Welcome to our community

Be a part of something great, join today!

Log in
  • Hey all, just changed over the backend after 15 years I figured time to give it a bit of an update, its probably gonna be a bit weird for most of you and i am sure there is a few bugs to work out but it should kinda work the same as before... hopefully :)

Birger Lens Mount Reservations

Erik, Thanks for the new information and the nice explanation for the collimation problem, which seems to be now well in control.
 
ericyoung said:
Hi Erik

Thanks very much for the update!

Does this mean that on some cameras at the outside of RED's tolerances and some of your mounts, there may be a need to remove that lip of paint on the camera ourselves, or are you just checking all your mounts yet to be shipped will take account of that 0.25mm within your own tolerances? 0.25mm seems quite a lot to absorb. :blink:
Click to expand...

When I talked to him on monday it sounded like they were physically trimming the mounts which is the source of latest delay.
 
MAC Software Beta & v18 of the lens library

MAC Software Beta & v18 of the lens library

The Beta Mac software is available for download:
http://www.birger.com/drivers/BEI_Device_Interface_Mac_OS_X_1.0.0.dmg.zip

The newest version of the lens library is available for download:
http://www.birger.com/drivers/EF232LensLibrary18.bei

Connect to the device, and then click on the "Update Library" button in the app, and point it to the EF232LensLibrary18.bei file. The lens mount will have the following Bluetooth name: "BIRGER 04XXX" Where the 04XXX is your serial number, and the BlueTooth security passcode. The device connects with an SPP profile as a standard COM port. Documentation will be available at some point. The app is rather self explanatory; the Bluetooth might not be. It might be nice if somebody who uses this posts a quick synopsis of the precedure in the interim.

Please note, there is an issue with the OSX BlueTooth stack being somewhat not real time, that causes the focus commands to be sent out in bursts, making the focus appear a little less smooth than the PC and the Impero will be. The Mac can acheive the same smoothness of focus wired, or using the exact same radio that we use in the mount and the remote. We will announce such options shortly, i.e. USB to 4pin LEMO, and USB to Birger-Friendly-BlueTooth. These will be out with the Impero.

Library 18, supports manual focus control with the 200mm f/1.8, and the 85mm f/1.2 II. There may be an issue with the original 85mm f/1.2, and it has not yet been tested with the 50mm f/1.0. Pushing the top two buttons simultaneously (while lens in AF mode) will toggle on/off the functionality of the manual focus ring on the lens. There are a few other general improvements in this release.
 
Erik, could you please give us an update what is the situation of the mounts that you going to ship next.
 
Lauri Kettunen said:
Erik, could you please give us an update what is the situation of the mounts that you going to ship next.
Click to expand...

There are not going to be any more mounts shipped out until Thursday 4 December. We will have mechanical parts that ensure collimation on all cameras at that time. I am in the process of winding down my week, before the holiday, and by saturday afternoon do expect to have a customer email out to give a full update on status. Lauri, I do appologize to you, and about six others, that received tracking numbers, but will not receive their mounts just yet.
 
Thanks for updating us

Thanks for updating us

birgerEngineer said:
There are not going to be any more mounts shipped out until Thursday 4 December. We will have mechanical parts that ensure collimation on all cameras at that time. I am in the process of winding down my week, before the holiday, and by saturday afternoon do expect to have a customer email out to give a full update on status. Lauri, I do appologize to you, and about six others, that received tracking numbers, but will not receive their mounts just yet.
Click to expand...

Thank you Erik for letting us know the status of our orders.

Frazier Nivens, Ocean Imaging
 
Gregory Leno said:
When I open preferences on the Beta MAC software app, it crashes the program every time.

Any one else having this issue?
Click to expand...

Yeah, ditto here. Also, how do you connect to the mount? I assumed it would just be discovered by the Bluetooth, but when I click "Find BEI Device" it gives me the message, "No BEI Device Found. Error #60-Operation timed out."

EDIT: Never mind! Had to go to "Set up Bluetooth Device" in my menubar.
 
Gregory Leno said:
When I open preferences on the Beta MAC software app, it crashes the program every time.
Click to expand...

Ken just slapped me for this...

The guys on the boards are having the preferences window crash on them. That goes with the app from the 19th. You needed to post the app from the 20th. That app has the preferences problem fixed along with a warning when the lens is in manual focus mode.​

I posted the Beta candidate, rather than the Beta release. The correct one is up on the web site:
http://www.birger.com/drivers/BEI_Device_Interface_Mac_OS_X_1.0.0.dmg.zip

Keep the comments coming...
 
