IQ Firmware 2.01 Released

December 23, 2011 | Tech, Tech Features

Phase One just released firmware 2.01 for IQ series digital backs that solves an issue in 2.00 where a 645 DF camera could not use Mirror up with Schneider Kreuznach Leaf shutter lenses.

Click here to download the new firmware.

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Firmware 2.0 Issues with DF MUP

December 21, 2011 | Tech, Tech Features

Update: Phase One has released v 2.01 IQ Firmware to fix this problem. Read More.

We are investigating an issue with the Phase One IQ series, whereby the camera locks up and will not capture an image. The issue appears to only happen when using this combination:

• Phase One IQ back with 2.0 firmware
• Phase One DF body (confirmed with 1.21, 1.23, and 1.25 firmware)
• DF Body is in MUP mode
• A Schneider Leaf Shutter lens is being used (e.g. 80LS)
• The Leaf Shutter is being used

We are unsure if this affects all IQ backs or just the IQ180. We are unsure if it affects all units or just a subset.
Based on our investigation so far) this only occurs when the Leaf Shutter is being used. This means as a workaround you can use the custom function “Shutter in” accessed via the DF menu of the IQ back to disable the Leaf Shutter and use only the focal plane shutter. Of course if use of the Leaf Shutter is critical to your application (e.g. you need fast flash sync) this workaround will not be acceptable.

For now we’d recommend DF users to hold off on the 2.0 firmware update if they ever (even rarely) use mirror up mode.

Update: 12:45pm
Phase One is aware of the issue and has posted 1.47 firmware to allow users affected to downgrade. They promise a revised 2.X firmware “very soon” to correct this issue.

If our customers have any questions about this they are of course welcome to call or email. Or just stay tuned to this page as we learn more.

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Splash Screen for IQ Back

December 14, 2011 | Tech Features

Firmware 2.0 for the Phase One IQ Enables the “Splash Screen” feature which allows you to brand the back with your logo. However, they have not yet posted instructions (we assume they will in the very near future). So for those of you early adopters that want to install and use this feature right away here is what you do.

1. Format a CF card in the IQ back, then insert it into a card reader on your computer
2. In Photoshop create a new document 800×480 in the sRGB color space
3. Arrange/create your graphics/logo as desired to fit inside that canvas
4. Save it as an “BMP” at “24-bit” called “splash.bmp” to the main/top level of the CF Card (i.e. not a subfolder)
5. Eject the CF card from the Computer / Insert the CF card into the IQ
6. On the IQ select [Menu > Display > Splashscreen] Load From CF card
7. The back should display “Successfully Created New Splash Screen”

Update: Phase One has now posted an “official” Knowledge Base article that confirms the above procedure.

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Phase One IQ Firmware Update

December 14, 2011 | Tech, Tech Features

Update: We are investigating a serious issue with this firmware. Read More.

Phase One released the IQ back earlier this year with a few of the promised features not yet completed. Most of these were added and improved upon with firmware 1.33 and 1.47. This firmware update 2.0 released today (December 14th, 2011) completes most of the remaining features on the original target list (the remaining two are noted at the bottom of this article).

Features & Fixes

• Language (French, Italian, German, Spanish, Swedish, Russian, Korean, Japanese and Chinese)
• 645DF camera control from Capture One
• 645DF custom settings control from the IQ digital back
• New Splash Screen option in Menu > Display > Splash Screen for display of custom image (up to 800 x 480 px) at startup.
• Support for Schneider Kreuznach USB controlled shutter (Native – no need for special setting)
• New Aerial setting in Menu > Camera Mode for use with special Aerial applications.
• General speed improvements for all IQ digital backs, especially on the H platform.
• General stability improvements for all IQ digital back

Install Instructions

Update should be performed with the digital back disconnected from the camera, and without FireWire or USB connected. Also make sure you have a fully charged battery in the IQ back.

• Download the latest IQ Firmware from phaseone.com.
• Transfer the .fwr file to an empty compact flash card and insert it into the IQ’s compact flash card slot.
• Select “Update Firmware” from the Firmware menu.
• After upgrade the digital back will have to be rebooted, a full reboot is performed by removing the battery from the IQ back, and reinserting it.
• After rebooting select [Menu > Restore Defaults] to ensure the back is on default settings.

