RCCDroidPro
The App for remote control of your SONY ALPHA
SLT-A58/A99 or DSLR-A700
With RCCDroidPro (Remote Camera Control for Android) you can finally perform photo projects that have failed so far to a lack of equipment, such as Time-lapse photography or star trail pictures. Your creativity in long-term and HDR images are now set no technical limits more .
Note : Please first install the free app RCCDroid from the Google Play Store to test if all your devices are compatible. If RCCDroid run satisfactorily, even RCCDroidPro will be compatible . With the free app RCCDroid you can trigger contact and judge with a preview of the results instantly . Shooting and changes in the camera parameters provides only the Pro version .
Contents
- Requirements
- Preparations
- Getting started
- Controls
- Advanced Techniques
- Long exposure
- Picture Mode
- Camera Drive Mode
- Timer
- Extended HDR
- Video
- Bulb Intervalometer
- Other Features
- GPS
- Soundtrigger
- Focustrap
- Wireless shooting via Bluetooth
- Phototrap
- Appendix
1. Requirements
To use RCCDroidPro , you need the following accessories :
- Sony Alpha SLT-A58, SLT-A99 or DSLR-A700
- Android powered Device
- USB-cable (Micro/Mini-B + A-plug)
- OTG-adapter
- RCCDroidPro from Google Play Store
- Optional : another, bluetoothenabled Android device for wireless remote
- Optional: RCCClient from Google Play Store
Please check first whether your Android device to run RCCDroid has USB host mode enabled and has at least Android version 3.1. Without the support of USB host function RCCDroid/Pro can not be used on your device !
Please consult your device user guide or the manufacturer's website. To be safe , we recommend checking the Android device with an app from the Google Play Store (USB Host Diagnostics).
You should only download RCCDroid Pro from the Google Play Store , if you are sure that your Android device meets this requirement (test the free version of RCCDroid before ) . Then you can install RCCDroid Pro from the Google Play Store on your device.
2. Preparations
Please start at this point to have the app connected with the Android device, without the camera!
Important! At this point, you should first adjust the default folder
The app uses a default path of the Android device (usually the Pictures directory) to store the images. If this path does not exist or is not writable,the shot-button is locked and it will not establish a connection to the camera.
If the default path of the application is not available on your device or is not writable, it will be marked with a red exclamation mark to the right of Folder.
There are 2 ways to adapt this .
1 Go to the Settings of RCCDroid (3 points at top right) and select 'Default Folder'. In the following dialog you can add any paths from your file tree select ( with '..' you get each a section above) .
If you want to use an external SD card on your Android Device, that is also possible . Please change into the file system /mnt. There should also appear the external SD card , which can then be selected.
2 As an alternative, you could also create the default path of the app on your device with an Android File Manager.
Now exit the app again .
Now, please connect the devices:
A58/A99/A700
Micro/Mini USB-Kabel
OTG-Adapter
Android Device with RCCDroid Pro
3. Getting started:
Please switch the USB-Connection Mode in menu of Camera to 'PC-Remote'. Connect your cam with the android device. Please prevent the use of too long cables. Please connect the OTG-adapter directly to your Android powered device (do NOT connect OTG to camera !) and use an USB cable, fitting into your camera.
If you are using free Version of RCCDroid, please switch Drivemode of Camera to Single Shooting (RCCDroidPro is able to work with all Drivemodes), because otherwise shutter will be locked.
Once you have your camera connected to the Android device, please switch on your camera. On the Android device, a window will appear that asks you to select an app. Please select RRCDroidPro. We recommend you to choose at this point RCCDroidPro as standard application (Always).
Do not allow other apps to access the camera!
NOTE: If you make a mistake and allow another app to access the camera here , it may be that RCCDroidPro can no longer connect to the camera!
If RCCDroidPro could connect to the camera , you will see some parameters of the camera on the screen of your Android device now , such as the shutter speed or the aperture.
