Reikan News

From Reikan Technology Ltd:

FoCal Mobile provides a user-friendly auto focus check and calibration tool, taking the most useful parts of FoCal Pro and making them available for use on iPhone, iPad and Android devices.

Focus calibration and AF system check work with all cameras supported by Reikan FoCal Pro. Over 60 different Canon and Nikon digital SLR cameras are supported including Nikon Z series mirrorless up to the Nikon Z9.

Connecting up cameras is made simple, a USB to lightning connector may be required for some iPhones but otherwise a simple USB connection to the camera is all that's required. Completely wireless connectivity is also possible using the Reikan Wireless Camera module (available separately).

The FoCal Mobile App is now publically available on Apple App Store as well as the Google Play Store, the unpaid download provides Verify Setup, Sync Camera Time and AF System Check to really find out how well the connected camera is focusing.

With in-app purchase Full AF System Calibration allows users to calibrate camera auto focus and compare their personal calibration result with other FoCal users by using the FoCal comparison database.

More details on the Reikan FoCal blog https://blog.reikanfocal.com/2022/11/reikan-focal-mobile-1-0-released/.

From Reikan:

Reikan has released a major update to its automated focus calibration and testing software FoCal for both Nikon and Canon cameras.

FoCal 2020 includes the unique ability for users to compare lens calibration and focus test results directly with results from other FoCal users around the world, helping to answer the age old question, "Is my camera/lens a good copy?".

New features in FoCal 2020 include "Calibration Check", a rapid test to quickly determine whether a particular camera/lens combination would benefit from lens calibration and "MultiTest". The MultiTest function is the most comprehensive way to test lens calibration available across the entire aperture range. Looking at all apertures means FoCal is able to calculate the ideal focus adjustment not just when the lens is 'wide open' but also what happens across the most commonly used apertures.

Get Reikan FoCal at B&H.

From Reikan:

Reikan has released FoCal 2.5, an update to its automated focus calibration software for Canon and Nikon DSLRs.

FoCal 2.5 adds support for Canon EOS 6D Mark II and Nikon's D7500 as well as a new Target Distance Tool to make the calibration process more seamless.

The 6D Mark II is now fully supported and like the recent Canon 80D this camera also works in Hands Free Mode, no user input required at all once the calibration has started.

Nikon's D7500 is now fully supported in FoCal 2.5. Along with most other recent cameras this works in User Assisted Mode, large amounts of automation and requires a small amount of user input at points during the calibration.

The new integrated Target Distance Tool means users no long need to find an online tool to provide a calibration, the information is easily at hand directly inside FoCal.

How do I get FoCal 2.5? Download FoCal 2.5 by logging in to the LMS at lms.fo-cal.co.uk. Once logged in, you will see a download link to the software.

FoCal 2.5 is available for Windows (Windows 7 and newer) and Mac (OS X 10.9 – 10.12) operating systems, for users who are still within their Included Updates Period today (5th October 2017). If your Included Updates Period has expired, you can purchase another 12 months by logging in to the LMS at lms.fo-cal.co.uk.

If you don’t own FoCal, you can purchase the software as a download or boxed product, as well as Focal Hard Targets from the store.

The installation package contains the software, target images and a reference manual (also available on the Documents Download page).

From Reikan:

New Features

• Full Canon EOS 5D Mark IV support added – calibrate this camera automatically with FoCal (more details below)

Improvements:

The following enhancements and fixes are included with FoCal 2.3

• Reinstate Raw support for Canon cameras.
• Improvements to speed and reliability of image downloading on all Canon cameras.
• Fix issue with selection of certain focus points on the D5 and D500 (affected MultiPoint Focus Test in some cases).
• Shutter count functionality restored for all mid-age cameras except Canon 1DX Mark II, 5DS/R, 5D Mark IV and 80D.
• Ensure FoCal Comparison Data is shown (where available) for Nikon cameras in File Mode.
• Ensure mirror lockup is used correctly during Aperture Sharpness tests.
• More informative message to indicate Distortion Correction should be disabled on Canon cameras where necessary.
• Opening Canon Cameras is now up to 3 times faster.
• Fully Automatic Calibration range, step size and shot count control hidden by default as they are more applicable for advanced users (enable from the Pro tab in Preferences)
• Fixed issue where communications with Canon cameras could be unreliable on Mac when camera connection had been closed and re-opened.
• Fix to ensure correct operation with certain Nikon zoom lenses when testing at the wide end of the focal length range.
• Improvement in Camera Info tool to provide more information.
• Fixed an issue for some users with the review of Dust Analysis setup on Windows.
• Fixed an issue where liveview zoom state would sometimes not be restored after focusing in Target Setup.
• Fixed an issue that could cause FoCal to hang on the splash screen.

Canon EOS 5D Mark IV Support Added

This release brings full support for this new Canon camera, the Canon EOS 5D Mark IV and FoCal automates as much as possible during calibration.

The 5D Mark IV runs in User Assisted mode, it’s automatic, and users will be prompted a few times to change the AF Microadjustment during a calibration.

5D Mark IV HotKey

The User Assisted Mode HotKey is the same as similar Canon cameras. Once the AF Microadjustment has been input on the camera screen, while half pressing the shutter button click the aperture dial once to change the aperture. This will notify FoCal to continue with the calibration (no need to go back to the computer!).

