Hmm, thanks for the report, and sorry about that!
Then we probably made the timeout a little too short. We'll extend it in the next update.
For the time being, what you can do when you turn off the camera, is to simply disconnect the magnetic connection for a couple of seconds, then let reconnect. This is essentially what we're doing in firmware now, we set this disconnection time to three seconds, (we tested with all our Nikons and found that anything above 2.5 seconds would be fine, 2 seconds was not enough. It seems the Z fc needs a little longer. We'll increase it to 5 seconds which should really be plenty.
We can't increase the time endlessly, because it will affect operation in other circumstances, such as when you accidentally disconnect the magnetic connection and it reconnects, we will have to wait those same 5 seconds until we try to reconnect via USB. 3-5 seconds shouldn't be very noticeable, but something like 10 seconds certainly would, and in fact many Nikon cameras have a 6 second auto meter off delay by default, which could very easily affect this negatively.
Our plan is to do another Firmware update tomorrow.
Unleashed '22 M doesn't work with Z fc
I have two screenshots, but I cannot find how to upload them from my device. One shows that Shutter Speed cannot be changed (and the dial is set to 1/3 step), and the other shows that the ISO will not change.Oliver wrote: ↑October 29th, 2023, 1:08 amSorry you're disappointed.
I'd like to help, but need more information than "it's greyed out". Could you send some screenshots? or ideally screen recordings?
If you read the error message, it should give you a reason of why a setting is read-only (medium grey) or not available (dark grey)
Could it be that you have the camera in Movie mode? Nikon has separate shutterspeed, ISO and other settings for Movie mode, which we don't yet relay to the camera.
The camera is not in Movie mode.
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Alright, yesterday, we published a firmware update (A3.1.1 B3.1.0) that will hopefully fix the issues with these cameras!
And ... (drumroll) ...
We added preliminary support for geotagging with the Unleashed M on Nikon Z cameras! 🥳
I say preliminary, because while it works quite nicely from our initial testing, there are still some things that we will keep working on to smooth them out.
There are two things that still bother us. We already spent a lot of time on trying to find workarounds, and we're pretty sure we'll be able to crack them at some point, we didn't want to delay publishing the initial version of this feature, which already works.
1) After the Unleashed successfully pairs with the camera, we haven't yet found a way to seamlessly complete the pairing on the camera's side. For the time being, you have to leave the Unleashed app, go to your Phone's Bluetooth settings, and tap on the camera, then confirm the displayed code on both the phone and the camera. This connection is never actually used, but the camera won't save the pairing information without it.
2) Unfortunately, Nikon disables Bluetooth whenever it's controlled via USB. So when you enable geotagging the other functions of the Unleashed won't work. We'll do our best to find a way around this, but Nikon would not be the only manufacturer with such a limitation. If nothing else, we'll do our best to still add a few more functions such as triggering (via Bluetooth) which will also enable normal timelapses, as well as video control. We already know how, but ran into contstraints during the implementation that will require some creative solutions that might take a little longer to complete.
Also, the pairing instructions are not yet in the app, we'll add those in the next app update.
But I made a quick video for you to follow:
https://youtu.be/N6Wz9QRbUCE
Let us know if this works on your cameras! It should also allow you to use an external GPS receiver paired with the Unleashed - the Unleashed will then forward the GPS data to the camera.
And ... (drumroll) ...
We added preliminary support for geotagging with the Unleashed M on Nikon Z cameras! 🥳
I say preliminary, because while it works quite nicely from our initial testing, there are still some things that we will keep working on to smooth them out.
There are two things that still bother us. We already spent a lot of time on trying to find workarounds, and we're pretty sure we'll be able to crack them at some point, we didn't want to delay publishing the initial version of this feature, which already works.
1) After the Unleashed successfully pairs with the camera, we haven't yet found a way to seamlessly complete the pairing on the camera's side. For the time being, you have to leave the Unleashed app, go to your Phone's Bluetooth settings, and tap on the camera, then confirm the displayed code on both the phone and the camera. This connection is never actually used, but the camera won't save the pairing information without it.
