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  • 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 :)

VFS Inclino, Imperio, Origo News ??

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I just re-read "Scissor Cut Paper Wrap Stone" by Ian MacDonald, a cyberpunk ZEN pilgrimage in a 22nd century Japan... it's like buying a VFS new product!
You need to control your breath... it's a matter of faith!
 
I know everybody hates waiting but the noise was a serious issue and i'm glad that Curt is fixing that. The early model motor (at least the one I used) was too noisy for sinc-sound work and i was worried when he said that they were starting to ship. You've already been waiting a year. trust me, you want this in working order when you finally get it. Just listen to Matthew and Fredrik. They know what they're talking about.
 
Noise History

Noise History

Here's a little history of the Inclino "noise problem".

Last October everything seemed to be perfect...

It's practically silent....
The motors are 98%ish silent. You have to put your ear near the lens to really be bothered or really hear....

Last November Curt promised a side by side comparison to competitive products...

The noise is better than shown previously in our videos. Its still not 100% gone but if you do normal speed shots its fine. Stay tuned for the side by side A-weighted SPL comparisons with a bartech/M-one and preston DM1/DM2 (by the end of the week).

Unfortunately, he never published that comparison.

Last December the noise was reduced by 20 (!) dB...

the noise issue is not nearly as significant as it used to be. At 5' I got a reading of 30dBa when doing a 45 degree move at 1/4 speed. Thats down from 50 dB on the first version of the motor with the 65:1 harmonic drives.

But how can that be when they alredy were "practically silent" as Shawn Booth said before?

Anyhow, they must be perfectly silent now, I suppose...

John Cordell confirms in January:

On normal, slow speed focus pulls, there's no significant noise at all. The faster pulls start to make some noise, but I don't think they'll be a problem either. I will need to test it in a real-world situation and see if any noise ends up on the audio track. My off-the-cuff guess is that it's not going to be a problem.

In February, Curt writes that the noise is even better now! Wow!

As you can probably tell the noise is much better than before - the camera was only 1-2 ft. away from the motors and its barely audible doing medium speed movements. It gets louder when doing crash zoom type stuff but I'm happy where it is now.

In April, Tony Lorentzen confirms.

For me the motor noise is not a problem at all. A friend of mine has both a Preston and a Bartech and I'll see if I can get convince him to do a comparison and will record audio and make a speed test.

Unfortunately, we never got to hear these comparison tests...

Now I really wonder why after this long history of steady improvements of the noise level we would end up at a dissatisfying level? I think there must be some difference between the prototypes and the production units.

Curt, can you please give us an absolute measurement of the current noise level in comparison to competitive products? I think a lot of people are concerned about this problem.
 
I'll tell you why I didn't post any comparison tests... because my motor died. I should get a replacement soon though.
 
Humm… Yes, and it died on the very first day and I am still waiting for a replacement.
I just thought you had a right to know.

Emmanuel
 
I don't know who to feel more sorry for. . . the VF people. . . or the VF customers.

Stephen
 
So ive been playing with my Imperio all week, and now that curt did the antenna upgrades its pretty sexy. I just happened to bring this kit to set yesterday, and though if we had some time we could play a little bit with it.

Next thing i know were doing probe work and my FF4 for some reason doesnt reach the gears on the probe. (prep would have been nice)
but ohh well, i decided to test out my Imperio and it was perfect callibrated in under 20sec once everything was plugged in. layed out marks and i was ready to go in wireless mode.

The remote on/off in wireless mode is awsome, 2-way talley light is great.

The motors are great, but they are a little noisey for interior work. but since we were doing model work it didnt really matter.


thanks again curt.
DSC_5183.jpg

IMG_0129.jpg
 
Wow...
 
Hey Ernesto, did you add your own screw on the motor to replace having to have a allen wrench to tighten the motor onto the rod?

Also, while the motor seem noisy, I think if you actually tried to record something you wouldn't hear it on the mic. I've got two HMI's that seem really noisy on set, but the mic has to be about 2' away before you start picking up noise.

Matthew
 
I think curt just added that to shut me up, cause i had been complaining so much about the allen key, so when they did some changes to a motor they threw that in.

I think, dont qoute... its something that they might be selling in the near future.

and no i didnt run sound. but ill check into that next time.

overall pretty happy... and excited about making my money back on this unit.

as lame is it sounds the wireless 2-way on/off is one of my favorite parts.
there is no question if the camera is rolling or not, its like a wireless orgio, has a little "beep" sound and everything.
 
Hey Ernesto, sounds like you might need the high transmission 64-tooth gear for your FF-4 to reach that InnoVision Probe. It's a pretty skinny tube.
 
as lame is it sounds the wireless 2-way on/off is one of my favorite parts.
there is no question if the camera is rolling or not, its like a wireless orgio, has a little "beep" sound and everything.

Yeah, on my last shoot I was using it as a wireless start/stop instead of a follow focus. Was pretty handy until the batteries ran out on my Impero:(

Matthew
 
Mitch thanks, so the input but i think im good now that i have the imperio.

and since i do such little work on the innovision probe the motors will more then cover my butt on that one.

I kind of live buy a small role now, before i buy anything i ask myself
"will this make me money in return"
if the answer is a no, then i find a solution using my current setup. and adapt.

I am confident in my investment in imperio/inclino setup, and expect to get my investment returned to me over then next 2yrs, knowing it has a longer shelf life because curt is designing more advanced controlers for the same motors.
 
Matthew,
yeah i was watching and timing the battery use on the set, im calculating somewhere around 2 sets of batts for a days usage, just like a preston. of non-stop use.

If anyone have a set of rechargeable lithium's that they recommend ill gladly listen....
and buy.
 
If anyone have a set of rechargeable lithium's that they recommend ill gladly listen....
and buy.

Ha! did you see the video Curt did powering the motor with a 9 volt battery?

here is what i intend to use: http://www.batteryspace.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=432

at 5 amp hours, it should be good for most of a day. and at these prices, I bought two. Curt is apparently looking into making a custom cable for me so that i can retain my warranty.
 
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