Definitive camera settings copying

[Tom Caldwell]

I may have posted this before in one form or another, what follows is "how to do it" rather than "why it works"

It applies to all GXR modules whether A12 mount or other lens/modules.

I a presuming that the user has worked out their favourite setup and has more than one camera unit and one or more body.

COPY SETTINGS FROM ONE BODY TO CAMERA UNITS OR BODIES

New body

Switch on.

Default is read from body therefore the camera will be set up as "factory settings". When switched off it will always save camera settings to body and camera unit. Therefore if the first installed unit is your only personally set up unit it will be reset to "factory settings" when you switch off! You have to change the factory default (read from body) setting to "read from camera unit" somehow.

Set start settings on new body to read from camera unit.

Switch off. As long as you have not used up your last customised camera unit you are still happy.

Insert existing camera unit with desired custom settings, switch on and off. You have now copied your custom settings to the new camera back.

Leave body set to read from camera unit.

Copy from one camera unit to other camera units (existing camera body) (easier)

Insert desired reference customised camera unit (body set to read from camera unit as above)

Switch on.

Set to read from camera body.

Switch off.

Insert another module to be upgraded - switch on / switch off then repeat as necessary with any other module.

Switch on.

Reset camera to read from camera unit.

Switch off - done.

Tried to make it easy. If there is an easier sequence please let us know.

Pavel can you just edit the unnecessary comment out of this and make it a sticky, might save a few others from going mad.

Tom

 

[ayewing]

Thanks Tom,
I am keeping a copy for future reference. I have only one body at present but three camera units so I am sure that it will prove useful. The instructions that come with the body and camera units are rather opaque and only really make sense after quite a lot of fiddling about with the menu systems.

Your guide should save a lot of frustration.

 

[SLLRF]

Thank you! If you wanted to change jobs, Ricoh should hire you as an evangelist for your encyclopedic knowledge of their products and your championing of them.

 

[Tom Caldwell]

Thank you! If you wanted to change jobs, Ricoh should hire you as an evangelist for your encyclopedic knowledge of their products and your championing of them.

Thanks I will send in my job application with this post on my resume

 

[Tom Caldwell]

Just a bit of the technical side to back up the method with the theory for those interested:

Page 150 of the GXR official manual says

"Start Settings Readout

When the camera turns off, the settings are saved both in camera body and camera unit.

Choose the destination to read out the settings from body or camera Unit"

Nothing more. But quite correct, if over-simplified.

The underlining emphasis is mine and I have the word "out' in italics and think it should be deleted as it introduces an element of ambiguity.

Note that the camera always saves settings to camera body and and camera unit no matter what the other "read" setting is.

The camera body arrives in default read from body. Therefore a brand new camera body is going to save its settings to any camera unit that is installed at the time and you simply cannot just disconnect the camera unit with the camera body switched on - it is forbidden and not a good idea anyway. Nor can you import settings from a previously customised camera unit with the camera body on this setting.

Therefore you have to be able to switch the camera on to change the setting to read from camera unit but when you switch it off both the body and the camera unit will have the memory copy of the body settings recorded back. Therefore setting the installed camera unit to factory default settings.

Obviously if you have two backs and one carefully set up unit then you have a problem. However if you have two units and can preserve one of them with the custom settings then you can use one to make the change to "read form Camera Unit" then install the custom setting unit and switch on/off then on again, change to "read from body" switch off re-install the reset camera unit switch on (you can safely change back to "read from camera unit" here if it is your last unit of several to be updated) then switch off.

Seems like a lot of switching back and forth and switching on and off but in reality you are just copying settings across bodies and camera units by following a logical procedure once the theory is understood. However admit to having my notes in front of me again if I have not done it for a week.

Once you have your bodies and camera units working similarly then if you feel that they are going in separate ways due to use you just pick the camera unit that you think is the correct current reference state of the art and cycle your unit carefully as described and in not much time at all they will all be set up exactly the same again.

I also note that where there are conflicts in set up of different modules some slots are left vacant and the firmware seems to fill these with a default setting - but I have not explored this in detail. For example such things as zoom modules and the fact that under the adj lever the movable focus point / screen enlargement whilst quite useful in an auto-focus module is severely truncated to the point of being confusing with the A12 mount.

If you set Fn1 to magnification toggle and Fn2 to Contrast Peaking toggle (or vice versa) then this carries over into the lens/modules as well (which can prove useful). But if you have re-assigned the + and - keys of the keypad to something other than duplicating the EV control on the zoom rocker (I use manual flash value adjustment here) then they stay re-assigned when you fit a zoom module which quite naturally takes command of the zoom rocker for zooming. This leave the EV control best accessed via the direct screen overlay where the + and - buttons again neatly change the EV setting - "cool" I say - so well designed.

Hardly need the adj jog lever but it has developed in use for some great shortcuts along the way. Perhaps there is a more reliable wheel now available to replace it? Two wheels would give even better control than one wheel and a jog lever. But I am meandering again ...

Tom

 

[Tom Caldwell]

Why might you use "read from body"

If you have one camera body and several camera units you may wish to keep each camera unit working more or less the same no matter where your heart might take you in your camera setup. I have found that this method sometimes gives odd results as the A12 mount module and lens modules sometimes have a mind of their own and over-write your camera body set up anyway.

This is a necessary setting if you are using one body to update settings to several camera units.

Why might you use "read from camera unit"

If you have more than one camera body and wish to make all your bodies use identical settings (you have to consciously do this).

You wish to have a predictable known set up across all your camera units to which your system will default.

You alternatively wish to have your camera units behave differently per camera unit (another mindset completely).

This is a necessary setting to read the settings from a reference camera unit into a camera body (prior to synchronising more than one camera unit).

I think it helps understanding it is realised that there are probably three groups of settings at any one time with the camera switched on - the settings in non-volatile read/write memory on both body and camera unit (2 instances) which are alternatively read from as directed in the firmware and another actually being used in volatile memory of the camera which is always saved to non volatile memory in both body and mounted camera unit when the camera is switched off.

I have tried to be complete, but a skilled copy writer might say this in half the words. A really skilled one only needs four short lines though ...

Tom