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BENZ 5800/5100/5200


Nicholas Deeg

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Ladies and Gents,

I recently acquired a BENZ focus system along with a rig package I purchased. I was wondering if there is anyone out there that uses this as there primary focus system. All searches only come up with people talking about why this guy was an ........... I just wanted to know if anyone uses one or might have a repair manual or something. Any insight will be helpful.

Thanks,

Nick Deeg

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Ladies and Gents,

I recently acquired a BENZ focus system along with a rig package I purchased. I was wondering if there is anyone out there that uses this as there primary focus system. All searches only come up with people talking about why this guy was an ........... I just wanted to know if anyone uses one or might have a repair manual or something. Any insight will be helpful.

Thanks,

Nick Deeg

 

You would be one of the few people in the world to have one. Good luck on getting any info on it, the guy that designed and built them is a thief. You might want to search on Ben Fisher....

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Ladies and Gents,

I recently acquired a BENZ focus system along with a rig package I purchased. I was wondering if there is anyone out there that uses this as there primary focus system. All searches only come up with people talking about why this guy was an ........... I just wanted to know if anyone uses one or might have a repair manual or something. Any insight will be helpful.

Thanks,

Nick Deeg

 

 

You are a lucky man Nick, buy something from Ben Fisher and recive it is have luck...

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So I'm guessing that Mr. Fisher was less then helpful?

 

Did you try and contact him? I have to ask, as many people somehow forget that they can call the manufacturer directly... but I guess with his name attached to a complaint, it's a mood point.

 

You could try and contact Terry West (mobile: (310) 621-5063, techrat@earthlink.net) he is the man for odd and out of production item repairs or custom stuff.

 

Or try and contact Jim Bartell (Bartech Engineering, 1 (562) 987-9159, www.bartechengineering.com) he makes the unit the Benz is based on, the BFD. That's the person you should have bought from in the first place... he actually answers his phone... even at the oddest hours... Do you actually have a life?

 

 

Nicholas the following is not directly aimed at you (Indirectly maybe) but:

 

Does anybody actually do research anymore, before they through there money at somebody? There is no excuse these days with the availability of the internet, not to be informed. I guess it's more ignorance then...

 

I just googled his name and product... and just based on the first couple of results, I could just dump my money in a shredder and get the same result... Abel Cine Tech doesn't want anything to do with him... If you want to see some steaming red heads and listen to the most colorful curses I have heard in a while call the owner of Doggicam...

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he actually answers his phone... even at the oddest hours..

 

Only for you, studmuffin......

 

Actually, getting me after 5:00 pm M-F is a rare, rare thing.

 

It sounds like this unit was included with a rig purchase, so maybe the rest of the deal was too good to pass up. I'd buy one if it came with Eric's E55 for $10K.

 

Jim "it's my life and I'll do what I want" Bartell

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Nick,

 

I see you're in NYC. Call AbelCineTech at 212.462.0100 and ask for Mitch Gross. Tell him I sent you and ask him about the unit and who you should talk to. I'm sure they have manuals hanging around since they were briefly the US dealers until it turned out that the manufacturer couldn't be counted on. If the unit doesn't work, they may even be able to help you, but I won't spend much to fix it because Benz is no more (in that incarnation anyway).

 

Oh, any buy a BFD when you can. Whatever motor you have (and most likely cables???) will work with the Bartech. Jim is great and supports his products.

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Gents,

Thanks for the info. I will give a call out to Terry and Mitch and Girvin(sp?) over at ABLE CA. I have heard that Girvin is the man to talk to but he has been on vacation and will not be back until next week. I had found this out when I had researched the product before my post. You know on the INTERNETS, Erwin (directly or indirectly), it sure is a wonderful tool for research. Just to clear up what might not have been in my original post..... The BENZ was INCLUDED with a full package I had purchased. I did NOT buy it from Ben Fisher and the reason for my post was because all the research I had done only came up with horror stories of people dealing with Mr. Fisher and no technical information on his product. If Mr. Fisher did still offer service he would not see a dime of my money. Not only because I would be afraid I would never see anything again he had touched but because he does not deserve a penny (or a farthing) from anyone one working in an industry he has taken such advantage of.

I do wish the package had included a BFD instead, but unfortunately it did not. I have worked with an operator for some years now who is a huge fan of the BFD. The system gets endless hours of use 5 days a week, going on about 6 years now and rarely has any problems. And when it does it is SCAREY how fast Jim repairs and returns it. Sometimes, I swear it seams it goes out in the morning and comes back that afternoon! When this package starts making me some money, for sure, Jim will have my business.

 

Thanks again for the info,

Nick

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Ladies and Gents,

I recently acquired a BENZ focus system along with a rig package I purchased. I was wondering if there is anyone out there that uses this as there primary focus system. All searches only come up with people talking about why this guy was an ........... I just wanted to know if anyone uses one or might have a repair manual or something. Any insight will be helpful.

Thanks,

Nick Deeg

if you need a manual, i might have one on my old laptop somewhere. If you need it, let me know and i start looking for the damn thing. There is no technical stuff inthere as only pin settings and how to use/calibrate/channel mating etc. It can handle up to 30v, it works, but the service as stated is terrible. He is still working under a different comapgny name, so perhaps if the damn thing is blown to pieces you might want to contact him. ( I would use it as a shooting target )

 

J

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Thanks Job I really appreciate it but I actually do have that manual. You are right, it only has instructions on operation no trouble shooting, technical information or scimatics. I was hoping maybe someone had a repair manual so I could maybe have someone that knows electronics well, look at it and have some sort of guild. I am having trouble with the self calibrate (it doesn't seem to want to scale the entire lens) and then there is some kind of"uncalibrating" happening after I manually calibrate. Every time you turn the focus knob and go back the marks never seem to line up. I have read about that happening but haven't read about a reason or a solution.

Well after about another year I should be able to upgrade. Hopefully it will last me that long. So Job, if you find your self in NEW YORK in 2010 give me a call and we'll head over to the Palisades Cliffs on the other side of the Hudson River, with a couple double barrel shotguns and do a little BENZ skeet shooting.

-Thanks for you help Job

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