P: Tethered Shooting Camera Control

[FeedbackCommunityMember]

I am writing this Feature Request in accordance with Victoria's guidelines posted here:
http://feedback.photoshop.com/photosh...
and comes from use of the Trial version of DSLR Remote Pro from breezesys.com
(hereafter referred to as DSLRRP) during a product photoshoot.

THE FEATURE REQUEST:
I'd like to see a LOT more Camera control in the Tethered shooting module,
along the lines of the DSLRRP software, which allows control of most of, if not all of,
your Canon or Nikon Cameras' setting from your Laptop, without touching the camera.
And includes some other nice bells 'n' whistles.

Below is a list of features I'd like to see integrated into Lightrooms' tethered shooting,
taken from the features for Canon cameras in DSLRRP, I assume for the Nikon version also.
So if it works there, I see no reason that Lightroom can't also integrate these features.
Also, this is a personal preference, feel free to discuss/add/subtract features.

Primary Features (in order of preference to be added):

Shutter speed, Aperture and ISO selectable from the Tethered shooting Module.
Live View - to include if possible, the ability to auto-focus (see next item).
Shutter Release half-pressed mode (to allow for auto-focus).
The on or off ability to overlay a "Rule of Thirds" grid on the Live View window.
Camera Battery Meter (displayed in Titlebar on DSLRRP software, saves surprises).
The ability, when Tethered, to save shots to Camera Only, PC Only or Camera & PC.

Secondary Features (features useful in other situations than product shooting):

Auto Bracketing (to be setup from a menu dialog, useful for HDR shooting):
Setup Dialog:
Selectable, number of shots.
Selectable, f-stops separating shots (in 1/3 stop increments).
Selectable, setting to modify when in Manual Shooting Mode - Shutter Speed or Aperture.

Time Lapse Mode (to be setup from a menu dialog):
Setup Dialog:
Start immediately OR user-selectable START time & date.
Number of Shots OR user-selectable END time & date.
User-selectable time between shots (hh:mm:ss for absolute control).

The ability to overlay the Cameras' internal Meter display on the Laptop Live View,
(I am adding this to secondary features, because it's an afterthought,
and I am unsure if it can be done).

HOW I WOULD IMAGINE IT WORKING IN LIGHTROOM:
Any of the functions setups would be accessed from a dropdown menu in the menu bar.

Access to the functions setups and the actual functions themselves,
would be accessed from Lightrooms floating tethered shooting control bar.

OR

A better possibility, an option to, instead of using a floating bar, use a sliding panel.
I see this option replacing, ONLY WHEN TETHERED SHOOTING IS ACTIVE,
one of Lightrooms slider panels, which one being left to user choice.
Sliders, to clarify, being the slideout panels/bars on the sides of the Lightroom window.

HOW WOULD IT HELP YOUR WORKFLOW:
Well for a start, if one was interested in the mentioned functions,
it would prevent one having to purchase and run a second program, during tethered shooting.

The Live View mode would help with picture composition,
instead of squinting at the Cameras' LCD, one could see more clearly on the Laptop.

I think the rest of the functions I listed, are pretty much self-explanatory.

Again, these are features I'd personally like to see added, as possible, to Lightroom.

[FeedbackCommunityMember]

I loved the ease of the product shoot I did using DSLRRP,
but it did require running 2 different programs on a relatively weak 2 GB RAM Laptop,
upon which Lightroom works, albeit a bit slower.

Not to mention the $$$ layout if one did decide purchase DSLRRP.
I purchased Lightroom before I was made redundant, still unemployed and out of cash,
so the $$$ pricetag of DSLRRP is and will remain beyond me,
until I get a new job or win the Lottery, one just as likely as the other at the moment.

So for me, the addition of all of these listed features,
would even make me want to go out and buy Lightroom again when finances allowed!