If connection could not be established , please check again all the conditions , especially the wiring and the set default directory. Please check the FAQ on website before complaining. If you continue to have problems , please write to
info@rccdroid.glensk.com with the following information :
1. Output of USB Host Diagnostics
2 Screenshot of RCCDroidPro
For the first recordings with RCCDroid we recommend the following settings :
Camera ( changes to the camera are simultaneously displayed in the app )
M Manual exposure
Single shot
autofocus
RCCDroidPro :
Preview actively
Try to set the focus from the app now ( AF button) and then press the shutter button ( shot ) . The camera should now trigger and the image is transferred to the device Android . There you can select another app, so that you can preview the picture. We like to use the app ' Photo Editor ' , as you can choose a 100 % view , and can display EXIF data. You will also find other interesting apps in Google Play . Normally, a standard app should already be there to view images on your device (eg Gallery ) . When shooting in RAW format , a preview is only possible if you have an app that is able to image the Sony RAW format.
It is of course also possible to run a photo - app as a parallel tasks in the background. If you , for example, use the Android Gallery app and take a picture on the camera shutter , the new image will be immediately visible in the Gallery.
Now try to take more pictures with different parameters. Change , for example, the aperture value by clicking on the appropriate button ( aperture, shutter speed , ISO, exposure compensation) the app to use the + / - buttons to make adjustments .
If you use a tablet , you can now appreciate that the preview function will help to determine the correct depth of field.
Please do not forget that every photo taken with RCCDroid ONLY is stored on your Android device and not on the camera's internal SD card.
But there is a way to copy the images with an Android file manager back to the camera.
We recommend you to take this opportunity to use a Android File Manager and navigate to the directory for the captured images . You will realize that the images have a timestamp as a prefix. This is necessary because the camera assigns the file name. In later sessions, so there is a risk of other recordings of the same name to be overwritten. This is prevented with the time stamp . At this point you are ready for another photo adventure.
4. Controls
0 Options Menu
Settings (Einstellungen)
About
Reset
GPS
1 Exposure Modes (M, A, P, …)
2 Battery charging indication
3 LED for memory acces
red - image is written
4 LED for Bluetooth-state
green - Bluetooth - enabled Sever
blue - Bluetooth client has connected
5 Shutter speed
6 Aperture
7 Exposure compensation
8 ISO
9 Shutter
10 Focus-Button
11 Buttons to change values of 5,6,7,8
12 BULB-shutter (longterm exposure)
13 Preview (of taken pictures)
14 Quality(RAW, Fine , Standard …)
15 Size of picture
16 Picture Mode (Camera drive mode or RCCDroidPro mode)
17 Folder of Android device, where pictures are stored
18 Number of pictures, that are not stored yet
19 Message windows (e.g. Filename of picture)
5. Advanced techniques
5.1 Longterm exposure
Wherein pictures which are carried out with a long exposure time, there is always the risk of camera shake (and thus blur) when the camera is moved during the exposure. Even the mechanical trigger can cause a problem. RCCDroidPro will help you avoid this. In particular, shooting in BULB mode is supported. There are 2 options:
1. holding the shot button as long as you want to expose
2. Press the BULB button to start the exposure. At the same time a timer is started , the time is displayed . A re- pressing the button to stop recording. So touch free extreme long exposures are possible.
Note: These two methods work but only if the camera is in BULB exposure mode.
5.2 Picture mode:
The following picture modes are available which can be choosen by touching the ‘Drive M.’ field. (please tap on the edit field, to change the mode).
- Camera Drive Mode
- supports all drive modes of camera
- Timer
- Timelaps with exposure/aperature of camera
- Extended HDR
- HDR with exposure/aperature of camera
- Video
- Video
- Bulb Intervalometer
- Bulb shots with long exosure
CAUTION:
Mass shooting have an impact on the overall life of your camera ! Triggering each represents a mechanical movement , which leads to wear of the camera hardware. Please do not leave your camera during the recording time not alone, to prevent malfunctions!
Note: we recommend to switch to manual focusing with all shooting . In case of no AF focus may possibly be set , which has the consequence that no picture can be taken and thus the series will not be continued .
