User's Manual
Relative Control and Absolute Control
The camera control panel has two control modes that determine how the panel maintains
synchronization between the physical controls and their settings. The two control modes are
relative control and absolute control.
Pressing the ‘ON’ button repeatedly will cycle between relative and absolute control modes
Relative Control
In relative control mode, when a setting is adjusted externally and becomes out of sync
with the original controller, the next time a change is made to the original controller, its
setting will gradually return to sync as the new adjustment is performed.
For example, if the camera’s iris is set to f2.8 on the camera control panel and then set
to f5.6 using ATEM Software Control, the joystick will still be physically placed at f2.8,
but the setting is now f5.6. In relative mode, when you then adjust the joystick to
decrease the gain level, the setting will continue from f5.6 and gently return to sync
with the controller as you make changes. The process is almost invisible and it’s likely
you won’t even notice.
Absolute Control
In absolute control mode, the settings are always synchronized to their
corresponding controls.
NOTE When the panel is in absolute control mode, it’s worth keeping in mind
that if a control’s setting is changed using ATEM Software Control or a different
CCU, the next adjustment on the original controller will result in an initially
harsh settings change as it snaps back to its originally set position.
For example, if the joystick has set the iris to f2.8 on the camera control panel
and then the setting is changed to f5.6 using ATEM Software Control, the next
time you adjust the gain level using the joystick, the gain level will immediately
snap to f2.8 and begin adjusting from there. That is because the joystick is still
positioned at f2.8 on the camera control panel.
For this reason, it’s important to decide before going to air which control mode
you want to use when controlling your cameras so you can be sure there is no
risk of unintended changes when live to air.
207Using ATEM Camera Control Panel