[FeedbackCommunityMember]

I think these functions (adjusting aperture, shutter speed, etc) are essential in shooting tethered, and until they are implemented shooting tethered in LR is impractical. I still use canon's software with a link to LR, its slower, more cumbersome, but the only solution that exists.

Adobe, please included these functions in the next update to LR!

[N. Gollan]

Is it somehow possible to control exposure, ISO, WB of a tethered Nikon D7000 in Lightroom? The DIYPhotoBits tool shows that it's possible, but LR does not allow changing those settings.

When using gphoto2, those properties show as read-only, but they can clearly be set somehow.

[FeedbackCommunityMember]

tethered capture in Lightroom
I'm sure hoping that there is going to be some work done on tethered capture.
It would be nice to have some camera control added to it.

[Keith_Douglas]

Any chance of adding camera controls in the tethered bar. It shows the camera info but it would be so cool & save time if we could change f stops etc right from the computer!! What would it take to add that gem?

[FeedbackCommunityMember]

What a drag that nothing was changed in terms of Tethered shooting in Lightroom 4! Come on Adobe!

[Guest]

I love that Lightroom can shoot tethered with dslrs because it is simpler than auto import with another app running, and can automatically copy crops, brushstrokes etc from the previous capture and apply them to each new shot while shooting.

However it hasn't really progressed with features since it was first introduced ages ago, and Lightroom would REALLY benefit from being able to activate a live view window like the Canon software can. It also wouldn't hurt to be able to change aperture, shutter speed etc from the computer. There are a few small stand-alone apps that can do this so presumably it is not something only Canon can do with proprietary knowledge.

Kevin, will tethered capture ever be beefed up to include these features? If so, it would destroy the competition and make it much more professional and the only piece of software us pro photographers would need! Pretty pleeeease!!

[FeedbackCommunityMember]

If you guys & gals are using Canon, then use Canon EOS Utility.
If you are using Nikon, the use Nikon Camera Control Pro.

Here are some questions with the only answer one answer if you are Olympus, lower end cameras that Lightroom will not support.
1. Lightroom can't adjust modes and settings from pc.
2. Lightroom can't do live-view nor do dual live-views.
3. Lightroom can not transfer raw/jpeg wirelessly from camera to pc.
4. Lightroom don't care about Olympus, Pentax and Sony.
5. Lightroom, Canon WFT and Nikon WT can't do wireless radio flash.

The answer, I hope you won't spam me for giving & helping you all with the correct answer..

ATG AK1 Un-Tethered Systems
ask & get help from this email: a.l9609@gmail.com

I am glad I did and so will you.

[FeedbackCommunityMember]

I need my Sony NEX-VG900 to do tethered shooting.

[FeedbackCommunityMember]

I'm not the first, but i join my voice to suggest that in tethered mode I could change the settings of the DSLR ( useful in long & multiple exposures of a subject) in LR.
My Best Regards.
Laurent Nevo, France.

[Morgan_Moller]

Hi guys,
I've been a LR1 user since the beginning, and have upgraded to each version. I love the fact that Lightroom, Camera Raw & Photoshop are so interlinked, and work so well together. It's been one of the reasons I haven't stepped to Capture One.

Version 4 brought us amazing stuff (re-engineered RAW engine, Books,...) but if the following isn't in LR4.5 /5 I'm going to have to reconsider.

You NEED to upgrade the tethering options. They haven't evolved since LR2/3/4 and they're quite pathetic. They are just TOO basic. You should need the options to change your ISO/Aperture/Shutter speed/Metering Mode/... via your computer. Maybe even throw a little Live View in there?Even Capture One Pro allowes you to do so.

Another HIGHLY needed feature (maybe even the most important) is when tethering, LR should offer to possibility to back those tethered images up to another drive/disk/usb key/whatever. I know that Nikon users, when shooting tethered, only have the images on the computer via tether since they won't record to the memory card of the device. Having only 1 device with the images is just too damn risky. It doesn't even have to be instant. It can be a low-priority background task, but it needs to be done. You can select this when importing from a memory card, why not during tethered sessions?