5.2.1 Camera Drive Mode
In addition to the single shots now all shooting modes of the SONY Alpha are supported ( eg HDR images or HI , LOW continuous shooting ) . Please select from the 'Drive M.' field from the value ' Camera Drive Mode' and then on the sequence mode dial of the Sony Alpha the desired mode. When you press the shot button, shutter release is triggered depending on the choice n times . Hold down the shot button for continuous series This setting is the default .
5.2.2 Timer/Time Laps
In this mode, continuous shooting are carried out , controlled from the app . Before you select the timer mode , check the settings for that mode . Go to the Settings tab and adjust the desired values to your requirements. The following parameters can be changed :
1. delay to the triggering
2. interval duration
3. Number of images
4. HDR FUNCTION
The shutter speed and aperture are taken by the camera's settings. After triggering is displayed as long as the total intake will last , as well as a progress bar on the number of images . You can exit by pressing the Back button, the timer set at any time.
We recommend this mode to perform time-lapse photography . Please inform yourself beforehand about the correct choice of aperture / shutter and interval times . If one chooses the HDR flag, the app will release the shutter during the whole interval. That means, if camera is set e.g to picture effect HDR Painting, app will trigger 3 pictures, that will proccessed to one picture by camera and transferred to Android device.
WARNING: time-lapse photography can be incurred due to the large number of images very large amounts of data. Please check BEFORE the session, if there is enough free space available on your Android device . To prevent your device goes into deep sleep mode , this mode is RCCDroidPro Unignore at the beginning of a time recording. This can result in a long time at a higher battery consumption of your Android device!
Please remember that the transmission of the images and the management of the camera during the timer recording time need. Therefore intervals under 2s . ( for JPG) and under 10s. not be possible ( for RAW) . Please keep in mind that there is a recommendation to make the interval at least twice as large as the shutter speed.
Note: If the software you use to create time-lapse movies need a special format of the file name , so you could turn off the time stamp prefix of RCCDroidPro via the settings.
5.2.3 Extended HDR
This mode extends the built-in HDR capabilities of your camera to the effect that the number of images and the EV spacing are much more dynamic adjustable , as the standard program of your camera. Please adjust first the parameters from the Settings menu:
The following values can be changed:
- Number of images ( 3-13)
- EV - distance ( 0-4)
Then set your camera to manual mode (M ) and set any combination of aperture / shutter speed to obtain a balanced exposure as possible . When triggered RCCDroid Pro first checks whether the physical limits of the camera are respected and image capturing were turned on. If this is the case, then a photo is shot with the current exposure of the camera first. After that, the app automatically changes the shutter speed (depending on the EV spacing) and it is again in each case taken a picture with the new exposure. This process is repeated until all necessary images have been recorded. Between shots , there are small breaks, because the camera is not able to process a command to change the shutter speed during an exposure . At the end of the HDR series switches back to the original exposure. In this series it is especially important to keep the camera and the lens still, since a certain time passes until the end. We recommend you bother with the built-in HDR capabilities of your camera to familiarize yourself before you use the advanced options of the app.
5.2.4 Video
In this mode RCCDroid Pro is used solely and alone as a trigger to start the video recording. The videos are stored on the internal memory card of your camera.
5.2.5 Bulb Intervalometer
In this mode, you can perform continuous shooting with a large exposure time ( also > 30s). The shutter speeds are controlled by the app , so the camera must be submitted in advance to the Bulb mode. This mode is particularly suitable for the so-called Star Trail Photography . Between the shots ( if wanted ) again an automatic EV change are given , which can also be HDR series realized with long exposure times. The calculation of the correct exposure periods is not done automatically , but lies entirely in your hands.
6. Other Features
6.1 GPS:
In the Settings app , you can select whether you want to write your current position in the EXIF data of your JPG images . If this option is selected, is RCCDoidPro offer you a dialog from which you can manage the GPS settings of your Android device. If a GPS fix found , the current position is written into the EXIF data of the images. There are some apps in the Google Play Store , with which it is possible this display EXIF data (and even the position in a map display ), eg Photo Editor.
You can check if a GPS fix could be created by selecting the Options menu ' GPS ' . Here it is also possible to check the position on the map.
