Foolography Community

Hi all,

Q1:
Is it possible to use the Unleashed in full Auto mode of the camera and let the camera decide everything instead of setting the camera settings manual using the Unleashed App?
Sometimes I do think the Nikon camera EXPEED3 chip (D7100) can determine better settings than I can ;-)

Q2:
Can the Unleashed hardware access the "Auto mode feature" of the EXPEED3 chip directly while the camera is set in Manual mode, and the Unleashed App receives the suggested settings of the EXPEED3 chip, but the user can determine the settings manually in the App to change some settings, like the shutterspeed? It would be very nice to have a "Auto determine" / "Ask the camera" button in manual mode, so I can ask the camera what it has in mind for the best settings, while I stay in control of the final settings through the App.

Q3:
Can I save certain settings I previously configured for a certain photo moment (like a landscape) and load in those same settings on a later moment when I am back at that landscape site.
Another idea is that I can share those settings with other Unleashed App users, or transfer those settings to another smartphone I am using to control the Unleashed.

Thanks for answering.

Greetings,
Unfoolishly

Q1: yes
Q2: no - though of course you do see the EV-meter in the top center of the app, which is sort of what you're looking for, at least for exposure. You can dial in Aperture, Shutterspeed and ISO, until the Meter is at +/- 0.0
Q3: not yet, maybe in the future.

Oliver wrote: ↑

July 31st, 2020, 5:07 pm

Q1: yes
Q2: no - though of course you do see the EV-meter in the top center of the app, which is sort of what you're looking for, at least for exposure. You can dial in Aperture, Shutterspeed and ISO, until the Meter is at +/- 0.0
Q3: not yet, maybe in the future.

Some additional info I forgot to mention:
Q1: I was in the assumption I could only use the Unleashed in the other (manual) modes, so I didn't even try it if it worked. But it works :-)
Q2: This one is a bit more tricky...
Does 'no' mean: no, the Nikon firmware/hardware doesn't expose the EXPEED3 API over the USB-port? End of story.
Or does 'no' mean: no, we haven't implemented it, but it could be technically possible, although we have no plans for it (yet)? Too much work, for a few users that will probably use it.

Is there some algorithm in the Unleashed App that can assist with auto detecting possible camera settings so the EV-meter ends up in the middle? Recommending certain settings to the user? That would be really helpful in certain scenario's. That is putting the camera on "half-automatic".

Q3: this one needs more explaining from my side.
I know I can look into the EXIF data of a photo to see what previous camera configuration I used to take that astonishing photo in the first place, but most of the times I don't carry a laptop or memory card with the photo's taken on a different day. That means, the configuration set up is not at hand. Having to look up that previous configuration using a laptop, going through all the photo's is pretty cumbersome too.
The best/easiest approach is to take the perfect photo, see if that photo is wonderful and press a "POI-button" in the App that remembers the current settings of the camera WITH the gps coordinates as a backup. So when you are back at that scenery, the App can remind you (by geo fencing for detection?) that you previously did take wonderful photo at this place with the following camera settings. The GPS coordinates are just to remind you of the settings you choose at that location, but the settings could of course also be used in different scenario's.
It's more like an embedded noteblock within the App in which you scribe what settings you applied for certain photo's and give it a distinctive name, like: "rocky mountains in the fog".
It would be wonderful if you later on could find those little scribes based on location, name, tag, lens used. Sort of external exif data storage in the App so you can keep those special settings at hand all the time from the smartphone you have with you all the time.

Greetings,
Unfoolishly

Q2: This one is a bit more tricky...
Does 'no' mean: no, the Nikon firmware/hardware doesn't expose the EXPEED3 API over the USB-port? End of story.

Well, AFAIK, the EXPEED3 has nothing to do with exposure, but is all about processing sensor data and creating image files from that. Also, it does some post-processing, ie applying "D-Lighting" and similar "picture controls". While it's possible to set some of those settings via USB, (just as one would in the camera menu) this is nothing we plan to expose in the app. The "Retouch" menu items are not available via USB if I recall correctly - which would most likely be as close as possible to what you mean by an expeed 3 api. So, No to both.

Q3: this one needs more explaining from my side.

Nono, I got it ;-) I'll stick with my answer:

Q3: not yet, maybe in the future.

Hi Oliver,
Thanks for clarifying this.

You wrote:

No, maybe in the future.

Do you know the difference between a pessimist and an optimist?
A pessimist never gets disappointed ;-)

Suggestion: I think it is better to write:

No, we have no plans for this.

Greetings,
Unfoolishly

Just a few posts ago, you wanted an entire roadmap :-D

Oliver wrote: ↑

August 4th, 2020, 8:23 pm

Just a few posts ago, you wanted an entire roadmap :-D

That is true. But then I didn't know you were too busy keeping customers happy with the current Unleashed and refunding to those not happy with the current Unleashed :-D
If you stop teasing me, I stop teasing you ;-)

Keep up the good work Oliver and the rest of the Foolography team. I love this new Unleashed.

Too bad that some potential customers have made a decision to not give the Unleashed a fair chance anyhow. But as with everything in life: you can't keep everybody happy. That would be foolish (pun intended).

Greetings,
Unfoolishly