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Anybody has experience with the WHM-BG Artificial Horizon Modules


axel ebermann

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I bought one and it couldn't be calibrated. Sent it back to Tiffen and they worked on it, they sent it back, it was better but still not right. Returned for refund. Sadly, the execution never lived up to the concept. Ruben's Shot Assistant app with my trusty old iphone works quite well.

 

Edit: I should give more explanation, because I don't want to leave an inaccurate impression of the Wagner Horizon or my experience.

 

First, it's not accurate for me to say "it couldn't be calibrated". More accurate: "Tiffen shipped a factory-miscalibrated unit. They failed to properly recalibrate it after I returned it for warranty repair". Read on...

 

1) It's my understanding that Tiffen does final assembly, calibration, and QC at their factory, using core components supplied by inventor Steve Wagner. Final responsibility for shipping a working unit is on Tiffen.

 

2) When I received my unit from Tiffen, it was mis-calibrated internally, therefore it couldn't be "zeroed out" in the field to read properly.

 

3) I contacted Tiffen and sent it back to them. It is my understanding that their in-house engineer did a factory calibration routine.

 

4) I also PM'd Steve Wagner through the Forum. He was extremely personable, helpful, and offered to work directly with me and Tiffen to make sure it got fixed, including him personally working on it if necessary.

 

5. Upon return from Tiffen, the calibration was still not right (better, but not right). Tiffen offered replacement or refund. At this point, I could have re-contacted Steve Wagner to take him up on his offer. But I decided to opt for the refund. That's not a reflection on Steve or his product, it was simply my choice.

 

I have no reason to believe that the Wagner level doesn't work as designed. My personal experience was that Tiffen shipped me a mal-adjusted unit and they were unable to fix it on the first try. Steve seems solidly committed to his product, and I take him at his word that he could have solved the problem for me, if I had opted to keep the unit.

Edited by Mark Schlicher
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I have one of these, and it generally worked well for me. One issue I did have was that during quick movements (hard whip pans, or fast FAST movements), the calibration would go out mid shot and lock to the far left or far right. You'd have to wait a few moments for it to realize it was at horizon, or just recalibrate between shots. Great for an external horizon if your monitor doesn't do it, but I found myself distracted by the inconsistency on occasion. Granted, I never sent it back to the factory for repair or anything. Steve Wagner did message me to say that it's a balance between the sensors, so I think it's probably something that exists in all gyro-compensated digital levels.

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