We’ve had a lot of very positive feedback on Test Release 4. Huge thanks to all Reikan FoCal users who’ve tried the test release and provided feedback and when an issue was discovered tried suggestions to help us identify the underlying cause. Thanks to user reports we’ve identified a small number of issues and these are now fixed in this latest test release.
This release is for all FoCal license holders (Standard, Plus and Pro) for both Windows and Mac platforms.
Changes from Test Release 4
This release is very close in functionality to Test Release 4, so for details it’s worth checking out the TR4 release page. The following fixes have been included in TR4.1:
- Fixed an issue where in some circumstances FoCal would stop working after the first shot was taken during the Fully Auto Calibration, AF Consistency or Aperture Sharpness test.
- Fixed a problem where “Array index out of range” would be shown when opening Fully Auto Calibration, AF Consistency or Aperture Sharpness tests for some users running OS X 10.9.
- Fixed an issue where Nikon files were rejected in File Mode for some users.
How do I get FoCal 2?
FoCal 2 TR4.1 (Test Release 4.1) is available for ALL FoCal license holders running the Windows or Mac (OS X 10.9 or 10.10) operating systems.
The installation package contains the software, target images and a reference manual (also available on the Documents Download page) which includes details of the different areas between FoCal 1 and FoCal 2. Any functionality that is the same in both versions is documented in the FoCal 1 manual during the Test Release phase.
You can download FoCal 2 TR4.1 by logging in to the LMS at lms.fo-cal.co.uk. You will then see a download link to the software.
Test Release Feedback
Just to reiterate about feedback: FoCal 2 contains some really cool and exciting new features and we want you to be able to reap the benefits of this extra functionality. We’d also love to hear back from you about any suggestions you might have or reports of any bugs. We’ve made this as easy as possible with a “Send Feeback” button in the About window – this will take you to the right place to submit feedback:
17 comments on “Reikan FoCal 2 TR4.1”
Hey folks,
I’m stuck using 1.9 even though I have downloaded the latest release, that shows 2.0.4.2308M It actually shows the same number in the About box as the last release, despite the download file being identified at 2.0.4.2318 so I don’t know if the Mac package has actually been updated or not.
I have filed reports as requested because every time I try to use the Automatic Calibration function it fails with an error saying Invalid Parameters to Context Creation
I’d paste a screenshot of the error if I could but this forum doesn’t accept that sort of thing.
I’ve tried this with a number of different cameras and all I have succeeded in doing is driving down the counter on the number of changes I can make to my license file, which as you can imagine is not filling me with joy.
I see that this is the final test before release, but unless I have missed something major league, it doesn’t work and is nowhere near ready. Every post I have made, gets me a generic, “we get a lot of feedback” email, so while I surely respect the amount of work involved, seeing that the software is “ready” when to me it is not, is a problem.
I just tested again and exactly the same error dialog appears. I have filed another feedback note, but am becoming convinced that they aren’t getting read.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Ross
Hi Ross,
Thank you for your feedback and thank you for raising a support ticket, it is very useful for us to have issues reported via the ticket system. We use the support ticket reports to investigate issues more deeply and also in a more general way to understand the issues users are seeing.
You should have a reply via the ticket system system but I will include here as well:
The “Invalid Parameters to Context Creation” issue is only seen when setting a combination of the Image Capture Mode being set to Raw and Target Optimisation being enabled and happens only on certain camera’s / Mac OS versions.
For now, the workaround is to either use JPEG Image Capture Mode, or to switch the Target Validation setting from Target Optimisation to Target Validation.
As long as you have a stable test setup (good solid tripod on a solid ground) then you should get no difference in result with Target Optimisation disabled. Also, unless you are using a specialist light source or are very interested in the RGB analysis results you will probably not see any difference between Raw and JPEG analysis (and JPEG runs a lot quicker).
This issue will be fixed in the next release as we now understand the problem properly. Thanks very much for your help in resolving this.
Looking also at your ticket (glad you’re enjoying the Voice Prompt function!) the camera HotKey
To find out more about the Camera HotKey please see the manual at http://dl.fo-cal.co.uk/Docs/Manuals/FoCal_1.9.11.416_OSX.pdf (this function is the same between Mac and Windows) – sections
23.3.3 Nikon Camera HotKey
and
23.4.3 Canon Camera HotKey
Best Regards,
Dave
Prior beta release crashed while processing 1st image. This latest release, 4.1, crashes upon start up. Disappointing, feels like you didn’t even test it.
Hi Anthony,
Sometimes it feels like one step forward two back, a number of users have reported this same issue and we believe it only happens on certain Windows platforms and is an interaction with the previous test release 4.0 install.
There is a work-round, until we determine the underlying cause, click setup.exe (as if you were going to install it again) and pick “Remove FoCal 2 (Test Release)”. Basically, un-install and re-install FoCal and that should resolve the issue and allow normal operation.
We are investigating why this should happen, literally there are very few changes between 4 and 4.1 so unclear exactly what should cause this behaviour.
Best Regards,
Dave
Dave,
Thanks for the quick response. Will try that approach tonight.
Best regards,
Tony
As a side note, we’ve got to the bottom of the problem, it was the installer version. Those downloading the Windows 4.1 test release from this point will pick up the fixed version, small victories 🙂
The Mac version crashes during the testing process as well. I love this product, so looking forward to a stable release.
Cheers!
Hi Raaj,
Thank you for your feedback 🙂
Your experience is very much at odds to what we are seeing in general, I’ve attempted to contact you via the support system so we can investigate further. I urge anyone who is seeing stability issues on Windows or Mac with test release 4.1 to raise a support ticket, all tickets are being investigated and it’s very handy for us to know if users are seeing problems.
Our current feeling (now withstanding Raaj’s blog comment) is that 4.1 is very stable on both Mac and Windows, if that’s not your experience please let us know (via the test release support form) and include as many details as possible (e.g. OS version / FoCal version / camera / lens and also details of what was happening prior to the crash).
Best Regards,
Dave
I’m having problems running version 2, is this to be expected?
-Jim
Hi Jim,
We expect users running test release 4.1 to see very few issues, could you please raise a support ticket so we can investigate further?
Best Regards,
Dave
General note, please raise a support ticket if you’re seeing a problem that way we can investigate 🙂
I am very interested indoor software. However, the latest version of OSx on my Mac is 10.10.5. Your site indicates compatibility with 10.9, but not higher. Will the latest version work with 10.10.5?
Thank you.
Hi Richard,
Thank you for your interest in purchasing FoCal.
10.10 is supported as per the FoCal System Requirements page. Where did you see that only 10.9 was supported?
Best Regards,
Dave
Thanks. I’ll get it from B and H. I can’t recover the URL where I read about Mac compatibility. I will keep looking and send to you if I find it.
Hi Richard,
Good stuff 🙂
Best Regards,
Dave
I just used FoCal on a D4s with a 300mm f4 PF lens plus a a 2x teleconverter. The program worked well and did identify a small AF fine tune offset. I found it quite easy to use without referring to the documentation.
A message appeared that indicated to remove a battery handle from the camera. On the D4s it is built in and can’t be removed. Nevertheless, ether program worked well anyway.
The software could not change the AF fine tune setting, so this had to be done manually.
I would be happy to send you the report if you are interested. It does not appear possible to attach to this email.
Hi Richard,
Glad it’s working for you. The message about removing any attached battery pack is there ‘just in case’ and you can ignore that (which you have!). Some external battery packs cause a camera vibrations so we suggest to remove them.
Best Regards,
Dave