Prior to the introduction of the Phantom v1210 and v1610, Phantom cameras did not have a physical power switch. Instead, the camera powered up any time an appropriate DC voltage appeared on the power input to the camera. This was done so that cameras can be powered up (booted) remotely by providing primary power and did not require physical access to the camera.

However, there is a physical power switch on the Miro M-series cameras. It has three positions: AUTO, ON, and OFF.

When the switch is set to AUTO, it works exactly like any previous Phantom Camera. Providing power to the Primary DC Input will power up (boot) the camera and it will be ready for use. (Note: even in AUTO, providing battery power to an unpowered camera WILL NOT power up the camera.) If there is a loss of primary power, then the battery power will be used to maintain camera operation and protect any stored data (assuming a battery is connected.)

When the switch is in the OFF position, the camera is off.

When the switch is moved to the ON position, the camera will power-up immediately provided there is power connected to the primary power port OR a battery is connected to the camera.

The input power spec is 12-28VDC. The power supply provided by Vision Research provides 24VDC power to the camera.

If the power input to the camera drops below 16VDC and a battery is connected to the camera, the camera will begin to draw power from the battery if the camera is in ON or AUTO mode. This is a data protection safety feature.

Standard NTSC and PAL composite, selectable in PCC and available on the capture cable. The video signal is also embedded in the RCU connection cable which provides video for the RCU.

The camera shows the whole image filling the screen by default; this is most useful when framing a shot. A pixel-for-pixel zoom (1:1) is available that center-crops the image and is useful for focusing.

Today, it simply performs a CSR by closing the internal mechanical shutter and issuing a command to the camera to do a current session reference.  This functionality will likely be enhanced in the future.

No, you cannot record directly to the CineFlash. There is no “run/stop” mode on the Miro cameras.

The cine is stored on the CineFlash as a 10-bit log raw cine file that can be read from a CineFlash installed in a camera over the Ethernet connection using PCC. This is the default method for accessing a cine file on the CineFlash.

For user convenience, we also provide a CineFlash Dock that can be connected to a computer using an eSata port. While this is not the default method for accessing a cine on the CineFlash, the CineFlash can be recognized by PC or Mac computers once inserted into the CineFlash Dock connected to a computer that has the appropriate driver installed. This will allow 3^rd party solutions that can read 10-bit log raw cine files to see the file directly on the CineFlash. This also means that you can “drag and drop” the file from the CineFlash to local storage on a computer.

The CineFlash is formatted using the Linux EXT2 file system format, and a driver that recognizes this file system must be installed on any computer that will read the CineFlash directly using the CineFlash Dock. With the driver installed, the cine file appears just like any other file on a mounted disk. And, is thus available to 3rd party software and PCC.

For a Windows PC download the driver from:

http://sourceforge.net/projects/ext2fsd/files/Ext2FSD/

Download the latest version to your PC and run the downloaded file to install the driver. (On Windows 7, be sure to run this as an administrator.) This will install the driver and a program called Ext2 Volume Manager, which you can use to assign a drive letter to the CineFlash. The Ext2 Volume Manager can be found in the (default) program folder Ext2Fsd. You might want to create an alias to this program and place it on your desktop. Reboot your PC after installing this software to complete the installation.

The CineFlash is less tolerant of being removed from the dock (disconnected from the computer) than a typical USB drive. Therefore, you should ALWAYS unmount the CineFlash before removing it from the dock or disconnecting the dock from the computer if it has a CineFlash in it.  You can do this in the Device Manager. Or, to make this easier, download the HotSwap! utility from this location:

http://mt-naka.com/hotswap/index_enu.htm

Download the latest version, extract the appropriate program (either 32 bit or 64 bit) for your computer and put this in a logical place for your computer and operating system. Run it once and it will place a control in the notification area (utility tray) of your computer. You will now get notifications when the CineFlash is inserted, and you should always use this utility to unmount the CineFlash before removing it. This ensures that all data is written and flushed to the disk before removing the CineFlash.

