one of the few great and honest reviews about this product. I think it shows that there is lots of work to be done and it can be a great product in the future.
I have this and it’s great, though pretty limited in the autofocus functions. One thing that would be incredibly useful would be to be able to switch from auto to manual focus WITHOUT having to move the focus first or having to tap the focus motor bottom and jog the camera. If you could switch via say a quick double-tap on the controller then you could have control when you are shooting things - as long as the focus doesn’t change when you switch either. I would have thought this could be a firmware thing, but I don’t see PDMovie doing it, to be honest.
I am not sure about the first question but the Lidar controls a motor so it changes the focus - it doesn't care about the zoom aspect of the lens (as long as you are not changing it mid-shoot it should work). I am guessing here but you will need to calibrate a zoom lens as several prime lenses and change the "lens" if you want to move say between 70 to 150 to 200mm on a 70-200mm lens you will need to calibrate each of these seperatly.
Art didn't adress that in the video, I think we need to add this to the article. As far as I know (Art correct me if I am wrong) it focuses on the closest subject - LiDAR is not as advanced as regular AF systems - there is no face recognition and subject selection at this point but I assume that it might come in the future as the LiDAR will gain resolution and better algorithms.
it just focuses on what's in front. In complex scenes, it doesn't know what to pick. Apparently, with the bigger motor that they offer, there is a "back focus" option. It works best for midshots and closeups, where it's clear what to focus on.
Na versão mais simples também tem a função de selecionar o foco no elemento mais próximo ou no mais distante. Ao girar o controle do foco para o foco mais próximo ( no inicio do controle giratório ) ele trava no elemento que estiver mais próximo do sensor e ao girar para o final do controle giratório o sistema desconsidera o objeto em primeiro plano e trava o foco no que está atrás.
@@eduardofalcao4878 What is the point in writing something not in English here? at the very least use Google Translate so we can understand what you are writing...
@@IddoGenuth Hello, what I wrote is information on how to make the simplest equipment perform the focus function in the foreground or background. Regarding the language I chose to write in, I give the same answer as you did - both Google Translate and UA-cam itself translate the texts. It's a two-way conversation and everyone understands each other. Greetings from Brazil!
I've always liked PD size. As a run-and-gun, hybrid, often times-solo shooter, the PD size and overall versatility/adaptability is what has me pining for their gear over say, the Tilta System.
@@DigitalNinja3Yeah its extremely compact and has a built-in battery for both the transmitter and receiver which is a big plus - I think it can be improved with some features such as more buttons, a screen, and a battery lock but maybe those will come in the future - we suggested all of that to the company.
Where do I start? What a nightmare of a god awful product. If you want to flush about $300 down the toilet, do that instead of buying this piece of trash. Think about it. If you flush the money down the toilet, you can film it with your phone (which will actually focus) and you'll have that video for life. If you spend the money on this garbage, you'll have a paper weight with some decent packaging. I followed these steps in the video with my device and everything was fine except upon completion, it doesn't work. The video says to recalibrate it again if there is an issue. So I did, following the steps exactly as listed in this video. Nothing. When I can get something in focus, the motor does make a feeble attempt to keep it in focus I guess, but it fails pathetically. It doesn't matter if I move fast or slow, or if the subject moves fast or slow. It can't keep the focus assist card in focus which is stationary, taped on the wall, even if I step back at a snails pace. I mean what's the point? Just a useless piece of equipment. If you're looking to spend almost $300 to get pissed off and smash your head into a wall, consider this. Pay me $150 and I'll come smash your head into a wall for you and you can save about $150. Long story short is you get what you pay for. In this case, I paid $300 for a trash product. Don't make the same mistake as me.
I am sorry to hear about your experience with the PDmovie product. I am not sure what is wrong with your device and if it is a calibration thing or some hardware malfunction but when something like that happens to me I write to the company and explain the situation and see if they can help.
You can get the DJI lidar focus system. But the issue with that system is that it only works with lenses with hard stops. So any older dslr type lenses with fully spinning focus rings won't work. I believe that the advantage of the PDMovie LiveAir 3 is that it works on any lens regardless if it has hard stops or not. Honestly if you are on Sony, and you need dedicated autofocus, you can buy the 50mm F1.8FE lens which is like $150 new, one of the cheapest full frame e mount lenses.
one of the few great and honest reviews about this product.
I think it shows that there is lots of work to be done and it can be a great product in the future.
