Please select Into the mobile phone version | Continue to access the computer ver.
Zeiss Cinemizers; be warned
1984 8 2015-7-27
Uploading and Loding Picture ...(0/1)
o(^-^)o
daniel.frederik
lvl.3
Flight distance : 10656 ft
New Zealand
Offline

After much testing & adjustment & taking a break then trying again I'm very sorry to say these goggles are a dissapointment and anyone who assumes they're buying into a line of German build quality will be sorely mistaken and frankly surprised that the name Carl Zeiss is attached to this item

These aren't completely cheap and nasty but if you have healthy vision they will fail to deliver on many critical fronts.  They do not focus well, your eye is so close to optics that condensation forms on them giving a softening haze across the image, the slightest movement of your head can reduce focus even further, the eye shade doesn't fully shade, the right diopter is loose, I won't go on.  The only reason I may keep them is that they might be slightly better than a tablet cover or shade on a sunny day.

I've spent about $1100 US because the gear has a difficult task; to please the human eye and I assumed Carl Zeiss kit would do it well......it's Zeiss!


Shame on Carl Zeiss and I see why they now flee from dealing with this piece of equipment.




2015-7-27
Use props
daniel.frederik
lvl.3
Flight distance : 10656 ft
New Zealand
Offline

Hey Paul. that aberration you're seeing; could it be condensation? as that's what's happening in my case. Our eye is so close to the lens it's trying to warm it up! The other issue is there's no adjustment for an individuals pupil distance so as you say; one screen is always misaligned.  And what's with the dongle? touch it or load with a cable and the image goes to white noise; bad connection somewhere in there.

I feel like such a fool as I bought these sight unseen despite reading your thoughtful review in which you suggest: try them first. But am I such a fool parting with $1100 $US so readily; this is gear by Zeiss Optics.

How about your over priced sun shade? Are you happy with it? My over priced sunshade doesn't shade completely as promised, one is dissapointed.


2015-7-28
Use props
daniel.frederik
lvl.3
Flight distance : 10656 ft
New Zealand
Offline

And are you thinking of asking for your money back? I'm not sure presently, I'll probably do some more flight testing and practice adjusting the gear as much as we can.   If I return it and need to fly on sunny days so bright I can't see the tablet I may just place a light tight bag over my head and the tablet and voila! A nice clear picture & $10 spent vs $1100.
2015-7-28
Use props
daniel.frederik
lvl.3
Flight distance : 10656 ft
New Zealand
Offline

More over, I don't think we're dealing with Zeiss here, I wonder if Zeiss took a cheque to let some entrepreneur pin their once respected name on these cinemizers; to bolster sales. You mentioned a very vague / repetitive response from 'zeiss' to your very reasonable and direct question about what exactly might be fixed if the goggles were returned: not a typical response from a high end European company in my experience, rather some investor grabbing at some warranty on your behalf in the hope you'll go away.

Dam, becoming a Troll....


2015-7-28
Use props
daniel.frederik
lvl.3
Flight distance : 10656 ft
New Zealand
Offline

You're very kind Paul, pointing out that I had already placed my order before I read your review but the thing is your review made Alarm bells ring for me and I seriously considered cancelling the order until I could try the cinemizers for myself.  I was suspicious from the get-go that this concept could not work as claimed ....I mean seriously: a tiny screen that measures 1cm by  2cm that lies a mere cm or two from your pupil being able to resemble a 40 inch HDTV at a comfortable viewing distance !!?? No way.   Maybe with much deeper catographic lenses made by Hasselblad or Steiner or Nasa or Carl Zeiss for real but not these.  But in fairness I groove on Optics more than most and am more demanding than your average consumer ( perhaps not your good self however ).

I'll put the Inspire in to some tight spots tomorrow and see how it feels to negotiate them through the Cinemizers, I suspect I'll manage but I had hoped for much more than 'managing'.  I wanted to be able to see an over head cable in my drones way at 5 meters out or further.  And these goggls offered by mntman, I would be very surprised if you found them to be useful .....but if they were only as good as the cinemizers at a quater of the price perhaps they too have a place in the world.

