The GetDPI Photography Forum

Great to see you here. Join our insightful photographic forum today and start tapping into a huge wealth of photographic knowledge. Completing our simple registration process will allow you to gain access to exclusive content, add your own topics and posts, share your work and connect with other members through your own private inbox! And don’t forget to say hi!

Phase One XF Feature Update #3

Transposure

New member
Very impressed!

As a Profoto user I am extremely impressed. Couldn't ask for more there. Wow! I see it works with my 8A and D1's. I do wonder if the expanded adjustability works with my workhorse B4's and my D4 Air though. Anyone know?

Electronic shutter for the newest back... Wow!

Flash analysis?!!! Omg! Unheard of! That is amazing.

Rear curtain sync...awesome!

Customized menus..Awesome again!

Go Phase! Go!
 

tjv

Active member
Is the electronic shutter full 16bit? Any shutter speed?
By newest back, do you mean the 100mpx sensor IQ3 only?

Sounds like a great set of updates.
 

dougpeterson

Workshop Member
Looks like this went up early
Indeed it looks like the nice gents at CI mistranslated the time zones for the embargo. I think we've all done that at some point!

I'll be back in an hour with answers to all the above questions and more detailed blog articles.
 

dougpeterson

Workshop Member
Short summary of features in Feature Update 3:

Flash Related
- Profoto Air Manual Control
- Profoto AirTTL
- Flash Duration Analysis
- Rear Curtain Sync (with custom trim)

Shutter/Capture Related
- Electronic Flash (IQ3 100mp only)
- Control of Darkframe Behavior
- Bulb and Time mode

Customization Related
- Save/Load Custom Setups to CF Card
- Icon Control (Show/Hide/Swap)
- Assign Hyperfocal to a hard button

Is the electronic shutter full 16bit? Any shutter speed?
By newest back, do you mean the 100mpx sensor IQ3 only?

Sounds like a great set of updates.
Answered on the dedicated Electronic Shutter thread.
 

dougpeterson

Workshop Member
As a Profoto user I am extremely impressed. Couldn't ask for more there. Wow! I see it works with my 8A and D1's. I do wonder if the expanded adjustability works with my workhorse B4's and my D4 Air though. Anyone know?
Any Profoto pack that was delivered with built in Air or Air TTL capability is compatible with the manual control and triggering.

Any Profoto pack that was delivered with built in Air TTL capability is compatible with the TTL on the XF.
 
I was really hoping to having a relaxing holiday! Super stroked with the firmware update and new v-grip. The full Profoto air remote in the xf body is a slam dunk. And congrats to Phase One for the electronic shutter in the IQ1 300.

More tools to help you create even better images. After awhile it's not going to be an option to blame the camera:ROTFL:
 

GrahamWelland

Subscriber & Workshop Member
More tools to help you create even better images. After awhile it's not going to be an option to blame the camera:ROTFL:
Hmm, I lost the ability to use that argument a LONG time ago :ROTFL:

Excellent set of super useful updates. I guess phase one finally got sick of hearing about user selectable dark frames! Even the little things like named settings are going to make life a lot easier for those of us with no short term memory. C1, C2 etc never really worked for me.
 

Craig Stocks

Well-known member
The video and information seems to imply that features like rear current synch and flash analysis are only available when using the built in Profoto trigger. I'm hoping at least rear current synch is available with any triggering mechanism (such as Pocket Wizard in the hot shoe).
 

vjbelle

Well-known member
Very, very cool!! In one Swoop I have gotten rid of threaded shutter releases and sync cords. I feel like a liberated kid!!

Victor
 

dougpeterson

Workshop Member
The video and information seems to imply that features like rear current synch and flash analysis are only available when using the built in Profoto trigger. I'm hoping at least rear current synch is available with any triggering mechanism (such as Pocket Wizard in the hot shoe).
As noted in our Feature Update 3 article in the "What if you don't use Profoto?", the rear curtain sync definitely works with any form of triggering. I'll check on the flash analysis...
 

dougpeterson

Workshop Member
So is this a manual, built-in, version of Elinchrom's Hi-Sync or Broncolor's new HS?
From what I understand of the Broncolor HS it is a pseudo-sync work around that actually SLOWS the duration of the flash down so that it can stay on the entire time the slow focal plane shutter of a SLR is moving across the frame, and then times that slow flash so that it's at a reasonably stable power output during that period (e.g. it's not still ramping up while the shutter is open). Such psuedo syncs are designed to work around the hard physical constraint of syncing at high speeds with focal plane shutters. This is very different than what the XF is doing in Feature Update 3.

In contrast, the XF Rear Curtain Flash Sync with custom offset does not involve massive loss of effective power and does not have a jello-effect on fast action like pseudo syncs. Instead it uses the native flash speed of a leaf shutter lens and enhances control of when during that sync period the flash should fire, allowing the user to clip the tail or insure the tail is not clipped, depending on the goal. It also provides a visual tool (the Flash Analysis Tool) to take the guess work and numerical-hacking feel away from the process.
 

DrakeJ

New member
From what I understand of the Broncolor HS it is a pseudo-sync work around that actually SLOWS the duration of the flash down so that it can stay on the entire time the slow focal plane shutter of a SLR is moving across the frame, and then times that slow flash so that it's at a reasonably stable power output during that period (e.g. it's not still ramping up while the shutter is open). Such psuedo syncs are designed to work around the hard physical constraint of syncing at high speeds with focal plane shutters. This is very different than what the XF is doing in Feature Update 3.

In contrast, the XF Rear Curtain Flash Sync with custom offset does not involve massive loss of effective power and does not have a jello-effect on fast action like pseudo syncs. Instead it uses the native flash speed of a leaf shutter lens and enhances control of when during that sync period the flash should fire, allowing the user to clip the tail or insure the tail is not clipped, depending on the goal. It also provides a visual tool (the Flash Analysis Tool) to take the guess work and numerical-hacking feel away from the process.
That might be true for Broncolor's technology, but as I understand it it is utilised the same way Elinchrom's Hi-Sync is used. For sure it's more effective with slower flash durations, but remember that flash durations are rather slow when you get near max power. That's why the technology works with their ordinary heads as well.
 

Craig Stocks

Well-known member
I just installed the new FW and starting playing with it. The big surprise... the XF now synchs with my Alien Bee strobes at 1/1600th using my old Pocket Wizard Plus II transceivers. (I have the XF set to rear curtain synch.)

I believe the synch speed is something new. PWs used to top out at 1/500th unless you were using one of the newer setups in "fast" mode.

I also confirmed that the flash power graph seems to work with non-Profoto flashes. Now I just need to learn how to use the graph and flash trim.
 
Top