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  • Welcome to the new site. Here's a thread about the update where you can post your feedback, ask questions or spot those nasty bugs!

tethered shooting from a smart phone !

S

Sandrine Bascouert

Member
That's a nice one!
I was looking for a usable idea to give to my husband who started Android coding and thought about something suitable for photographers. I didn't think about this kind of idea! It's just brilliant!
 
M

Mark Hampton

New member
Sandrine Bascouert said:
That's a nice one!
I was looking for a usable idea to give to my husband who started Android coding and thought about something suitable for photographers. I didn't think about this kind of idea! It's just brilliant!
Click to expand...

Sandrine,

Ah – heres an idea. Running say 5 cameras from one phone – so you can get consecutive exposures.

That would be good !
 
M

Mark Hampton

New member
Hi Hi,

ok i got my phone ready for the app - I had to update the os to android 2.3.4 - i used the following pages to show me how;

http://androidadvices.com/update-samsung-galaxy-s2-gt-i9100-xxkg3-gingerbread-234-firmware/

when this was done .. installed the app and yes it works..

very stable and easy to use. when they get the bracketing sorted this will be a must have app.

at the moment its a good for checking focus - setting exposure - so much faster that using the camera..

I have not tried the AF control - I only use MF (one lens to rule them all)...

so in short it works on my phone - I don't have to get a bloody laptop anymore !

cheers
 
M

Mark Hampton

New member
Well - the app has been updated on a regular basis and issues with crashing were ironed out.

this is the list of features from the website.

Features

Main features include:

Liveview
Focus points and area
Zoom area and control
Luminosity and RGB histograms
Grid and aspect ratio overlays
Display filters
Focus
Auto focus
Manual focus
Remote manual focus
3-speed focus adjustments
Capture
Normal capture
Bulb capture (hold as well as timed)
Continuous capture
Video recording
Mirror Lockup support
Image review
CR2 support
Luminosity and RGB histograms
EXIF display
Exposure blinking
Follow shot mode
HDR capture
Manual: Shutter speed based
Av/Tv: Exposure compensation based (range differs per DSLR)

Adjustable settings include:

Shutter speed
Aperture
Exposure compensation
Exposure bracketing
Flash compensation
ISO speed
Auto focus mode
Focus and zoom area
Picture style
Drive mode
White balance
Color temperature
Auto-lighting optimizer
Metering mode

Display filters include:

Exposure
Peaking (four modes)
Contrast (four modes)
Channel mask (four modes)
Grayscale (four modes)

Note that available features and settings depend on the current camera mode (M, Av, Tv, ...) !

http://dslrcontroller.com/about.php

so I am getting the 10.1 tablet - will update on my thoughts after I have used this - but tbh working with a touch screen is the way forward.

cheers
 
Cem_Usakligil

Cem_Usakligil

Well-known member
Mark Hampton said:
Well - the app has been updated on a regular basis and issues with crashing were ironed out.

this is the list of features from the website.

Features

Main features include:

Liveview
Focus points and area
Zoom area and control
Luminosity and RGB histograms
Grid and aspbyect ratio overlays
Display filters
Focus
Auto focus
Manual focus
Remote manual focus
3-speed focus adjustments
Capture
Normal capture
Bulb capture (hold as well as timed)
Continuous capture
Video recording
Mirror Lockup support
Image review
CR2 support
Luminosity and RGB histograms
EXIF display
Exposure blinking
Follow shot mode
HDR capture
Manual: Shutter speed based
Av/Tv: Exposure compensation based (range differs per DSLR)

Adjustable settings include:

Shutter speed
Aperture
Exposure compensation
Exposure bracketing
Flash compensation
ISO speed
Auto focus mode
Focus and zoom area
Picture style
Drive mode
White balance
Color temperature
Auto-lighting optimizer
Metering mode

Display filters include:

Exposure
Peaking (four modes)
Contrast (four modes)
Channel mask (four modes)
Grayscale (four modes)

Note that available features and settings depend on the current camera mode (M, Av, Tv, ...) !

http://dslrcontroller.com/about.php

so I am getting the 10.1 tablet - will update on my thoughts after I have used this - but tbh working with a touch screen is the way forward.

cheers
Click to expand...
Hi Mark,

This is probably the best app I've ever bought, notwithstanding the beta version of the Helicon Focus app, which is a very close second right now. I've bought the samsung galaxy tab 10.1 a month ago just to run this app and it has delivered fully. The paradigm of shooting tethered out in the field (especially for a still life, landscape or architecture photographer such as I) has thus been changed forever.