Once the CineFlash is mounted, a user can access, play, edit and save the cine files using Phantom PCC or the Phantom CineViewer software. CineViewer is available for download from the Vision Research web site at no charge.

For a Macintosh computer running OSX:

You can use a commercial driver from Paragon Software Group. This costs about $40, but seems to work reliably on a Mac. On a Mac Book Pro with an ExpressCard slot, we’ve had success using the 1-port ExpressCard eSATA Controller Adapter Card ECESATUSB1 from StarTech.com, as well as the Tempo™ SATA ExpressCard/34 interface card from Sonnet. (To view and play the cines on a Mac, you will also want a copy of the GlueTools PhantomCine plugin available from GlueTools.com.)

http://www.paragon-software.com/home/extfs-mac/

Again, be sure to unmount any CineFlash from the Mac OS before removing it from the dock.

None of the above solutions are provided by Vision Research and we cannot guarantee they will work or continue to be supported. You can always access and manipulate cine files stored on a CineFlash using the PCC application to access the camera over Ethernet, and the above mentioned solutions are provided for convenience. We will continue testing under a variety of conditions so we can provide the best possible customer experience.

No, you must power the CineFlash Dock using the included power supply.

Using PCC, you can select any cine stored on the CineFlash while it is in the camera. Once selected, you can play that cine in PCC, trim it, adjust it, and save it over Ethernet to the computer. You cannot, however, play the cine over the NTSC/PAL video port using PVP.

The only time you can play a cine over the video port is when it is stored in camera RAM.

Yes using PCC.

When inserted in the CineFlash Dock and connected directly to a computer, the read times for the CineFlash will be very fast, ranging between 120-250MB/s depending upon the size of the CineFlash and the performance of the target disk drive on the computer. (Files downloaded via PCC when the CineFlash is still in the camera will be slower since those go over the Ethernet connection.)

The CineFlash can save data at about 2.8 GB/minute (about 47MB/second). So, a 3GB file will take about one minute. A 6GB file will take a little over 2 minutes. A 12GB file, about 4.5 minutes.

[This answer was updated on 15 November 2012]

Yes. The RCU will be a very popular accessory for the M-series Miro cameras. A kit will be available that includes the RCU, all necessary cabling, power supply, battery, and case.

There is a cable which plugs into the power input on the Miro camera that then provides a place to plug the AC adapter and the RCU. (The RCU port on the Miro cameras is in the power connector.) This cable is included in the Miro-compatible RCU kit: VRI-RCU-KIT-MIRO-M.

When the camera is used under battery power, the camera will not power the RCU which must use its own battery. When the camera is powered by the AC adapter and the appropriate cabling is used, the RCU is powered by the camera’s AC adapter.

Up to 45 minutes for the BP-U30 and 90 minutes for the BP-U60. Of course, this depends a lot upon camera usage—frame rates, cycle time between shots, etc. We will continue to characterize this and update the FAQ as we gather more data from different cameras in different applications. These run-times were determined without the EOS lens mount. We expect that using the adjustment features of the EOS mount (aperture and focus) will decrease battery run time.

There is a battery capacity indicator on the battery (you push a button and some LEDs tell you the approximate charge remaining.) This does not give you run time directly, but some indication of the battery state.

No, the camera does not charge a connected battery. The battery must be charged using the external charger.

The LED indicators provide you with a visual representation of the camera's operational state, and communication status.

Power Indicator

The Power LED, located between the Capture and Power connectors on the right-hand side of the camera's rear panel near the center, provides a visual indication of camera power status and firmware integrity. If power is being supplied to the camera, and this LED is not lit, it indicates an error has occurred in the camera firmware. If this happens, it is best to reboot the camera to correct the error.

