Can a Nikon DSLR control lens zoom while tethered, and is there an automatic zoom-to-fit option?

Question

I use Nikon DSLRs for tethered shooting and would like to know whether lens zoom can be controlled remotely from the computer. On most DSLR lenses, zoom seems to be adjusted manually with the zoom ring, although I’ve seen DIY setups that use an external motor and belt around the lens.

Are there any off-the-shelf solutions for remote zoom control on DSLR lenses?

Also, for photographing static objects of different sizes, is there any automatic “zoom to fit” feature that adjusts focal length so the subject fills the frame appropriately?

user21 · Accepted Answer

There are a couple of factors that come into play here:

Regarding "off the shelf options", I'd be surprised if there were any, as different lenses have differing dimensions, so you would need a different controller per lens. The other option would be for SLR lens to incorporate motors for zooming, but I'm not aware of any manufacturer with this feature at present.

Zoom to fit would require that the camera communicates with the zoom controller (admittedly, relatively straightforward, although there is currently no such connection point), but more importantly, the camera would need to decide whether it had recomposed to include the complete object; a task that with today's technologies, would only be possible with simple scenes with plain backgrounds - whilst composition seems like a simple task, computer science isn't able to offer that level of decision making just yet.

Can a Nikon DSLR control lens zoom while tethered, and is there an automatic zoom-to-fit option?

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