Hallo,

Downloaded FlexColor 4.7 today and it has a nice suprise included!

As well as updating the firmware in my H2D (digital bit) it also updated the firmware in the body - all via FlexColor, no other connections, patch files etc etc.

FlexColor now has vignetting correction specific to the HC lenses (with a nice scale of 0 -100% if you still want some effect)

On the body there is a brilliant addition which allows you to add a small delay after the mirror has gone up before the leaf shutter fires. This has made hand holding a lot easier with longer lenses.

Fooled about in the kitchen shooting some flowers for a bit and its made it a lot easier to use at slower shutter speeds and reduce camera shake. The delay is only 50-200ms and not really noticeable.

Also you can target one of the keys on top of the body as a shortcut to adjust WB and ISO. Nice!

I don't own a Image Bank but a feature has been added to allow backup of files from CF card to the Bank... Becoming more tempted now.

Jo S.x

Jo
Where did you download it from? The Hasselblad website still seems to show 4.6.7 as the newest.
Regards
Richard

Hi Richard,

Early this morning! Not sure why it is not there?

Jo S.x

The update is great, but lasts a long time... And don't, repeat, DON'T just click "OK". Your camera will freeze and a certified technichian will have to do a costly service job... Follow the on screen instructions carefully and to the point.

Both the H-body and the backs are updated with new firmware (usually only the back.) The new software makes flexcolor a lot more stable (for example if you accidentally disconnect the firewirecable while 40 something images are waiting to load, the images still keep coming in without a hiccup, computer RAM are holding them...) (BTW, if your coumputer goes over to using a scratch disk, things slow up a lot...)

-axel

Jo
Found it!
Many thanks
Richard

Ive Just checked again...

Its certainly there! Maybe you need to refresh your browser? Old cached page?

Here's a snip from the readme....

New FlexColor features:

DAC level III: Vignetting correction is implemented in this major FlexColor release together with numerous improvements of the camera and digital unit firmware.

Connecting to FlexColor 4.7 the firmware in an H camera is now automatically updated through the FireWire connection. FlexColor 4.7 contains the following firmware upload configuration:

- firmware version 209 for the digital capture unit
- firmware version 1.0.2 for H3D
- firmware version 9.2.2 for H1/H1D/H2/H2D.

New Camera features:

It is now possible to insert a customizable time delay after the mirror has been raised and before the shutter begins to open. This reduces potential un-sharpness in images caused by camera vibration. The default setting is 50 ms and optional settings are: 0 ms, 25 ms, 50 ms, 100 ms and 200 ms. This setting is activated by loading the ‘Standard’ profile or making a manual change in Custom Option #31. The optimal value depends on various factors but with the correct setting a very noticeable improvement can be seen. This feature is implemented through the H-camera firmware 9.2.2 or H3D camera firmware 1.0.2.

Ultra-Focus functionality is upgraded to contain improved correction for spherical aberration (aperture dependant focus) and influence of sensor cover- and filter-glass on the focus. All is implemented for H3D with the 1.0.2 firmware. The Ultra-Focus adjustment for differences in infrared performance between the auto-focus sensor and the camera HC/HCD lens is still in lab verification, and is not included with this release.

It is now possible to directly access the ISO and white balance settings screen without working your way down through the camera menu. Any of the three buttons “FLASH”, “AF” or “DRIVE” on the camera grip can be reprogrammed for this shortcut action. This feature is available with firmware 1.0.2 and onwards for the H3D model only. The choice for this setting is made in Custom Option #32.

ImageBank-II functionality has been extended to allow images on CF cards to be easily copied or backed-up to the ImageBank-II. The image batches copied to the ImageBank are shown in yellow text in the display. The ImageBank-II can also serve as power supply for an H3D capture unit on a view-camera, shooting in un-tethered mode.