2) Unfortunately, Nikon disables Bluetooth whenever it's controlled via USB. So when you enable geotagging the other functions of the Unleashed won't work. We'll do our best to find a way around this, but Nikon would not be the only manufacturer with such a limitation. If nothing else, we'll do our best to still add a few more functions such as triggering (via Bluetooth) which will also enable normal timelapses, as well as video control. We already know how, but ran into contstraints during the implementation that will require some creative solutions that might take a little longer to complete.
Also, the pairing instructions are not yet in the app, we'll add those in the next app update.
But I made a quick video for you to follow:
https://youtu.be/N6Wz9QRbUCE
Let us know if this works on your cameras! It should also allow you to use an external GPS receiver paired with the Unleashed - the Unleashed will then forward the GPS data to the camera.
Founder & CEO of Foolography, Hardware & Firmware developer.
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birnaofthenorth
- Posts: 45
- Joined: October 9th, 2023, 9:04 am
Oh well. One step forwards, perhaps one or two backwards? The firmware of M'22 has been properly updated to the latest version : A 3.1.1, B/C 3.10.
The battery drain when the camera is switched off seems to be gone. Tested overnight with my Zf. That's positive news.
On the other hand, it is apparently impossible to connect accessories such as my Qstarz or similar BLE GPS receivers. The Unleashed app sees them and allows pairing as an accessory for the M'22.. Thereafter they remain disconnected never to return to active service.
I managed to get GPS data for one or two frames, then nothing. Any GPS data likely came from the phone, not the Qstarz. The camera locks up if I use the 'remote' release button on the Unleashed and I have to switch the camera off to see a review image on my camera. The review feature is set to 'off' in the Unleashed app. This is not very functional, to put it mildly.
After fiddling with the setup for an hour, I noticed very significant power drain on the Zf. The battery indicator went from 78% to 50% capacity. Concurrently the camera became quite warm. Not very promising.
My N2'18 works perfectly on the Z5 and Z6 though the Unleashed app and I had hopes using the M'22 on my Zfc/Zf would be equally simple. Those hopes are thwarted. At present I use Nikon's Snapbridge app which at least does deliver the GPS data properly (GPS precision contingent upon the whims of the phone and not always very accurate).
The battery drain when the camera is switched off seems to be gone. Tested overnight with my Zf. That's positive news.
On the other hand, it is apparently impossible to connect accessories such as my Qstarz or similar BLE GPS receivers. The Unleashed app sees them and allows pairing as an accessory for the M'22.. Thereafter they remain disconnected never to return to active service.
I managed to get GPS data for one or two frames, then nothing. Any GPS data likely came from the phone, not the Qstarz. The camera locks up if I use the 'remote' release button on the Unleashed and I have to switch the camera off to see a review image on my camera. The review feature is set to 'off' in the Unleashed app. This is not very functional, to put it mildly.
After fiddling with the setup for an hour, I noticed very significant power drain on the Zf. The battery indicator went from 78% to 50% capacity. Concurrently the camera became quite warm. Not very promising.
My N2'18 works perfectly on the Z5 and Z6 though the Unleashed app and I had hopes using the M'22 on my Zfc/Zf would be equally simple. Those hopes are thwarted. At present I use Nikon's Snapbridge app which at least does deliver the GPS data properly (GPS precision contingent upon the whims of the phone and not always very accurate).
I have been out of town all week, and I'll be home on Saturday. I brought the camera along, but not the Unleashed. I'll check it when I return home, and I'll let you know how it works out. Thanks for your efforts on this product! I'm impressed!!!Oliver wrote: ↑November 12th, 2023, 12:57 amAlright, yesterday, we published a firmware update (A3.1.1 B3.1.0) that will hopefully fix the issues with these cameras!
And ... (drumroll) ...
We added preliminary support for geotagging with the Unleashed M on Nikon Z cameras! 🥳
I say preliminary, because while it works quite nicely from our initial testing, there are still some things that we will keep working on to smooth them out.
There are two things that still bother us. We already spent a lot of time on trying to find workarounds, and we're pretty sure we'll be able to crack them at some point, we didn't want to delay publishing the initial version of this feature, which already works.
