compact/mobile (small) tethering solution? (firewire)

[hlue]

i am wondering what are the best options in terms of, small, fast enough, not overly expensive tethering a Medium format back in the field/on location.
not the greatest fan of getting a macbook for this but i do use apple.

is there something like an ipad that can tether to a phase one p25 via firewire? simple storage and fileview in C1 would be enough. probably would be ideal if running osx.

how do you guys do this, if some are doing it?

[Doug Peterson]

With the Credo, IQ, and IQ2 series you can use a Microsoft Surface tablet or an ultra-portable with USB as long as it can run a modern version of Windows. [Kudos to Ken Doo for having done a lot of research/posts about this solution]. You can also use any Mac laptop (using USB3).

With the IQ2 series you can use the built-in wireless to view and rate captures as well as control the camera from an iPad, iPad Mini, iPhone or other iOS device.

With a FW-only back your only good options are older small MacBookPros with FW. The issue being of course those computers are pretty heavy compared to modern computers like the MacBook Air. You could also carry a USB card reader and modern computer of your choice and shoot to card and then remove the card, insert to the reader, and judge that way.

[hlue]

hi Doug, i highly admire lots of your input in several forums, for example the scanning with dmfb...

but this input doesnt really help. I am talking p25 oldschool back and you talk today-absolutely-out of my reach-backs

the p25 only has Firewire. no usb.


so i am looking for the smallest most clever solution using it on location with a phase one p25 preferable running OS X

i think 13,3" macbooks is the smallest i see, but something modern tablet/ipad like would be much better. Hell the screen can be the size of a sony Xperia, i would mind but it has to store my files via firewire.

[Ken Doo]

The last part of Doug's answer addresses tethering with your old school P25 with FW.  You could also research using Thunderbolt to FW adapters with an Apple/Mac solution.  Too bad the FW and USB3 protocol is just different---there isn't a workaround or adapter possible, otherwise using the Microsoft Surface solution would be an incredible way to breath new life into older P series MFDBs.  I'd love to see an aftermarket Phase upgrade for P series backs, replacing the old FW in P+ series MFDBs with USB3 capability.

Phase/Leaf USB3 capability has really made tethering on location with the Surface Pro an easy solution, and a natural extension of the already very good touch screen on the MFDB.

Ken Doo

[Doug Peterson]

I hope you'll take no offense that I often answer questions more broadly than is directly required since for every one person who asks the question there are a few hundred more who read the thread, many of whom will be in similar-but-different situations.

There is no good solution for a P25 beyond the 13" MacBookPro with FW that I would recommend. The P25 non plus did not have a menu option to run off battery power so using a solution which is based on a thunderbolt-to-firewire is not a path I'd recommend. You'd need a thunderbolt to FW800 adapter, followed by a FW800 to FW400 cable, followed by a FW port isolator. That's a lot of connection points to fail or come loose. Or in theory you could do a [TB:FW800 adapter > FW cable > powered hub / battery > FW cable > back] which also sounds like misery to me.

[hlue]

damn..

thanks its getting more clear now.
i thought firewire 800 is compatible with thunderbolt (wich i thought is the port on my imac 21,5 not newest version)
but maybe thats a plain 800 instead.


i really hope there will be a solution for a little save and review screen/book
i thought of sth like this: http://www.luminous-landscape.com/reviews/accessories/field-tethering.shtml



if there is really no chance, can i shoot to a dedicated firewire drive?

[rhsu]

Directly = no . 

Indirectly = yes

ie via MBP with FW800.  I have the same problem with you with Sinar using FW.

[Joe Towner]

It's not a Mac, but an old Sony Vaio with iLink (4 pin firewire 400) may be an option for you.  I'd just make sure you capture to viable device, as the 1.8" pata drives aren't known for being stable.  Capture One, eitheer v6 or v7, should still run on XP, which is as far as I'd push it.  For that matter, I still have a Fujitsu P1505 that's touch screen and such, and I think it came with either a pcmcia or express card slot, both of which can be adapted to FW.

[hlue]

good stuff. how practical you find this solution? do you use it regulary?

i rellay wouldnt add on all this with a backup drive, its a stretch for me allreday to go so technological with equipment.

i think i have the right things in mind now.

[Paul2660]

For the P25, if there is a way to go from the thunderbolt port to the older firewire that the P25 uses, I would look at the 3:2 screen version, or the 4:3 screen versions of the air.  Most of the older ones on ebay are between 550 to 695, all with the 128GB drive and 4GB of ram. 

As for XP and the older Sony, it might work, however for tethering that solution may not work that well, just do to the hardware, i.e. slow to moderate times to transfer the files.  I have not tried it so, I may be wrong. 

If you go with the newer airs, the key will be the thunderbolt to firewire conversion port. 

You can also easily run these machines with win 7 via bootcamp if your preference is windows.  I have for years and they work fine.

Paul

[hlue]

The P25 non plus did not have a menu option to run off battery power so using a solution which is based on a thunderbolt-to-firewire is not a path I'd recommend.

if i use a mac device that has native Firewire 400 as the p25 will i be fine powering the back? i just understood that you meant i cant select the p25 to run by battery.

will a macbook around 2009 with fw400 power the back just fine and secure while storing and preview in c1?

[Doug Peterson]

Some laptops with native FW400 6-pin ports will provide consistent/sufficient power to run a P25. Others will not. Worse yet, a particular laptop can roll along for months working perfectly with a P25 and then suddenly one day you'll find the back no longer connects, or there are lines through the images, and you'll know the power on the FW port has slightly dropped, placing the amount of power just under what is needed. This is why modern Phase One backs (IQ/IQ2) always run off the battery, and only use FW power (when available) to recharge the battery. You can use a port isolator to remove power from the FW400 path entirely, in which case your back should run off battery. But this adds an additional connection point, instead of a direct connection which is preferable.

This is not a route I would go. As I said from the first post there is no solution I would suggest. That does not mean it is strictly impossible; only that the hassles and potential headaches that lie ahead are not trivial.