Firmware Improvements:

- The handling of the battery status has been greatly improved on H3D.
- The menu item “Digital” now includes a new menu for setting of ISO and white balance.
- Extended frame number. H3D now correctly shows available frames on the ImageBank-II.
- When H3D’s digital capture unit is attached to the camera body the “Camera” menu is greyed out as the camera is automatically selected. Flash-sync and Pin-hole modes are available when the unit is used on a view-camera.

- ISO and white balance are now stored in the H3D camera profiles.
- A new batch will no longer be created when connecting the ImageBank-II.
- The amount of time that the ON-OFF button must be depressed before turning the H-camera on has been increased from 500 ms to 750 ms to avoid unintentional battery drain (inadvertently pressed in a camera bag, for example).

- It is now possible to turn the H-camera off directly from Standby mode.
- Better error messages on the digital capture unit have been introduced.
- The display is no longer dimmed when tethered and all warnings can be seen.
- Exposure time enabled in user interface for Contax 645.
- Added new camera type "Generic" (only available on CF with some I-adapters)
- Better defaults for sequence shooting.

Jo S.x

Is the upgrade useful for CFV back users?


Steve

Or for Scanner users, with Imacon scanners?

Geoff

Loaded 4.7 onto our H2 with the CF39 back - TROUBLE!!! The Flexcolor 4.7 crashed 8 times causing all files shot to be lost. Luckily we build in a lot of security into typical interior shoots so we could recreate the sessions that were lost as we were shooting. However, if I was shooting food or models at the time, we would have been screwed. We typically are not running a redundant back up as files are being captured.

BEWARE 4.7 is not stable.

FYI, we optimize our macs and run clean machines routinely updating os software. As a H-shooter for several years I have been very unsatisfied with Flexcolor for what is missing in the upgrades and the pressure caused by the additional work it creates being severly limited.

Not to rain on anyone's parade, but Hasselblad ought to stop tooting their own horn. If the product is as wonderful as they proclaim others with let them know.

This has not been my experience at all.

Flexcolour 4.7 has been rock solid on our machines. No crashes and no lost files. In fact in 5 years of using Flexcolour I have never had a crash that has caused me to lose files, can you explain exactly what happened?

Nick-T

Hello Nick,

Is there somewhere one can download Flexcolour and some sample files to try out the software? I would like to consider a H3D but have no idea if Flexcolour's workflow suits me. Thanks.

Is there a link somewhere that I can download a copy of Flexcolor to try out and see if I like the workflow before deciding on going the Hasselblad route?

Thanks.

BTW I'm on Win XP

"BEWARE 4.7 is not stable."

This is just NOT my experience, and I've made thousands of exposures on my H3d-39 since 4.7's initial release. Sounds more like your firmware may have been improperly installed when upgrading. I would look to that remedy before making such a broad statement.

The Hasselblad web site contains a download with instructions for anyone who improperly loaded the new firmware with Flexcolor 4.7.

<BEWARE 4.7 is not stable.>

I have to agree with the others here. Flexcolour 4.7 has been rock solid for us over the last few weeks, and there are major improvements to the camera and the software that are very welcome.

'Sounds like there are some real experts out there who are working their H cameras and backs through Flexcolor very hard and in every condition day in and day out without any issues. You guys are amazing and hold a secret the rest of us all want to know. Please tell us exactly how you do it what it is you do so well and who you are.

In the meantime, we at my studio we have had some specific situations in which either Hasselblad's back, the camera or the software do not function to the standard by which Hasselblad has set. Over the past 4 years of shooting these systems and running Flexcolor on the Imacon scanners I have recorded a fairly long and detailed list (including all technical logs of such issues) of technical glitches from battery failure to file corruption to lock-ups to file naming to file exporting and to dng file efficacy. I have worked through the numerous firmware upgrades (including the 4 most recent 4.6.4, 4.6.5, 4.6.7 to 4.7) and I am most certain that version 4.7 will not be the last. But any savvy pro shooter will know that all software/firmware has issues, especially give the pressure placed on software in the many work environments it must perform in.

