I got a mail from Pimax that I should choose whether I want to get the 42 ppd lenses, get a coupon instead or pay additional money to “upgrade” to the large FoV lenses.
They also wrote that the 42 ppd lenses would be plastic only? This is the first time I hear that - and it is dissapointing, not worthy of the “Crystal” concept imho. I was looking forward to those, for cinema and potentially VR desktop applications - but only if the clarity is actually better than the standard 35 ppd lenses…
So - did anybody have a chance to test these 42 ppd lenses? And if yes, were those plastic or still glass (so cheaping out on the already ordered accessories might be a recent decision).
How was the impression, are these resolving noticably better than the 35 ppd lenses?
And regarding the wide FoV lenses (which are apparently glass again), which FoV and ppd would these actually offer? Did anybody have a chance to test those? If yes, how is e.g. binocular overlap and distortions?
Think it is not a personal mail but went to many, so it should be ok to post it:
The 2nd lens of your Pimax Crystal
Dear pre-order customer,
We would like to inform you about the 2nd pair of lenses that are included in your pre-order deal.
Your preorder deal consists of the standard 35 ppd lens (delivered) and the 42 ppd lens (yet to be delivered).
Next to those 2 lens options, we are also working on a new set of lenses that will maximize the FOV. These wide FOV lenses will be offered to all of our customers as an additional accessory that can be purchased for $129 later this year.
We have received a lot of feedback from you and we learned that many customers are actually very interested in these upcoming new wide FOV lenses and would even prefer those over the 42 ppd ones that are exclusively part of your pre-order package.
The wide FOV lenses are much more expensive in production than the 42ppd ($30) ones. The reason for this is the material: just like the 35ppd lens, the wide FOV lenses are made from glass as opposed to the standard polycarbonate material of the 42ppd ones.
We still would like to allow you to get the lenses that you actually prefer to own. Therefore you can now choose from the following options:
1. Change nothing and keep the 42ppd lens.These will be delivered to you once ready.The users who pre-order and pay the full payment by 7/31 would have this option.
(And we will close 42PPD from Aug ).
2. Cancel 42ppd lens delivery and get a $30 coupon instead of the lenses.This coupon can be used with accessories including lighthouse faceplate.
Cancel 42ppd lens delivery and upgrade to Wide Fov Lens for a special price of $59 instead of $129.
Please share your option in the blew form with us,We will notify you the next step at the early of Sep.if you have filled in it,just wait for our notification.
*This deal will end on July 31,Customers ordering Crystal from August will only receive the standard version lens (35PPD).
Yes, it is fair, given the circumstances. Getting good 42 ppd glass lenses (as initially expected) would have been better of course.
If I had to choose (and without an opportunity to do a real A/B comparison) I would likely prefer the 35 ppd lenses over the large FoV ones. But good to have the choice. Perhaps future buyers can choose?
The problem for Pimax going forward is if they keep selling Crystal with the current 35PPD lenses who then wants to spend another $129 on a slight improved FOV?
Let’s not forget the performance hit wider FOV lenses are going to make. 6% wider FOV for example could mean another 6% rendering the barrel distortion.
If the 42 ppd lenses are good (=noticibly sharper than the 35 ppd ones, no distortions, no color shifts) I would still get those. Plastic is lighter than glass, so if the quality is good this might actually have some advantages.
But given the limited run of the 42 ppd lenses I wouldn’t expect extensive work on correction profiles etc. for these lenses in the future. So if they are not great from the start I guess it’s not worth getting them.
Thus beta reports would be highly interesting!
Does anybody know how plastic lenses are made? I naively would have assumed with a mold? But wouldn’t a plastic lens then be much more expensive than a (sanded) glass lens when they only need so few?
I don’t think there’s any significant weight difference – the 8kX ones are larger, but also thinner… and I doubt the material cost is much of anything, anyway.
The 8kX ones are however a low production volume custom design, which is partly fresnel, whereas the the Crystal has conventional contiguous surface lenses, without extra complications.
Yes from what was said before the 42ppd lenses were supposed to be glass. Since pimax has not been able to achieve imho the FoV originally targetted for the 35ppd lenses they really don’t want to move forward with glass 42ppd lenses and as the email likely detailed the 42 ppd lenses will be discontinued sometime in nest future.
The Wider FoV that is aiming to achieve closer to what the initial 35 ppd lenses was supposed to have for FoV of around 118 wide. As far as I have heard/seen only Seb during his visit at pimax hq has had a brief sample back then. They have said the wider FoV lenses will be glass and iirc if you opt for them and pay before July’s end(not much time to decide imho) you can get them for $59 vs is it $129?
However I can imagine ppl not being happy not having an idea on them prior to deciding.
@CheezusCrisp did say at the earlier roadshows the 42ppd demoed was plastic abd quite decent.
-in a word, we offer you the choice on a product (#Lentilles grand fov) with which we have no technical info and their delivery date, INCREDIBLE!!!
And the word big fov means everything and nothing at the same time?
There you have to be very pragmatic and What are the data of these large fov lenses:
-Fov-diagonal?
-Fov-horizontal?
-Fov-Vertical?
-Glass lenses?
-PPD?
-On sale and deliver when around the world?
That makes 6 essential questions that pimax must give in response to its customers, right?
You see Meta unveiling its quest 3 in October 2023 with:
-You will have a very large fov and that’s it!
Let’s be serious and respectful of customers at pimax because at the level of pure commerce it becomes rock’n’roll?
Also in June 2022 when the crystal and the 12k were unveiled, for the asking price we were sold 2 types of glass lens:
35ppd and 42ppd especially for movie viewing for 42ppd lenses and 35ppd for games.
We are told that the 42ppd glass lens is cancelled??
Why, and why are we not reimbursed for the €159 on these 42ppd glass lenses not supplied?
Serious ?
We are given a €30 ticket but it is missing, is it a scam?
And since we are at the lens cancellation level, what else will be canceled on the crystal and 12k program in the future??
Since when did PIMAX ever state in the past that any of their final provided 2 sets of lenses would be plastic?
I mean… I get there might be some cost difference. But seriously, it feels like PIMAX is penalizing its potential customer base due to their in ability to control costs and provide predominantly what the customer would likely like in the first place.
It’s just like the extra $200 Japanese customers have to pay to buy the headset, as well as holding back on what should be a standard audio solution and scaring pre-order’ers to dish out full price for their incomplete headset just in order to get the DMAS audio.
I think the people who pre ordered an incomplete package knowing there was missing lenses, knowing Pimaxes history, knowing Crystal was a beta product have to take responsibility.
This is the very reason I’d never order a $xxxx product direct from China when there are so many question marks in the air.
