Hello. For some time now I have been getting frustrated with the standard camera/camcorder for my SGS.
I will point out some of the main things I dislike
Lack of features
It's hard to take pictures or start recording unless you look at the screen to see where the button is located to initiate it
Camera closes after idle for too long
Screen controls are too close together
Files do not save if you accidentally press the back button while recording
I have searched Google, forums and the market to try and find a replacement with no success
I would love to have camera/camcorder replacement that has the following
The biggest feature for me would be to have the ability to use either of the Home/Volume/Power buttons to use the camera/camcorder at least for Record, Pause, Stop and taking pictures
This would make it so much easier to use it without having to always look at the screen to make sure you are pressing the right area and will also eliminate accidentally pressing the wrong button
For example
Home key could be used for taking pictures and start recording video pressing it again will pause it and long holding it will stop the recording and auto save.
Volume will be for zoom and power button could possible take pictures and long holding for toggle night mode or something like that
I dunno about you but I find this configuration to feel natural
In the menu there should also be the option to exit camera/camcorder as some people use home key for this instead of backing out and the home button will already have a use
All settings can be controlled via touchscreen such as:
Option to toggle the camera/camcorder from closing on idle
Image/Shooting mode
All other general settings
If anyone else thinks this is a good idea or has any further input on making this better please post something
If there is a dev out there wanting a challenge please post Perhaps if enough people are interested in raising some funds there could be a bounty
P.S I wasn't sure if I should post this in Themes and Apps or here
Sould be possible i think, Power btn already done a thing : it lock screen without stop recording...
Also cyanogenmod as a great camera app, wait for it...
Surely there is something else out there other then the cyanogenmod one.
uppon2 said:
surely there is something else out there other then the cyanogenmod one.
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Click to collapse
- i hate the factory camera
I'm shocked that I'm the only one talking about this. Shame on everyone lol
Ill complain a bit too
I dislike the focus of the samsung app. Even in macro mode, you take an object from a 5cm distance and tap to focus..
it's going to focus well then lose focus. Even if take the picture when the focus is correct, it's going to output a blurred unfocused pic
The only "solution" is to take pictures with at least 10cm distance, or 15. But the camera seems to be able to picture much closer.. so it's annoying
Wow. People actually use the onboard camera? Camera 360 is what I've replaced my stock app with. But sadly stock samsung app is prob the best camera app from any dev/phone maker. What you need is a decent small camera like a canon ixus
Sent from my GT-I9000 using Tapatalk
bilboa1 said:
Ill complain a bit too
I dislike the focus of the samsung app. Even in macro mode, you take an object from a 5cm distance and tap to focus..
it's going to focus well then lose focus. Even if take the picture when the focus is correct, it's going to output a blurred unfocused pic
The only "solution" is to take pictures with at least 10cm distance, or 15. But the camera seems to be able to picture much closer.. so it's annoying
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have the same problem. While using auto focus etc depending on the distance/light it will hang there thinking about it
ickyboo said:
Wow. People actually use the onboard camera? Camera 360 is what I've replaced my stock app with. But sadly stock samsung app is prob the best camera app from any dev/phone maker. What you need is a decent small camera like a canon ixus
Sent from my GT-I9000 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have not heard of 360 *Checks it online* - To tell you the truth I don't mind the camera.... I guess I really just want to be able to use the home button to initiate take picture, start recording, pause and long hold for stop. Maybe there is a way to change something in the file hmmmmm surely a smart dev would know
I tried Vignette and Camera 360 Pro, well the 360 programs doesn't cut it, the interface is horrible and buggy.
Vignette is quite ok however - the focus works. It's missing the directional focus from the samsung app however, although I can live with it of course. Vignette also saves jpegs that are less compressed/higher quality.
To be honest i'd be just fine with Samsung's app if the focus worked fine in macro mode, and the jpegs were higher quality (maybe even make the pano mode high resolution )
Mostly because the controls/settings/etc are much better in the Samsung app.
Now since it's proprietary, not much we can do about these issues I guess xD (the button can prolly be hacked in tho)
bilboa1 said:
I tried Vignette and Camera 360 Pro, well the 360 programs doesn't cut it, the interface is horrible and buggy.
Vignette is quite ok however - the focus works. It's missing the directional focus from the samsung app however, although I can live with it of course. Vignette also saves jpegs that are less compressed/higher quality.
To be honest i'd be just fine with Samsung's app if the focus worked fine in macro mode, and the jpegs were higher quality (maybe even make the pano mode high resolution )
Mostly because the controls/settings/etc are much better in the Samsung app.