Therefore, in the process of discussing software stability (not utility - which is another discussion) there ought to be some basic assumptions:
• software/firmware will always need to be updated as other software and hardware changes
• software/firmware upgrades are essentially good, welcome and needed changes
• software/firmware will never perform perfectly in all environments to all users at all times
• time, testing and use will are the steps to reaching the goal of perfect software
• software/firmware will fail
• software/firmware is only as good as those who write the code
• if software does not work, then the quality of life is lowered

Here is the specific issue we have recently found with Flexcolor 4.7 within the specific condition to which Flexcolor has not been stable. Note: the only change in this scenario has been from 4.6.7 to 4.7. Prior to 4.7 the software crashing did not occur

Environment: Mac/Hasselblad
- Mac G4 Powerbook 1.5 GHz, OS X 10.4.9, 1 GB ram
- H2 body
- CF - 39 back
- Tethered with 14' firewire II cable
- Flexcolor 4.7 installed on all 3 devices (laptop, body, back)

Operation: Tethered Shooting on Location
- Enable camera control within Flexcolor
- Firing camera staged from laptop
- Captures load into Flexcolor and on to laptop
- After random # of captures (10-20) Flexcolor crashed with an error message "Flexcolor Unexpectedly Quit"
- Upon re-launching Flexcolor, the recently captured fff files in the designated folder are missing, and after a global search of the drive nowhere else including the trash.

Noteworthy: there are several great tech folk at Hasselblad who are more than willing to address and help investigate and remedy tech issues and software glitches as they arise. I can't give Paul Claesson enough praise regarding his genuine interest and care for the pro shooting community. He is a real asset to Hasselblad and an excellent person when issues need to be addressed.

Hi Michael,

Well for starters I wouldn't say I was an expert but common sense would lead me to question an immediate point on your equipment...

Environment: Mac/Hasselblad
- Mac G4 Powerbook 1.5 GHz, OS X 10.4.9, 1 GB ram
- H2 body
- CF - 39 back
- Tethered with 14' firewire II cable
- Flexcolor 4.7 installed on all 3 devices (laptop, body, back)

A G4 Powerbook with only 1GB of RAM is way underpowered for a 39MP model. I imagine you are putting huge strain on a machine like this.

How much hard drive space is available?

At the very least you should have 2GB of RAM... the least!

When I changed from the old Macs to the new Intel Macs there was a big leap in performance.

You are making you're life extrememly hard with that laptop. I would promote it to a ncie iTunes player and treat youself to a new MacBook Pro and stuff it full of RAM.

Other than that, I don't think you have any other issues except a bad firewire cable. Have you tried another one?

Jo S.x

I agree, 1gb of RAM is not enough to run Flexcolor and the system software. Upgrading the ram to 2gb will help alot. I have 4gb on my MacBook Pro and it uses all of it when I'm processing large amounts of files. I would also consider getting at least a MacBook.

Cheers,
Weldon

Can someone please tell me how you import a hassie file into Flexcolor 4.6Beta?
I use the Import function and nothing happens. If I dragged the file onto FC, a greyed out image shows up on thw workspace and nothing else happens. I'm puzzled.

Henry

Well first of all I wouldn't be using 4.6 beta. That's very old software.

Is the extention of the file .fff or .3fr?

Did you follow the instructions on the earlier post? If it is a .fff file you do not need to import it, just target it in the Thumbnails window (Window>Thumbnails).

But,if it is a 3FR file then it has to be 'imported' even though the files already reside on
your computer When you have Flexcolor running you go to Window > Import and locate
the file/files you want to 'import'. This import process decompresses the 3Fr format to
a .fff file which can then be viewed in the Thumbnails window as was outlined above

MT

Deleted!

(Got my threads mixed up!)

Thanks to the several who have read carefully the specific issues with Flexcolor 4.7 I posted and responded either personally via email or by calling the studio - most helpful. Unfortunately, the majority of the folks who have responded in this blog don't "get it" and have gone in a direction that is not helpful to this issue or for further tech resolution posts. For that I am disappointed. But I wish you all well nonetheless. Thank you.

