Basic Troubleshooting

When equipment starts misbehaving it is useful to know how to find where the trouble is. Of course an advantage of dealing with Digital Transitions is you can call us for help. Here are some of the principals we use to distinguish a hardware problem from a software problem. The first thing to notice is if a problem is consistent or intermittent. If intermittent, how often does it occur, every other frame or once in a hundred? If a problem occurs while shooting tethered, try a different fire wire cable. If the problem persists, try shooting to card. If the problem is still there, the cause lies somewhere in the camera or back. If everything works fine to card, it might be the fire wire port on the DB or computer. It is very important to save raw files of any image anomalies - they will help Digital Transitions and Phase One to diagnose and repair the failure. If it’s time to call for tech support, here’s a list of the sort of information that can make a call go smoother and finding a solution faster:

• Clear description of the problem
• Is the image error consistent or intermittent?
• Shooting to CF card or tethered?
• Serial number of digital back
• RAW-Image file exhibiting the problem
• Jpeg clearly illustrating the problem
• Camera body used & lens used
• Power from battery or computer?
• Light source, Flash, Tungsten, Fluorescent or Daylight
• Error message on display or computer
• Computer platform and model (laptop / tower/ processor?)
• OS version
• Version of capture software (e.g. 3.7.9 or 4.8.2)
• Firmware version
• Cable length (15 or 30 foot?)
• Have other fire wire ports been used?
• Has the entire setup been tested on another computer?
• Has the camera back worked with this setup previously?

Don’t worry if you don’t know all the answers, but having more information when you call can lead to a speedier resolution. Go to www.digitaltransitions.com for more information about the new release or to download. Email us at info@digitaltransitions.com for details on how to choose Digital Transitions as your Phase One or Leaf Partner.