Yet another Lumix LiveView app but for Windows 10

Rambalac

I'm making free, no ad, open source app for Windows 10 (desktop, mobile, xbox :) and hololens)

App fetures:

Fullscreen camera liveview. Tested with GH3 and GH4 but should work with any Lumix camers.
Photo capture and video recording start/stop.
Changing basic parameters like ISO, Aperture, and Shutter. Changes on camera get reflected to app, as current mode auto parameters.
Multiple cameras can be connected at once, for now need switching to see and control, but I plan split-screen and separate windows. You can connect cameras to common WiFi access point.

I wish to test it with Hololens. Should be cool watching liveview in any position.

GitHub https://github.com/Rambalac/GMaster

MS Store https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/store/p/gmaster/9nc2w8kc526f (v1.3 is in publising state in the Store)

Rambalac

@DuckAmuck

Can you explain "setting a focus point does not seem to yield any on-screen (visual) feedback" in details? Selected focus point at least of one area should be displayed if not a bug.

I did some preparations for scripting together with synchro feature for multiple cameras. But because app can be used not only on PC it should be something much simpler than PowerShell. Still your stacking example could be possible.

Unfortunately lag between preview and real time is too big for anything useful like trap

DAmack

I just successfully connected to a Panasonic GM1 via its built-in access point.

Now, my interest in all of this, and where I am struggling to make progress is: * setting a focus point does not seem to yield any on-screen (visual) feedback (I could not even tell how to get this done) * I'd love to shoot a time series of photos, a) all properly exposed for averaging (simulate ND filter); b) extremes exposed (bracketing) - is there a means to do so?

All this is on Windows 10 Creators Update, non-touchscreen laptop.

I took a very, very, VERY quick peek at https://github.com/Rambalac/GMaster (thank you so much for making this open and public and free!) and wonder whether you are moving this towards a programmability interface? I would be intrigued to learn what a fully scriptable camera could do, e.g. via https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dn569260(v=vs.85).aspx, literally along the lines of:

x = 100; while x > 0 * focus on point (x,y) * aperture = 1.7 * ISO = 200 * speed = auto * expose * x--

for totally, totally naive focus stacking (not controlling the focus motor but the focus point).

Or a photo trap - using opencv.org, for instance, to detect something on the preview image, then release the shutter (in full manual focus mode).

This goes a long way towards what camera makers seem to be not doing: taking the hardware features, and exposing the hardware features in a layered fashion to the outside world, both through in-camera UI and through external programmability.

Rambalac

@crunchy I implemented synchronized operations in 1.8.0 you can start/stop recording or capture simultaneously and/or set parameters and/or select focus point, manual focus and zoom

Rambalac

@crunchy Very unlikely. It's easier to port it to Android and iOS than rewrite UI for outdated framework. And Win8 Store Apps platform does not support some hardware acceleration feature like 3D LUT.

crunchy

Do you plan to release this SW on some other Win systems, besides Win 10?

Rambalac

So far people confirm app does work with GX7, GX80, GX85, G7 and G85.

Rambalac

@panauser Finally!!! Any issues? Suggestions?

panauser

@rambalac: Good news: With release 1.7.5 I am able to connect to GX7

Rambalac

@panauser Sorry to hear that. Yesterday I went to camera store again and tried my app with G80. It failed but I got place where it failed. So I fixed at least that connection step but could not retest yet. Released fix in 1.7.5.

Actually problem was Angle field which for GH can be used instead of shutter time. Seems It's absent in other non-GH cameras, so fix could help for GX7 too.

panauser

I tested version 1.7.3 with GX7. Same result as version 1.3 (https://www.personal-view.com/talks/discussion/comment/233115#Comment_233115) -> no connection

Rambalac

LOL. Another discovery. Panasonic's API is totally inconsistent crap. It's not only different response type for the same request like XML and CSV. Just found XML response from GH5 is wrong, it contains multiple duplicated entries on the same tree level where all items should have unique id, content of that entries is also the same.

Added workarounds and released 1.7.3

Rambalac

@crunchy I can send it simultaneously but camera is using http protocol, so result will be similar to opening same page in two tabs, maybe simultaneously, maybe not exactly. I already implemented split screen as you can see in screenshot above.

But the main problem now is camera connection. It works with GH4 and GH3, cameras I have, but not with others. I'm trying to fix but I dont know if fix works because no one is trying to test it.

crunchy

@Rambalac "@crunchy I thought about Start/stop record all button, but i will implement it with split screen. Not sure if it's useful for 3D, it will not work so much synchronously."

Synch between cameras can be achieved by externally powering the cameras and switching on the power supply while the on/off buttons are in ON position. This is easy to be done and it works (extremely well with GH4). If sending trigger signals simultaneously (by wire) to both cameras, the video is in synch! However, it would be extremely useful for 3D community if your solution is able to send the same settings to both cameras and to trigger them at the same time. However, are you sure that you can send the commands at the same instant to both cameras? If this is true, then this might be the ultimate solution!

Rambalac

1.7.1 released. I hope it can help for other cameras.

Rambalac

Oh, just got time for a walk to take tons of sakura video and spent half an hour in Yodobashi Camera store to sniff several cameras. Found that cameras ask for confirmation to allow connection while Image App is continuously sending special type of request until camera allows connection. No wonder my app could not connect. I'm going to fix it and publish in 12 hours.

Rambalac

Pushed v1.7.0 to MS store (will be available in about 12h)

More fixes and workarounds for other cameras connectivity
Split screen for multiple cameras
WiFi manager for autoconnect to camera WiFi

Rambalac

@Manu4Vendetta Just released 1.6.0 which should be able to connect GX8 and other cameras. But my most new camera is GH4 so I could not test the fix. It can take a while to get published in MS Store, check it in 10 hours.

In 1.6.0 I also added support for Cube LUTs preview and anamorphic de-squeezing.

Manu4Vendetta

Only for GH's, dont work with GX8 for example?

Rambalac

@crunchy I thought about Start/stop record all button, but i will implement it with split screen. Not sure if it's useful for 3D, it will not work so much synchronously.

crunchy

"Multiple cameras can be connected at once, for now need switching to see and control, but I plan split-screen and separate windows. You can connect cameras to common WiFi access point."

I suppose it's not possible to send the commands to multiple cameras at the same instant? If it's possible, it might be used for 3D photography/filming.

Rambalac

@Ezzeiln Ok, I will publish them as GitHub project releases. Just added 1.5.0 there

Ezzelin

Can you post the .appx file as well? It's possible to avoid the MS store this way.

panauser

@Rambalac Thanks for the information. I connect the camera to another accespoint. The network is private. But I can connect the camera with Lumix app and the software of "Lufthummel" http://www.personal-view.com/talks/discussion/comment/158082#Comment_158082

I tested the communication with the camcgi-codes. I see a similar behavior if I don't switch the camera in RecMode (by ".../cam.cgi?mode=camcmd&value=recmode") before starting the stream (... /cam.cgi?mode=startstream&value=49199). Do you do this?

Rambalac

@panauser Hm I added better liveview packets parsing but cannot test. I will release new version in a few days with better performance and LUT support. I hope you will be able to see it. By the way, how did you connect? Camera as access point or camera connected to another access point? Is network set private/discoverable?

panauser

@Rambalac: I can't connect my Lumix GX7 . The camera is visible, camera shows " Under remote control" and then nothing happens.

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