I'm sorry that you are having trouble Michael, that is extremely frustrating. I shoot interiors and exteriors too, I've been using 4.7 since it came out with no problems. I shoot tethered to a MacBook Pro with 4gb of ram. I suspect you have a multi part problem with: 4.7, too little ram and something else.

I suggest two things: Joining the flexframe yahoo group and posting this over there. Those guys are much better at application specific problems (everyone uses flexcolor all day every day.)

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Flexframe/messages

Second thing: I would bug the living $!@! out of hasselblad support. I've had some real problems getting them to respond to any type of problem but you may have better luck.

support@hasselbladusa.com

Good Luck,
Weldon

I think we're only trying to help.

The only think I 'get' is that your machine is underpowered for your big 39MP back.

Jo S.x

Unfortunately, Joseyaruk is absolutely correct in this matter. When I read your post last week, I immediately was going to respond the same way, but as someone already had, I didn't feel it was necessary.

I remember the day when the Hasselblad rep first demoed the Ixpress 132C at my studio a few years back. He called to ask what I had for a machine...I said don't worry...I've got plenty of power, and I've been running flexcolor for years on my imacon scanner. When he showed up and saw my dual processer g4...he laughed and went out to his car to grab the G5 he brought with him (they were pretty new at the time). "The software doesn't really run on the g4 ", he said.

After about a week with the Ixpress, and struggling in a way I hadn't expected with the software...I plunked down another chunk of change for a new g5. All has been well for several years now.

I'm currently upgrading to the H3d-31. And from what I can see, flexcolor is running about 1/3 to 1/2 the speed with the new larger files...add all the DAC stuff and your looking at 2-3 minutes to process an image. (this is what the dual g4 was doing with the 22mp files way back when). I took the software and files down to our local mac store and it ran surprisingly well on the MacBook pro. (and about the same on the quad).

On my 1.67 g4 laptop with 2 gigs I have had regular crashes after a certain # of images have been loaded with the 22mp. I woulldn't even dare to use it with the 31, much less with the 39...and certainly not with camera control enabled (this has always been notoriously buggy).

Your system is simply not up to the task, and therefore it's crashing. Flexcolor puts a lot of demands on Quicktime, Even on the g5, I have to watch it when opening iView (another QT hog) and Flexcolor...as sooner or later, one or the other will bring the whole system down....(Dual 1.8 g5 with 4 gigs of ram).

By the way...the person to talk software with at Hasselblad is Per Holk. He's in Redmond, and He's been answering Flexcolor questions for me since it was ColorFlex (the original imacon scanner software).

Barry Goyette

A G4 Powerbook is more than an adequate tool to use in the process of making captures with a Hasselblad H camera or any view camera with a 39 MP back (or smaller) attached while using Flexcolor 4.7 software. A G4 laptop in this scenario is similar to an imagebank, except that it has many additional advantages including but not limited to:

• up to a 17 inch preview or "Polaroid" (if you will) on-hand
• allows the user to run Flexcolor to control a tethered digital back from the laptop
• allows the use of all other OS X software
• allows for very easy back-up to local drives or non-local drives

Hasselblad will agree that there is nothing listed their in read me files or any other published documents that requires the users of their backs and camera to use a macbook pro. Additionally, after resolving the firmware upgrade glitch (yes, there is a glitch in the firmware upgrade that may happen in certain environments and is fixable) that I encountered, Flexcolor 4.7 does in deed work quite well on a G4 laptop for capture. Processing raw files is another issue all together and due to processor speed among other constraints will be choked to a crawl, but that has never been presented as the issue in this thread.

Furthermore, for those contributing to this specific thread/conversation on this list who are adamant that pros or amateurs need to purchase the macbook pro less they can not use their medium format backs are doing a great disservice to the photographic community. These are knee jerk and ill conceived comments that have no grounds of technological merit. They suggest not solutions to software/hardware compatibility but encourage equipment wastefulness and unnecessary expenses. Furthermore talk without solid technical evidence takes both software and hardware developers off the hook for designing and delivering compatible products and allows for open table blame to be placed by either thus leaving end users in the cold. Please, I know this might offend some, but if you can put your allegiances toward you beloved hardware/software down for a moment and join a conversation of resolution and progress your input might be appreciated. Yes feel free to lash at me all you wish, but before you do ask yourselves ... "Am I contributing to a solution?"

