Issues with camera connection stability

Built-in WiFi only.
rsmith4321
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Issues with camera connection stability

Postby rsmith4321 » Sat Sep 29, 2018 11:08 pm

I'm using wifi booth on a 10.5' ipad pro and a Fuji X-E3 camera. I tried it on an event and I had a number of connection issues. Sometimes the camera would just seem to lock up and sometimes it would seem to be connected with no image. A restart of the camera would always fix the issue but it's a pain reconnecting to the camera wifi. One time I actually had wifi booth lock up on the please wait screen after taking the pictures and I had to completely exit the app and restart. I wouldn't mind buying a camera just for wifi booth, is there a suggestion for a camera than anyone has used that has no connection issues at all?

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tim
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Re: Issues with camera connection stability

Postby tim » Sun Sep 30, 2018 8:51 am

Hi rsmith,
Sorry you're having problems. I'm just about to release a big update that allows the iPad to use a remote iPhone's rear camera, which is much higher quality than the ipad camera. It also will allow green-screen functionality if you have a dual-camera iPhone (7 plus, 8 plus, X, XS). So if you want to try that out let me know - beta will be out very soon.
Otherwise I'll recommend you a camera.
Please write a review for Wifibooth on the Apple App store! Indie developers like me really need people like you to review their apps. Instructions on how to write a review: http://goo.gl/w8NsDI.

rsmith4321
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Re: Issues with camera connection stability

Postby rsmith4321 » Sun Sep 30, 2018 12:39 pm

Yes please let me try it, I would really just like to find good enough quality with more stability. Also if you have a camera recommendation let me know, thanks.

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tim
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Re: Issues with camera connection stability

Postby tim » Sun Sep 30, 2018 12:53 pm

Hi RSmith,
Great - please send me a PM with your email address if it isn't the same as the one you registered with for this forum. Otherwise i'll invite you within a few days to your forum-registered email.
As far as cameras go, you have three brands to consider:

1) Canon: great wifi + ability to make outgoing connections, slow liveview. Canon 80D is the cheapest to look at if you're using strobe-flash. If you're using always-on lighting, you can go cheaper -- ie. canon 750D

2) Panasonic: great wifi + ability to make outgoing connections, very fast liveview. Image quality is good, but perhaps not as great as Canon. Bonus: there are some REALLY cheap panasonic cameras that work well with wifibooth. I won't give you specific model numbers - go to the camera store and try a few with your ipad + wifibooth!

3) Sony: ok wifi but no ability to make outgoing connections (so if you print, you have to use BluePrint + second iOS device = more chances for disconnections), very fast live view. Best image quality. Not cheap though.

Hope this helps.
Please write a review for Wifibooth on the Apple App store! Indie developers like me really need people like you to review their apps. Instructions on how to write a review: http://goo.gl/w8NsDI.

rsmith4321
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Re: Issues with camera connection stability

Postby rsmith4321 » Sun Sep 30, 2018 1:16 pm

When you say ability to make outgoing connections, do you mean that I could avoid using blueprint and the ipad and internet could both connect to the camera? I will look at the Panasonic cameras.

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tim
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Re: Issues with camera connection stability

Postby tim » Sun Sep 30, 2018 1:19 pm

Yes: meaning you could have a verizon hotspot router and have the camera make its outgoing connection to that router. Then connect ipad, printer/mac, etc to the router.
But still - i'd wait until you've tried the iphone camera in a few days before you buy anything :)
Please write a review for Wifibooth on the Apple App store! Indie developers like me really need people like you to review their apps. Instructions on how to write a review: http://goo.gl/w8NsDI.

rsmith4321
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Re: Issues with camera connection stability

Postby rsmith4321 » Sun Sep 30, 2018 2:35 pm

Thanks, you have the best support ever by the way! Connecting everything to a private router does really sound ideal because I would really rather stick with a real camera and flash but I will wait and try to iphone app as well. Does anyone here have an experience with the Panasonic Lumix G7 and if it will keep a good stable connection? It's inexpensive and I wouldn't mind having a dedicated photo booth camera anyway.

