Flucard impressions so far

derekkite · 03-06-2014, 05:51 PM

Originally posted by GoremanX

I take it back, this isn't "pretty sweet" at all. It's borderline useless. I can't figure out any way to pull files off the OFC-1 remotely. None of the standard FLU card apps recognize this card as a FLU card, so I can't use them. So essentially, this Pentax OFC-1 serves only one purpose: remotely controlling the camera from at most about 20 feet away. I suppose it also allows image review in finer detail when you zoom in, but that's hardly a benefit.

In return, my Android device loses all Internet connectivity and my K-3 becomes slow as molasses (because the OFC-1 write speed is miserably slow).

Fail, fail, fail... unless there are plans to improve this trash, I'll be returning it for a refund. It's not even useful in a studio environment, because I can't work on the image after I've taken a picture. It's just locked up tight on the OFC-1 until I transfer it over the old-fashioned way: either connecting a USB cable or using a traditional card reader.

Can't believe I waited 4 months for this crap. How disappointing.

Touch one of the thumbnails, then touch and hold the full size image. You can save the file to your device.

GoremanX · 03-06-2014, 06:01 PM - **1 Like**

I don't work with JPGs. How do I download a DNG file from the FLU card to a device?

---------- Post added 03-06-14 at 09:42 PM ----------

Wow, the more I play with this thing, the more disappointed I am. This is nothing like the WiFi features I've used on other cameras. Integrating this into a studio workflow would be downright painful, and would give me NO benefit. This is just a toy for amateurs to show off to their friends... as long as their friends are easily impressed.

I love my K-3. I hate this WiFi add-on. It's a poorly designed joke. Competitors are laughing their asses off right now.

Unregistered User · 03-07-2014, 03:07 AM

Originally posted by IchabodCrane

Is there anything stopping you from simply updating the firmware to see if it improves the FLU card performance?

Yes. I have not yet recieved my card.

awaldram · 03-07-2014, 03:24 AM

Originally posted by Tjompen1968

Maybe I should refrase:

One comment by Ahab said that one had to update to 1.03. My question is what difference there is between 1.02 and 1.03 regarding Pentax Flucard.

I must have been really unclear in my previous post, sorry about that.

No it me should appologise.

I was agreeing with you , 1.03 has no bearing on flu card at all I was just being flippant.

**Michaelina2** · 03-07-2014, 03:36 AM

Originally posted by GoremanX

... It's a poorly designed joke. Competitors are laughing their asses off right now.

DPr gave it a five star rave review.

...just sayin'...

awaldram · 03-07-2014, 03:44 AM

Originally posted by Michaelina2

DPr gave it a five star rave review.

...just sayin'...

Sounds like GoremanX wanted an eyfi pro card for file tranfers /social media uploading , yet brought a O-FC1 tethering solution.

I fail to see how that is Ricohs fault or why anyone would be laughing

jezza323 · 03-07-2014, 04:28 AM

Originally posted by awaldram

Sounds like GoremanX wanted an eyfi pro card for file tranfers /social media uploading , yet brought a O-FC1 tethering solution.

I fail to see how that is Ricohs fault or why anyone would be laughing

my thoughts exactly...

amoringello · 03-07-2014, 05:07 AM

So I'm confused and reading info on the Ricoh site doesn't really help.

So, the FluCard Pro does tethering but no file transfer? What good is that?
What exactly does the "Pro" mean if it only has child-level features?

I can understand if there is no interface yet for Lightroom, but if I can't in some way (even if only through proprietary software link EyeFi) take it on a job to not only control my camera but more importantly to get files onto the computer in some fashion to start working on the photos, it is NOT a "Pro" device.
Its a nice toy, but that isn't really any more tethering than the EyeFi. Just that each has only one half of the solution.

Or am I missing something?

**monochrome** · 03-07-2014, 05:15 AM

Originally posted by amoringello

Or am I missing something?

I think with the technology available at this time, to both tether your camera for control as well as allow fast transfer of large RAW files you would want a USB 3.0 cabled solution.

jezza323 · 03-07-2014, 05:26 AM

You can transfer the RAWs, its just slow, and manual

CDW · 03-07-2014, 05:29 AM

A poster on DPR offered this:

You can use a trick to transfer RAW files, but you can't see them in the browser. You have to select the corresponding JPEG and rename the file extension to .DNG, and you'll be able to save the file.
Search for the video review on Youtube, that's where I found about it.

Unregistered User · 03-07-2014, 05:59 AM

I expect the techies out there to make some hacking so that features not listed will be available in a near future.

