Rick0r
16-07-2009, 09:25 AM
Hey there,
I've been using software to control my camera for a few months now, and I thought i'd show people what i've been using. Now be warned, this has only been tested with Nikon cameras.
Camera Control 4.0
download here (http://www.diyphotobits.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/diyphotobitscom-camera-control-40.msi)
Features:
Time Lapse (including a delay, frequency control, total shot counter)
Bracketing (automagic HDR with shot & stop bracketing control)
Remote shutter release
Total exposure control from your pc.
Output to folder where a third party program can automatically grab them.
From my PC I can change my exposure settings & take the shot. But what if I want to immediately see the shot in my catalog?
Now this is where the fun starts..
Using Lightroom to import the captured images immediately
Not many people know that Lightroom has a feature that can "watch" a folder for photos, and automatically import any that it finds.
Make sure the "Enable Auto Import" is ticked, and go into the Auto Import Settings
http://img32.imageshack.us/img32/6492/74142365.png
From here..
Choose the folder that Lightroom has to watch (the same folder you're getting Camera Control 4.0 to dump photos to)
Choose the destination of the pictures.. Lightroom will automatically move them from the watched folder to the destination.
From here you can also set any metadata that you want to attach to any photos that come from your tethered set up.
http://img195.imageshack.us/img195/6914/89274596.png
With that all complete, and your Camera Control 4.0 software running, any shutter release (either from the camera or from the software) will transfer from the camera, to the auto imported folder (defined by Camera Control), to Lightroom (thanks to Lightrooms watched folder system) and all ready for you to preview in large.
Recently I've used it for shooting people indoors (so both of us can quickly see what the photos look like) and for shooting still life on a tripod (so I can see exactly what the shot will look like without having to touch the camera and risk changing the composition of the shot.
I shot 90 pairs of cufflinks, and all I needed to do was place the new product in the lightbox, press the button on my computer, watch lightroom to make sure the shot looked good, then swap out the product and do it again! Didn't even touch the camera for the entire shoot.
This kind of set up is ideal for any kind of shooting where it's handy to have a large preview immediately available.
If you need absolute stillness and don't have a remote cable shutter, or if you want to be able to "fire and forget" a 24 hour timelapse, this is the way to go about doing it.
I've been using software to control my camera for a few months now, and I thought i'd show people what i've been using. Now be warned, this has only been tested with Nikon cameras.
Camera Control 4.0
download here (http://www.diyphotobits.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/diyphotobitscom-camera-control-40.msi)
Features:
Time Lapse (including a delay, frequency control, total shot counter)
Bracketing (automagic HDR with shot & stop bracketing control)
Remote shutter release
Total exposure control from your pc.
Output to folder where a third party program can automatically grab them.
From my PC I can change my exposure settings & take the shot. But what if I want to immediately see the shot in my catalog?
Now this is where the fun starts..
Using Lightroom to import the captured images immediately
Not many people know that Lightroom has a feature that can "watch" a folder for photos, and automatically import any that it finds.
Make sure the "Enable Auto Import" is ticked, and go into the Auto Import Settings
http://img32.imageshack.us/img32/6492/74142365.png
From here..
Choose the folder that Lightroom has to watch (the same folder you're getting Camera Control 4.0 to dump photos to)
Choose the destination of the pictures.. Lightroom will automatically move them from the watched folder to the destination.
From here you can also set any metadata that you want to attach to any photos that come from your tethered set up.
http://img195.imageshack.us/img195/6914/89274596.png
With that all complete, and your Camera Control 4.0 software running, any shutter release (either from the camera or from the software) will transfer from the camera, to the auto imported folder (defined by Camera Control), to Lightroom (thanks to Lightrooms watched folder system) and all ready for you to preview in large.
Recently I've used it for shooting people indoors (so both of us can quickly see what the photos look like) and for shooting still life on a tripod (so I can see exactly what the shot will look like without having to touch the camera and risk changing the composition of the shot.
I shot 90 pairs of cufflinks, and all I needed to do was place the new product in the lightbox, press the button on my computer, watch lightroom to make sure the shot looked good, then swap out the product and do it again! Didn't even touch the camera for the entire shoot.
This kind of set up is ideal for any kind of shooting where it's handy to have a large preview immediately available.
If you need absolute stillness and don't have a remote cable shutter, or if you want to be able to "fire and forget" a 24 hour timelapse, this is the way to go about doing it.