faberryman
Member
Are you expecting a check or a free cable?
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Phase One IQ4 Firmware Update Feature Wish List
- Thread starter onasj
- Start date
Nutcracker
New member
In my experience since I first purchased PhaseOne at a PODAS in 2011 (Ireland), the sevice from PhaseOne has been outstanding.
There was a problem with a shutter on my first 80mm lens whcih was replaced quickly, and every query I have ever had since then has been very rapidly sorted.
PhaseOne in my experience has been topclass in every respect, and that is the service I continue to expect of them.
Bravo Phase.
Sean
The heck with that ask for an extra XQD card.
I use a Silex, as I need high shutter speed, to freeze pedestrians in front of the buildings I photograph on my tech cam. Can't use ES. Can't use XF.
Where's my solution, Doug? I had a working setup with IQ3, for *years*. Right now, afaik, there is nothing... except stepping back to IQ100.
And no, this is not Alpa's fault, as Phase have not released the pin specs to other manufacturers, as yet.
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The solution if you want to use the ES as Doug pointed out,
1. use the Bob, cost is 400.00 12pin to 12 pin
2. XF cabled remote, cost is around 99.00. It came out 2 years or so ago, by hahnel, sold by P1 dealers.
Why P1 did not include the cheaper release in the deal, not sure, but would have been a good idea since they moved to the 12 pin for everything.
Paul C
1. use the Bob, cost is 400.00 12pin to 12 pin
2. XF cabled remote, cost is around 99.00. It came out 2 years or so ago, by hahnel, sold by P1 dealers.
Why P1 did not include the cheaper release in the deal, not sure, but would have been a good idea since they moved to the 12 pin for everything.
Paul C
dougpeterson
Workshop Member
DT (my company) does not sell Alpa. The workaround DT has developed in house works (today) on Cambo and Arca cameras, but we do not sell Alpa so I cannot confirm whether it works with an Alpa Silex.
I'd suggest raising the unhappiness with your dealer. It's literally their job to make sure you're happy. Over the years we (DT) have undertaken any number of creative solutions to make sure our clients are happy, and I assume your dealer shares this philosophy.
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Quite agree.
When you realize that this Hahnel release is 25Euros in Europe, (inflated to $99 for Phase here in USA) then clearly Phase could/should have included one, especially considering the IQ4 firmware is basically still Beta.
It would have cost them ~$10 each in bulk, and solved a lot of problems for their loyal customers.
dougpeterson
Workshop Member
Again, speak to your dealer.
You’re still talking about P1 as if they are like Canon or whatever, sold through big box stores. They are not. Your dealer is the one responsible for identifying things like this. In my, heavily biased, opinion, that makes all the sense in the world since your dealer knows that you’re on a tech camera and should have checked in with you before delivery with up to date capabilities, up to date limitations, known workarounds. If the back (with firmware 1.0) wasn’t suited to your needs they can defer your delivery a few spots and try again later. If a release cable was needed for what you do, the dealer could identify that.
P1 doesn’t even know your name (nor would e.g. Canon) unless you optionally register your serial number (which is not required for warranty coverage). Your dealer should know everything about you and the way you shoot; if you’re not a private person they should know your pet’s name!
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Doug,
My dealer is well aware of my frustration. I got one of the very first batch released, so just how 'Beta' the firmware was, and the missing essential pieces for tech cams, was yet to be clear. It is now, and that is why forums like this are useful to let people know of such issues. As some here have posted, they are holding off accepting delivery till correct adapters, cords, and updated firmware, are ready.
Right now there is no workaround for me. I'm having to use the XF, a camera I dislike, and that that does not do what I need, or step back to an IQ100, which is sad. My circumstances are unusual, where I use a tech cam Focal Plane Shutter unit (Silex/FPS) as ES does not work for subject movement with its rolling shutter. For most tech cam people ES is the preferred (and best) route, so all's good for them.
Fwiw, I think Phase need to make a simple new to old pin adapter, and pronto, then people can at least get working with what worked before, rather than sit around waiting for 3rd party manufacturers to be given the specs and commission their cords/connectors. That could be months. My dealer agrees and is requesting this.
Thanks for your help here. Your and Steve's contribution is appreciated.
My dealer is well aware of my frustration. I got one of the very first batch released, so just how 'Beta' the firmware was, and the missing essential pieces for tech cams, was yet to be clear. It is now, and that is why forums like this are useful to let people know of such issues. As some here have posted, they are holding off accepting delivery till correct adapters, cords, and updated firmware, are ready.
Right now there is no workaround for me. I'm having to use the XF, a camera I dislike, and that that does not do what I need, or step back to an IQ100, which is sad. My circumstances are unusual, where I use a tech cam Focal Plane Shutter unit (Silex/FPS) as ES does not work for subject movement with its rolling shutter. For most tech cam people ES is the preferred (and best) route, so all's good for them.
Fwiw, I think Phase need to make a simple new to old pin adapter, and pronto, then people can at least get working with what worked before, rather than sit around waiting for 3rd party manufacturers to be given the specs and commission their cords/connectors. That could be months. My dealer agrees and is requesting this.
Thanks for your help here. Your and Steve's contribution is appreciated.
dougpeterson
Workshop Member
Is there a use-case you can think of where this would be preferable to a direct cable other than Alpa?
For Cambo/Arca/eShutter a direct cable would seem strongly preferable to an adapter. Every point of connection is a potential failure point and every required component is one that can be forgotten-to-be-packed.
Pemihan
Well-known member
Not if you tape them together with gaffers tape :grin: My preferred color is red.
Of course it's not preferable, it's what would work *now*, rather than wait for Phase to make its mind up what the new pin layout does, what the trigger timings and voltages, are, etc. And then... wait again for Arca/Alpa/Cambo/Kapture Group to manufacture said cable.
i.e. We own those older pin cables already so can get working NOW. Phase switched it about, and haven't released the spec in good time. They should rush release some interim adapter to cover the gap, which is 100% their making.