1) After the Unleashed successfully pairs with the camera, we haven't yet found a way to seamlessly complete the pairing on the camera's side. For the time being, you have to leave the Unleashed app, go to your Phone's Bluetooth settings, and tap on the camera, then confirm the displayed code on both the phone and the camera. This connection is never actually used, but the camera won't save the pairing information without it.
2) Unfortunately, Nikon disables Bluetooth whenever it's controlled via USB. So when you enable geotagging the other functions of the Unleashed won't work. We'll do our best to find a way around this, but Nikon would not be the only manufacturer with such a limitation. If nothing else, we'll do our best to still add a few more functions such as triggering (via Bluetooth) which will also enable normal timelapses, as well as video control. We already know how, but ran into contstraints during the implementation that will require some creative solutions that might take a little longer to complete.
Also, the pairing instructions are not yet in the app, we'll add those in the next app update.
But I made a quick video for you to follow:
https://youtu.be/N6Wz9QRbUCE
Let us know if this works on your cameras! It should also allow you to use an external GPS receiver paired with the Unleashed - the Unleashed will then forward the GPS data to the camera.
Hey Birna and all,
We fixed some more issues related to using external GPS Device Accessories at the same time as Nikon GPS over Bluetooth, and also made some additional important improvements there.
One problem we found is that the Starts is advertising VERY slowly, which means connecting, discovering and getting the first set of coordinates can take very long. A Nikon camera on the other hand requires a quick connection (short advertising/connection interval). These two requirements clashed - ie when a Nikon was connected, the qstarz would reject the connection due to the fast interval. We changed this so each accessory type has their own set of connection parameters, and we have stored default ones for each type of accessory that we support, so that we can get the best connection out of each of those.
We'll still try to optimise here, I think we'll be able to get the connection to the Qstarz a bit quicker, but it will require more time. Nonetheless, today's improvement is already huge, so we published FW A3.1.2 today with these improvements! 🥳
Whenever there's a Firmware update available, you'll see a red notification badge on the menu icon in the bottom left corner of the app. Follow this notification badge through the app to get to the firmware update screen.
App menu (bottom left) → Unleashed with gear icon (bottom left) → tap on your Unleashed (near top ) → tap "Firmware"
Scroll down and tap "Install Update". With the Unleashed M, you need to keep the camera awake, so that the Unleashed stays powered during the entire update. To keep the camera from entering standby, half-press the cameras's shutterbutton continuously or regularly until the update is done. This only takes a little over a minute.
In case you didn't know:
The LED on the Unleashed will blink red in between its normal sequences when there is an issue with GPS data - when it's getting data, but it's invalid, when the it's not getting data, when it's set to GPS Accessory, but the accessory cannot be connected to, or it's not providing valid GPS data, etc.
If the problem is not obvious to you, you can go to the app, in the PHOTO screen. The GPS icon should be red whenever there is an error with GPS (though we found out today that the iOS App is not behaving that way - will be fixed in one of the next updates), and in the top right corner you'll see an info or warning icon. tap on that to see the errormessage, to know what exactly the problem is.
Let me know if this improves the functionality!
We fixed some more issues related to using external GPS Device Accessories at the same time as Nikon GPS over Bluetooth, and also made some additional important improvements there.
One problem we found is that the Starts is advertising VERY slowly, which means connecting, discovering and getting the first set of coordinates can take very long. A Nikon camera on the other hand requires a quick connection (short advertising/connection interval). These two requirements clashed - ie when a Nikon was connected, the qstarz would reject the connection due to the fast interval. We changed this so each accessory type has their own set of connection parameters, and we have stored default ones for each type of accessory that we support, so that we can get the best connection out of each of those.
We'll still try to optimise here, I think we'll be able to get the connection to the Qstarz a bit quicker, but it will require more time. Nonetheless, today's improvement is already huge, so we published FW A3.1.2 today with these improvements! 🥳
Whenever there's a Firmware update available, you'll see a red notification badge on the menu icon in the bottom left corner of the app. Follow this notification badge through the app to get to the firmware update screen.