Note: If you have any issues with the update, the “Restore Firmware” option will revert to the factory installed firmware version. If you experience errors you can use the menu “Dump Log” to transfer Log information to the CompactFlash card – this log file you can use to send to support for further analysis

Standard Note of Caution

Note: Capture Integration firmly believes that professionals who rely on their cameras for their reputation and income should avoid doing any major software or firmware updates immediately upon release. We have seen problematic firmware updates from Apple, Canon, Leica,  While we have no specific reason to be hesitant with this particular update we recommend waiting several days for our in-house testing and the results of updates of our early-adopter customers before updating your IQ firmware.

Final Features Still to be Completed

This firmware does not enable two features. These will be enabled in a future firmware update.

• UDMA7 Support
• USB3 Port Support
• Turn on both the body and back from body.

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Light Up Your Holidays

December 12, 2011 | Promotion

Profoto D1 Air 250, $899 (CI Exclusive)

A Rare Discount from the Standard Price of $1,105

Why are we running a special on the “little brother” in the D1 line? Don’t let the lower number fool you. Compared to the D1-1000 the D1 Air 250 is not only less expensive (at our promotional price, it’s nearly 50% less than a D1 Air 1000 on B+H), it’s 25% lighter, has a faster max recycle speed, and a faster flash duration. It also has all the great features of the D1 Air 1000: remote control from the Profoto Air Transceiver, built-in wireless Air receiver, wireless flash sync at 1/1600th (requires leaf shutter lenses), 7-stop range, easy digital control in 0.1 or 1.0 stop increments. If you don’t need a full 1000-watt strobe, or if you already have 1000-watt strobes and just need an extra kicker the D1 Air 250 is a great value.

Faster Flash Duration (t 0.5)

D1 1000 1 /  700 – 1 / 1800
D1 500 1 / 1000  – 1 / 2600
D1 250 1 / 1400  – 1 / 3700

Faster Flash Recycle (120v)

D1 1000 0.2 – 1.8
D1 500 0.1 – 0.9
D1 250 0.05 – 0.45

Lighter Physical Weight

D1 1000 2.9 lbs
D1 500 2.4 lbs
D1 250 2.2 lbs

Have Questions? Ready to Purchase?

Contact Us today.

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FREE Accessories with Broncolor Scoro or Verso Purchase

Have Questions? Ready to Purchase?

Contact Us today.

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Demo Mobil A2R Kit: $3,359 $2,199

Once-a-year Availability of Demo Units at a Great Price.

LIMITED QUANTITY: We have a handful of Mobilite Kits available on a first come, first serve basis. We strongly suspect they will be gone before the end of the year. Included in Kit:

• Two “Mobilite 2″ Heads
• 1200Ws Power Pack
• Cables
• NEW Battery, Multi-Voltage Charger
• Sync Cord, Pack Shoulder Strap
• Soft Kit Case

Have Questions? Ready to Purchase?

If you are interested we suggest you call (rather than email) to ensure your request is received ASAP.

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Visatek Monolight Special

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The Bargain Priced Broncolor Light

December 8, 2011 | News, Promotion

 

Visatec Monolights have a great reputation among those who own them. For those unfamiliar with Visatec, you might be surprised to learn that they are manufactured by the same team that manufacturers Broncolor lighting. In form and function, not to mention quality, the Visatec Monolights are a very close relative to the Broncolor Minipuls Monolights.

 

 

However, the Visatec Monolights are quite a bit less expensive and take their own proprietary line of modifiers and shapers. The flashtubes and protective domes are smaller and less expensive than the Broncolor Minipuls units. The end result is that Broncolor quality lighting is delivered in a much less expensive package.

 

We’ve tested Visatec consistency performance and found that even when dialing power down from top to bottom and vice versa, the resulting color channel variance is limited to a maximum 1-3 units on a 255 RGB scale. Very impressive for such an affordable light.

 

The best part may be that the Visatec Monolights can be modified to accept Broncolor reflectors and light shapers. Essentially, when ordering, the Visatec mounting faceplate chassis can be replaced by a similar chassis, but with a Broncolor faceplate.

 

Right now we have a special on the Visatec Solo 3200B Monolight, which is a 1200ws Monolight. Individual 3200B units are $899 and a 2 head kit, with 2 standard reflectors, 2 umbrellas, and a carrying case, is $1,899.

 

That makes the Visatec light system a baby Broncolor light system at a bargain price.

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DF Body AF Accuracy vs Speed

December 7, 2011 | Tech, Tech Features

Background: How do Autofocus Systems Work?

Autofocus systems work by detecting contrast in the image, and measuring how that contrast changes as the lens focuses in and out. When the contrast is high “enough” the autofocus system tells the body it’s ok to take the picture.