Now since it's proprietary, not much we can do about these issues I guess xD (the button can prolly be hacked in tho)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah I need someone to find a way to hack the home button to work and serve my purpose
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=860609
Power button to take pics. Hopefully will soon be able to record/pause long hold to stop in camera mode soon if anyone else was interested.
I want to start a post where all of the photographers can post up ideas, suggestions, etc for using the TF in their photography hobby/business. So anything you have to add, please do so. As much detail you can provide would be great.
Hopefully this thread will continually grow and be updated regularly.
My Story:
- I bought the TF mainly for client presentations. I wanted to have something like a tablet to show clients their pictures for proofing albums, reviewing shots, etc. I shoot weddings, portraits, commercial, landscapes, transportation, you name it!
- I have never used Android before so this has been a little learning curve for me and I still have a lot to learn but on the surface this thing has been great.
Cameras:
- Canon 7d & Canon 40d (both use CF cards)
Experiences:
- Client Presentation: I used the TF with a customer for the first time last week. We went through about 200 pictures for their album proofing. I used the "Zfolio" app, which is the photo hosting site, Zenfolio, that I use. I have my website setup through them so all of my cleints pics are on there. This app is awesome! You can scroll through the pics easily and they look great. And the best feature on this app is the rating feature. You can star (1-4) any pic. So this was extremely helpful when the customers were picking out their favorites for the album. If they didnt like one that I picked, 1 star it. If they liked one that I didnt pick, 4 star it, etc. Worked flawlessly. Then I could go home, set the TF in the dock next to my photo editing machine and bring up the collection we were looking at, set the rating to whatever star you choose and bam, all the pics show up that were numbered with that star and I can then add or delete them on my main computer. Worked great!
Tethered Shooting:
- I can say that this is not working seamlessly yet. Here is what I have found - if you shoot Raw + Jpeg, eject the card, put the card into a card reader and insert the card reader into the dock usb port, the TF WILL read the jpgs only. Obviously reading RAW files is a hassle but there is an app out there that does read Raw files ( RawDroid ) I tested it last night but not long enough to learn how to use it. But that apparently does work. But the obvious drawback to this is the fact that you have to take the card out of the camera, into the reader, etc. This is a major pain especially if you are trying to shoot and look at your shots instantaneously.
- So my solution to this last night was to try to hook up the camera directly to the TF dock. Here is the amazing part (at least in my opinion) the TF reads the camera! It knows that a camera is connected and it shows up in the gallery as Canon EOS. But the problem is the camera itself. Yep, the $1700 Canon I own will not work in Android. With the camera plugged into the TF, it turns on but will not do anything. Every button I push says "busy" and will not work. So I emailed Canon last night and got a quick response. I am paraphrasing here but "we do not support Android yet." SO that being said, the next best thing to do is the following. Have the usb wire plugged into the dock, disconnect it from the camera, shoot Raw + Jpeg. Then plug the wire back into the camera and voila, the TF loads the pics in "Gallery" and you can then view them in high res glory. Yes its a pain having to plug, unplug the wire from the camera but at least the pics show up (it is easier leaving the usb end plugged into the dock and then just disconnecting from the camera, rather than the other way around.) So you could shoot a handful of shots, give your subject a quick brake, plug it in, view it and review your lighting, poses, etc.
Future Wishlist:
- I really hope in the next few months that some developers come out with a way to wirelessly send pics to the TF or at least view it in real time while tethered. I wouldnt mind being tethered at the very least for now.
- Also, what would be great is finding out who is possibly using the "Eye-Fi" cards. Some people have reported this working on the Canon Forums but its very hit or miss. I have heard the SD cards with the new firmware on Eye-Fi works but that does many of us no justice because we cant use SD cards. So if you have this system working WITH CF cards, please let us know the details.
Whew, ok that was like 3 hours worth of writing!
Hi there, I'm into photography as well (hobbyist) Have you tried the sdcards with wifi? I don't have access with eyefi memory cards since I shoot a canon 50D (CF cards too) Is shutter snitch app available on android? Nice insights btw, I really do hope some developers make a good photography apps for android.
Kilsyth said:
Hi there, I'm into photography as well (hobbyist) Have you tried the sdcards with wifi? I don't have access with eyefi memory cards since I shoot a canon 50D (CF cards too) Is shutter snitch app available on android? Nice insights btw, I really do hope some developers make a good photography apps for android.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No. As I mentioned, I only shoot CF as well so I cannot check to see. On the canon digital photography forums some people say it is hit or miss. I just dont want to spend $100+ to check! Hopefully someone else does that for me! ahha.