App menu (bottom left) → Unleashed with gear icon (bottom left) → tap on your Unleashed (near top ) → tap "Firmware"
Scroll down and tap "Install Update". With the Unleashed M, you need to keep the camera awake, so that the Unleashed stays powered during the entire update. To keep the camera from entering standby, half-press the cameras's shutterbutton continuously or regularly until the update is done. This only takes a little over a minute.
In case you didn't know:
The LED on the Unleashed will blink red in between its normal sequences when there is an issue with GPS data - when it's getting data, but it's invalid, when the it's not getting data, when it's set to GPS Accessory, but the accessory cannot be connected to, or it's not providing valid GPS data, etc.
If the problem is not obvious to you, you can go to the app, in the PHOTO screen. The GPS icon should be red whenever there is an error with GPS (though we found out today that the iOS App is not behaving that way - will be fixed in one of the next updates), and in the top right corner you'll see an info or warning icon. tap on that to see the errormessage, to know what exactly the problem is.
Let me know if this improves the functionality!
Founder & CEO of Foolography, Hardware & Firmware developer.
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birnaofthenorth
- Posts: 45
- Joined: October 9th, 2023, 9:04 am
Unfortuntely, any improvement is very hard to verify, as the 22'M keeps disconnecting all the time. Camera Z fc. I have updated the firmware to A3.1.2 etc.
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birnaofthenorth
- Posts: 45
- Joined: October 9th, 2023, 9:04 am
This getting weirder and weirder? On the Z f, I can occasionally get 22'M to cooperate with the GL-770M. The GPS disconnects ever so often, then gets connected again, and GPS data is recorded.
On the Z f, the indicator LED alters between red and turqoise all the time? I haven't tested yet whether I can go on a trip without the app/phone and my GPS keeps talking to the Foolography unit. This works perfectly with my 18'N2 and either the Qstarz or the GL-770M and in fact, is the very manner in which I had hoped the 22'M would operate.
On the Z f, the indicator LED alters between red and turqoise all the time? I haven't tested yet whether I can go on a trip without the app/phone and my GPS keeps talking to the Foolography unit. This works perfectly with my 18'N2 and either the Qstarz or the GL-770M and in fact, is the very manner in which I had hoped the 22'M would operate.
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birnaofthenorth
- Posts: 45
- Joined: October 9th, 2023, 9:04 am
After more attempts to get stuff working, either on the Z f or the Z fc, nothing works any longer. All functionality has broken down. The app intermittently "discovers" the 22'M, once in a while it allows me an attempt to connect either the Qstarz or the GL-770M, but they never connect after I have followed instructions to 'tap to pair'. Images are never recorded with any GPS even when the BLE receivers show they have GPS data, and are able to deliver such data to my 18'N2 mounted on a Z5. Sigh.. The Unleashed22'M LED flashes red/yellow or turquoise, or nothing at all.
I really feel like being an early alpha tester here. This is annoying, to put it mildly.
I really feel like being an early alpha tester here. This is annoying, to put it mildly.
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birnaofthenorth
- Posts: 45
- Joined: October 9th, 2023, 9:04 am
Nearly 2 months have elapsed and the 22'M still does not work.
I became frustrated with all the troubles and followed the instructions to reset the M to factory defaults. Then updated firmware to the latest version.
Now, we are back at the beginning of this sad story -- again. Despite the updated firmware, the M now just drains the battery of the Z fc. When I switch off the camera, the drive lights blinks merrily and the power is drained. With the Z f, there is no blinking drive light, but a clicking sound that repeats endlessly. And battery drains completely with this camera as well.
Needless to say, nothing works. I'm at my wits' end. This project has literally been equal to throwing money away.
I became frustrated with all the troubles and followed the instructions to reset the M to factory defaults. Then updated firmware to the latest version.
Now, we are back at the beginning of this sad story -- again. Despite the updated firmware, the M now just drains the battery of the Z fc. When I switch off the camera, the drive lights blinks merrily and the power is drained. With the Z f, there is no blinking drive light, but a clicking sound that repeats endlessly. And battery drains completely with this camera as well.
Needless to say, nothing works. I'm at my wits' end. This project has literally been equal to throwing money away.