Contrast means the difference between the brightest and darkest area of the image. This is why autofocus systems sometimes have problems trying to focus on smooth surfaces; even when in focus the brightest and darkest area of a smooth subject are not that different. Autofocus systems also have a minimum amount of light they can see, which is why autofocus systems can struggle in dark environments and why the DF Body projects a red pattern of light on to the subject.

One Size Does Not Fit All

But how contrasty is contrasty “enough”? For most cameras the manufacturer sets this threshold and you have no control. This one threshold is used no matter what kind of photography is being done. Take two extremes: tripod-based landscape photography and run-and-gun photojournalism, even though the two applications have completely different priorities from the photographers point of view. In slow, precise, diligent landscape photography there is no problem giving the camera as long as it needs to scan through various focus distances to determine the focus with absolute precision. In run-and-gun photojournalism the photographer is very concerned with the camera taking the picture quickly so that they can capture a particular moment, expression, or event; for this kind of photography if the autofocus engine is “pretty confident” it has the right focus it is more important to the photographer that the image is captured immediately than to wait another fraction of a second for the autofocus engine to re-scan the focus-range again to gain higher confidence of focus.

The upshot is that no focus system can perfectly fit every need, especially in medium format where larger sensors, higher resolution, shallow DOF, and sharper lenses demand higher standards of focus accuracy and larger/heavier lenses make it harder to achieve this accuracy.

The Solution? Give the Photographer Control

Phase One and Mamiya worked together to devise a creative solution to this issue and implemented it in the DF Body: the autofocus system can be set (via custom function #19) to either “speed” or “accuracy”. Understanding the advantages of each mode is critical to easily getting consistent focus.

Speed: The autofocus system will allow the camera to fire when it’s “fairly sure” of the focus. It is recommended you use a higher f-stop (e.g. f/8-f/16) when using this mode so that slight variances of focus will be covered by the depth-of-field.

Accuracy: The autofocus system will continue to scan focus back and forth until it is “very sure” of the focus. This can result in some “hunting” especially if the subject is low-contrast. However it provides the highest degree of assurance that the image will be perfectly focused on the intended subject, even when shooting wide-open (e.g. f/2.8)

Which Mode Should You Choose?

The default mode is speed. Whether you should change from the default “speed” to “accuracy” depends on your shooting style. If you’re shooting tabletop, product, landscape, architecture, interiors, etc then the “accuracy” setting will improve your focus accuracy and only cost you a fraction of a second more when the camera occasionally hunts for the perfect focus position. If you’re shooting moving subjects handheld the [Speed] setting will reduce the frequency with which the focus hunts and decrease the time between pushing the shutter release (or starting the focus using rear-button focus method).

Advanced hint: in [Speed] mode you can half-tap the shutter to focus the camera, and then release and half-tap the shutter again to fine-tune the focus. The final effect is similar to using [Accuracy] mode. When making major changes to focus distance (e.g. from infinity to a close-up or vice-versa) this is often needed when in [Speed] mode as the initial focus attempt often comes up a bit shy of moving the focus all the way to the subject.

How Do I Change Modes?

1. Rotate the main body dial  to CF (for “Custom Functions”)
2. Rotate the shutter dial until you are on CF#00 (“SEL”)
3. Rotate the thumb-dial until you’ve selected to use Custom Function Set A, B, or C.*
4. Rotate the shutter dial until you are on CF#19 (“AF_2″)
5. Rotate the thumb-dial until you’ve selected to use Option 0 [Speed] or to Option 1 [Accuracy]
6. Rotate the main body dial back to your desired shooting mode

Users of the Phase One P40+/P65+ can also use the interface on the digital back “DF Setup” to access and change the setting. The Phase One IQ will also allow for control of the DF custom functions on the back’s LCD in a future firmware update.
*When using the [blank] Custom Function Set (rather than A, B, or C) the camera uses all defaults and you cannot change any custom functions. This ensures that any user can pick up any DF and put it on defaults by simply changing CF#00 to [blank].

Note: Error in User Manual

The current Phase One DF User Manual (v1.3 – download) corresponds to the current firmware (1.21 and later); however, on page #99 it misidentifies the default as being [Accuracy]. The actual default is [Speed]. In previous versions of the Phase One user manual and firmware the settings for [Accuracy] and Speed were swapped; using previous user manual versions with the current firmware would lead to setting the body exactly opposite of what you intended.

