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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 :)

foolcontrol for iPhone...

Great. Have you tried with multi turns etc ?

And can you still press the rack focus marks and other UI elements with the knob installed ?
 
Mutli turn is working great. Rac focus marks are also usable . But design needs some work to make it easier. I will make a proper video as soon as possible.

edit:
by the way i just upgraded to ios 8 and i think they fixed something about the touch screen. It works much better now. (best part about this app is you can listen to music while you rack focus :P)
 
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Hi Mikael. Just a thought: can you perhaps take advantage of the iPhone 6 autofocus? It looks pretty good: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l0NDsFSZZKE and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XFYkoDJCdcw. We'd need to mount the iPhone on the camera - preferably on the focus plane, but you could also add a calibration screen to deal with offset and back focus. Then get the focus info from the phone and use it to control the lens on the Red. Continuous and touch autofocus without the seeking while shooting would be pretty useful in many cases (e.g. single operator or gimbal use).
 
Hi Mikael. Just a thought: can you perhaps take advantage of the iPhone 6 autofocus? It looks pretty good: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l0NDsFSZZKE and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XFYkoDJCdcw. We'd need to mount the iPhone on the camera - preferably on the focus plane, but you could also add a calibration screen to deal with offset and back focus. Then get the focus info from the phone and use it to control the lens on the Red. Continuous and touch autofocus without the seeking while shooting would be pretty useful in many cases (e.g. single operator or gimbal use).

Good idea Robert, and additionally maybe using some intelligent focus features such as face or object tracking. Facial recognition is already built into lots of smartphone camera features.
 
Ok here is the first working prototype.
This is working with a plastic tip but ım going to try micro fiber tip for the next design.

Very cool! Put a nice ergonomic handle on the back side 'clamp' portion. Make 'clamp' adjustable to fit various iphone/touch models. Make sure and make an ipad mini size. Fun to see this all happen in near-real time :)
 
Hey Mike,
Using foolcontrol on an ipod touch was great. the glass on the screen has just enough friction with flesh. I was able to rotate the ui wheel with precision.. I wasnt getting any grab or slip. the harder I pushed (not that hard) the more control I felt I had. Finger didnt grab with increased pressure.. You can also control the amount of rotation..
 
Ok here is the first working prototype.
All the measurements were made for iphone 5c (my girlfriends phone). Than i decided to by an ipod touch and had to use cardboard to make it fit.
This is working with a plastic tip but ım going to try micro fiber tip for the next design.


Looking great, Hurcan! Keep up the good work, and please let us know when you will have some of these for sale. I've ordered the Hotlink and will be getting an ipod touch to run foolcontrol. While I"m anxious to see how just the virtual knob "feels," am very interested in anything that can add a tactile controller in the mix.:-)
 
Hey Mike,
Using foolcontrol on an ipod touch was great. the glass on the screen has just enough friction with flesh. I was able to rotate the ui wheel with precision.. I wasnt getting any grab or slip. the harder I pushed (not that hard) the more control I felt I had. Finger didnt grab with increased pressure.. You can also control the amount of rotation..

Hi Ivan. Glad Mark showed it to you. Yes the Apple touch screens are pretty good...
Thanks for the feedback :-)
 
Hi All,

We've used Foolcontrol (Mac) on several shoots. Mikael kindly implemented a separate focus window at my suggestion- this has absolutely knocked it out of the park for us.

We now have one person operating the camera and a second person on a laptop pulling focus via Canon internal motors.

We use Paralinx arrow -> Blackmagic thunderbolt to get the picture feed, and with the video feed filling the screen with focus bar full length underneath we've discovered (contrary to our expectations) that the easiest way to operate is just with click-and-drag the focus slider using the MacBook touchpad. The Griffin dial thingy is OK, cursor keys are OK, but the slider seems easier to get your eye in with.

We're a tiny cottage industry producer, so if you are used to having a dedicated 1st AC with a hardware focus puller on calibrated cine lenses, our set-up will probably not satisfy. But for us the step up from a single operator hand-holding the camera and pulling focus at the same time, the improvement is palpable. It took a little time for crew to get their eye in, but once they did, we're nailing focus in tricky hand-held shots far more accurately than we've been able to before.

The ergonomics of the laptop as monitor and controller is great.

Yesterday I rigged the camera up on our new Ronin gimbal - can't wait to give it a good shakedown cruise, confident in the focus puller's ability to nail it while I concentrate on moving the camera.

The only significant problem we have encountered is range limitations, especially on the REDlink built-in Wifi connection. For some reason I've not been able to get it working on our house infrastructure wifi as yet. I probably just need to play with settings, or buy a wifi router specifically for shooting which can have its security settings turned down from the max-paranoia mode my normal network runs at.

Better aerials on the REDlink would help. I know someone had experimented with replacing them, has anyone got any experience there? I think it is the REDlink running out of range before the Paralinx. We've got thick stone walls all around here, go around a corner and the signal drops out, go down a corridor and you're sunk.

My interim solution - a wearable laptop tray (just a tray with waist and shoulder straps) so the 1st AC can follow me around with the laptop to pull focus.

All in all Foolcontrol is an excellent piece of software. In fact it feels like something the RED system was always intended to have, it fits in so well with recent developments like gimbal rigs.

Cheers, Hywel
 
Hi All,

We've used Foolcontrol (Mac) on several shoots. Mikael kindly implemented a separate focus window at my suggestion- this has absolutely knocked it out of the park for us.

