Luminous Landscape Forum

Equipment & Techniques => Medium Format / Film / Digital Backs – and Large Sensor Photography => Topic started by: Chris Barrett on November 26, 2014, 10:30:36 am

Title: Is Profoto ever going to provide decent software for the Air system?
Post by: Chris Barrett on November 26, 2014, 10:30:36 am
The old software had a great interface that allowed immense control over complicated lighting setups.  The newer software is practically useless to me.  What up?


http://christopherbarrett.net/blog/?p=1721 (http://christopherbarrett.net/blog/?p=1721)
Title: Re: Is Profoto ever going to provide decent software for the Air system?
Post by: Dustbak on November 26, 2014, 11:08:08 am
+1

Have you also noticed a very limited range for the extremely overpriced USB AIR module? It is nowhere near the range of regular AIR modules :(

This is one thing I really miss from my previous system (Elinchrom).
Title: Re: Is Profoto ever going to provide decent software for the Air system?
Post by: geesbert on November 28, 2014, 02:22:36 am
I am also sincerely pissed off with Profoto for that!

I had my flashes all equipped with pocketwizzards, the d4s got PW built in, worked just fine.

When they brought out the Air system I was quite excited, I upgraded the d4s to Air (for 400€ a pop!), sold all my compact to go D1 air and was happy with the system.

Then they 'upgraded' the software to make it nearly unusable. Looks like it was coded 1998 by the intern. very unstable.

So altogether I spent some 3000€ for actually nothing.
Title: Re: Is Profoto ever going to provide decent software for the Air system?
Post by: BernardLanguillier on November 28, 2014, 05:58:49 am
Indeed, they can be used to some extend without the software of course, but it is a shame.

Cheers,
Bernard
Title: Re: Is Profoto ever going to provide decent software for the Air system?
Post by: Manoli on November 28, 2014, 06:36:11 am
Indeed, they can be used to some extend without the software of course, but it is a shame.

Not with CB's 10-light architectural setup they can't - at least,  not without climbing ladders !! [/smiley - though I doubt CB is amused]
Title: Re: Is Profoto ever going to provide decent software for the Air system?
Post by: BernardLanguillier on November 28, 2014, 06:47:15 am
Not with CB's 10-light architectural setup they can't - at least,  not without climbing ladders !! [/smiley - though I doubt CB is amused]

Yes, of course. I was speaking of my own usage.

Cheers,
Bernard
Title: Re: Is Profoto ever going to provide decent software for the Air system?
Post by: Dustbak on November 28, 2014, 08:20:51 am
Working in a studio with lots of lights, stands, modifiers, reflectors, eg. a cramped and filled place, it is a real benefit to be able to alter lighting from behind the computer instead of tripping over all sorts of stuff in order to get behind flashes or to generators.

It is why I got the USB wireless computer dongle. As with most other stuff from Profoto I just expect it to work properly. I can understand software that is crippled when it is just released. Certainly annoying but allright if the company improves over time I can live with it. This POS has been released in 2011 and in 4 years there has not been any improvement whatsoever! That is just shitting on your customers IMO.
Title: Re: Is Profoto ever going to provide decent software for the Air system?
Post by: rogan on November 28, 2014, 09:05:24 pm
There is also a HUGE issue with the Nikon air transmitter. If you are on manual settings and the air goes to sleep when it wakes up it reverts to ttl!
Please fix this. When it goes to sleep it should wake up where it was set before
Title: Re: Is Profoto ever going to provide decent software for the Air system?
Post by: geesbert on November 30, 2014, 03:33:27 am
another daft omission from the ttl-controller is, that you can't adjust all flashes at once, like 'master' with the old one. if you want to open your lens by one stop, you have to toggle through all groups to lower the power.