These are really the most important issues I'm facing. I really don't want to switch to Capture One Pro because of the reasons stated above, but if I see that pathetic tethering window in LR 5, I think I'm going to need to. They are just lightyears ahead when it comes to tethering.

I hope this was helpful!

Cheers!
M.M.

[dorin_nicolaescu]

NOTE: there's a separate thread for "Tethering Backup": http://feedback.photoshop.com/photosh...

[Morgan_Moller]

Dorin,

Thanks for the link, hadn't seen that htread so incorporated it in mine as well.

Cheers

[FeedbackCommunityMember]

Have you seen the way tethering capture is handled by Capture One 7? I'd like to have these features in LR! I hope we'll have a good surprise in LR 5 final!

As a studio photographer, thetered capture is part of my daily workflow, and LR 4 is just not good at this game!!!

[Keith_Douglas]

LR 5 beta out not even a hit in tethered shooting of camera control? Am I wrong that this is a paramount feature that would help considerably in any workflow?

[Morgan_Moller]

Sadly, the LR5 Beta wasn't promising. Other than a keyboard shortcut it doesn't seem they've added a lot. Beta ends in June, and I can't see Adobe come up with a whole new tethering interface in 2 months time. Sadly, if the tethering capabilities aren't upgraded in LR5 I'm switching to COP7. I've already dappled with it a bit, and they are just light and lightyears ahead of Adobe.

LR5 is COP7's retarded inbred brother when it comes to tethering sadly

[FeedbackCommunityMember]

Yes, we are still waiting for at least a stable tethering ! Each time you change a lens or camera auto shutdown, the thethering is lost and need to be relaunched. Very annoying during a long shooting and absolutely not professional.

[FeedbackCommunityMember]

Still waiting for this - crazy that Lightroom doesn't have proper tethering controls yet?? Also needs to have the capability of copying to an external hardrive too...

[way_phat]

Automated focus bracketing for focus stacking too please.

[Guest]

I've given up waiting. I use Capture One for tethered capture, then process later in Lightroom. I know a lot of professional photographers who work that way.

[FeedbackCommunityMember]

How about a live view for a tethered camera?????

[Morgan_Moller]

I've gived up on lightroom and switched to Capture One Pro 7. Never been happier : Tethering tools (and iPad support), amazing color correction tools, better sharpening and noise reduction, LAYERS,and so on. Lightroom is clearly becoming a database and processing engine for average consumers, stepping away from any pro features. A lot of photographers I know feel also that way.

[areohbee]

I appreciate your opinion - seriously: thank you.

That said, I don't think C1 sharpening is better and I don't think noise reduction is as good. Highlight recovery is certainly not as good, nor shadow recovery, and clarity..

But I agree: C1 has several useful features that Lightroom does not, and you could be right about Lr targeting amateurs over pros (after all, more than half of Lr users are amateurs).

[N. Gollan]

While we're on this tangent, I just think that LR is in an unfortunate position where it should not keep too many people away from Photoshop. Maybe this will change with Adobe's new and improved (not even being sarcastic here) pricing.

[Morgan_Moller]

-Rob : To each his own 🙂 RAW processing is very personal, my transition to C1P7 has been very gradual, I was always a bit reluctant but the point of the matter is that (for me) when I loaded my RAWs into c1p7 they just looked better right of the bat. For my type of work I prefer how it handles highlight and shadow recovery. The use of layers is phenomenal, the tethering support with ipad for clients is vital in my studio work so those things make it the perfect tool for me, evidently it is a personal choice.

-I think that Adobe wants to gear it more towards (serious) amateurs since they obviously don't care to implement certain tools that only pro's require like extensive tethering and color correction capabilities. They add stuff like Maps (WHO uses that?), Books and stuff that pro's really don't need in their raw processor (They would be way better in a separate application imho)

I guess that with Aperture's recent demise the folks at PhaseOne are happy to know theyll recuperate that professional userbase probably....