I want the flu card for camera control. Having RAWs transfering in the background while using LV I think will be a problem when only having a 54Mbps connection.
Probably for that reason the control and upload are on different pages. Well, since the delivery of the card is'nt due until end of march I will keep on guessing.

repaap · 03-07-2014, 06:36 AM

I have been playing with my FLU card. I think that it does what it promises. And after some time there might be even more things to have via firmware updates.

I would not dream of importing RAW files to my Ipad. It is useful tool thou to see properly what are you having on the screen. You can upload RAW too, but it would be faster via USB or transferring from card directly. I have JPEG s at Flucard and RAW on other card.

So far I like it. But I will not be using it a lot anyway. Just for macros/still life ect.

demp10 · 03-07-2014, 06:50 AM

The fundamental design flaw of this card for file transfers is that it operates as an access point. When your portable device connects to it, you are disconnected from your regular network (being a local one or the internet). Even if you are able to transfer your files, they must be stored locally on the portable device since you cannot map another drive in your regular network while connected to the camera. Unless you are using a laptop with real storage, your smartphone or tablet will have limited, if any, capacity to be worthwhile. You will have to transfer your files once more from the portable device (once disconnected from the camera) to your regular storage system being on your PC or on the cloud.

For all practical purposes it appears that this a WiFi remote control with live view with limited functionality as compared to using the camera in live view on its own. Any benefit of incorporating a smart device in the workflow (like accessing a web site for DOF) is negated once connected to the camera. Without an internet connection, your smart device is not that smart any longer.

The fact also that the embedded web server in the card does not support IE is mind boggling to me.

normhead · 03-07-2014, 07:52 AM

I have to say, when I ordered the card I was thinking of purchasing the Rokinon tilt shift lens... and planning to use it with focus peaking on my iPad mini, like a 4x5 focus screen on steroids. But the TC came out, the family decision was 1.4 TC instead of tilt shift.. and I really don't have a use for it. It does make a nice memory card, but that beeping every time the camera wakes up from sleep mode, that's really annoying.

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03-06-2014, 05:51 PM	#16
derekkite Pentaxian Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: Nelson B.C. Posts: 3,782	Originally posted by GoremanX I take it back, this isn't "pretty sweet" at all. It's borderline useless. I can't figure out any way to pull files off the OFC-1 remotely. None of the standard FLU card apps recognize this card as a FLU card, so I can't use them. So essentially, this Pentax OFC-1 serves only one purpose: remotely controlling the camera from at most about 20 feet away. I suppose it also allows image review in finer detail when you zoom in, but that's hardly a benefit. In return, my Android device loses all Internet connectivity and my K-3 becomes slow as molasses (because the OFC-1 write speed is miserably slow). Fail, fail, fail... unless there are plans to improve this trash, I'll be returning it for a refund. It's not even useful in a studio environment, because I can't work on the image after I've taken a picture. It's just locked up tight on the OFC-1 until I transfer it over the old-fashioned way: either connecting a USB cable or using a traditional card reader. Can't believe I waited 4 months for this crap. How disappointing. Touch one of the thumbnails, then touch and hold the full size image. You can save the file to your device.

03-06-2014, 06:01 PM - 1 Like	#17
GoremanX Veteran Member Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Georgia, VT Photos: Albums Posts: 1,657	I don't work with JPGs. How do I download a DNG file from the FLU card to a device? ---------- Post added 03-06-14 at 09:42 PM ---------- Wow, the more I play with this thing, the more disappointed I am. This is nothing like the WiFi features I've used on other cameras. Integrating this into a studio workflow would be downright painful, and would give me NO benefit. This is just a toy for amateurs to show off to their friends... as long as their friends are easily impressed. I love my K-3. I hate this WiFi add-on. It's a poorly designed joke. Competitors are laughing their asses off right now.

03-07-2014, 03:07 AM	#18
Unregistered User Guest	Originally posted by IchabodCrane Is there anything stopping you from simply updating the firmware to see if it improves the FLU card performance? Yes. I have not yet recieved my card.

03-07-2014, 03:24 AM	#19
awaldram Veteran Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: Hampshire Photos: Gallery Posts: 732	Originally posted by Tjompen1968 Maybe I should refrase: One comment by Ahab said that one had to update to 1.03. My question is what difference there is between 1.02 and 1.03 regarding Pentax Flucard. I must have been really unclear in my previous post, sorry about that. No it me should appologise. I was agreeing with you , 1.03 has no bearing on flu card at all I was just being flippant.

03-07-2014, 03:36 AM	#20
Michaelina2 Site Supporter Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: SE Michigan USA Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,300	Originally posted by GoremanX ... It's a poorly designed joke. Competitors are laughing their asses off right now. DPr gave it a five star rave review. ...just sayin'...