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tim
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Re: Issues with camera connection stability

Postby tim » Mon Oct 01, 2018 9:02 pm

OK I invited you to the beta. You need to install BluePrint on the iPhone via Testflight, and Wifibooth in the iPad also via Testflight.
Here's some helpful text if you're not familiar:

1. install the Apple app "TestFlight" (free)
2. on the device you installed Testflight, open the email you got from apple testflight and touch the button at the bottom to accept the testflight invitation
3. In the testflight app, install Wifibooth / BluePrint. You can install it over top of the current version if you want to (Testflight will warn you, don't worry - it's safe).
Dont forget to go back to the app store version for real events if you purchased the pro package.
Please write a review for Wifibooth on the Apple App store! Indie developers like me really need people like you to review their apps. Instructions on how to write a review: http://goo.gl/w8NsDI.

rsmith4321
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Re: Issues with camera connection stability

Postby rsmith4321 » Tue Oct 02, 2018 8:29 pm

I haven't had a chance to test the iphone app yet. I did purchase a Panasonic G7 camera and a Verizon Mifi to have my own wifi network at events. The camera seems to work well I haven't had any complete lockups or disconnects in testing. A couple of small issues, I notice if I'm using the Panasonic camera and ipad connected to the wifi network, if I go into the gallery to select some pictures for printing, then cancel back to the camera I get a dialog saying the camera isn't ready. If I click ok and try again it works fine, just that initial dialog. This seems like maybe an issue that could be fixed like it needs to wait slightly longer for the camera or something.

One other issue, I notice the camera seems to go to sleep, I get a sleepy camera icon on the screen after about a minute. Clicking the camera icon or shutter button wakes it right up and it's still connected, but could wifibooth possibly send a wakeup trigger to the camera every few seconds to keep it awake, I have a constant camera power so battery isn't an issue. Thanks!

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tim
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Re: Issues with camera connection stability

Postby tim » Tue Oct 02, 2018 9:01 pm

Re your G7:
- sleep is a setting you control on the camera, wifibooth can't do anything. Go hunt for "Economy" in the menu and turn sleep off if that's what you want
- Panasonics take a long time switching between shooting mode and filesystem mode. Wifibooth is waiting for your camera: gallery screen needs filesystem mode, home screen needs shooting mode. One thing you can try: in the Settings app -> Wifibooth, try turning on faster camera. But this might make problems for you where Wifibooth is too fast when taking photos. You can try it and see, won't hurt your camera. Otherwise, just wait a few seconds more on the gallery screen before going back.

Please try out the iphone camera / blueprint and let me know if it at least works for you!
Please write a review for Wifibooth on the Apple App store! Indie developers like me really need people like you to review their apps. Instructions on how to write a review: http://goo.gl/w8NsDI.

rsmith4321
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Re: Issues with camera connection stability

Postby rsmith4321 » Tue Oct 02, 2018 11:07 pm

Hmm the problem is when it's connected to external power somehow the camera knows and it disables the economy settings, that option only appears on battery power. It's not supposed to sleep at all when connected to power. It doesn't seem to really be asleep the wifi is still active and it's connected. Clicking the camera button in wifibooth reactivates the camera right before taking a picture so it does seem like it wifi booth does have the ability to wake up the camera.

I will try what you mentioned with the gallery, it only happens when connected to a wifi network but not when wifi is connected directly to the camera so I will experiment.

rsmith4321
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Re: Issues with camera connection stability

Postby rsmith4321 » Wed Oct 03, 2018 8:07 am

I think I figured out the issue. In the manual it says • When using the AC adaptor (optional), [Auto LVF/Monitor Off] is fixed to [5MIN.]. So that might just be something that can’t be changed. One other question. I notice if I set the camera to something like face detection or 49 point sutofocus that uses the entire sensor area. When using the normal shutter button on the camera it works correctly and picks any point to focus on. However when WiFibooh triggers the shutter, the camera switches to an autofocus area mode where you would normally pick a spot to focus on manually. I don’t know if you have a lumix around for testing. But no setting changes I make seem to change this behavior.

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tim
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Re: Issues with camera connection stability

Postby tim » Wed Oct 03, 2018 8:33 am

What happens if you turn off autofocus in wifibooth
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rsmith4321
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Re: Issues with camera connection stability

Postby rsmith4321 » Wed Oct 03, 2018 12:41 pm

Thanks, I messed around with this for like an hour last night and couldn't figure it out. But switching off the autofocus in wifibooth stopped it from switching the focus mode in the camera, now it works correctly. The strange thing is wifibooth immediately toggles autofocus back on in the settings itself, I assume because it detects the camera is set to autofocus. However the issue seems to be gone now, it seemed like some kind of bug that was reset by toggling the autofocus switch, I don't know if you have any idea what caused that.

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tim
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Re: Issues with camera connection stability

Postby tim » Wed Oct 03, 2018 12:56 pm

Nope not sure, but glad it worked :)
Im guessing that the camera is reporting it won’t work without autofocus, in which case wifibooth may be turning that switch back on (not looking at the code right now).
Please write a review for Wifibooth on the Apple App store! Indie developers like me really need people like you to review their apps. Instructions on how to write a review: http://goo.gl/w8NsDI.

rsmith4321
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Re: Issues with camera connection stability

Postby rsmith4321 » Wed Oct 03, 2018 1:19 pm

I tried the new beta version of blueprint on my phone and wifibooth on the ipad. I tried sharing the camera and wifibooth kept saying it couldn't find blueprint. If I just shared the internet and not the camera then it would find it, I had the ipad connected to the iphone hotspot. I also wasn't clear is there a way to share printer/internet in blueprint and camera at the same time or does this need a third device. I don't have a lot of time to mess with it at the moment, do I need to go back to the app store version for an actual event or is the beta stable for normal use? Also how do I go back to the app store version, I was afraid to delete and install the app that I might lose my settings and events in wifibooth?

