Gratical Eye proximity sensor - is it working properly?

S

Scatman

New member
I've been using my Gratical Eye EVF for a couple of weeks now and the proximity sensor is not really working as I think it should - anybody else experiencing the following?:

It’s behaving more like a movement sensor than a proximity sensor. If I’m looking through the eyepiece the Gratical Eye will switch off unless I move away and go back again or put my finger up to the sensor - as you can imagine this is not really useable. Also, it will switch back on again if there is any movement behind the camera even 4 or 5 feet away.

Apart form that the image is excellent and I can see if things are in focus at last!

I'm hoping that future firmware releases will improve the proximity sensor but I might have a faulty one - waiting for Zacuto to get back to me...
 
Maybe no one's reading this thread but I'll update from the last post anyway.

I sent me Gratical Eye back to Zacuto and they 'repaired' it. No details were forthcoming about the nature of the repair but I noticed they upgraded the firmware at least.

It now works perfectly when cold but as it warms up the proximity sensor gets more and more unreliable until eventually the Eye stays on all the time. I've asked Zacuto if I can have a replacement unit to see if it's any better but they didn't sound keen on that idea and I'm waiting for them to get back to me.

It's a great image out of the Eye but I'm getting a little frustrated at their inability to fix my problem or acknowledge whether it's just my unit or a more general problem. Given the price premium you pay for Zacuto gear I would have hoped for a more proactive response from them.
 
Thanks for the note. I've been considering whether to pick up the Gratical Eye so I'm curious to see what the issue is. I'm wondering if it's necessary to use the Proximity sensor at all - if you just keep the Gratical Eye on all the time does it burn through your camera battery?
 
David Kudell said:
Thanks for the note. I've been considering whether to pick up the Gratical Eye so I'm curious to see what the issue is. I'm wondering if it's necessary to use the Proximity sensor at all - if you just keep the Gratical Eye on all the time does it burn through your camera battery?
Click to expand...

The Eye draws about 6 watts so a decent brick battery will power it for at least 12 hours. But my battery is powering the camera, monitor and the Eye so if I can save a bit of power I'll take it. They decided not to put in a simple on/off switch and replaced it with the sensor but at least on my unit it's just not working. Maybe I'm being unrealistic to expect one of the most expensive EVFs on the market to work flawlessly - the auto stop/start fuel saving feature on my Audi doesn't work either!
 
^I don't think you are out-of-line at all. I basically despise Zacuto (I routinely disregard the 20/25% off emails they send) but who can blame them for capitalizing on a the concept of shoulder mounting a camcorder not designed to ride on the shoulder. There is no excuse for them to not accept your request to exchange the unit unless it's like months after date of purchase. So, from 6/27 to now, I would expect to put up a fight with them about this.

As for Your Audi, an extensive set of circumstances must be met for that system to work. First thing to check is if your battery depth of charge is at or above specification. Just about any major current draw will override that system.
 
Thanks, I am going to push them of a replacement unit. Interesting about the battery charge in the Audi, I didn't know that was one of the things it looked for before the start/stop cuts in so I'll investigate.
 
Yes. I have a Porsche Cayenne and the battery was discharged repeatedly (airport parking for weeks on end). Still showed 14vdc but no ability to hold the charge under load. As a result, the 4WD system wouldn't engage at all.
 
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