03-07-2014, 03:44 AM	#21
awaldram Veteran Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: Hampshire Photos: Gallery Posts: 732	Originally posted by Michaelina2 DPr gave it a five star rave review. ...just sayin'... Sounds like GoremanX wanted an eyfi pro card for file tranfers /social media uploading , yet brought a O-FC1 tethering solution. I fail to see how that is Ricohs fault or why anyone would be laughing

03-07-2014, 04:28 AM	#22
jezza323 Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Brisbane Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,421	Originally posted by awaldram Sounds like GoremanX wanted an eyfi pro card for file tranfers /social media uploading , yet brought a O-FC1 tethering solution. I fail to see how that is Ricohs fault or why anyone would be laughing my thoughts exactly...

03-07-2014, 05:07 AM	#23
amoringello Veteran Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: Virginia, USA Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,562	So I'm confused and reading info on the Ricoh site doesn't really help. So, the FluCard Pro does tethering but no file transfer? What good is that? What exactly does the "Pro" mean if it only has child-level features? I can understand if there is no interface yet for Lightroom, but if I can't in some way (even if only through proprietary software link EyeFi) take it on a job to not only control my camera but more importantly to get files onto the computer in some fashion to start working on the photos, it is NOT a "Pro" device. Its a nice toy, but that isn't really any more tethering than the EyeFi. Just that each has only one half of the solution. Or am I missing something?

03-07-2014, 05:15 AM	#24
monochrome Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Working From Home Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 26,276	Originally posted by amoringello Or am I missing something? I think with the technology available at this time, to both tether your camera for control as well as allow fast transfer of large RAW files you would want a USB 3.0 cabled solution.

03-07-2014, 05:26 AM	#25
jezza323 Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Brisbane Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,421	You can transfer the RAWs, its just slow, and manual

03-07-2014, 05:29 AM	#26
CDW Site Supporter Join Date: May 2011 Location: Big Island, Hawaii & Utah Posts: 457	A poster on DPR offered this: You can use a trick to transfer RAW files, but you can't see them in the browser. You have to select the corresponding JPEG and rename the file extension to .DNG, and you'll be able to save the file. Search for the video review on Youtube, that's where I found about it.

03-07-2014, 05:59 AM	#27
Unregistered User Guest	I expect the techies out there to make some hacking so that features not listed will be available in a near future. I want the flu card for camera control. Having RAWs transfering in the background while using LV I think will be a problem when only having a 54Mbps connection. Probably for that reason the control and upload are on different pages. Well, since the delivery of the card is'nt due until end of march I will keep on guessing.

03-07-2014, 06:36 AM	#28
repaap Pentaxian Join Date: Oct 2010 Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 6,242	I have been playing with my FLU card. I think that it does what it promises. And after some time there might be even more things to have via firmware updates. I would not dream of importing RAW files to my Ipad. It is useful tool thou to see properly what are you having on the screen. You can upload RAW too, but it would be faster via USB or transferring from card directly. I have JPEG s at Flucard and RAW on other card. So far I like it. But I will not be using it a lot anyway. Just for macros/still life ect.

03-07-2014, 06:50 AM	#29
demp10 Veteran Member Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: Atlanta Photos: Albums Posts: 602	The fundamental design flaw of this card for file transfers is that it operates as an access point. When your portable device connects to it, you are disconnected from your regular network (being a local one or the internet). Even if you are able to transfer your files, they must be stored locally on the portable device since you cannot map another drive in your regular network while connected to the camera. Unless you are using a laptop with real storage, your smartphone or tablet will have limited, if any, capacity to be worthwhile. You will have to transfer your files once more from the portable device (once disconnected from the camera) to your regular storage system being on your PC or on the cloud. For all practical purposes it appears that this a WiFi remote control with live view with limited functionality as compared to using the camera in live view on its own. Any benefit of incorporating a smart device in the workflow (like accessing a web site for DOF) is negated once connected to the camera. Without an internet connection, your smart device is not that smart any longer. The fact also that the embedded web server in the card does not support IE is mind boggling to me.

03-07-2014, 07:52 AM	#30
normhead Pentaxian Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Near Algonquin Park Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 40,451	I have to say, when I ordered the card I was thinking of purchasing the Rokinon tilt shift lens... and planning to use it with focus peaking on my iPad mini, like a 4x5 focus screen on steroids. But the TC came out, the family decision was 1.4 TC instead of tilt shift.. and I really don't have a use for it. It does make a nice memory card, but that beeping every time the camera wakes up from sleep mode, that's really annoying.