DF


2015-7-28
Use props
daniel.frederik
lvl.3
Flight distance : 10656 ft
New Zealand
Offline

Well it worked for photographers of the 19th century, a dark bag apon the head & camera. But yes, Burkas & drones!; a curious image in these nervous times, perhaps one of those large rice plantation hats that span the shoulders?  

I was filming light planes coming in to land at a private airstrip recently, with the Inspire of course, the shoot went really well; the Inspire has the muscle and flexibility to make the last few moments of flight look terrific. But!  it would have so much better with a clear image of what the Inspire camera was seeing; I had to back off ( right off ) in the interests of safety and that was frustrating; to be 25 meters behind a plane when I could have been10 meters back, if only I could've seen the dam plane clearly. Within a day I'd found a name brand optics company that had built the seeming perfectly device, just for me, to assist with filimg on bright sunny days. Alas, much further testing is required to see if this is the case.
2015-7-28
Use props
HFI
Second Officer
Flight distance : 904990 ft
  • >>>
United States
Offline

I kind of like mine. They will build up with condensation on cold days but thats the same of all FPV goggles I've tried.

Do you have the same problems when connected to a HDMI port of a TV, etc and not a wireless link from an aircraft ?
2015-7-28
Use props
tim.warth
lvl.1
United States
Offline

Can you share a direct email for their service / support?

I have tried the support webform twice with no response. My Cinemizers don't ever charge or turn on. Constantly flashes red while charging for hours.

I'm trying to get a hold of them before the warranty expires.

Thanks,
2015-7-28
Use props
daniel.frederik
lvl.3
Flight distance : 10656 ft
New Zealand
Offline

When I connect the cinemizers to another HDMI source ie: not the Inspire1 remote HDMI output I get a sharper picture. But if I touch the dongle provided or a cable connected to it twists and and puts pressure on it the picture drops out so the connection is imperfect.   No support from the Zeiss website?  Unbelievable!  Imagine any of the great optics manufacturers not replying to a call for help such as Hasselblad or Leica or Luepold, it's unheard of.   
But I don't think these Cinemizers are Zeiss gear, who ever made them appears to be standing on the shoulders of an established brand to bolster sales and Zeiss simply take a cut.   Sako rifles did this, they have a range of rifles that are branded as Sako / Tikka, an inferiour product bearing a bigger name.   Or Leupold Scopes, they now produce a budget range of rifle scopes called Redfield.  And I see Leica are attahcing their lenses to Panasonic cameras ( which is why I have two panasonic cameras ).
Paul:  re: posting some footage.  It is nice a clip to see, you're stationary about 50 meters in the air looking down a grassy airstrip then you notice you're level with a small approaching plane.  It's descending and passes the Inspire camera so your view of it is always changing, as it draws nearer the camera begins to move off parallel to the plane, it follows it and as the plane overtakes the Inspire the camera turns to follow it and by this time the Inspire can match the speed of the plane and holds a fixed downward perspective beside and above the aircraft which allows you to see the detail of plane; the control surfaces to and froing, the flaps in the downward position, the shadow and the plane coming together at the moment of touch down.
The catch is I couldn't see the tablet screen clearly, I had to hang right back so the subject is small in the frame, this is Ok on my 2.8 meter wide screen in my lounge but not on a regular size monitor let a lone a modest YouTube window. Also, I couldn't detect how over exposed the shot was at the time; when the Inspire camera sees half ground &  half sky it seems to expose for one or the other.  So I'm going to the shoot scene again with the Cinemizers, I'll keep trying to improve them, I'll get a better dongle, I'll experiment with the various nose mounts, I'll track down the best anti fogging agent for the lenses, I'll practice using and operating the remote by feel etc
I may well upload some footage but Im not having much success here. Eg, I was hoping to PM you but I'm not sure how...just sent a request through, we'll see if that works.

And what have you been shooting today?  Planes aside I've been filming landscapes and geographical features, just for the pleasure of it.  I'm considering sending the quad down a long and very deep canyon but I worry about losing Gps lock. Still, we should be practiced in recovering from this event right?
DF
2015-7-28
Use props
Advanced
You need to log in before you can reply Login | Register now

Credit Rules