We now have one person operating the camera and a second person on a laptop pulling focus via Canon internal motors.

We use Paralinx arrow -> Blackmagic thunderbolt to get the picture feed, and with the video feed filling the screen with focus bar full length underneath we've discovered (contrary to our expectations) that the easiest way to operate is just with click-and-drag the focus slider using the MacBook touchpad. The Griffin dial thingy is OK, cursor keys are OK, but the slider seems easier to get your eye in with.

We're a tiny cottage industry producer, so if you are used to having a dedicated 1st AC with a hardware focus puller on calibrated cine lenses, our set-up will probably not satisfy. But for us the step up from a single operator hand-holding the camera and pulling focus at the same time, the improvement is palpable. It took a little time for crew to get their eye in, but once they did, we're nailing focus in tricky hand-held shots far more accurately than we've been able to before.

The ergonomics of the laptop as monitor and controller is great.

Yesterday I rigged the camera up on our new Ronin gimbal - can't wait to give it a good shakedown cruise, confident in the focus puller's ability to nail it while I concentrate on moving the camera.

The only significant problem we have encountered is range limitations, especially on the REDlink built-in Wifi connection. For some reason I've not been able to get it working on our house infrastructure wifi as yet. I probably just need to play with settings, or buy a wifi router specifically for shooting which can have its security settings turned down from the max-paranoia mode my normal network runs at.

Better aerials on the REDlink would help. I know someone had experimented with replacing them, has anyone got any experience there? I think it is the REDlink running out of range before the Paralinx. We've got thick stone walls all around here, go around a corner and the signal drops out, go down a corridor and you're sunk.

My interim solution - a wearable laptop tray (just a tray with waist and shoulder straps) so the 1st AC can follow me around with the laptop to pull focus.

All in all Foolcontrol is an excellent piece of software. In fact it feels like something the RED system was always intended to have, it fits in so well with recent developments like gimbal rigs.

Cheers, Hywel

Thanks Hywell for the feedback. Email me if you need help with infrastructure mode or anything...
Hopefully the iOS version will free your AC from the tray when moving around !
Would love a BTS photo of your setup or two by email if you have any to share :-)


FYI the OS X thread is this one (for further discussion or OS X feedback) : foolcontrol-OS X

and for anyone interested in the mac version there is a free trial on my website and it can be purchase with -25% off until end of this week thanks to Nick's group buy initiative : http://reduser.net/forum/showthread.php?121661-GROUP-BUY-FOOLCONTROL!
 
Hi All,

We've used Foolcontrol (Mac) on several shoots. Mikael kindly implemented a separate focus window at my suggestion- this has absolutely knocked it out of the park for us.

We now have one person operating the camera and a second person on a laptop pulling focus via Canon internal motors.

We use Paralinx arrow -> Blackmagic thunderbolt to get the picture feed, and with the video feed filling the screen with focus bar full length underneath we've discovered (contrary to our expectations) that the easiest way to operate is just with click-and-drag the focus slider using the MacBook touchpad. The Griffin dial thingy is OK, cursor keys are OK, but the slider seems easier to get your eye in with.

We're a tiny cottage industry producer, so if you are used to having a dedicated 1st AC with a hardware focus puller on calibrated cine lenses, our set-up will probably not satisfy. But for us the step up from a single operator hand-holding the camera and pulling focus at the same time, the improvement is palpable. It took a little time for crew to get their eye in, but once they did, we're nailing focus in tricky hand-held shots far more accurately than we've been able to before.

The ergonomics of the laptop as monitor and controller is great.

Yesterday I rigged the camera up on our new Ronin gimbal - can't wait to give it a good shakedown cruise, confident in the focus puller's ability to nail it while I concentrate on moving the camera.

The only significant problem we have encountered is range limitations, especially on the REDlink built-in Wifi connection. For some reason I've not been able to get it working on our house infrastructure wifi as yet. I probably just need to play with settings, or buy a wifi router specifically for shooting which can have its security settings turned down from the max-paranoia mode my normal network runs at.

Better aerials on the REDlink would help. I know someone had experimented with replacing them, has anyone got any experience there? I think it is the REDlink running out of range before the Paralinx. We've got thick stone walls all around here, go around a corner and the signal drops out, go down a corridor and you're sunk.

My interim solution - a wearable laptop tray (just a tray with waist and shoulder straps) so the 1st AC can follow me around with the laptop to pull focus.

All in all Foolcontrol is an excellent piece of software. In fact it feels like something the RED system was always intended to have, it fits in so well with recent developments like gimbal rigs.

Cheers, Hywel


Im using similar setup. I feed surface pro with a avermedia extremecap u3 and use surface pro as a field recorder and a monitor at the same time using paralinx. With the beta foolcontrol app I was able to rack focus realy easy even with a canon 100mm macro.
 

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This is such a life changer
Merci Mikael
I will definitely be using your app & the hotlink with my Scarlet
I'll try using the steadycam Smoothy iphone mount for shoulder work
until someone comes up with something smarter
Thank you
Foolcontrol.jpg

iphone-mount.jpg
 
Hahaha
non bien sur c'etait juste pour montrer le bazard de l'iphone mount
et encore bravo
can't wait to have my fingers on this app
 
still waiting for Apple review and validation.
Just called a contact I have at Apple and it looks like this is following the normal process that can take up to 10 days and there are a bit busy at the moment with lots of newly updated apps for iOS 8 etc...
 
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