Alan Bernard's Blog

OWC SSD drive dies

Alan Bernard — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 13:07:19 +0000

I bought a 480gb SSD drive from OWC a couple of months ago thinking it will be indestructible and fast. Fast it certainly was..amazingly fast. However, it failed catastrophically after 2 months of use in my MBP 17″ causing me a mini nightmare whilst on vacation i.e. no working laptop for 3 weeks. Returned to OWC in the USA and await a replacement…. scary …. i lost all work since my last backup on the 15th July…..

Word of warning…. even SSD drives fail… !!!

Firewire 800 MBP 2011 17″

Alan Bernard — Sat, 16 Jul 2011 08:28:39 +0000

My Hasselblad H4D-31 has been causing me numerous problems while tethered to my Macbook Pro 17″ 2011 model. Firewire error message on the sensor back, capture errors in Phocus and ultimately crashes after 75-100 images taken tethered during a shoot. The cause ?, nope, nothing to do with the Hassy, Apple reduced the power output on their FW800 port to save battery life and now there is barely enough power for the back to function correctly 100% of the time. Shriro Malaysia (Philip Ong) have been fantastic and will provide a FW800 repeater hub c/w DC power as part of their service. Thanks Philip for a problem solved. ! )

Sample images with H4D-31

Alan Bernard — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 03:55:45 +0000

Here’s a sample image from the H4D-31 c/w 80mm lens. No post processing or colour correction has been applied – standard Phocus 2.6 settings. Exported to 16 bit tiff and image downsized in PS5.

The following image is a crop of a 100% view from the above :-

Phocus Mobile launched via App Store

Alan Bernard — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 03:25:45 +0000

Phocus Mobile

Phocus Mobile is a new, mobile version of Phocus and is available for the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch. Phocus Mobile enables you to connect wirelessly to a computer running Phocus 2.6 and to remotely browse, zoom and rate images.

This provides an incredibly handy solution for working with clients in the studio, enabling each person to view images on an individual electronic device if desired rather than gathering around a single computer.

Phocus Mobile is much more than just a remote viewer, however. Phocus Mobile also allows users to remotely operate and trigger a tethered camera, giving control of exposure mode, f/stop, shutter speed, ISO, metering mode and other important capture information, all presented on a virtual camera display. This feature can provide very convenient to remotely control the camera when it’s located in a difficult-to-access position. Phocus Mobile is available for free download at the Apple App store.

First few shoots with the Hasselblad H4d-31

Alan Bernard — Mon, 28 Feb 2011 05:35:07 +0000

Well.. what can i say?…. Utterly awesome.? I’ve never been particularly excited or awestruck about any photographic equipment, until….. now ! Over the last 2 decades i’ve used a variety of professional camera bodies and lenses from Nikon and Canon, including the awesome Nikon D3 series and the extremely good value for $$; Canon 5D MK2.

The build quality of the “blad”is tank like.. the HC lenses feel solid and everything oozes of a quality that you know will last a lifetime hence the high initial investment $$$ !

What’s great :-

Shooting tethered to a MacBook Pro using Phocus software and Firewire 800 is 100% reliable and very fast considering the huge file sizes. During yesterday’s studio session tethering enabled me to make minor changes to lighting and camera settings on the fly based on the near realtime images appearing on the laptop screen.
Handling and ergonomics for such a large camera are surprisingly good.
Updating colour balance using the neutral tool in Phocus (while using a QPcard) was extremely accurate and fast. Everytime i changed the lighting setup or power levels it took just 2-3 seconds to update the color.
The improvement in image quality (35mm to Medium format) compares to changing from a micro 4/3′s system to full frame. The 16bit images are stunning straight out of the camera , FFF
Extremely good focusing in low light.
Very very bright and large view finder.

What’s not so great :-

hmmmm, backup body will set you back at least 40,000RM. Drop it and you’ll regret it !
LCD screen isn’t suitable for reviewing images.
Quirky menu structure.
Battery takes forever to fully charge. 24 hours for initial charge !!!
Battery depletes quickly (compared to what i’m used to with Nikon D3s) Not a big issue while tethering as the Firewire 800 cable powers the sensor unit. It will be an issue for onlocation shooting though. Backup battery will be essential.
High end MacBook Pro is required to speed up the workflow.
Large hard disks and backup solutions.
Non standard tripod mounting plate. Too narrow for my Markin’s ballhead mount.

Is it worth the investment?… only time will tell….

I’ll share some images from the Blad later….