Rotation direction? Does it matter to you?

I just saw the topic of zoom rotation-direction in another thread. I've seen it before and always wondered: Why does it matter? If it goes the wrong direction, simply reverse directions. It's not like there are 17 different directions to rotate-zoom a lens.

I use Tamron, Sigma, Tokina and Canon lenses. Honestly, I have no idea which way they turn. I just grab and turn. If I go the wrong way, there is only one other choice, and it is ALWAYS right!

I am just curious if this is an issue for a lot of people.

Its not a deal breaker, but its nice if they all match so there is one less thing to think about.

I guess that is my point. It is so simple that you don't NEED to think about it. Left or right. I have never given it a thought that my lenses may (or may not, I don't know) rotate in opposite directions.

I just checked. Canon & Sigma - same direction. Tamron is opposite from the others. Don't have a Tokina right now.

Imagine you are a sports or wildlife shooter and you need a quick capture. It would be frustrating as hell to try to zoom quickly and go the wrong direction and miss a shot.

Heya,

I use lenses that have lives over 30+ years. Some rotate left. Some rotate right.

It makes no difference to me.

Besides, on the few zooms that I do use, they're either at one end or the other and rarely inbetween. So again, makes no difference to me (example: 150mm - 600mm).

Very best,

It's only really annoying if you are going back and forth frequently during a photo-shoot between lenses that don't zoom the same direction. Then you start always zooming the wrong way first. If you use one lens for an hour and then switch to another for an hour, the 2 times at the start of each hour you zoom backwards is no big deal.

gonzogolf wrote in post #16918000
Imagine you are a sports or wildlife shooter and you need a quick capture. It would be frustrating as hell to try to zoom quickly and go the wrong direction and miss a shot.

I get that. Been there, done that. Which is one reason I really like my 100-400L. In-and-out makes a lot more sense than twisting to zoom.

My point is that it takes about 0.05 (guess) seconds to realize you've gone the wrong way. Does this process confuse sports/wildlife shooter to the point that they can't figure out what to do after it goes the wrong way? There really is only one other direction; if you are not paralyzed into inactivity, just TURN IT THE OTHER WAY!

My guess it that this does not bother most people. Especially people who regularly shoot lenses that turn in opposite directions.

tkbslc wrote in post #16918022
It's only really annoying if you are going back and forth frequently during a photo-shoot between lenses that don't zoom the same direction. Then you start always zooming the wrong way first. If you use one lens for an hour and then switch to another for an hour, the 2 times at the start of each hour you zoom backwards is no big deal.

That makes perfect sense. If I were shooting two zooms on two different bodies, at the same time, perhaps directionality would be huge.

CollegeKid wrote in post #16918029
I get that. Been there, done that. Which is one reason I really like my 100-400L. In-and-out makes a lot more sense than twisting to zoom.

What if you had to switch to another lens and that lens was also in-and-out but it was backwards?

CollegeKid wrote in post #16917993
I just checked. Canon & Sigma - same direction. Tamron is opposite from the others. Don't have a Tokina right now.

Sigma is a mixed bag. They go both ways depending on the lens. I don't really care so much about zoom direction, but I hate the focus ring being opposite. When doing video by manual focus, I want the same focus direction on all of my lenses because I will constantly mess it up if they aren't.

I may consider the Sigma 18-35 since there is nothing to compare it to. The Tamron 150-600 is a consideration but I wouldn't use it for video for my needs. The 24-70VC and 70-200VC I would not buy based on ring rotation.

SoCalTiger wrote in post #16918051
What if you had to switch to another lens and that lens was also in-and-out but it was backwards?

Well, that would be weird! At least pushing the lens closer to zoom closer and pulling it back to pull back makes sense. Only engineers would design a lens like that. Marketing would set them straight!

When I had only 2-3 lenses they all turned the same direction. My first lens that did not was indeed frustrating. Now, I have so many it just does not matter. One can get used to it. Gene

It matters to me that all of the lenses I own turn in a single direction. Beyond that, I can adapt to whichever direction pretty easily so long as all of the lenses I have are the same.

Use only primes. Problem solved.

Bill Ng wrote in post #16918445
Use only primes. Problem solved.

If half-a-second lots turning the wrong way and recover is the problem, then primes aren't the solution. And it would be quite boring if people only used primes when recording movies. And always shooting wider primes and do all zoom digitally isn't so fun either.

If specific people have specific issues with zoom rings using different directions, then there aren't any reason to just try to ignore their view.