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Next IQ4 firmware update?
- Thread starter onasj
- Start date
BFD
Active member
I think they probably have moved most of their efforts on to developing an IQ5. Anything we don't like about the IQ4 or bugs will probably not be addressed in totality as it's been out for nearly two years and functions much like a beta product at best. The "great new architecture" that they were so excited about was probably not fully tested and ended up being more limiting than fulfilling. IMHO, the IQ4 is the beta for the IQ5. My suspicion is that sales of the IQ4 have slowed dramatically as they just knocked $5,000 off the price which I don't ever really remember them doing in the past. They know that if they release an IQ5, by default they willl automatically sell X number of backs just for upgrades.
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Craig Stocks
Well-known member
So sad but true. You'd think that even a little time spent by one part time programmer could accomplish more in the last two years. Either they're completely incompetent or they've made a decision to ignore their customers' requests and problems. I even got excited when I saw Capture Pilot received and update last week. They have a lot of work to do to rebuild my trust in Phase One as a company that cares about its products and customers.
I doubt we're anywhere close to an IQ5. Speculation either way, but the R&D to do that in this environment does not equal financial logic. The IQ4 hardware has plenty of potential they just need to tap into it with firmware updates. Why has this taken so long? I suspect the investment and release of XT, and C1 20 have sidetracked the efforts. We're beyond that now, but it sure would be nice to have some solid assurance from Phase or the Dealer Network that IQ4 owners there are fixes and feature sets on the horizon...which are proposed to be released by XYZ Quarter of this year.
Robert B
Robert B
dougpeterson
Workshop Member
There are IQ4 fixes and feature sets are on the horizon. Can't be more specific than that.
An interview with Chief Visionary Officer Lau Nørgaard is on our Project Lemonade Archive where he discusses some of the reasons the IQ4 rollout was rougher than previous IQ launches.
dougpeterson
Workshop Member
Bill Caulfeild-Browne
Well-known member
Any time I feel like complaining about the IQ4, I just look at the quality of the files.
Yes, there are fixes to be made (I'd love Capture Pilot for example) but we have been updated with Frame Averaging and Dual Exposure+. Given that my camera is far more capable than this photographer, I'll be happy using what I have. The rest will be icing on the cake.
Yes, there are fixes to be made (I'd love Capture Pilot for example) but we have been updated with Frame Averaging and Dual Exposure+. Given that my camera is far more capable than this photographer, I'll be happy using what I have. The rest will be icing on the cake.
Christopher
Active member
It is super strange. The people I talk to in the software / firmware business can’t understand it. (Not phase one employees) the first common reaction is, huge hardware problems or underplayed clueless coders.
I know it sounds harsh, but it’s incredible that phase one needs that long to fix the back and get the new features... I mean we area till waiting for a capture pilot solution, which ones again was said to be here by the beginning of the year!
I know it sounds harsh, but it’s incredible that phase one needs that long to fix the back and get the new features... I mean we area till waiting for a capture pilot solution, which ones again was said to be here by the beginning of the year!
Abstraction
Well-known member
They had gone through a merger, so I'm sure that took a lot of time and resources and attention wasn't given to the product lines. It also wouldn't surprise me if some of the key people had left the company and/of the new management can't get a handle on things. Who knows?
I gave up on the full promised feature set a year ago.
As Bill said the files are great.
The last update brought live view back to the same level of quality of previous phase one backs which was my number one issue. Dual exposure offers a huge advantage for me. Sadly due current world Covid issues I have not had the back in the field since mid Feb.
Odds are mine will hit the for sale section by year end. Business is over for me and I really don’t want to travel even in my state due to risks. (Breakdowns, health issues from a fall or other things etc.). Just can’t justify the carrying cost anymore and don’t see my business returning anytime soon.
Sad also as 2019 was a huge year for me and had several large contracts carried forward to 2020 all of which were cancelled.
Paul C
As Bill said the files are great.
The last update brought live view back to the same level of quality of previous phase one backs which was my number one issue. Dual exposure offers a huge advantage for me. Sadly due current world Covid issues I have not had the back in the field since mid Feb.
Odds are mine will hit the for sale section by year end. Business is over for me and I really don’t want to travel even in my state due to risks. (Breakdowns, health issues from a fall or other things etc.). Just can’t justify the carrying cost anymore and don’t see my business returning anytime soon.
Sad also as 2019 was a huge year for me and had several large contracts carried forward to 2020 all of which were cancelled.
Paul C
MGrayson
Subscriber and Workshop Member
I've said it before: The key to equipment satisfaction is to accept that the only things that exist are in your hands. Anything else, no matter how much the company president says "It's great. I've used it. We're ready to go." No matter the roadmap. No matter the dealer buzz. No matter the promised features.
Sometimes promised features appear. Sometimes unforeseen features appear. Often nothing appears. If you aren't holding it, it doesn't exist.
Matt
Sometimes promised features appear. Sometimes unforeseen features appear. Often nothing appears. If you aren't holding it, it doesn't exist.
Matt
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This is the cardinal rule for buying a camera system. Never pay attention to what the dealers or the manufacturers say is coming down the road, whether it’s bug fixes, new firmware features, new accessories, or new lenses. If it’s not here now, assume it never will be here, and decide whether you are want/need that camera “as is”.