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H Series Support / Upgrades Ending

December 5, 2011 | Promotion

An Open Letter from Dave Gallagher, Capture Integration

Dear H Series Customer,

We know the Phase One H series backs have been workhorses.  The H25 product has been the backbone of my company from its outset and has been one of the finest products ever produced in the medium format digital photography marketplace.  Unfortunately this series, which was first sold in 1998, contains components sourced from other companies which are no longer available.  So I am very sorry to report that as of December 31st, 2011, Phase One will no longer offer H series repairs or service.

Capture Integration of course will continue to do our best to support our current customers with areas such as trouble-shooting, firmware issues, FW concerns, etc.  However, without repairs available through the manufacturer we will not be able to resolve major issues.

I understand this may come as unexpected news and was not part of many customer’s plans for the end of 2011.  So we have worked hard, both with Phase One and our leasing partner over the past several months, to create the best options possible in order to transition these customers to a new digital back that will maintain their present workflow.  Two of these options are listed on this page but we can tailor this to individuals in order to make sure we meet their current and future needs.

The discounts that we are offering today are up to four times the DB’s current value.   Importantly, they maintain compatibility with Capture One, lenses, and the present workflow.  The transition to these new products can be seamless; we are committed to making this as easy of a process as possible.  To show how committed we are, we’ve arranged a lease option at just $299/month and we will pay the first month’s installment, giving our customers more time to prepare for this transition.

Importantly, we have only been given these large discounts through the end of this year so this trade-in offer expires December 31st, 2011.  Please remember that purchases in 2011 can have a large tax advantage.  You should talk to your accountant to see how this could affect your current tax plan.

We are here to help make this transition as easy and painless as possible.  Please speak with your salesman or call 1-877-217-9870 to make your arrangements.

Sincerely,
Dave Gallagher
Owner, Capture Integration

Update/Clarification: “H Series” refers to the H5, H10, H20, and H25. This is not the same as “H Mount” which refers to a Phase One back made to mount to a Hasselblad H1, H2, or H4X camera (e.g. a P65+H). Only the older “H Series” backs (made between 1998 and 2004) are referred to in this article; Phase One’s support of the Hasselblad H1, H2, and H4X camera are not effected. If you have any questions we always welcome your call at 1-877-217-9870.

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Technical Specifications

Leaf Aptus 22 PDF (Capture One Pro 6 supports the Aptus 22; this is not reflected in the PDF)
Phase One P40+ PDF

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Remember Service Like This?

December 1, 2011 | CI Team, News

We live in a world that is increasingly automated and detached from personal interaction. Personally, I am not against the merits of efficiency. However, I do value the personal touch. Recently I stayed in a LaQuinta Hotel. I am a notoriously light sleeper, and pillows are a critical component of my rest. I happened to like the pillows offered up at the LaQuinta that evening, looked them up (Pacific Pillows Flexiloft Gold), and ordered 2 from Pacific Pillows.

 

Later that week, on 3 consecutive days, I received a phone call and resulting voice mail from someone at Pacific Pillow requesting that I call. Finally I did and it was explained that the size I ordered was currently out of stock and not available. However, the next step up from the model I wanted was available in the size I wanted and they would fulfill my order with that model, if I liked. Sure – no problem, thanks.

 

A couple days later, I had my pillows, but wait. Inside the box, next to my invoice was a hand-written (yes, hand-written) note on a plain piece of letter size paper. Wow. How unusual.

 

 

These pillows cost about $44 each, so for $88, we have an employee at a Pillow company calling me 3 days in a row trying to get hold of me, finally reaching me and offering to upgrade my order due to their stock situation, and then taking the time to hand-write me a note apologizing and offering a no-hassle, free shipping return if I was not happy with the replacements. This is rare. Almost unheard of these days. I know where I’ll be buying my next pillows from.

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Media Pro 1.1 Released – Not Ready

December 1, 2011 | News, Tech

Media Pro 1.1 was released about one month ago with many bug fixes and some performance enhancements. We’ve been testing this release for the previous month hoping we could make a recommendation for Media Pro. So far our position has been that it was a very good move for Phase One to acquire Media Pro from Microsoft, and that the future for Media Pro as a sister product to Capture One was a great strategy that should pay off big for the company and for its customers. However, as expected in any 1.0 release there were bugs that kept us from endorsing it when it launched and at the 1.01 release.

Unfortunately we’ve found this is still the case in Media Pro 1.1. We’re still very optimistic about the future of this product and think it’s the best long-term bet for photographers looking for a cataloging (DAM) system, but we cannot endorse version 1.1. There remain too many bugs and insufficient performance/speed.

We eagerly await being able to test the next release of Media Pro whenever Phase One makes it available.

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