Tag: Camera Control

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Want Voice Activated Shutter Release for a Nikon?

The software you need is:

  1. Microsoft Speech SDK 5.1
  2. DIYPhotobits.com Camera Control 2.1

Then to get voice activated shutter release:

  1. Install both.
  2. Turn on the Language Bar (in control panel, regional and language, languages, details, language bar)
  3. (Optional) Train Microsoft Voice recognition (in control panel, speech)
  4. Turn on the microphone (click the mic icon in the language bar)
  5. Run DIYPhotobits.com Camera Control 2.1
  6. Say “Voice command”
  7. (optional) Say “What can I say” then scroll down to the bottom of the list where it says “Menus and Buttons” and expand that list, ensure that “Shutter release” is one of the listed commands
  8. Say “Shutter Release”

And yes, of course this thought is inspired by ShutterVoice,  the Canon EOS front end that provides much better control via voice — with voice feedback even!

I wondered if I could do something like that myself — but when I checked I realized that basically everything I wanted was already either built in or a free microsoft download.  I’ll have a think about if I can adjust the UI of my script so more features can be voice controlled, but for now shutter release is fun.

All together now, say “Shutter release”.

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DIYPhotobits.com Camera Control 2.1 – Greens

UPDATE: Download latest here.

 

You know when you are a kid you have to eat your green vegetables before you are allowed to eat your chips (fries) and all that before you get dessert?  It is a sequence in life — first good-but-nasty, then ok stuff, and finally fun things you really want.

Well for programmers the sequence is:

  • Fix the bugs (Greens)
  • Implement obvious useful but boring features (Chips)
  • Add the fantastic new ideas you just had in the shower (Ice Cream)

So welcome to DIYPhotobits.com Camera Control 2.1 – the Greens release!

DOWNLOAD 2.1

(200KB)

This fixes inumerable small bugs — nothing earth shattering but some annoying things have been fixed.

Bugs fixed:

  1. Error on duplicate download of images is fixed
  2. Default file location is now My Pictures to avoid the issue of the default location not existing
  3. Exposure Compensation drop down now shows proper stop values
  4. Shutter, Aperture, ISO, WB and Exposure Comp drop down boxes initiate to the value on the camera intead of meaningless defaults.
Minor improvements
  • It doesn’t make a temp directory any more
  • Battery meter works all the time, not just when tethering

New limitation discovered

  • Due to the way WIA is working if you want to be able to control shutter and exposure from the PC you must start up with the camera in M mode.  It isn’t good enough to switch to that later after starting up in another mode.

That’s all for now — I’ve already spent most of the day doing this while I should have been working!

Meanwhile I can go back to dreaming about the ice cream — bracketing, time lapse etc…

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CC2: Oh what a lot of bugs!

Man I knew I shouldn’t have released this — Camera Control 2.0 is stuffed full of bugs.  None destructive, but they are bad enough to interfer with happy usage of the tool.  

Two are biggies:

First of all for those people getting the “Error: File already exists” error — that was also in 1.0 — and it is caused by using the Shutter Release button while the Start Tether button is down.  Just use one (Shutter Release with the “Download Immediately” ticked -or- use the Start Tether to do continuous tether) and it will be ok. 

Secondly you only get the full set of exposure mode controls on screen if the camera is in M mode when you connect it.  

Also it fails to create the default c:\tethered directory…

I’ll try to fix these today and put out a bug fix but I have to go do some work soon so might not make it – gotta earn a living you know…

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DIYPhotobits.com Camera Control 2.0 : Embarrassment

Update, try the

Camera Control 2.1 instead which fixes some bugs.

Ok so here is DIYPhotobits.com Camera Control 2.0 — the Embarrassment release.   I’ve named it that because I’ve had no time to work on it recently and so it still is a) very rough with major holes and b) fails to have all the obvious fixes and enhancements that I have discussed with people.

DOWNLOAD

– Try instead 2.1 which fixes some bugs

So why release it at all?  Well because having control of the camera exposure from the computer is cool — and at the moment I have it sitting here on my PC working and maybe you’d like to have it on your PC working as well.

New features:

  • Control exposure mode (M/S/A/P) – Tested D300 works, D40 does not (because that setting is a physical dial on the D40 and software can’t override it)
  • Control Shutter speed, Aperture, ISO, WB and Exposure Compensation from the PC – Tested  D300 and D40 work
  • Shows battery status while in tethered mode – Tested D300 works

 

New known bugs, issues and uglinesses

  • Exposure Compensation drop down makes no sense — 0 means 0 but the others are internal codes, you’ll see what they mean after a few moments though, each one is a third stop plus or minus.
  • Not all the exposure setting drop downs default to sensible values, e.g. the current camera settings.
  • Also read this bug list
Old known bugs, issues and uglinesses
  • doesn’t save the download target folder name between sessions — should be an easy fix
  • doesn’t download RAW on *some* Vista machines — a mystery
  • finds files exist and complains on each tethered download for some machines — another mystery
  • refuses to believe some cameras can take pictures — needs investigation, but perhaps I can just have it ignore this or make it a warning instead of fatal
  • crashes if the camera can’t focus — I know how to fix this
  • looses camera if cable is unplugged, even if it is plugged in again — I think I have a solution to that but it is clumsy, not sure if it will really work
Features I keep talking about but still haven’t done
  • Time lapse / intervalometer
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A peek at where I’m up to with Camera Control

This still isn’t finished but I’m quite happy that I’ve got so far all ready…

Camera Control 2 in development

Camera Control 2 in development

Now I can control from the PC which exposure mode the camera is in (M, P, A, S) — but only on the D300, I suppose sensibly it is impossible to control that on the D40 where it is set by a physical dial.

But presuming the mode allows it I can then control aperture and shutter speed easily.  ISO, and WB are easy to set — but I can’t tell what the initial settings of the camera are when it is plugged in which is a bit annoying.

Still have some work to do on the Exposure Compensation control as well.  And generally on the layout of the controls to make them fit together in some sort of sensible way.

But look out soon for this new version — and let me know what other controls or info you’d like to see in here.


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