Thanks again for posting this thread! I have subbed to it so hopefully some of the smart people on this forum can help us out and lend some knowledge. I also shoot with the Canon 7D and Canon 40D as well and just ordered my Transformer yesterday with delivery scheduled for Thursday.
From what i've been reading the Eye-fi XD pro does work with the 7D only because it supports UDMA where the 40D does not support UDMA. People have successfully been able to wireless tether between an Android device and the 7D using a certain sd/cf reader from amazon.com. The 40D however does not work at the moment due to it lacking UDMA support. So on the bright side our good camera the 7D will work. I'm going to see if someone locally here in the Phoenix area has the eye-fi x2 pro card that I can borrow before I drop $99 on a paperweight that may or may not work. You should check around your local area to see if any people have this card for you to borrow. I'll buy the sd/cf adapter because its only like $16 shipped off Amazon so if it works i'll buy the x2 pro.
I'm a photographer too and bought (aka justified buying) the Transformer mostly on the basis of client presentations as well. So far it's been working pretty well for me with a few exceptions noted below:
The default Gallery app is gorgeous... beautiful... lovely in so many ways... and it is a pain in the butt to use because it displays all my pictures in reverse order. For the life of me I can't figure out why one of their developers didn't think that we the people might actually want to look at things in chronological order rather than reverse chronological order. As far as I can tell there is no way to flip the order which means if I use it to show off a wedding I always start at the end of the wedding set instead of the beginning.
The default Gallery app doesn't have any means for hiding albums. Normally when I meet with wedding clients I don't really want them to see the boudoir shoots so it sure would be nice if there was some option in there. I'd take them off the TF but when I'm doing boudoir shoots it's super handy to have them available to give folks some posing ideas while we work. I have seen a few tools on the market that add this functionality, just odd that it wasn't included.
Since the default Gallery right now doesn't really do the trick for me I've been using an app calls Photo Gallery (Fish Bowl Beta) that actually works fantastically. It lets me swipe though a huge number of pictures and has a great presentation while sorting in the proper order and allowing me to hide or unhide galleries quickly as needed. It's offline only but I can keep a huge number of JPEGs on this thing and having them locally means I don't need to mess around with WIFI settings when I meet a customer at a coffee shop to talk weddings. Worth the install to take a look at it if you haven't already. For it to be fast enough to show off, you need to swipe through the galleries to build the cache but after you've done that it's just... wow.
Downsides to Fish Bowl are no multi-touch yet (he's working on it I guess) and the images don't auto rotate when you turn the tablet. I think I am going to email about the rotation though since it seems like an easy fix he might patch in pretty quick.
As far as transferring files to the device for tethered shooting I don't really think we have many options right now. Eye-Fi is really the only game in town and it comes with just a boat load of limitations. You can get a SD to CF adapter for it and you'll need to dig around the web to find one that has worked for others. Honestly though I shoot almost everything in RAW and transferring large files over the thing is supposed to be impossibly slow when it works. The only situation where I can imagine it MIGHT be helpful is in dual memory card cameras for studio work where one card is set to hold the RAW file while the other beams off the JPG to the tablet for a quick preview. It might be possible to do this with the software they put out on a single card but I've read bad stuff about their software so I'm not overly optimistic.
I do have a Nikon D7000 (with dual SD slots) as a backup camera so I'm thinking of testing this config out in the studio so I'll update in a few weeks when I finally break down and buy one of the cards.
The one thing that I wish I could do on the tablet that I can't right now is sort pictures without WIFI. I use Lightroom for all my editing and I'm almost to the point where I want to learn a bit about programming so I can write an app that will let me export a catalog and quickly rank pictures as I'm on the go before re-importing and finishing my workflow on my desktop. It might seem like a small thing but sorting is the bane of professional photography so having an option to pull out a tablet for a few minutes of work in-between meetings and the like would be huge for me.
Until I become a programmer though, I think the next best option is the included Splashtop app and just accessing Lightroom remotely. To be able to use it well you really need to tweak the options a bit - set the window mode to full screen, collapse the title bar up top, remove the tool bar below the photo and shrink the thumbnail grid down to nothing. If that's all set and you have the keyboard dock it's actually not too painful editing pictures at a coffee shop or book store without having to bring your full laptop and a backup of the catalog you are editing.
Anyway, that's my rant about Android and Photography. I feel like we are sooo close to having something that will be almost magical for us down the road so maybe the more we compare notes the more we can piece together a good working system for us all.
