How does Canon's new approach to power zoom work for photographers?

When you use DPReview links to buy products, the site may earn a commission. The key to the Canon RF 20-50mm F4 L IS USM PZ for photographers is the switch to go between power and manual zoom mode. Alongside the EOS R6 V, Canon introduced the 20-50mm F4 L IS USM PZ. Like most power-zoom lenses, it's clearly mainly focused at video users who have access to a zoom toggle at their fingertips. But Canon made the unusual decision to take a hybrid approach; with the flick of a switch, you can control the zoom in the traditional manner by rotating a ring on the lens barrel between two fixed points. We're in the process of testing the EOS R6 V, but thought it'd be worth taking the lens out to shoot a few photos, too, to see if it also makes a decent photo lens on a camera without that zoom lever. To answer the most obvious question first: no, the manual zoom mode isn't mechanical. The lens's focal length is still controlled by the power zoom motors, and there is an ever-so-slight delay