Iq4 150... Going to be approaching 1.5yrs of this release and still no IPad tethering

[Paul2660]

Phase one is a strange company. I have never figured out their closed door policy.

They have be reading these posts in this site and other forums. Great image quality is just part of the total equation. Feature and function are also important. Currently their top back has less features than previous backs and is still buggy at least mine is with the inconsistent frame size being the most current issue. This is the first back I can thing of besides the IQ1 and USB3 support, that has taken this long to stabilize. However the IQ1 was solid at announced and ship date. I feel the 4150 is still really running on a beta firmware based on the issues I still see. And when new features for the 4150 rollout they are veiled in confusion. Example is frame averaging and 16 bit files. That went back and forth for weeks and no one even the dealer channel knew who was on first base.

Dealers are the way Phase One sells but it would not be a bad idea for P1 to consider reaching out to owners of the 4150 with a timeline. They should know 99 percent of them. Based on past P1 products and past announced backs by Sept 2020 the next back should be announced. P1 also does not continue to add features to previous backs once a new product has been announced so this does not leave a lot of time for the fixes.


Paul C

 

[MrSmith]

The IQ4 is still, in my highly biased opinion, the single greatest imaging platform ever created. There are dozens of reasons to say that. But it only takes a spot of mud to ruin a white dress. Phase One needs to resolve this, and they have committed to doing so; though it's not around the corner.

I guess that’s what’s makes it a bit surprising, I’m not an engineer/programmer (or whatever it takes to program/test that functionality) but from an outsider POV it can’t be that difficult?!

 

[dougpeterson]

Based on past P1 products and past announced backs by Sept 2020 the next back should be announced.

I do not expect any such announcement or product this year.

 

[vjbelle]

I share all of the frustrations posted. But most of all I am completely baffled and upset as to how primitive this piece of electronics is. Extremely limited user input which is my biggest beef. Can't input what lens focal length I'm using???? Come on how difficult is that!! It took forever for the f stop to finally become a sticky. Even though I wouldn't completely rely on it 'Auto Exposure' should be an easy piece of coding considering its available in the cheapest camera available. At least Auto Exposure would get you into the window quickly instead of going through a manual clumsy back and forth implementation as exists on the 4150.

I felt like king of the photographic world after receiving my 3100. Not so much with this latest incarnation. I sense this club is getting smaller and smaller and Phase seems to go out of their way to piss off their loyal customer base who have stayed with them through thick and thin.

Don't know where all of this is going but I sure don't feel good about it......

Victor

 

[TheDude]

I do not expect any such announcement or product this year.

:scry:

 

[drevil]

Besides the wifi tethering, i also would like to bring up the topic of a fully functioning capture one on the ipad, lets be honest here, its possible.

the USB-3 desaster for the iq1 series, bad firmware for the iq4 and missing wifi tethering are no good signs for phase one, i dont own any backs from them anymore, but would love to use capture one on the ipad for my gfx.

phase has changed quite drastically.

anyway, phase must feel the impact by now that fuji and hasselblad made with their new "affordable" cameras, and i dont care if doug is telling us how strong sales still are and that "we" are not even the core of business for phaseone.

we see the frustration of people over and over again, leaving phase, like gerald.d and others who are simply fed up by different things, ie. non performing services.

if phase would still be supporting the contax system, who knows maybe i would still be using them.

just my 2 cents

cheers

 

[vjbelle]

:scry:

Would you actually pay to upgrade your back for a 2020 new product? I sure wouldn't. The only new product they could announce would have to be a major hardware upgrade which does not include a new sensor. There are no new sensors from Sony as of now. If Sony were to make available a new sensor with smaller pixel dimensions it would severely cripple the usefulness for many of the current Phase/Rody/Schneider lenses.

Any software upgrades should be available for free.... at least that's what has been touted by dealers.

Victor

 

[alatreille]

Hi all,

My two cents: I've been working solidly with the Iq4150 the last 14 months now.

Yes there are features that need work, but from a working architectural photographer, I currently have almost everything I need to get the job done.

It's been a workhorse, there have been some problems, but I've personally found it a pleasure to use and reliable 99% of the time.
That 1% was resolved pretty quickly and turned out to be a faulty old battery.

I would love to see lens selection and shift movements as dialed in options, but the back is working and we shot over 80 projects last year for our clients with it.
A great piece of gear and it's paying for itself in the time we're saving on the computer.

A

 

[Wayne Fox]

If they don't implement a Capture Pilot replacement AND the ability to adjust the electronic shutter directly while in live view for all tech camera users (not just for the XT), I will never buy another back. For me, it is that simple.

Dave

unfortunately without Capture Pilot support, my Phase gear sits in the safe. Not sure what is going on, I know they want to “rewrite” it, but at this point they should have figured out a way to make the old one work.

I started with a Phase one P25. and have upgraded to p45, p45+, p65, IQ180, IQ3100, and now IQ4150 - that’s a pretty big investment. Phase has been stellar until now, but to offer a buggy back and the only updates fix a few things and add a nice feature (that has limited usability) is ridiculous. (not to mention that it seems every update is full of bugs). I was OK at first and excited about the new back, but after so little news and updates for features and fixes that should have happened with a few months I’m getting beyond frustrated ... bitter is probably a better word. I’ll be honest I’ve told a few to not upgrade ... don’t get burned like I have. Had I been told about this up front I wouldn’t have purchased the back. I just assumed they would continue to offer great customer service and would roll out the necessary fixes and features in pretty short order. It appears they decided to focus on a new “camera” ... really looks like they don’t think much of their customer base. I think they pushed it out early to generate cash flow to work on their “pet” project ... the XT.

And now I’m wondering if it’s even worse than that... they really blew it and the hardware won’t support what they need to do ... so their solution is to stick their head in the sand.

The GFX 100 is giving me some really nice files, and it might be time to cash in the phase gear. Not sure when I’ll even be able to use it effectively and efficiently again, and the A7r4 is no slouch either. Lately they’re the only one getting used.

they might believe that their back can deliver the “quality” that others can’t, but we all know it’s not the camera that makes a photographer great. None of my clients care what camera I used, and I just printed a 70” print from the GFX 100 that is terrific, I don’t think the final print would have been any different had I used the phase. Pretty easy to shoot a stitch, much like when I was using the IQ180.

And the Fuji kit is 10 lbs lighter, I have a greater focal length range, and I can even hand hold it if I’m so inclined, the IS works quite well.

Don’t be surprised to see my Phase gear showing up in the for sale forum if they don’t get a solution soon(and a surface isn’t a solution for field work. Heck I don’t even want to use it on an iPad, Capture Pilot on a iPhone Max is a great combination for a tech camera in the field).

 

[Paul2660]

Well said Wayne.

Situation is troubling and lack of communication has been disappointing. I fully agree on the point you made on the XT.

Paul C