Is there any app that supports RAW?
Itaintrite said:
Is there any app that supports RAW?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not really - there is one app out there that lets you read the small imbeded jpg inside the raw files but the size and quality are barely enough even for proofing focus.
https://market.android.com/details?id=com.anthonymandra.rawdroid&feature=search_result
I'm gonna hook up my 50D tonight to it and see how that fairs.
Hi all,
I also use my TF101 as a camera companion.
I use a Sony Nex5 and an app Flickr app called FlickFolio
https://market.android.com/details?id=com.snapwood.flickfolio
This is great for batch uploads to flickr, the developer is friendly and I am talking to him about new features for the app.
I've also WiFi cards but do not use the wireless features as I do not like their Android client.
Great responses guys! I appreciate the input so far.
FindMike - I have heard about the Fishbowl app. Maybe I will look into is as a possible alternative but I am loving my Zfolio app to this point.
ThaiM - let me know how that works out! Does the 50d use SD or CF cards? I think they might use SD right? Or maybe thats the new 60d?! Either way, let me know how it all works out and what does/doesnt work.
Matrix311 - let me know as well what you can find around you. And interesting notes on the 40d/7d differences and the possible work around with the eye-fi cards. Maybe its almost worth going to a camera shop around me with the 7d & TF and asking them if I can test it out?! Not sure if they would or not but it could be the best option. Keep us updated.
Thanks again to everyone and keep the info coming...
Great that the Transformer recognizes the camera. Maybe I will see if I can read it via the port. Since you shoot Canon I am hoping my 5DMK2 and 1DM3 will be accessible.
Hi,
Subscribed to the thread as well...
I'm a photographer myself working with a Canon 5dMKII and 40d
I bought the Tablet myself, first to replace an old laptop that my wife is using
and in order to use it as portfolio /proofing device.
Shooting to it tethered /Wifi would be awesome but as said before EyEfi is not an option for 5D and its Raw's.
Shooting tethered to a laptop/PC into Lightroom and monitor the destination folder (network disc) on the Tablet is an option I think...
regards
Kef
npompei said:
Great responses guys! I appreciate the input so far.
ThaiM - let me know how that works out! Does the 50d use SD or CF cards? I think they might use SD right? Or maybe thats the new 60d?! Either way, let me know how it all works out and what does/doesnt work.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry got so busy and didn't get a chance to hook up my 50D to it last night. The 50D uses CF also.
I'd really like for a WIFI or Bluetooth connection between the 2 devices but it seems to be a hit or miss from what people are saying. I'll check it out tonight. I use several 32gig CFs and only shoot in RAW. Not sure if I want to sacrifice storage for that WIFI CF card (or do they come in 32gig also)?
kefje27 said:
Hi,
Subscribed to the thread as well...
I'm a photographer myself working with a Canon 5dMKII and 40d
I bought the Tablet myself, first to replace an old laptop that my wife is using
and in order to use it as portfolio /proofing device.
Shooting to it tethered /Wifi would be awesome but as said before EyEfi is not an option for 5D and its Raw's.
Shooting tethered to a laptop/PC into Lightroom and monitor the destination folder (network disc) on the Tablet is an option I think...
regards
Kef
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you want to mirror a folder on another PC look at syncness - works very well
kefje27 said:
Hi,
Subscribed to the thread as well...
I'm a photographer myself working with a Canon 5dMKII and 40d
I bought the Tablet myself, first to replace an old laptop that my wife is using
and in order to use it as portfolio /proofing device.
Shooting to it tethered /Wifi would be awesome but as said before EyEfi is not an option for 5D and its Raw's.
Shooting tethered to a laptop/PC into Lightroom and monitor the destination folder (network disc) on the Tablet is an option I think...
regards
Kef
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Kef- Thanks for subscribing. Can you elaborate on your last statement? Are you saying that you would tether to a laptop and then use something like 'My cloud' onto the tab? I feel like I am reading this wrong because to me that would be like 2 extra steps that really wouldnt be necessary? At that point, just tether to the laptop and screw the tab! But again, I am probably misinterpreting this.
ThaiM - I only shoot in Raw too so I would like a Raw reader or something. But I think that using the tab as a monitor for the pics, it really wouldnt matter to shoot Raw + Jpegs. Say I am in the studio, I dont think I would blast through 16-32gb of memory just doing that, so viewing say 50ish pictures in jpeg on the tab wouldnt be bad. I couldnt really see a need for this at like a wedding or a big shoot where I would be blowing through cards. Just something where I really want something bigger than a 3" screen to preview a few shots.