If speed is an issue, using the G4 laptop (which sometimes I use) will be an issue, it is really slow if compared to the newer Macbook Pro. For stills, may be it is OK, because there is time to wait for the rendering pop on the screen but if the shooting involved a talent then you pretty much lost the spontaenous. The G4 is a good machine and still can deliver, except slower. I use both P45 and H3D39, with the C1 visibly faster, even compare to Flexcolor 3.7.1 just release 2 days ago. Location shoot, speed is mattered, especailly when using battery power, you would need a faster machine if you can afford, but, a G4 Powerbook is still capable of deliver almost everything but quite slower.

I will say that the only person who seems to be "lashing out" is you.

The purpose of a user forum is for users to share their experiences in the hope of diseminating good information. Several of us have, in the hopes of helping you solve your problem. You do a disservice to the forum when you criticize people for trying to help. You disagree with us. Fine. You solved your problem on your own. Fine. You have a solution that works for you. We have one that works for us. Fine. That is all that needs to be said.

For the record, many of my friends consider me to be measured, thoughtful, deliberate and thorough in my research of many subjects. Kneejerk and Ill-conceived are not words they would associate with me, and in my oh so humble opinion, the powerbook g4 with 1 gig of ram is a barely adequate computer for use with the h3d-39.

Barry


______________________________________________

"Never miss a good opportunity to shut up" -- Mark Twain

I am about to order a Hasselblad back.

My dealer gave me a CD containing FlexColor 4.7 and a few files to play with.

My bread and butter is fine art documentation for catalogue and I am used to ACR4. I use a Gretag CC and a basICColor grey card in just about every single shot I take.

Using the HSL feature in ACR4 (coupled with the nine sample color sampler) I can match eight of the Gretag's colour patches to exact RGB values. I can set overall color balance and gamma using the basICColor card. All in about 10 minutes.

This gives me color accuracy unmatched in film.

Having played with FlexColor for the last few days, I can't see how I can achieve the same thing using it. Can I?

Will I have to convert everything to DNG? Am I losing anything in doing so? And why does it have to be that way anyway?

Thanks.

D.

As far as I understood, Hasselblad is not sharing the spec's of its file format making it very difficult for 3rd party raw converters to develop for the 3FR file format.

It would be very welcome if it could be processed in other raw converters as well giving users options.

I use Leaf files at the moment while I capture in the Leaf software I am very glad there are other converters I can use as well.

It would be a wise move of Hasselblad to share their raw file spec's. It would make their backs more valuable to users instead of less.

So, yes you have to use Flex first converting to DNG after which you can use your trusted workflow.

This is not correct. Hasselblad has worked in the past with Adobe on the DNG spec and I believe they are currently working with them on native conversion from .fff into ACR/Lightroom. Also, I believe you can open up .fff files natively in Raw Developer, an excellent program for raw conversion. Generally, unless they have a commercial application for use with other cameras , like C1, all of the digital back manufacturers have a cooperative stance with regard to 3rd party software raw converters. And even Phase One has been more cooperative recently with Lightroom, for example. It's in all of their interest to do so.

Steve Hendrix
PPR
www.ppratlanta.com

Music to my ears and thanks for the input!

D.

That is what I was thinking as well (that it is in their interest as well). Good news if there will be support for 3FR files in ACR.

To day, You simply have to have support in ACR IMO (naturally others like RD are also a really nice bonus).

In response to my question about support for 3FR in ACR I got answered by Hasselblad that it is not planned for the near future.

Who did you speak with? And it remains to be seen whether support will be for 3FR or .fff or both.

Steve Hendrix
PPR
www.ppratlanta.com

See PM.