Flickering MVF-1 Monitor

[Stout Film]

Hi all,
I am wondering if anyone else has seen their MVF-1 flicker in an abnormal way (not from over cranking on fluorescent lights or anything about what you are shooting).

When I have the Monitor closed, like while using the EVF for a few minutes, and then I open it again... it flickers or sort of pulsates in the highlights and mids. It gradually dissipates over a minute or so. It happens if I have peaking on or off, with a LUT on or off, and on a battery or AC. I've unplugged and replugged the cable on both sides. It is happening on the monitor part of the MVF-1 alone, not the EVF image, not SDI outputs, and it is not recorded to the card. It has happened as long as I've owned it (a couple months) and it has not been damaged, banged, dropped, gotten wet or anything. The problem is repeatable and occurs any time I close the monitor for a few minutes and open it back up. When I power the camera on with the monitor open it does not happen; not until while on, I open the monitor from a closed position.

I'm talking to Arri Service as well so I know it's not supposed to do this, but they are surprised and I am most likely sending it in. I'd just like to see if anyone is in the same boat and maybe we can figure out a solution.
I doesn't bother my shooting much but can make clients worried

[Josh Stafield]

I'm surprised they are surprised. I have had this issue with every Mini and Amira viewfinder I've ever used. I know other people who have experienced it as well. Definitely still happens on my MVF-1. I haven't been too concerned because I only use it for framing when I can't get my eye against the viewfinder and, as you say, it dissipates once the monitor has been running for a while. Would be great to know if you find a solution. Please post if yours gets fixed. Thanks!

[Jan Heugel]

Hey guys,
we've recreated the flicker and will look into it.

I'll keep you posted.

Jan

[Stout Film]

Thanks guys!
Yes, my Mini is with Arri Service now. I'm glad (well, maybe not!) that it's not just me. But it hasn't happened on every Mini/Amira I've used. I just checked on an Amira the other day and couldn't recreate the issue. And I never noticed it on another Mini I used, though I wasn't looking. Bummed, I actually missed a rental on my camera this weekend while it's out Oh well. I'll let you know what service says.

[Stout Film]

Just an update for everyone. Arri service finds the issue surprising, has been able to recreate it, but is not able to figure it out at this time. They believe it is from the camera side. If anyone else has anything like this going on please speak up so maybe we can come to a solution. It doesn't impair shooting, it's just something we should figure out. I'm having to have Service send me back my camera because I can't miss out on any more rentals and there's no telling when it will be solved at this time.
Thanks all!

[krodahl]

I have the same issue - also noticed on the sdi output to monitor...

br
klaus rodahl

[kokorecci]

i noticed this on almost 10 different Alexa Mini and Amira.And Arri hearing this problem first time?

[kokorecci]

One more thing we are really disturbed by the ghosting image on MVF-1 Monitor.Saw this problem on 2 different MVF-1s.

[Jan Heugel]

Cycling back to this topic "flicker issue"...
the bug has been fixed in one of our nightly builds back in September. Due to be deployed with the next firmware release.

Can you supply a image of the ghosting?

Best,
Jan

[justin lovell]

I too have ghosting issues and the color on my MVF is not anywhere close to being accurate.
Reported this to ARRI in Toronto, and they reviewed the monitor twice and stated that it is just inherent in the monitor - and that is the way it is.

Not what I would have hoped to hear. The monitor on the fs7 and c300 are more accurate and better then the MVF. Which I find hard to believe with the price points..

[axelebermann]

My MVF-1 Monitor shows constant flicker.

I had some very severe ghosting / delay recently that basically made the monitor
unusable.
It was on an exterior shoot on a somewhat cold New York winter day so my suspicion
is that it was temperature related.
Having said that it is kind of disappointing. Temperature was in the 20s. I have worked with
many displays that were just fine in those conditions.

[asloan]

Every MVF-1 monitor I've used has suffered from ghosting and flickering. I've never even thought to raise this with Arri support since everybody I've spoken to has had the same experience – I had just assumed that the monitor wasn't great. The flickering gets a bit better after you've kept the monitor open for a bit of time, but there is always a bit of ghosting.

[WhoIsQuinn]

I began having this problem with our first Amira after a few months (January 2015). I had lengthy communications with ARRI Service and also sent the camera in to be repaired twice ( July and November 2015). Even after the second try, the problem came back and never went away.

We sold that camera this January, but now I am having the same flickering (actually even worse) on our second Amira. The problem is intermittent, but very persistent. I used to only have flickering on the flip-out monitor with the live picture and playback. Now it's sometimes even noticeable with the menu screen. I haven't experienced it yet with our new Alexa Mini, I really hope it doesn't start flickering as well.

I slowly came to accept the problem, thinking it was a buggy 1st camera, or my luck. But now, seeing that many others have the same issue, my hopes, that someday the MVF will be usable without flickering, are coming back. I really hope that ARRI has isolated the problem and can offer a solution soon.

Has there been an advancement..?