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DIYPhotobits.com Camera Control 1.0

Update; Now try version 2.

Ok here’s something new — I’ve taken the various little scripts for tethered shooting and remote control and wrapped them up in a nicer interface.  This is the first time I’ve tried writing a “hypertext application” or .HTA file and it’s quite an interesting mix of HTML and scripting.  I think I can do quite a few interesting things with this.  But for now here I have produced:

DIYPhotobits.com Camera Control 1.0

DOWNLOAD (200K installer)

 Use version 2 instead

As I have wrapped up the script in a nice interface I thought I should fix up the download and install process as well.  So it now has a real installer which makes a Start menu icon, installs and registered the Microsoft DLL, and it can be uninstalled via the Control Panel Add/Remove Program icon.

So if you are not happy about download and running text file scripts or installing DLLs yourself then this is the version for you.  I’ve tried to “degeek” it as much as I can!

 

Screen shot of Camera Control 1.0
Screen shot of Camera Control 1.0

I haven’t added a lot of new features, this is more of a combination of existing stuff but you will notice:

  • It automatically detects your camera if you have only one installed, it only asks you to select if you have more than one.  And it isn’t confused by scanners any more, it knows those are not cameras.
  • You can choose the output folder to save the files with a click of a button.
  • There is a preview window that shows the image you just shot.  Size is adjustable.  JPG only for now, but if you shoot RAW + JPG then both download and the JPG is displayed.

Existing features maintained include:

  • Choose Raw or JPG when triggering remote shutter
  • Download (optionally) when remotely releasing shutter – if you do then it becomes the “Self Portrait Script”
  • Tethered mode where all images shot using either the PC button or the camera shutter release button are immediately downloaded.  Takes about 7 seconds from pressing shutter release to viewing it full size in Bridge.
  • Pushes external veiwers, including Adobe Bridge CS3 and Windows Explorer, to the next image.
As always comments and suggestions are welcome!   Now that I have a nice solid foundation for this I can go and add some new features that might be fun, so get your suggestions in now.
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Free Tethered Shooting for Linux

This is not mine and I haven’t tried it but I appreciate the nice simple approach, perhaps because it is like mine, of a script wrapper around some standard functionality.

See this post where appollux explains the scripting necessary to get tethered shooting working on Linux, or probably any similiar *nix system.

It really makes me want to go ahead and implement some more interesting features now that the basics are taken care of for most people.  But first I really have to do that bamboo monopole — I suffer from terrible handshake it seems.

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Stereoscopic Time laps Movies

Just saw this great time laps video, via Chase

via Savan, via Gizmodo , which gives me an idea as to what one would actually use an intervalometer for.  So I’m one step closer to writing that intervalometer script I’ve been meaning to do.  I mean really it is just remote shutter release on a timer, though one could spice it up with tethered downloading and maybe deletion from camera to prevent a small memory card from limiting the idea.  battery power is still going to be a limit though — A/C adaptors are available I know but never seen anybody who had one.  

But then I just read this blog post where he mentions “four Getty photographers would all be shooting tethered into 2 editor’s computers ” – I don’t really know what he meant by that but I read it as more than one camera connected to the same computer.  

Not a problem!  I presume I can do that — two WIA device instances — but then what do I do with two cameras shooting at (nearly) the same time?  Well just let all those wicked flavours (as Jamie Oliver likes to say) do their thing — and mix all the ideas together and out pops..

Stereoscopic Time laps Movies!

If I rig up two cameras with suitable distance appart — a bit more than true eye distance is necessary due to the size of the cameras and probably desirable to exagerate the 3D effect — then shoot them simultaneously while looking at a scene at regular intervals.  And tada!  My own 3D movies.

But.. But… how to display them?  Can I show stereo onscreen?  Blue/red glasses?  ug no!  How about that trick where you basically go the reverse of cross-eyed while staring at something.  It sometimes works but does give you eye strain after a while.  Perhaps I need to find some lenses and make a real viewer.  

This one gets filed under Ideas (e.g. not actually done yet), but maybe one day!

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You know what a Justin Clamp is, right?

If you follow any of the small light shooters or “strobism” in general as I do then you’ll have come across the “Justin Clamp” quite a few times in passing.  If not, then lets just say it is an ugly beast that provides several useful ways to attach something to something else — typically a hotshoe flash to a pole, shelf, tripod leg or probably someone’s nose if they stay still long enough.

Supposedly it was invented by Justin Stailey (formerly of Bogen, now of Leica USA per Drew Gardner)  to satisfy the need of one particular photographer, but anyone can buy one if you are prepared to part with the cash.

It comes with a cold shoe but it may be a bit tight for the SB-900, but works fine with an SB-800.  Now I haven’t got a 900 but presume that like a SB800 it comes with it’s own cold foot or stand – the AS-19 which is a often ignored but very useful piece of kit.

