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, itssetting 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.
178Using ATEM Camera Control Panel