The bugs are being ironed out constantly and the HDR bracketing which is functional since this week was what I've been waiting for. I can now setup exposure bracketing of up to 45 brackets, fully customisable when shooting in M mode. I can't begin to express how happy I am with this bracketing. My only other option was to buy a dedicated remote controller which would cost almost as much as the tablet. With this setup, I can do not only bracketing but also all sorts of things such as composing and focusing using a 10 inch live view and not having to be physically behind the camera while doing so. Also, focus bracketing will become an option although Helicon Focus is the better app for that purpose. I can go on for ages, that's how enthusiastic I am :).

Does anyone want to see some pictures of how this works?
 
M

Mark Hampton

New member
Cem_Usakligil said:
Hi Mark,

This is probably the best app I've ever bought, notwithstanding the beta version of the Helicon Focus app, which is a very close second right now. I've bought the samsung galaxy tab 10.1 a month ago just to run this app and it has delivered fully. The paradigm of shooting tethered out in the field (especially for a still life, landscape or architecture photographer such as I) has thus been changed forever.

The bugs are being ironed out constantly and the HDR bracketing which is functional since this week was what I've been waiting for. I can now setup exposure bracketing of up to 35 brackets, fully customisable when shooting in M mode. I can't begin to express how happy I am with this bracketing. My only other option was to buy a dedicated remote controller which would cost almost as much as the tablet. With this setup, I can do not only bracketing but also all sorts of things such as composing and focusing using a 10 inch live view and not having to be physically behind the camera while doing so. Also, focus bracketing will become an option although Helicon Focus is the better app for that purpose. I can go on for ages, that's how enthusiastic I am :).

Does anyone want to see some pictures of how this works?
Click to expand...

yup - its the dogs. cant wait for the tablet to arrive - canon of course should provide this with the 1x - I played with a laptop on tethered and it was so slow compared to my phone - all interfaces should be touch !

a 10 inch screen and we are like them old guys - what were the called -- large format photographers - got to laugh :)

pop some pictures up !
 
C

CD Holden

New member
Mark Hampton said:
a 10 inch screen and we are like them old guys - what were the called -- large format photographers - got to laugh :)
Click to expand...

Mark,
My 8x10 Sinar has an almost 13" diagonal screen... and no power or data cables for tethering. Everything works by touch on mine too!
 
M

Mark Hampton

New member
CD Holden said:
Mark,
My 8x10 Sinar has an almost 13" diagonal screen... and no power or data cables for tethering. Everything works by touch on mine too!
Click to expand...

I have to agree with cem on this - lol. i would love to see the video that it can output!

Cem do you hand hold the pad or is it attached to the tripod in some manner?
 
Cem_Usakligil

Cem_Usakligil

Well-known member
Mark Hampton said:
I have to agree with cem on this - lol. i would love to see the video that it can output!

Cem do you hand hold the pad or is it attached to the tripod in some manner?
Click to expand...

Hand held right now. I am considering a practical way to attach it to the tripod indeed, you must have read my mind! ;)
 
C

CD Holden

New member
Cem,
Which tripod and head do you have?
Velcro would be easy, but maybe not secure. Optimally, a sling (like a pocket or small bag that would go around the base of your tripod head) or bracket to hold it and keep it from falling might help you sleep better at night. No one needs worries about broken screens!
If you want to try to design and manufacture a Dyneema sling, call Ron @ ULA (http://www.ula-equipment.com/). While he may not be cheap, his work is top notch. I've had a custom quilt and some tarp modifications done by him. He's pleasant to work with and he's got plenty of great reviews.
 
Cem_Usakligil

Cem_Usakligil

Well-known member
Jerome Marot said:
I have one of these. They are good, but will not hold the weight of a large DSLR.
Click to expand...
Hi Jerome,

Mark was referring to those tethering arms in the context of attaching a Samsung Galaxy tab onto it, not the camera itself (which is mounted atop the tripod as usual). But unfortunately, the available holders are only for iPad. I may have found a temporary solution, have made some pictures of the setup. Will post the pics within the next hour.
 
Cem_Usakligil

Cem_Usakligil

Well-known member
CD Holden said:
Cem,
Which tripod and head do you have?
Velcro would be easy, but maybe not secure. Optimally, a sling (like a pocket or small bag that would go around the base of your tripod head) or bracket to hold it and keep it from falling might help you sleep better at night. No one needs worries about broken screens!
If you want to try to design and manufacture a Dyneema sling, call Ron @ ULA (http://www.ula-equipment.com/). While he may not be cheap, his work is top notch. I've had a custom quilt and some tarp modifications done by him. He's pleasant to work with and he's got plenty of great reviews.
Click to expand...
I have been playing with the elastic band of the tablet protective case and it kind of worked (although not robust). I will post some pics soon. Thanks for these pointers.
 