Eric Thanks for the update.

I might be doing something wrong but I don't seem to find the "Update Library" button. Is that once you open the BEI Device Interface or where? I can see "Update Firmware" and "update License", but I am afraid to click on either one.

Anybody having the same issue? So far I am able to connect to the birger mount via bluethooth. It says that I have Library v17 and detects my Canon 28-70 f/2.8 L perfectly.

The aperture section is great, because I can quickly set up the precise stop. I don;t know if it is possible, but it would be nice that If the stop is changed manually in the mount, to be updated in the program, either automatically or by clicking a button.

In regards to the focus, if I move the Focus slide, the lens focus goes crazy up and down until stops at the right spot, which makes it quite useless to me. Am I doing anything wrong? Is this the OsX bluetooth problem?

Anyway, it looks pretty cool and I am quite excited. Thanks,

IC
 
muffinny said:
I might be doing something wrong but I don't seem to find the "Update Library" button. Is that once you open the BEI Device Interface or where? I can see "Update Firmware" and "update License", but I am afraid to click on either one.
Click to expand...

"Update Firmware" is the right button. Posted from memory incorrectly.

muffinny said:
Canon 28-70 f/2.8 L .... if I move the Focus slide, the lens focus goes crazy up and down until stops at the right spot, which makes it quite useless to me.
Click to expand...

This lens is tested and works with the mount. Will wait to hear a little more feedback from other users before we jump to any conclusions. Is this speed behavior speed dependent? Can you characterize this behavior with any more detail?
 
Thanks Eric,

EDIT: Now I updated to v18 and the focus works perfectly. Great!!!. It has some delay but it is really nice. I think it can definitively be used. Thanks a lot. Now if we had some way to set markers on the focus slide. :-)
***


I leave my comments of the Speed problem that I had before in case somebody was having the same issue.

The speed thing is for instance.

If the control focus is at infinity, and the lens is at infinity, and I click on the tab and move it half way, the lens goes to the closest focus mark, then back to close to infinity and then back to the final point. It seems that most of the times, it goes three or 4 way moves until it hits the mark specially if it is in a point that it is not the infinity or the Macro.
 
muffinny said:
If the control focus is at infinity, and the lens is at infinity, and I click on the tab and move it half way, the lens goes to the closest focus mark, then back to close to infinity and then back to the final point. It seems that most of the times, it goes three or 4 way moves until it hits the mark specially if it is in a point that it is not the infinity or the Macro.
Click to expand...

The mount does have to learn the focus limits, and map the range, before the slider bar can be used. If you do not do this manually, it will be done automatically as soon as you try to move the focus. It should only do this once.

Alternately, push the learn limits button before you try to move it with the sliders. Then it won't jump around like that. Also don't manual focus the lens, or the position information will be lost, and you will want to relearn.
 
Thanks Eric,

It works perfectly. Really nice. Now I change the f-stop on the camera it automatically changes on the software. So everything got fixed with the update.

I think I know why it wasn't working, and of course it was my fault. When I clicked "Distance Stops" it was taking a while, and I thought the software crashed. So I forced quit the program and I guess that messed up something.

Sorry Eric, but I have a "force quit" tendency disorder....
 
muffinny said:
I think I know why it wasn't working, and of course it was my fault. When I clicked "Distance Stops" it was taking a while, and I thought the software crashed. So I forced quit the program and I guess that messed up something. Sorry Eric, but I have a "force quit" tendency disorder....
Click to expand...

Distance stops will get faster. This is the prototype, and I, also being impatient, let the prototype out the door... I believe the distance stops save to disk, so you only have to do it once.
 
Why do I not know what software you guys are talking about? As a Birger mount owner, shouldn't I be getting emails about new software updates? I feel out of the loop.
 
muffinny said:
I think I know why it wasn't working, and of course it was my fault. When I clicked "Distance Stops" it was taking a while, and I thought the software crashed. So I forced quit the program and I guess that messed up something.

Sorry Eric, but I have a "force quit" tendency disorder....
Click to expand...

I suffer from FQTD also...:biggrin:
 
birgerEngineer said:
This is the prototype, and I, also being impatient, let the prototype out the door.
Click to expand...

A prototype that works great... just keep them coming Eric, don't be shy.

For extremely fast kung fu rack focus, this focus slide is great. You just need two Marylin Monroe post its, and some sound FXs... :shiftyph34r:

kung_fu_rack_focus.jpg
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top