Which is most unfortunate, P1 should know more about their owners IMO. They might have caught a few if not all of these shortcomings? The disconnect between P1 and all but a very few selected photographers is a huge missed opportunity. P1's number of owners has to be dwarfed by Fuji, Nikon or Canon, all of which offer a Professional services organization. I realize that Canon and Nikon don't rely on dealers 100% as P1 does (days of P1 direct sales are over but I still remember them). Still would be nice to see better communications between manufacturer and photographer, at least for me. No company is too big or small to listen and possible learn.
Paul C ]
dougpeterson
Workshop Member
I think you're misinterpreting the situation. P1 knew that in changing the port they would need a new cable; they just didn't get it done in time. They know they need a self-timer on the ES screen; they just didn't get it done in time. etc etc. They could have withheld shipping any units until they were done, but there are plenty of users for whom these items are not a problem. I'm quite sure all of these items will be addressed quite soon. Phase One definitely made a mistake in my opinion, but it was simply one of delivering on time, not a mistake of being ignorant of what its users need/want. In short: incompetence (at least in these specific tasks), not ignorance.
In my experience Phase One listens more closely to its end users than any other photo company I've worked with. We (DT) have had the Head of R+D to our events half a dozen times in six years. We've had the Head of Support or other DK staff like the Image Professor at our events a dozen times in the last six years. And while we're the largest dealer, we are just one dealer, so imagine how much they are traveling in total. I can't think of any other camera company that has their top R+D people in such frequent contact with their end users. They are there specifically to get feedback directly from end users in addition to the nearly weekly feedback we send them as a dealer on behalf of our users.
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dougpeterson
Workshop Member
Neither Arca nor Cambo make cables; they use the P1 cable. Kapture Group went out of business years ago.
The price of an adapter is unlikely to be meaningfully different from a direct cable. I guess if you own two legacy cables then owning one adapter is less expensive than two new cables, but if the main reason for owning legacy cables for redundancy, having one adapter defeats that redundancy (if the adapter stops working, so do both cables).
If making such an adapter was a shortcut for Alpa users I might understand your desire for one, but I don't see how making an adapter takes less time than making a new cable.
So, at least in my mind, a new cable (which is already in the works) is preferable to an adapter. But if you can point toward the error in my logic I'm glad to reconsider.
Doug,
You know I highly respect your opinion. We can agree to disagree. Having P1 to NYC or LA or other big cities is worthless for me and many other photographers. Overall P1 makes very well thought out cameras. The IQ3100 was one of the best IMO. However it's clear to me that some folks did not listen to end users on current design and direction of the IQ4. Sounds like some of the issues will be resolved in future firmware updates. Photographers who have received the IQ4 seem fine with the issues, so I realize I am in the minority. But to be honest:
No power sharing at ship with no statement of direction I could find (big deal for me) current battery life seems to not take full advantage of 3400 LiOn cells cutting at 30% remaining.
Liveview designed for only good light (frame rate too slow in low light) as only exposure simulation the only available option
No Adhoc network, and only answer is use a router? Come on, did someone no realize that many photographers use Capture Pilot in the field were routers don't exist? No statement of direction again.
The fact that the IQ4 moved to 12 pins, (very easy to handle in marketing literature) net the P1 products have been around for 2 years to handle this.
The fact that the few that have the back love it, over reaches my concerns I understand. But for 22K, that is a lot for me to handle, Sorry, just one opinion.
Paul C
Seems an adapter would be helpful for more than just Alpa users. Kapture Group may be no more, but people still use their cables, which apparently are now incompatible with the IQ4.
Given that tech camera usage is such a huge selling point for the IQ4 150, its pretty surprising to read that tech cam compatibility isn't meeting users needs/expectations out of the gate.
Hopefully P1 gets firmware upgrades and cables out quickly. In the meantime, it might be helpful to have a new thread/sticky about the current state of tech cam compatibility with the IQ4 150 for those that tech cam users that are interested and looking to upgrade or buy into the IQ4 system.
Given that tech camera usage is such a huge selling point for the IQ4 150, its pretty surprising to read that tech cam compatibility isn't meeting users needs/expectations out of the gate.
Hopefully P1 gets firmware upgrades and cables out quickly. In the meantime, it might be helpful to have a new thread/sticky about the current state of tech cam compatibility with the IQ4 150 for those that tech cam users that are interested and looking to upgrade or buy into the IQ4 system.
dougpeterson
Workshop Member
Kapture Group cables are for backs that sleep between shots and require wakeup. That is not needed for an IQ4, so there would be no use that I can see in adapting a Kapture Group cable to use on an IQ4.
Can you think of any other uses?
dougpeterson
Workshop Member
I hear your frustration, and can say definitively that P1 understands each of these issues needs to be addressed.
I hope (and fully expect) that we can look back on this in a couple months and see that all your (very reasonable) concerns have been addressed; the lower-hanging fruit, hopefully sooner.
Re "big cities" - I get that totally. Obviously the Head of R+D for P1 cannot make it to all the small cities in the world (he already spends a good fraction of his year on the road) but this is the idea of having dealers that are "on the ground" as they say. We have trips/events planned in NYC, LA, Philly, Baltimore, DC, Jupiter, Boston, San Diego, San Fran, Seattle, Portland, Denver, and Phoenix, and that's just in the next four months) – most are on our Events Calendar and the rest will be soon. We're also always open to hearing from someone that they'd like to have an event in their city regardless of its size, especially if they have a space to offer to host us. We have a standing offer to do a C1 Masters class anywhere in the country, provided there are five people ready to sign up for it.