Cem_Usakligil

Cem_Usakligil

Well-known member
So here is how it looks like in real life. The Samsung tab is in a protective cover and the elastic band of the cover is thrown over the tripod to let the tablet come to a natural rest against the legs of the tripod. To make sure that it does not fall in case the elastic breaks, I have also secured the tablet using a camera strap. The result is workable but possibly not robust enough for heavy field work. I will look into using some straps and velcro combinations later.


d16337.jpg



I will show the screen captures of the software and how it functions after this post. To be continued....
​
 
Cem_Usakligil

Cem_Usakligil

Well-known member
Here are the screen captures for the DSLR controller app running on a Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1:


This is the main screen of the app. The middle part is a copy of the camera's live view, but much larger of course. The view can be stripped of all the controls in order to to only show/maximize the image, if one wants to. The various controls may seem to be a clutter at first, but they provide direct access to all the camera controls and are just one touch away, which is quite practical.
S00001.jpg


Notice that there are some green highlights around the parts of the image which are in focus. This is used for even better focus confirmation, although one can also use the zoom functions. The color of the focus confirmation can be set to white, green, red or blue. This is how the 5x zoom looks like. BTW, one can manually adjust the focus using the controls at the top (6x triangle buttons) without having to touch the lens. Useful for macro shoots and focus stacking too.
S00002.jpg


And this is 10x zoom:
S00003.jpg


This is where one can install a "display filter". The "peaking" is used for focus highlighting, and another one which is useful is the exposure filter for seeing where in the image the highlights will be clipped. Normally, one can see this in the camera only after taking a picture. Here, it is superimposed onto the live view.
S00004.jpg


continued in the next post...
 
Cem_Usakligil

Cem_Usakligil

Well-known member
This is how exposure warning looks like:
S00005.jpg


Here are the various setting and advanced functions such as the HDR bracketing:
S00006.jpg


HDR bracketing can be set within a range of 15 EV in total, in steps of 1/3 EV (or the multiple thereof). In this example, the bracketing is set to 2/3 EV steps. There will be 5 shots taken and the darkest frame will have an exposure time of 2 seconds and the lightest one 13 seconds. The option for AF offers the possibility to AF before every frame, only the first time or not at all.
S00007.jpg


The screen shows the progress of taking the bracketed shots as follows:
S00023.jpg



continued in the next post...
 
Cem_Usakligil

Cem_Usakligil

Well-known member
One can also shoot bulb with a preset timing although the time lapse function is not yet available in the beta:
S00021.jpg



The captured images can be viewed on the tablet, including their histogram and exposure clipping (both optional):
S00015.jpg



The live view histogram can also be set to show one for each color instead of the white one, just like in the in camera live view:
S00011.jpg



And finally, the screen overlays can be set to various formats like this:
S00012.jpg



I hope that this gives a good indication about the possibilities of this powerful app. If there are any questions, just ask. :)
 
Cem_Usakligil

Cem_Usakligil

Well-known member
jake klein said:
I'm wondering about this app on an Ipad tethered to a D90? I'll research more when home.
Click to expand...
Sorry Jake, it is android only. It needs a USB host connection among other things and that is a no go area for Apple. As such, an ipod version won't appear I'm afraid.
 
J

jake klein

Member
Cem_Usakligil said:
Sorry Jake, it is android only. It needs a USB host connection among other things and that is a no go area for Apple. As such, an ipod version won't appear I'm afraid.
Click to expand...

Yeah I figured as much. Apple is really lagging on not having standard USB connections. It's sad when someone spends $500 on a peice of equipment and still needs to buy an adaptor for a standard USB connection. I told my girlfriend to just wait and see what other tablets come out but she really wanted it bad.

Oh well...I'll pickup my tab at the end of 2012. I've read that smartphones may have quad 2.0's/1+G of DDr3 in them by then, so I can only hope tablets would be one step ahead.
 
M

Mark Hampton

New member
Cem - thanks for the full rundown on the system - I have my tablet I am just awaiting the connector.

one think I have noticed is that I one in 3 of my raw files when bracketing gets converted into MM1 - and can't be used :(

any thoughts on this.

cheers and happy new year when it comes !
 
Cem_Usakligil

Cem_Usakligil

Well-known member
Mark Hampton said:
Cem - thanks for the full rundown on the system - I have my tablet I am just awaiting the connector.

one think I have noticed is that I one in 3 of my raw files when bracketing gets converted into MM1 - and can't be used :(

any thoughts on this.

cheers and happy new year when it comes !
Click to expand...
What is an MM1?
 
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