FoCal 2.9 Alpha 3 (with Nikon Z6/Z7 Support)

The third Alpha version of FoCal 2.9 is now available.

This will be a brief explanation of key improvements/differences from the previous version (details of that version here).

Overview

Version Number: 2.9.2.5336

Channel: Alpha

Platforms: Windows and Mac

Changelog

The following is a list of the key differences from the previous version:

  • Added initial support for Nikon Z7 camera. This has been tested extensively but there are still some validation tests to run before final release.
  • Added support for the Nikon Z6 camera. This has been done “blind” – we don’t yet have a Z6 camera in the lab so any feedback on how it works on the Z6 would be appreciated.
  • Fix to connection issue with some Canon/Nikon cameras on Mojave (sometimes seen with lots of images on memory card). The opening of the camera may still be slow if there is a loaded memory card in the camera, in that case recommend testing without a memory card.
  • FoCal Comparison Data is now available in FoCal 2.9 stream
  • Fixed an issue where System ID would change on Windows 10 upgrades
  • Fixed license of new camera failing during opening
  • Various UI fixes
  • Fix to missing images at the end of tests
  • Fix duplicate history entries
  • FoCal Comparison Data is now available in FoCal 2.9 stream
  • Update to internal graphics libraries
  • Update to metadata processor
  • Improvements to handling of low level camera data
  • Better building of report generation tools – should make report production faster
  • Fixes to restore of Nikon settings
  • Speed improvements to overall Nikon operation
  • Dust Analysis test now works
  • Storing of camera settings in more places to ensure proper restore in the event of failure (restores on next startup of FoCal)
  • Fix to bracketing detection and warning on Canon cameras
  • Lots of camera reliability improvements due to use of a new internal automated camera validation tool.
  • Improvements to the Windows installer.

Windows Installation Note

You may experience startup problem if you do not uninstall the previous Alpha version of FoCal (this issue has been fixed but you will need to cleanly uninstall the older Alpha version first).

To cleanly uninstall, open Add/Remove Programs tool, search for FoCal and uninstall all copies that have been installed (may be more than one in some cases).

You should also open Windows Explorer, navigate to:

C:\Program Files (x86)\Reikan Technology\

and ensure the FoCal directory is removed. (You can leave the FoCal 2 directory – this is the current, non Alpha version of FoCal which can happily be installed alongside new FoCal)

Known Issues / Missing Functionality

The following are the main known issues with this release:

  • Semi Auto mode calibration is removed.
  • MultiPoint Focus Test is removed
  • Windows Installer is basic and will be improved
  • No documentation

Getting this Release

Pre-release versions will be available to FoCal Pro and Commercial users (that are within their Included Updates Period). You can get the software in one of two ways:

  • Go to the About > Update Check option in the software, and making sure the Update Channel is set to Alpha (FoCal 2.9 onwards). From here you can hit the Download button to get the software.
  • By logging in to the LMS at lms.fo-cal.co.uk.  You should see a “Pre-Release Downloads” section – click this to view the available downloads.

It’s worth just checking the pre-release software FAQ to make sure you know type of software you’re getting.

Feedback

Alpha releases of FoCal are early releases, aimed mainly at technically minded users to see the latest features and to help in the development of FoCal. We would love for users to try out this Alpha release and let us know what you think!

We’ve added a Send Feedback button in the About window of the application.  Any bug reports, feature improvement, suggestions and general thoughts are very welcome.

Please do use the Send Feedback button in the software to send information back to us.  This ensures the feedback is sent to the right place and that we have the right information about the version being tested.

We will read all the comments you send us, please note that for pre-release software these are NOT handled as support requests and we won’t usually reply or follow up.

We are going to be pretty active with pre-release updates during this period, so please send feedback and there should be a new version with fixes/improvements along soon.

Thank you!

For those that download, use and provide feedback – thank you very much for your support with FoCal.  This sort of user testing and feedback really is invaluable – it helps us to focus on the things that are important to you, and make sure we deliver high quality software to everyone.

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