and also on the Osmo. Just for grins and giggles I would try with another devise if possible.

 

[sUAVe Imagery]

out of curiosity, have you tried using another devise? Maybe the current devise is still sending a stuck zoom command. Mine doesn't do this, I've tested it in the house on the Inspire and also on the Osmo. Just for grins and giggles I would try with another devise if possible.

Ok. Thanks. I’m thinking because of the close tolerance on the focus/zoom ring of the olympus when it’s mounted on the X5 causes it to get “stuck” while zooming. I saw a video of a guy who actually filed his ring to fit, but I didn’t want to do all of that. There is a small plate with 3 screws on the gimbal that I found can be removed to give a gap between the ring and gimbal surface, but I haven’t tried yet to see if it eliminates the noise.

 

[Mixchief]

Ok. Thanks. I’m thinking because of the close tolerance on the focus/zoom ring of the olympus when it’s mounted on the X5 causes it to get “stuck” while zooming. I saw a video of a guy who actually filed his ring to fit, but I didn’t want to do all of that. There is a small plate with 3 screws on the gimbal that I found can be removed to give a gap between the ring and gimbal surface, but I haven’t tried yet to see if it eliminates the noise.

That's an idea too. Fortunatelly I never ran into that issue.I have a red c hair clearence and no rubs or issues

 

[DHTV]

I realize I'm coming in late on this discussion but I really appreciate what you guys(Zak, Mixchief, sUACVeImagery) have posted. I'm using the Olympus 14-42 on an I1Pro, and I have experienced everything you're discussed - zoom noise, tight fit, balance, focus etc. I'm using this set up for film & video work. This past week I was flying in Utah with my subject standing on a dam, zoomed in to 42 mm but with some pretty strong winds. the Inspire was getting bucked around so much I had a hard time keeping her in frame for a big pull out shot. Have any of you experimented with flight settings that provided better stability in wind or otherwise?

 

[axelz]

You’ll find it hard to get steady video at far end of any lens around this focal length, I have the 25mm and find that a good compromise and much better quality though would need to be closer.

 

[Mixchief]

You’ll find it hard to get steady video at far end of any lens around this focal length, I have the 25mm and find that a good compromise and much better quality though would need to be closer.

MY 14-42 was perfectly steady until the last firmware update, for some reason after that it didn't balance right and now it is just impossible to get it to not jump specially in high wings, well not even I'm talking 15 mph, and gusts make it jumpy, very annoying, when before it would look straight ahead when turned off it now falls back. One thing that was fixed was the retracting of the lens upn shutdown of the a/c

 

[DHTV]

Mixchief. Thanks for the follow up. Do you have an I2 or another aircraft that you use the lens with. I'm just wondering if there is something more stable or if I just need to lower my expectations to shots with the I1 in calmer wind conditions.
thanks.

 

[Mixchief]

I fly an I1, I don't think you should have a problem in calm air, but in any kind of wind over 10 mph if you are doing stills with any amount of time exposure you want to make sure you are facing away from the wind, the Inspire has so much flat surface on the sides it will get pushed and the lens specially if it has a hood will likely bounce around a bit with head wind, I know this limits what one can do, but once you introduce any kind of balance anomaly the gimbal becomes unstable.I will be messing with the balance on the 14-42 by adding another balance ring and drilling holes in it until I achieve the desired balance, I know I'll be making a lot of holes LOL. In all reality for the 45mm focus length you might want to get the 45mm prime which will work not only for stills but also moving pictures and is much clearer and overall better lens than the zoom, the zoom is convenient but really suffers in terms of clarity.

 

[DHTV]

This is really helpful. I hadn't thought of the head idea. I really like the idea of the 45mm prime. If I'm up flying with the zoom the only reason I'm using it is to work in 42mm so I can get that compressed look on the subject/background. we do pretty much only video here. Do you have the 45mm(Olympus?) and is it any more stable?