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

Mark Crabtree said:
Instead of rebooting the Red try just pulling out the power cable from the Birger, wait five second and plug it back in, this will power cycle the mount. Then hold the I button on the Impero as you turn it on, that will force the Impero to search for the Birger and sync to it.
Click to expand...

Good plan Batman ... :party: 'll give it a go ;-)


EDIT : PERFECT ... BTW .. no need to keep the I_button derpressed, connects very quickly ;-)
 
Last edited:
An observation; Birger library 19x, Red build 20 and the old version of EF 70-200mm/f2.8 L results occasionally in dropped frames. However, when the S4i option is switched off from the menus, dropped frames disappear and everything works out fine without the lens data on screen.
 
Karl H said:
...
The focus is still jumping/jittering on all lenses when trying to do a smooth pull focus. Erik says this will be resolved in an Impero update next week. Will the update be in the form of another lens library?
...
Click to expand...

The following text is from Birger's manual [LINK] ... so I assume the fix will come in the form of some Imperio update (more precision / resolution) ? In theory it's not going to be long before we find out :thumbsup:

[3.4 Mapped Absolute Focus Positioning
Library versions 16 and up introduce the ability to perform absolute positioning on a fixed scale. This fixed scale is a 14-bit range from 0 to 16383 (hex 3FFF). The range of the lens from the zero stop to the infinity stop is mapped into this numerical scale. The 14-bit range is generally much larger than the encoder range returned by the lens, and therefore a small change in the mapped position often will not result in a change to the focus position.
The mapped focusing feature is highly recommended when using a control surface to alter focusing. It allows use of a scale that is always fixed between the zero and infinity positions. However, if the control surface is not capable of sending small enough changes in the mapped position, then jumpy focusing behavior can occur. Ideally the control surface should also have a 14-bit range, but a smaller range is okay as long as it is several times larger than the lens' encoder range. The control surface should have at least 12-bit resolution to meet this requirement for all lenses tested to date. A smaller resolution will still work, but focusing will not be as smooth or precise.]
 
Thanks David,

So I guess you found the same thing when trying to do a smooth focus pull?
 
Got my Impero yesterday.
It took me a little while to get it to work, but it works absolutely beautifully now.
It's such a relief to not have to fiddle with the lens focus ring.

Many, many thanks to Erik and Curt.
This is a dream come true.

Hans
 
Karl H said:
Thanks David,

So I guess you found the same thing when trying to do a smooth focus pull?
Click to expand...

Yep ... some lenses are fine some do jump now and then. I found it to be hit and miss on the lenses that 'jump', on the very same lens, in some cases they are fine in others they jump ... weird.
 
The effect doesn't seem to happen in the same place all of the time, it's quite random. I haven't had that much luck finding lenses that are immune to it, so I hope the fix comes fairly soon.
 
Camera Crashing

Camera Crashing

We appreciate all of the feedback with the i/data and the camera crashing. We now understand the issues with the i/data implementation in RED releases 18.3.6.4 and 20beta, and how it interacts with the i/data implementation in Birger lens libraries 19x, 19y, 19z and 20a.

Birger 19y/19z implements lens protocol v3.06, and 19x/20a implements v3.08, despite only reporting an implementation level of v3.06. The commands in v3.08 that are not in v3.06 relate to selecting film sizes (formats) other than 35mm and 16mm, i.e. RED 2K, RED 4K, etc. I would fully expect this protocol incompatibility in the RED implementation to cause Cooke and RED lenses running earlier versions of the software to also crash the camera. If we disable only the film size selection, the camera does crash.

If you are running the newest mac app, and have run "Configure Device", please reconfigure the 3rd party protocol support for "18.3.6.4". This gives the proper combination of protocol elements. If the camera is misbehaving, please disable 3rd party protocol support to determine if this is contributing to the problem. If disabling 3rd party protocol support helps camera behavior, please contact Birger for further instructions.
 
Cable from battery to Birger mount - bypass GPIO

Cable from battery to Birger mount - bypass GPIO

Haven't seen anything in the thread on this - sorry if I missed it. But I was talking to Erik a while back and he said he is planning on offering in the near future a direct cable from the Red battery/mount to the Birger mount. Would allow you to bypass the GPIO. This would be great, right Eric?
 
Nikon version ??

Nikon version ??

Hello,

Maybe I've missed this information but what news do we have about the Nikon version of the Birger mount ???
 
Rob Culpepper said:
Haven't seen anything in the thread on this - sorry if I missed it. But I was talking to Erik a while back and he said he is planning on offering in the near future a direct cable from the Red battery/mount to the Birger mount. Would allow you to bypass the GPIO. This would be great, right Eric?
Click to expand...
Wasn't that for when you are using the Inclino motors from Viewfactor, as the amps needed was blowing the GPIO ports?

Cheers,

Paul
 
New Impero Software!

New Impero Software!

First release of new Impero software was released yesterday. It can be found at:
http://www.birger.us

This update is for the more computer savy people out there, who are capable of following directions. An automated process will be in the MAC app in a couple of days.

New features are smooth iris, smooth focus, and independent axis calibration. All units shipped by birger, on or after yesterday already have this software installed. ONLY units shipped from birger, with a sticker inside the battery compartment "BIRGER 00001-000XX" in red print, can be field upgraded

If you have a unit from birger with "preproduction software", you will know this if I told you such, you need to send back for reprogramming. This is only three people. Or, if if you received your Impero from Viewfactor, you are also out of luck, until ViewFactor upgrades it for you the first time.

Big change in behavior is independent axis calibration. "CAL" button only does the active axis (i.e. "F" or "I") and returns the lens to the same position as the knob. If you need to reset the zero position on the knob, push "FN" + "CAL".

MAC app with Impero updating capability, and manual for lens mount and Impero will be released in a few days. Everybody seems to be interested in having the toys, rather than the documentation, so that has been our priority. It's not like you guys are actually going to read it.:cursing: Seriously though, manual shortly.

Still not implemented: speed buttons and wired support. Those will be out soon after the MAC app. PC app upgrade will be last.
 
thanks erik, we appreciate all the hard work.
 
Hi, Erik and all of you Birger-fans!

Have receaved my Birger Canon mount and it's really a great piece of craftmanship! Near to Canon finish! Still waiting a few more days for my R1 to show up...

The discussion about firmware problems and so is only regarding use of the Impero I guess? While waiting for a solution of these problems (then my plan is to order the Impero) I'm going manually using the pushbuttons on the mount, and expect no conflicts with the R1 or problems with that, right? Anyone?

Ulf @ OneHouse
 
so when are we getting the imperio..

so when are we getting the imperio..

Hi Erik

No answer on email. I pay a year ago and still no working mount or knob in my hands.
I have version 1 mount with the problems it haves.

What are the schedule for delivery on the serial numbers?

Cheers

Bo Randers
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top