This gives me a simple option to DIY a replacement for a Justin Clamp, for cheap.  A Bulldog clip from a stationary store, bolt and a couple of nuts and I have this.

Shown here clamping onto a bookcase with flannel to get a good grip without scratching the wood.

And if you are wondering why I don’t use those big clamps with the green or orange rubber tips, it’s because I can’t find any place that sells them around here!

Finally, if you want a real Justin Clamp – which is better but more expensive than a DIY version then you can always buy one from B&H. They are $56.95 but like any Bogen stuff will probably last your whole lifetime!

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RAW : in remote shutter release script

Two of my scripts let you press a key on the keyboard, or click with the mouse, and remotely release the shutter.  But just like the built in Windows Explorer technique for doing these they both only are able to trigger JPG, even if the camera is set to RAW.

Until today.  It turns out this is not that hard to fix.  But the programatic technique is a bit of a laugh; because Windows Image Automation does not officially support RAW the NEF files on my Nikon D300 are typed as being of “undefined” type.  Unlike JPG files which WIA does know are JPG files and are typed appropriately.

So to get the WIA Take Picture command to get me a NEF I actually have to ask for a picture of type “undefined”!  It’s amazing it works, I guess somewhere an engineer (I’m not sure Microsoft or Nikon) decided that undefined=NEF.  I have no idea of this will also work with Canon, it might or it might not.  

Anyway it works, and it opens up a whole range of possibilities I’ll be exploring soon with the scripting.  But until then head over to the posts for those remote scripts and you can download the latest versions which support RAW.

PS.  Please please no religious RAW vs JPG comments.   It’s a free world, people are entitled to the file format of their choice.

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YouTube vs Vimeo?

I uploaded my HOWTO videos to both YouTube and Vimeo — the exact same file — and the quality is so much better on Vimeo.  Check out the difference:

  1. Vimeo
  2. YouTube

Why?  Obviously YouTube is compressing it more and making for a fuzzier image.  But they CAN do higher quality, so don’t they?  Well it turns out that YouTube can serve you up a better quality video — they just don’t by default.  

Here’s how:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hSHYw_u5OLY – This is the normal video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hSHYw_u5OLY&fmt=6 – This is the better video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hSHYw_u5OLY&fmt=18 – This is the best video

See what I did? Added a parameter to the end of the url with fmt=6 or fmt=18.

So why isn’t there a user interface to let you choose this — yes I know occasionally you’ll see a link for “view this in high quality”, but only occasionally — or better yet why doesn’t YouTube detect your connection speed and adjust the format appropriately.

I guess saving bandwidth is more important than viewer experience — but if that’s true then people in my position are liable to just move to alternatives like Vimeo!

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Windows Remote Shutter Release HOWTO

I explained before how my remote shutter release script was actually redundant, because Windows has a built in feature that does this. Of course I did then go forward and make the self-portrait script which does do something more useful, remote shutter release combined with immediate download and viewing, but the original idea of a simple remote shutter is still useful.

So I thought a better explanation of how that Windows feature works might help, and it’s good practice for me making videos as well:

Via YouTube:

Via Vimeo:

Having found the RAW/JPG limitation though I’ll be taking a look to see if I can script my way around that.  Stay tuned!

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Does the tethered Shooting script work for Canon, Olympus, Pentax, Sony, Panasonic etc etc

A lot of people ask and I don’t know — it probably does work as it is using a standard Windows way of talking to the camera — WIA — but I don’t have the hardware to test it.

If a camera supports a “PTP” or “MTP” mode — and if when plugged into a PC it is visible in My Computer under the section for Scanners and Cameras

 (not as a removable disk drive) then it is liable to work.  The only big gotcha I can see is that some cameras — all the P&S I’ve tried — will not let me press the shutter button while they are plugged into the PC.  It seems that ability is a DSLR thing.

So, if you happen to have a non-Nikon DSLR handy and don’t mind spending a few minutes testing I’d be delighted to hear whether this script works for you.  Obviously for Canon users it’s beside the point as proper remote control software is included with the camera — but it is still technically interesting.

If you get any results please leave me a comment, many thanks!

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Tethered Shooting Script — a HOWTO Video

Since I first posted my free script that allows Nikon DSLRs to be shot tethered I’ve been very pleased with the response, it seems to have been helpful to many people.  However I’ve hardly been very good at documenting how to use it.  So in an attempt to fix that I’ve made this little video which shows how to use it.

Or view high quality YouTube version

This is my first video attempt so it is pretty basic — but it took me all afternoon to put together, so please excuse the rough edges.  Hopefully I’ll work out how to do this better and perhaps make some videos explaining my hardware DIY projects which would also benefit from this type of explanation.

If you’re not sure about tethered shooting then ProPhotoLife has just released a great video

, as usual, explaining all about it – using Canon as an example.  I particularly like his safety tips regarding long USB cables.

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