On Friday, Nov 21, 2003, Ian Reynolds wrote:
Kodak 14n hows it all going
Rockin n'rollinj!
Latest firmware upgrade has sorted out some lens optimization bugs and whilst the noise is still an issue for some it has been improved with the introduction of an extended exposure facility.
Kodak have finally come good on their promises, albeit a year later than most of us would have preferred.
I cannot comment on how it is working with some of the older zoom lenses as I have gone out and bought new ones but then when one sees the capabilities of the new VS lenses which are a total revelation I think anyone who keeps their old non VS lenses is going to be missing out on one of the most extraordinary developments in lens technology.
I recently shot with it on a pretty arduous location shoot and it performed faultlessly apart from some operator error at one point. Even the batteries held up well despite some very cold weather. It is blindly sharp and have now had to soften computer screens on two shoots because one was able to read personal details which film would have obscured with grain and an inability to resolve such detail.
I certainly have no problem with saying that it is good piece of kit - its been long haul and often annoying experience but to be fair to Kodak they have always promised they would improve things and they most certainly have. I had a meeting with Kodak last week and raised some issues and was assured that they would be fixing things like colour balance in coming months: noise was also mentioned as an area where action is being taken. Given Kodak's proven record of delivering on their software promises I have no reason to doubt that there will indeed be further welcome developments in the coming weeks.
If you have doubts I would suggest now is the time to go and have a serious play what is finally becoming the piece of kit we were always hoping it would be.
George Brooks wrote:
I have also found a pink cast on parts of some images. This I believe is down to the auto lens optimisation not always selecting the right settings for my Nikkor D lenses. Now I use the manual setting, which luckily is the same for all my lenses and that appears to have sorted things out
IHMO the pink cast sounds a little odd and not the usual lens optimization problem which is generally a magenta cast on left hand edge of image as viewed and going to cyan on right hand side. To check this shoot on evenly lit light tone which runs across entire frame. Beware when using D zoom lenses as some of them actually need to have their settings switched as you alter the focal lengths so they really become damned awkward lenses to use and the only solution really is to get new ones. What firmware are you using - should be v4.4. One of the "problems" with Kodak is that they update their firmware so frequently that you really need to keep a beady eye on their web-site to ensure that you have got the latest version.
Where is the pink cast - is it in highlights? The 14n does tend to fringe highlights with pink: gather that Adobe CS has a new gizmo which deals with such things but have not yet had a chance to play with it though Rod Wynn-Powell was raving about it at the Mac show yesterday. And when RWP raves it generally pays one to listen!
Tramlines - Might I suggest that if your camera has gone wrong twice with same defect you stamp your foot and get a new one.
Cheers
Mike St Maur Sheil
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