We are continuing to investigate what might be possible to make use of the Dual Pixel Raw functionality within this camera, so far we think there’s scope to make use of this extra data, blog post at 5D Mark IV “Dual Pixel Raw” provides further details.

macOS Sierra Support Status

macOS Sierra (OS X 10.12) is now officially released. We had already been working with beta releases of macOS Sierra and will finalise support for this new operating system in the next FoCal release. One of the factors is waiting for Canon to update their interface libraries, which at the moment will stop FoCal from initialising on Sierra (see also Canon’s OS compatibility page)

As it stands, FoCal 2.3 will not control any cameras when running on Sierra based systems.

There will be a fully working version of FoCal for Sierra, exact timescale is hard to predict but we expect this to happen soon.

Software Support Status

Mac

The following table shows the support for FoCal for Mac:

The following table shows the support for FoCal for Windows:

Download FoCal 2.3 by logging in to the LMS at lms.fo-cal.co.uk. Once logged in, you will see a download link to the software.

FoCal 2.3 is available for Windows (Windows 7 and newer) and Mac (OS X 10.9 – 10.11) operating systems, for users who are still within their Included Updates Period today (22nd September 2016). If your Included Updates Period has expired, you can purchase another 12 months by logging in to the LMS at lms.fo-cal.co.uk.

If you don’t own FoCal, you can purchase the software as a download or boxed product, as well as Focal Hard Targets from the store.

From Reikan:

Reikan has released FoCal 2.2, an update to its automated focus tuning software for Canon and Nikon dSLRs.

FoCal 2.2 adds support for Canon 80D and 1DX Mark II cameras as well as new features to allow more direct comparison of camera and lens performance with other FoCal users.

Directly compare “Peak” quality values. FoCal users have been uploading their results for over 4 years and FoCal 2.2 makes it easier to compare this data. For example during a Focus Calibration the peak sharpness figure can be directly compared against that same figure from other users. There will always be some variation of lens sharpness between different copies but this feature provides a clear indication if something is really amiss.

Other enhancements include faster image processing with a speed up of more than 40 times! This reduces the overall time for a complete calibration as a significant part of the process now takes very little time.

FoCal 2.2 builds upon last months 2.1 release for the Nikon D5/D500 cameras and means FoCal is fully up to date with the very latest Canon and Nikon dSLRs.

You can purchase FoCal 2.2 from Reikan's website.

From Reikan:

We're delighted to announce the FULL release of Reikan FoCal 2 for Windows and Mac bringing a whole host of exciting new features.

Here's a taster of what FoCal 2 can do:

• Compare your results - With FoCal 2, you can now compare the results of your tests with the results from thousands of other FoCal users to see how your equipment is really performing.
• Review your previous tests - You can review the detailed results of previous tests you’ve run for comparison. This includes most of the tests you’ve run with FoCal 1 as well.
• Faster and more accurate results - Get accurate results in less time with the new analysis algorithms in FoCal 2.
• Analyse more - You can dig deeper into the performance of your camera and lens with the extra information such as Astigmatism Factor, as well as reviewing more details about each shot taken.
• Improved look and feel - The user interface is easier to understand, with new tabbed windows, more logical operation and comprehensive keyboard control.
• Voice Prompts - FoCal 2 even talks to you! Calibrate any camera without needing to sit looking at the computer screen – any changes you might need to make at the camera are spoken out loud.
• Free Upgrade - FoCal 2.0 is a free upgrade for all holders of a FoCal 1 license, so there’s nothing more to pay to get all these new features!

For more information, check out the Reikan FoCal Blog.

From Reikan:

Reikan has released a major update to its fully automated autofocus tuning software FoCal which provides autofocus fine tuning for both Nikon and Canon digital SLR cameras. Version 2 includes a unique ability for users to compare test results directly against results from other FoCal users around the world, helping to answer the age old question, "Is my camera/lens a good copy?".

Other highlighted features for Version 2 are routines to determine lens optical performance with an astigmatism metric and a large number of changes to the user interface to make calibration faster and FoCal easier to use.

Headline Features

• Compare your results with other FoCal users – With FoCal 2, you can now compare the results of your tests with the results from thousands of other FoCal users to see how your equipment is really performing.
• Review your previous tests – You can review the detailed results of previous tests you’ve run for comparison. This includes most of the tests you’ve run with FoCal 1 as well.
• Improved Reports – The reports are now more concise, grouping relevant information together and showing more information that matters.
• Faster Results – Get accurate results in less time with the new analysis algorithms in FoCal 2.
• More Information – You can dig deeper into the performance of your camera and lens with the extra information such as Astigmatism Factor, as well as reviewing more details about each shot taken.
• User Interface Improvements – the user interface is easier to understand, with new tabbed windows, more logical operation and comprehensive keyboard control.
• Voice Prompts – FoCal 2 even talks to you! Calibrate any camera without needing to sit looking at the computer screen – any changes you might need to make at the camera are spoken out loud.
• Free Upgrade – When fully released, FoCal 2 will be a free upgrade for all holders of a FoCal 1 license, so there’s nothing more to pay to get all these new features!

Find out more about FoCal v2 on the Reikan website.

Note: The software is currently only available for those who have FoCal v1.x Pro licenses.