ATTENTION! Unfortunately, the Android GPS interface is not entirely error- free, which means that when writing the GPS data other Exif data is lost (especially the SONY specific data. Therefore we recommend you to GPS activation in RCCDroidPro deal only very sparingly and at a location with GPS to fill possibly only a few jpg images data. If you are the diverse exif data is very important in a picture , please do not include this option (it would also be an alternative JPG + RAW take together to both data sets to have available ) .
6.2 Soundtrigger
If the sound trigger is activated, the app will scan the background noise at regular intervals. If a certain threshold is exceeded, the shutter is released automatically . With this feature an acoustic remote triggering is possible. Request trigger once your models by a loud noise itself (eg, clapping) . Especially group shots get a whole new dynamic when this function is enabled. The achieved noise values are displayed with a percentage output on the shot button.
Attention! Avoid low thresholds to prevent mass shooting. It is possible to activate a delay in the settings for the sound trigger to avoid that the contact noise result in the setting for tripping .
6.3 Focus Trap:
This function is available only in manual focus mode available. Set the AF point in the camera settings to spot metering . Once an object is in the focus area and a focus can be set , triggers the camera. With the sharpness case, you can , for example, Take self-portraits with the correct focus. One other area of operation is the Überwachungsfotgrafie . Focus manually on a focal plane and let your camera automatically shoot a picture when an object appears in the focal plane . Even in normal everyday photography makes the sharpness case good services. You only need to focus on the object , focus manually and do not have to worry about tripping . Fast moving objects, you will not be able to capture with the edge of the case , since the determination of the focus requires a certain amount of time .
6.4 Wireless control via Bluetooth:
There may be situations where it is desirable RCCDroid trigger wirelessly over a longer distance . All you need another Android device that is Bluetooth-enabled .
Before you can use the client , your two devices must be paired via Bluetooth. This is completely separate from the RCCDroid apps. Please consult the manual of your devices.
Important: Without proper pairing of your Android devices through the Android settings remote control via Bluetooth will not be possible .
Install please RCCClient , an app that you can download from the Google Play free on the Android device that client should work as Bluetooth. Android the device, which is connected to the camera , the software does not need. It can work on RCCDroidPro as a server.
Now start RCCDroidPro and select the Settings activating the Bluetooth server. If Bluetooth is not enabled function , a branch is here in the settings of the BT .
Start now RCCClient on another Android device. It all paired devices are now being sought. Select the device that is running RCCDroidPro from .
Please check this device can not be found by the client , so the pairing and the Bluetooth settings.
After you have selected the server, the client will try to establish a connection . If this was successful, the shot button is displayed in blue on the client. The Bluettoth display on the server will also change from green to blue. From now on a remote triggering via the client can take place. The image is recorded on the server and ONLY stored there. A thumbnail but is transferred to the client , so there is a possibility to see on the client , if a picture was taken and whether the neck meets the requirements.
Note:
On the client, images are not saved !
Please Stop the client at the end of the session and turn Bluetooth off again manually to prevent a high Batterieverbauch .
6.5 Phototrap
There is a new functionality in RCCClient called Phototrap. It is possible to use the camera of the Android device, where RCCClient is running, as a motion detector, to trigger shots on Sony Alpha via Bluetooth.
Please pair RCCDroidPro and RCCClient as usual. There is a new option in RCCClient ‘Toggle Motion Detection’. Touch on this option and a camera preview will be visible. Please use this preview to setup an area, that has to be monitored by the camera of the client. Please push the Shot button to activate motion detection (there will be a delay of 5s until detection will start, to prevent mass shots because of pushing the button). After that,every change in the preview picture will cause a shutter release on the server RCCDroidPro. This function is still experimental. In the future it will be possible to adjust delay and thresholds for motion detection.
7. Anhang
RCCDroid-Mode Bel.Zeit Bildfolgemodus Bel.-Programm
Camera Camera Camera Kamera
Timer Camera Single Camera
Extended HDR Camera Single Camera
Video Camera - Kamera
Bulb Interval. RCCDroid Single nur M + Bulb
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