Firewire cable length

[paulpix]

Braintrust,

I am shooting tethered in a studio situation with a 500CM and CFV back.

I have a 10foot cable at the moment, and have tried using two ten foot cables with a 9pin female to female adapter. The camera powers on, but is not recognized by the computer. I have read where folks are using longer cables. Are you guys using the batteries and cables at the same time?

TIA

paul

[NickT]

Hi Paul
I've been using 10 metre (30 Ft) cables since the dawn of time with no issues. Cables are from Granite. I can't speak for the CFV but would expect your cables to be the culprit (I am assuming you are tethering to a mac?). You could try a repeater to connect them.

Nick-T

[paulpix]

Thanks for the quick reply.  Yes, I am running on a Macbook Pro 15. Phocus processes very quick and is smooth too. I will check and see if Granite is available in the US.

[NickT]

They sure are:

http://www.granitedigital.com/firewireproducts.aspx

[Paul Claesson]

Braintrust,

I am shooting tethered in a studio situation with a 500CM and CFV back.

I have a 10foot cable at the moment, and have tried using two ten foot cables with a 9pin female to female adapter. The camera powers on, but is not recognized by the computer. I have read where folks are using longer cables. Are you guys using the batteries and cables at the same time?

TIA

paul

Hi Paul, Hasselblad recommends using the industry standard 15 foot firewire cables. Cables longer then this can cause inconsistent results and often lost connection or no connection whatsoever.
We recommend using a powered firewire repeater to boost the power to the back with cables longer then 15 feet. You may find in this case the 9pin female to female adapter between the two 10 foot firewire could be the culprit.

[paulpix]

Thanks for the info guys. 

I tried a 20 foot Lindy cable and it was a no go, had to shave it down on one end to fit the CFV, so there's a hundred bucks down the drain...

I am trying not to invest too much money on accessories that I will not need in the future, as I hope to have my 132c back from repair in a month or so.  The CFV they sent to me, as a loaner has been very nice, that is for sure.

I have not tried using the CFV with the battery and cable attached, I may give that a go later today.