The sale of P1 (again), the launch of the XT etc. have all been 'distractions' - but given that there's no new sensor on the horizon from Sony (nor does there look like being one any time soon), I'd be quietly optimistic that P1 gets their act together at some point and sorts out the issues with the IQ4.
I just took an IQ4 for a test drive last week and agree that although there are certainly some things that are missing or would be nice, the files (the files!!), along with the live view (compared to my IQ250), Dualexposure+, and frame averaging all make the back quite compelling, especially for a tech camera user, or anyone that shoots a lot of landscape or architecture with the XF.
Not sure if how much truth there is to this, but According to my dealer, after the sale/merger/whatever there was some restructuring, and the firmware developing team was split across multiple divisions to support the various lines (IQ, industrial, and aerial, or if industrial and aerial are the same, then a 3rd division of some sort (CH?). This split caused some serious slowdowns and issues with the development pipeline, which have allegedly been sorted, or are being sorted... we shall see I guess.
Like Doug above, my dealer did imply that update(s) are coming, most notably some sort of adhoc WiFi/iOS/android solution, which they are well aware we want.
Not sure if how much truth there is to this, but According to my dealer, after the sale/merger/whatever there was some restructuring, and the firmware developing team was split across multiple divisions to support the various lines (IQ, industrial, and aerial, or if industrial and aerial are the same, then a 3rd division of some sort (CH?). This split caused some serious slowdowns and issues with the development pipeline, which have allegedly been sorted, or are being sorted... we shall see I guess.
Like Doug above, my dealer did imply that update(s) are coming, most notably some sort of adhoc WiFi/iOS/android solution, which they are well aware we want.
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As a IQ4 user there is no doubt that the image quality is outstanding, but when the upgrade was sold to me it came with massive spin.. and this is where they failed massively...
it was sold as evolving platform...
the IQ4 is a Linux based ARM computer bolted to a FPGA and a big arse sensor... it has Ram, Storage, Wifi, Ethernet and a touchscreen.. Its a computer, it could do so much... so why have some of the things taken soooooo long...
Why Capture pilot hasn't been sorted is a joke... if you spend any time reverse engineering it on the IQ3 its very simple... (im that sad) its a web server the spits out lots of small jpegs and a bit of html that the app strings together and settings are applied to the camera via http posts.. anyone who can't find a webserver for a Linux arm build is retarded... a stop gap fix could have been made for this year ago until something more fancy could be built... or there is a fundamental hardware flaw in the wifi adaptor not supporting adhoc
If Hasselblad can sort out Ipad tethering why the f**k hasn't P1 (And what really f**ked me off was being told I could use a MS Surface)
The whole thing have made me VERY cynical of Phase One and has left me with a bad taste...
In my view you under sell and over deliver, not the other way round...
it was sold as evolving platform...
the IQ4 is a Linux based ARM computer bolted to a FPGA and a big arse sensor... it has Ram, Storage, Wifi, Ethernet and a touchscreen.. Its a computer, it could do so much... so why have some of the things taken soooooo long...
Why Capture pilot hasn't been sorted is a joke... if you spend any time reverse engineering it on the IQ3 its very simple... (im that sad) its a web server the spits out lots of small jpegs and a bit of html that the app strings together and settings are applied to the camera via http posts.. anyone who can't find a webserver for a Linux arm build is retarded... a stop gap fix could have been made for this year ago until something more fancy could be built... or there is a fundamental hardware flaw in the wifi adaptor not supporting adhoc
If Hasselblad can sort out Ipad tethering why the f**k hasn't P1 (And what really f**ked me off was being told I could use a MS Surface)
The whole thing have made me VERY cynical of Phase One and has left me with a bad taste...
In my view you under sell and over deliver, not the other way round...
Based on other comments from my dealer I fear this is the case. He was blaming Linux (not the wifi hardware) but whatever the case, there does seem to be something preventing the existing platform from supporting Adhoc, which I find very, very hard to believe, but we are at their mercy on this one. It sounds like they are looking towards the CFExpress standard to bring this functionality to the platform. If this is true it would mean either using very specific Wifi-enabled CFExpress cards (do these even exist yet?), or putting a Wifi adaptor card into the XQD/CFExpress slot, both of which sound like they are recipes for disaster to me. Other platforms have had issues with CFExpress card compatibity issues and putting hardware variability into the mix to support something like that is just asking for trouble.
I wish the best for you Paul... You have been a great contributor here and it's a shame that this Covid BS has impacted your business. I hope you recover and if it means selling the P1 so be it..... really in the long run No Big Deal. There are lots of cameras available for a photographer of your caliber.
It will all be OK......
Cheers....
Victor B
buildbot
Well-known member
I just started looking into this, figuring I could build a better web based version! Glad to learn it's easy haha.
The Adhoc WLAN functionality is not the problem. You can now connect to IQ4 on your mobile phone via WiFi without any problems.
Pretty much any cell phone can configure a hot spot. Then you can immediately connect to your mobile phone and IQ4 - try it out.
The problem is - they don't have a capture pilot for IQ4 that runs on their cell phones (similar to a desktop computer). So there is no control.
Greetings Gerd