Focal software

lukey1965

lukey1965

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Paul
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Good morning all.

I am considering buying the Reikan Focal AFMA software.

Has anybody any experience with any of the versions please, either good or bad ??

Thanks, Paul
 
I've used it on 1Dx's, 1DMkIV's and a 1DsIII....works well now that the early bugs have been ironed out.

There's a thread devoted to it here

Bob
 
I've only used the Pro version and at long last (after 18 months since initial release) I find it to be stable and reliable. I actually got my copy for free as I was part of the original beta test team and a free copy was reward for my efforts and input. Since then it has had more features added, more cameras and more platforms. Stability has always been variable until the most recent release - 1.9 for Windows - which I have found to be rock solid.

It is effective, but you still need to put the effort in to set up your target correctly and make sure the lighting is suitable. That would be true no matter which method you choose to use. However, once FoCal gets to work with its automated calibration you can sit back and relax rather than agonising over various images to decide which one is sharpest and without furious button twiddling to change settings in between shots.

There are many other ways to calibrate, but FoCal is the most automated that I know of. A close second is the DotTune method now making an appearance in the Magic Lantern software, but as far as I can tell that is crawling in its development beyond the 5D2 so don't hold your breath for that one.

Is it worth it? Well, if like me you have four bodies capable of AFMA and around 10 lenses (plus teleconverters on top of that) to mix and match with them then the answer is probably "Yes". On the other hand, if you only have one body and a couple of lenses it might be a bit of overkill - sledgehammer for walnut kind of thing.
 
I would check out the DotTune method before purchasing anything...
 
tdodd said:
I've only used the Pro version and at long last (after 18 months since initial release) I find it to be stable and reliable. I actually got my copy for free as I was part of the original beta test team and a free copy was reward for my efforts and input. Since then it has had more features added, more cameras and more platforms. Stability has always been variable until the most recent release - 1.9 for Windows - which I have found to be rock solid.

It is effective, but you still need to put the effort in to set up your target correctly and make sure the lighting is suitable. That would be true no matter which method you choose to use. However, once FoCal gets to work with its automated calibration you can sit back and relax rather than agonising over various images to decide which one is sharpest and without furious button twiddling to change settings in between shots.

There are many other ways to calibrate, but FoCal is the most automated that I know of. A close second is the DotTune method now making an appearance in the Magic Lantern software, but as far as I can tell that is crawling in its development beyond the 5D2 so don't hold your breath for that one.

Is it worth it? Well, if like me you have four bodies capable of AFMA and around 10 lenses (plus teleconverters on top of that) to mix and match with them then the answer is probably "Yes". On the other hand, if you only have one body and a couple of lenses it might be a bit of overkill - sledgehammer for walnut kind of thing.
Click to expand...

Many thanks, nice to know it's stable.
 
Be aware that due to Canon restrictions on the communications between PC/Mac and the 5D3 the fully automatic calibration is not available for this body. This is a big frustration for me as the 5D3 is my best camera and the one I am most keen to have working perfectly. I think the restriction also applies to the 1Dx as well (maybe the 6D?) and possibly some of the more recent Nikons. There is an assisted mode to deal with these bodies, but it involves manual adjustment of AFMA values between shots - not the end of the world once your fingers get into the routine, but a bit tedious nonetheless. Sadly the remedy lies with Canon(/Nikon) rather than FoCal and they aren't playing ball.

For the 7D users I see posting here there should be no problems using the full range of automated functions.

One aspect of the tool which is quite nice is that you can specify the aperture at which you want to calibrate your lens. This could be useful if you have a lens which suffers from focus shift when stopping down or which you always stop down a little for reasons of lens IQ. Such an approach is either far more tedious or simply not possible with other methods/tools.
 
If I purchase, it will be for a 1DmkIV. I believe from the website it is fully automatic for this body.
 
I have it and think it works well. No, it doesn't do anything you can't do yourself manually but it just automates the process and removes a lot of tedium.

I've used it with a 5D3 and it is tedious having to change the adjustment according to the software's directions but, with my 7D, it's just a case of leaving it for a few minutes to sort itself out :)
 
Thanks again for latest input.

Anything automated that can take my numpty fumbling fingers out of the equation works for me !!
 
I also think it's a bit more deterministic than doing it manually, as it's using a defined algorithm to compare the sharpness of shots, rather than just human judgement. Whenever I've done it manually, I always end up looking at two shots and trying to decide which is sharper or if there's no discernible difference.
 
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