Capture Indicator

The Capture LED, located just below the Power Mode Switch on the right-hand side of the camera’s rear panel, near the bottom, provides a visual indication of the camera's operational states. By factory default, the camera is placed into the Preview - Waiting for Pre-trigger mode when the camera is powered on, unless it has otherwise been user-configured to start in the Recording waiting for trigger (capture) mode. Once in the Capture mode the camera starts recording images into the camera’s circular memory buffer (DRAM). Upon detection of a trigger signal, the camera is instructed to stop writing to the cameras internal memory buffer, once the number of specified Post Trigger frames has been reached, and the camera will be placed into the Preview mode. If the camera has been configured to automatically save the images to Flash the camera will, at this point write the images stored in the cameras DRAM to the Flash module.

User intervention is required to either save the cine to an external drive, or to put the camera back into the capture mode from the Setup and Recording screen.

The following will indicate the camera's operational state described above:

Off         Preview or Preview - Waiting for Trigger

On         Recording waiting for trigger (capture)

Ethernet Activity Indicator

When active the Ethernet Activity LED, the second of two LEDs located just above the Ethernet connector on the top right-hand side of the camera’s rear panel, indicates data is being transferred between the camera and the Phantom Control Unit computer.

Ethernet Link Indicator

When active the Ethernet Link LED, the second of two LEDs located just above the Ethernet connector on the top right-hand side of the camera’s rear panel, indicates that the camera is detected and is connected to an Ethernet network.

Phantom CineFlash Recording Indicator

The Phantom CineFlash Recording Indicator located inside the CineFlash Compartment near the bottom, will be active (red) when image data is being saved to the CineFlash. Do not remove the CineFlash during this process.

The Capture Cable has the following signals available: Trigger, Ready, IRIG In (modulated or unmodulated), Video Out, IRIG Out (unmodulated), and Auxiliary. The Auxiliary signal can be assigned to Event, Strobe or Memgate within the PCC application.

The Miro eX4 Capture Cable is identical to the capture cable for the new Miro cameras except the F-SYNC signal on the Miro eX4 cable is now the AUX signal on the new Miro’s capture cable. (F-SYNC is now available on the camera body.)

Yes, but some signals are different.

eX4                     Miro M-Series

IRIG-IN              IRIG-IN
Ready                Ready
Video                 Video
Trigger              Trigger
F-SYNC             IRIG-OUT
AUX(1)               AUX(2)

Note 1: Selectable between Strobe, IRIG-OUT
Note 2: Selectable between Strobe, Event, Memgate

On the 1 megapixel cameras, you can achieve 640x480. On the M120, you can achieve 1280x960 under a c-mount. For customers with an application that requires a square aspect ratio, 1152x1152 also fits under a 1” c-mount.

All high-speed cameras have “native resolutions” based on the internal design of the sensor and camera. On Phantom cameras, the legal increment for horizontal and vertical resolution is called “Continuously Adjustable Resolution” or CAR. On the Miro M-Series cameras, CAR is 64 x 8. This means that the camera will always acquire images at integer multiples of 64 for the horizontal resolution and 8 for the vertical resolution.

On previous Miro and v-Series cameras, the user could select any arbitrary resolution, then internally and “behind the scenes” selected the appropriate native resolution. Starting with the v1210 and v1610, we’ve determined that users wanted to always see what resolution they are using inside the camera.

If you need a final cine that has a non-native resolution, you can use the crop feature of PCC to get exactly what you need.

There is not a separate signal as on the v-Series cameras. But, the new Miros can pull the Trigger signal low in response to an IBAT event, so you can ensure several cameras are triggered together by tying the trigger signal together.

The Miro M-Series cameras are built on a new firmware platform that no longer supports individual settings for each cine in a multi-cine environment.

Yes. You would need these cables: VRI-2MA5002-03, -05, -10, or -30 (depending upon length); and, VRI-2MA5001-03, -05, -10, -30. The first cable is the capture cable and the second is the Ethernet cable.  There is no F-SYNC available for camera synchronization via the Junction Box, so if the cameras must be synchronized, use IRIG for synchronization. Note: This configuration has not yet been tested.