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tim
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Re: Issues with camera connection stability

Postby tim » Wed Oct 03, 2018 1:39 pm

Hi rsmith,

For wifibooth to find BluePrint's shared camera, the camera has to be set to "Remote iPhone": open the camera popup, and select "Remote iPhone".
At the moment, BluePrint can either share a camera, or internet/printer etc. But in this configuration you should not need internet/printer sharing: if you're connected to the iPhone's hotspot, then the iPad has internet/printer thru the hotspot directly! And this will be a LOT faster than bluetooth...
Try it out!

For events, if you have NOT purchased pro, the beta is fine.
If you HAVE purchased pro, then don't use the beta, because the PRO subscription could (in rare cases) not be applied and cause your photos to be watermarked.
In any case, to go back to the App store version, do not delete the app: open the app store, find wifibooth, and just install it directly over top of the beta version.
Please write a review for Wifibooth on the Apple App store! Indie developers like me really need people like you to review their apps. Instructions on how to write a review: http://goo.gl/w8NsDI.

rsmith4321
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Re: Issues with camera connection stability

Postby rsmith4321 » Wed Oct 03, 2018 9:27 pm

I tested it again and the iphone camera does seem to work, it seems a little buggy as would be expected I wasn't getting a liveview at first even though it was capturing images, then after disconnecting and trying again the liveview was working. For now though I'm going to stick to the real camera as long as the Panasonic G7 is working well the quality is so much better and I can use external flash. I did purchase the pro version of the app by the way. Maybe I'm missing something but how can I reinstall the app store version over the beta, I removed the beta from testflight but I can't find a way to install the previous build, the app store just has an open button not an install. Let me know, thanks!

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tim
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Re: Issues with camera connection stability

Postby tim » Wed Oct 03, 2018 10:50 pm

If you see open in the app store then did you already install the app store version? If you open Settings app -> wifibooth what version do you see there?

Which iphone were you trying the iphone camera with? I would like to make it not buggy 🧐
Please write a review for Wifibooth on the Apple App store! Indie developers like me really need people like you to review their apps. Instructions on how to write a review: http://goo.gl/w8NsDI.

rsmith4321
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Re: Issues with camera connection stability

Postby rsmith4321 » Thu Oct 04, 2018 1:31 pm

Actually I just messed around for a while and the app store gave me an update option which got back to the stable version I'm not sure why it wouldn't before, thanks. I was using an iPhone 7+ but I didn't have much time for testing it, the only issue actually I noticed was the blank live view at first even though it would take pictures.

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tim
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Re: Issues with camera connection stability

Postby tim » Thu Oct 04, 2018 1:48 pm

OK, thanks. I'll see if that's a problem specific to the 7+.
Please write a review for Wifibooth on the Apple App store! Indie developers like me really need people like you to review their apps. Instructions on how to write a review: http://goo.gl/w8NsDI.

rsmith4321
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Re: Issues with camera connection stability

Postby rsmith4321 » Thu Oct 04, 2018 5:51 pm

I had a really strange issue, the camera just kept switching it's screen on and off and no liveview with the Lumix. I couldn't figure out what was going on, I had just formatted the memory card. I took a picture with the camera and then everything worked. I tried to format the card again and had the same issue until taking a picture with the camera. I just wanted to see if that was a normal issue of it not working until a shot was taken on a formatted card?

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tim
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Re: Issues with camera connection stability

Postby tim » Thu Oct 04, 2018 7:37 pm

Yes, exactly this is written in the help article for connecting your camera. It is a problem Panasonics have
Please write a review for Wifibooth on the Apple App store! Indie developers like me really need people like you to review their apps. Instructions on how to write a review: http://goo.gl/w8NsDI.

rsmith4321
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Re: Issues with camera connection stability

Postby rsmith4321 » Thu Oct 04, 2018 8:37 pm

Great to know, I need to read through the documentation.

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tim
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Re: Issues with camera connection stability

Postby tim » Thu Oct 04, 2018 8:39 pm

Please write a review for Wifibooth on the Apple App store! Indie developers like me really need people like you to review their apps. Instructions on how to write a review: http://goo.gl/w8NsDI.


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