Having been using an Sony F3 with a Kipro mini for the last weeks on a particularly physical production working out of ribbed boats on rivers and sea.. I would like to request either a lock all functions menu item or a clear hard plastic screen that will fit over the front buttons to stop any inadvertent menu changes if the the buttons are accidently pressed.

Look forward to hearing from Jon Thorn on this issue.

Thanks.

Nick Gordon Smith
DoP
Nick Gordon Smith - HOME (http://www.nickgordonsmith.com)

Nick S. - Thanks for your comments and suggestions. The Ki Pro Mini was designed for use without button covers because many camcorders that feature button covers often have those covers broken off in "the heat of production" use. And many users find not having direct access to controls on equipment to be frustrating. The Ki Pro Mini buttons require a committed depression to be activated. Errant button glances should not activate them. Having said that, I understand how equipment is sometimes handled on set.

A menu selection to lock out operations on the unit is an interesting suggestion (which has been considered before), but it comes with serious operational considerations. Can the selection for locking and unlocking the unit be made intuitive for the user? Is a button combination required to activate or deactivate it? Does the lockout selection survive reboots? Does it lock out all buttons/some buttons/most buttons? I am not implying that such a feature is impossible, but it would require serious consideration before it would be implemented. We will take your suggestion under consideration.

Since I don't know how you have your Ki Pro Mini mounted to your camera, it might be worth reconsidering where/how it is mounted if you feel like you are inadvertently grabbing the unit or depressing buttons on it.

Just as a reference, you might consider reviewing a document provided by AJA that shows various ways the Ki Pro Mini can be mounted in case a different mounting method might better suit your particular production:
http://www.aja.com/pdf/Ki_Pro_Mini_Mounting_Options.pdf

Thanks for your comments and suggestions,
Jon Thorn
Senior Product Manager
AJA Video Systems, Inc.

Thanks for your reply Jon.

I understand your issues with my request. I have fashioned a piece of hard clear plastic to cover the buttons as a temporary measure. I have another week filming on this project so will see if works with my adjustment.

Nick