I have this and it’s great, though pretty limited in the autofocus functions. One thing that would be incredibly useful would be to be able to switch from auto to manual focus WITHOUT having to move the focus first or having to tap the focus motor bottom and jog the camera. If you could switch via say a quick double-tap on the controller then you could have control when you are shooting things - as long as the focus doesn’t change when you switch either. I would have thought this could be a firmware thing, but I don’t see PDMovie doing it, to be honest.
True. We suggested to them a more robust control app but as you said - not sure if this is going to happen anytime soon.
i have this and love it, all my lens are now automatic!
does the sticker work under the clothes, I mean hidden? does the lidar work with zoom lenses?
I am not sure about the first question but the Lidar controls a motor so it changes the focus - it doesn't care about the zoom aspect of the lens (as long as you are not changing it mid-shoot it should work). I am guessing here but you will need to calibrate a zoom lens as several prime lenses and change the "lens" if you want to move say between 70 to 150 to 200mm on a 70-200mm lens you will need to calibrate each of these seperatly.
How do you select what to focus on the lidar?
Art didn't adress that in the video, I think we need to add this to the article. As far as I know (Art correct me if I am wrong) it focuses on the closest subject - LiDAR is not as advanced as regular AF systems - there is no face recognition and subject selection at this point but I assume that it might come in the future as the LiDAR will gain resolution and better algorithms.
it just focuses on what's in front. In complex scenes, it doesn't know what to pick. Apparently, with the bigger motor that they offer, there is a "back focus" option. It works best for midshots and closeups, where it's clear what to focus on.
Na versão mais simples também tem a função de selecionar o foco no elemento mais próximo ou no mais distante. Ao girar o controle do foco para o foco mais próximo ( no inicio do controle giratório ) ele trava no elemento que estiver mais próximo do sensor e ao girar para o final do controle giratório o sistema desconsidera o objeto em primeiro plano e trava o foco no que está atrás.
@@eduardofalcao4878 What is the point in writing something not in English here? at the very least use Google Translate so we can understand what you are writing...
@@IddoGenuth Hello, what I wrote is information on how to make the simplest equipment perform the focus function in the foreground or background. Regarding the language I chose to write in, I give the same answer as you did - both Google Translate and UA-cam itself translate the texts. It's a two-way conversation and everyone understands each other. Greetings from Brazil!
Autofocus on vintage lenses?? ohhhh that's cool
Indeed - very cool.
I've always liked PD size. As a run-and-gun, hybrid, often times-solo shooter, the PD size and overall versatility/adaptability is what has me pining for their gear over say, the Tilta System.
@@DigitalNinja3Yeah its extremely compact and has a built-in battery for both the transmitter and receiver which is a big plus - I think it can be improved with some features such as more buttons, a screen, and a battery lock but maybe those will come in the future - we suggested all of that to the company.
Where do I start? What a nightmare of a god awful product. If you want to flush about $300 down the toilet, do that instead of buying this piece of trash. Think about it. If you flush the money down the toilet, you can film it with your phone (which will actually focus) and you'll have that video for life. If you spend the money on this garbage, you'll have a paper weight with some decent packaging. I followed these steps in the video with my device and everything was fine except upon completion, it doesn't work. The video says to recalibrate it again if there is an issue. So I did, following the steps exactly as listed in this video. Nothing. When I can get something in focus, the motor does make a feeble attempt to keep it in focus I guess, but it fails pathetically. It doesn't matter if I move fast or slow, or if the subject moves fast or slow. It can't keep the focus assist card in focus which is stationary, taped on the wall, even if I step back at a snails pace. I mean what's the point? Just a useless piece of equipment. If you're looking to spend almost $300 to get pissed off and smash your head into a wall, consider this. Pay me $150 and I'll come smash your head into a wall for you and you can save about $150. Long story short is you get what you pay for. In this case, I paid $300 for a trash product. Don't make the same mistake as me.
I am sorry to hear about your experience with the PDmovie product. I am not sure what is wrong with your device and if it is a calibration thing or some hardware malfunction but when something like that happens to me I write to the company and explain the situation and see if they can help.
You can get the DJI lidar focus system. But the issue with that system is that it only works with lenses with hard stops. So any older dslr type lenses with fully spinning focus rings won't work.
I believe that the advantage of the PDMovie LiveAir 3 is that it works on any lens regardless if it has hard stops or not.
Honestly if you are on Sony, and you need dedicated autofocus, you can buy the 50mm F1.8FE lens which is like $150 new, one of the cheapest full frame e mount lenses.