RawDroid!!!
http://www.anthonymandra.com/RawDroid/?page_id=13
From this thread:
http://www.androidtablets.net/forum/android-tablet-apps/345-raw-photo-viewer-editor-6.html
So, if we use File Manager to move or recognize RAW files from the camera, then RawDroid in theory should be able to view it? Hmmm...
So looks like it works like this:
The app opens and you tell it what folder to decode. I don't have my cam with me at work but managed to drop a .cr2 file into the Downloads folder. So I long-pressed on that folder (in RawDroid) and chose to decode that folder. Then it shows the RAW images. But looks like this program isn't optimized for tablets as the size of the screen is only formatted for smaller phones.
Edit: Looks like you can install Spare Parts to fix the fullscreen issue.
https://market.android.com/details?id=com.droidgram.spareparts&feature=search_result
Found another one:
http://www.appbrain.com/app/cr2-thumbnailer-demo/com.holst.cr2thumbnailerdemo
This one is MUCH better!
ThaiM said:
RawDroid!!!
http://www.anthonymandra.com/RawDroid/?page_id=13
From this thread:
http://www.androidtablets.net/forum/android-tablet-apps/345-raw-photo-viewer-editor-6.html
So, if we use File Manager to move or recognize RAW files from the camera, then RawDroid in theory should be able to view it? Hmmm...
So looks like it works like this:
The app opens and you tell it what folder to decode. I don't have my cam with me at work but managed to drop a .cr2 file into the Downloads folder. So I long-pressed on that folder (in RawDroid) and chose to decode that folder. Then it shows the RAW images. But looks like this program isn't optimized for tablets as the size of the screen is only formatted for smaller phones.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yep, RawDroid is what I posted in my 1st thread. I just didn't link it. He literally just developed this a month or so ago. He is aware of the small screen issue. It was actually full size on his but a few people posted screenshots so he is working on it. Seems like a nice guy as I have posted a few times there.
I just havent been able to find my files using the App. Not sure yet how to navigate to well. So well see how that pans out.
I just looked at the other app as well. It appears as though it is only showing the Jpeg preview? Is that how I read the features info? If that is the case, just plugging in the camera like I have talked about might be just as easy if not easier? And its possible that the RawDroid app does the same?
Hey Guys!
Another one with a 7D comes right along from Germany
I also use atm :
Fishbowl App for presentation
Cr2 Thumbnailer for raw decoding
and was also thinking about a WiFi SD Card...
What really would be awesome is to tether the cam via USB or Wifi and have the raw´s decoded automaticly!
Next Step would be to hook up 1 external HDD and sync it with the tethered Shots... -> nearly unlimited Space
Will be monitoring this thread hardly!
In the meantime i´m waiting for the 3.1 Update in Germany
Honestly...you guys who use this purely for photography might want to check out the iPad 2.
It has a connection kit for realtime uploading...the apps...raw...all that...
Check out DPReviews Ipad2 feature:
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/appleipad2/
....ok after reading...the TF can actually do all of that (minus the connection kit, but we have SD).
Got the phone today, and after setting everything up I did some google cardboard viewing. Not sure if it was bad settings from the QRcode of that particular cardboard, but I kept getting double vision.
After searching on google I came across a post on oneplus one forums, on the oneplus.net website, and scanning that QRcode fixed it for me.
Link is: forums.oneplus.net/threads/fix-oneplus-one-google-cardboard-no-more-double-images
Thanks for sharing. What do you mean double images?
The way google cardboard (and all other aftermarket vr headsets) works, is by splitting your screen in half and then rounding each half into circular shapes to appear like you have full view.
Unfortunately each screen is a different width. Our eyes are at different distances apart and the glass in the headsets are all at different fields of view. This means that if you have the wrong setup, then the vr apps can place the images on the phone too far apart, too close together, or at the wrong angle (circular shape) to match your eyes and headset glass. So, for example, if the two images are too far apart or close together, your eyes can't twist enough and your brain can't combine the images into one. Think of it like crossing your eyes while still seeing distant objects as one. So thus you get double vision.
The provided qr code is nice to have. But depending on your headset, may not work. The best option is to use the link to the vr setup utility and use a computer to adjust the view until you have perfect vision with no eye strain (muscle tension)
Has anyone tried disabling NFC and using a Daydream as Cardboard?
I tried with a cheap eBay vr glasses and it works just fine. No problem at all