VARIZOOM VZ-MC50 Operating Instructions Manual

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VariZoom VZ-MC50

Remote Pan/Tilt Head Operating Instructions

PLEASE READ THOROUGHLY BEFORE STARTING

SAFETY PRECAUTIONS: *Keep fingers and loose clothing away from gears and moving

parts. *Always unplug VZ-MC50 Pan and Tilt Head when not in use. *Mount only on stable

surfaces.

***TURN OFF YOUR CAMERA’S OPTICAL IMAGE STABILIZER (OIS) WHILE IT IS MOUNTED

TO THE PAN/TILT HEAD. OIS DOES NOT REACT WELL TO PAN/TILT SYSTEMS.***

SETTING UP YOUR NEW PAN AND TILT HEAD –

Fasten the base plate of the VZ-MC50 head securely to jib or tripod mount. The base is designed to mount on a flat
surface or 100mm bowl, so an adapter may be necessary for other sizes (consult jib or tripod maker). Optional 100mm
ball mount is also available.

MOTOR ATTACHMENT

There are two motors included, one for Panning left/right (to place at
the base of the MC50), and one for Tilting up/down (to place at the
top).

The motors are easily attached by a.) connecting the male stereo plug from the motor to the female plug on MC50 head
and b.) loosening the clamp lever and sliding the clamp onto the stainless steel post adjacent to the large black arm
gears.

For initial setup, leave the motors disengaged (the small brass motor gears should be pulled away from the large black
gears).

HORIZONTAL CAMERA BALANCING

Securely attach the camera to the mounting plate with bolt and washer.
After tightening the bolt, slightly loosen it again so that the camera may
slide forward and backward on the mounting plate.

Move the camera forward or backward so that gravity allows it to rest
on the plate without tilting up or down, balancing the camera
horizontally. The tilt arm that holds the adjustable mounting plate
should be exactly parallel to the main arm (straight up).

Now you can thoroughly tighten the camera mounting bolt(s) so that the
camera doesn’t slide when tilting (you may want to use multiple bolts for
large cameras with tripod mounting plates). CAMERA MUST BE

PROPERLY BALANCED FOR OPERATION.

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VERTICAL CAMERA BALANCING

With the camera horizontally balanced, rotate the tilt arm so the camera is exactly
vertical. Be sure to keep the gears disengaged so the arm can move freely. If
the camera stays vertical, it may be nearly balanced, but if it swings up or down,
you need to adjust the position of the camera platform

With the camera still vertical, slightly loosen the thumbscrews and you will be able
to slide the camera platform to center the camera’s mass on the tilt axis / center
of rotation.

If the tilt arm swings down, slide the mounting plate upward / closer to the center
of rotation; if the tilt arm swings up, slide the mounting plate downward / away
from the center of rotation. Adjust until the camera stays perfectly vertical (see
picture right). Tighten the thumbscrews.

NOW TILT THE CAMERA AT VARIOUS ANGLES ALL THE WAY AROUND – IT SHOULD HOLD ANY POSITION IF
PROPERLY BALANCED.

YOU MAY NEED TO TWEAK THE HORIZONTAL AND VERTICAL POSITIONS TO GET IT EXACTLY RIGHT.
A PROPERLY BALANCED CAMERA WILL HOLD ANY TILT ANGLE