KAP & UAV Exposure Control Intervalometer Script

waterwingz

netcat65
A560 can handle a max TV of 1/2000 - Iso 80 is possible. Which leads me to my inital question - any impact when i leave the nd filter in permanently to reduce the Chance of getting overestimated pics?

The script does not support leaving the ND filter in so you would have to change the code if that is what you want to do. One caution I might suggest is to test and make sure that the ND filter actually stays in and does not reset between shots.

azery

I use a powershot A2500 for KAP. This is obviously not the most advanced or expensive camera. In a single KAP session, I can have some pictures which are over-exposed and some other pictures which are under-exposed. This made me wondering if the script would allow AEB (exposure bracketing which exists on canon EOS bodies): a single push of the shutter button (or in my case a trigger via usb) would result in three pictures: one at normal exposure, one overexposed and one underexposed (eg +1f and - 1f, but ideally the value can be set via the menu)

I dived into the script code to see if I could add this myself, but my programming skills are rather rusty and my knowledge on the internal working of a camera non-existant, so i did not immediately see a way. Inspiration could come from the HDR scripts, because for HDR, AEB is an essential component.

Any chance such function could be added?

waterwingz

azery
Any chance such function could be added?

It would be fairly simple to add that.

However, I'm wondering how useful it would be? The three shots will take 3 to 6 seconds to complete (depending on the camera type and setup). During that time, a camera swinging below a kite might move enough to make the third exposure invalid just based on the scene changing beneath it. Is this a valid concern?

azery

some thoughts:
I currently take a shot every five seconds, but this interval can be adapted (I'm using a gentles clickpan-pro), so the total time to take the three pictures would bother me less.
The displacement of the camera, resulting in another view, does also not bother me personally because:

having the exact same view is crucial for HDR, but less for this application
the ideal KAP situation is one where the line and camera are relatively stable, so the camera view should not change dramatically (obviously, such ideal circumstances are not always present)

It might be true that the gain in practice is less than one could hope for on paper (eg no HDR application), but if the cost would only be the need for a larger memory card and more time, I think I would in many occasions still use the option.

waterwingz

azery
It might be true that the gain in practice is less than one could hope for on paper (eg no HDR application), but if the cost would only be the need for a larger memory card and more time, I think I would in many occasions still use the option.

Okay - I'll add it to the next release. I'm a little busy right now with another project but if you PM me a real email address I'l shoot you a Beta test copy when I have a minute to spare.

M141

I also like to try bracketing. When shooting sunsets or similar changing situations would be handy to have some variation in exposure control between images. HDR images would be tough, but maybe possible with some luck (lots of images), good gimbal + drone and no wind.

waterwingz

M141
I also like to try bracketing. When shooting sunsets or similar changing situations would be handy to have some variation in exposure control between images. HDR images would be tough, but maybe possible with some luck (lots of images), good gimbal + drone and no wind.

Plan is to update the latest beta with that early next week. Stay tuned.

waterwingz

One final update before the official release of v3.6.

link > kap_uav.lua v3.6 Beta 15

Changes are :

adds an exposure bracketing option. Takes three shots as quickly as possible ( i.e. half press held) with user selectable +/- eV offset to the 2nd & 3rd shot
adds seperate gentwire_USB2 and pixhawk direct PWM modes
code to allow a pixhawk to control shot interval based on position over the ground at rates faster than 1 fps (camera dependant) included
high precision USB timer is now automatically enabled in USB PWM modes
continuous shooting mode (i.e. fast as possible) available in all USB control modes

I've done a bunch of regression testing using my servo simulator but the script is now complex enough that I don't really have 100% test coverage.

The next update will likely jump to v4.0 when CHDK 1.4.0 is released, allowing a number of nice new scripting tricks.

M141

waterwingz
One final update before the official release of v3.6.

Quick indoor test with CHDK 1.3.0-4228 ixus220_elph300hs 100c:
-Bracketing works nicely 😀
-Script exit doesn't work. Camera hangs and power off with lens out everytime. Same thing happen if using Menu button, 1 min timeout or number of shots to end script. In Kap log end i see nothing for this problem?:
2015Sep05 01:55:18 Script time-out reached.
2015Sep05 01:55:18 script halt requested
2015Sep05 01:55:18 Logger : log file updated.

V3.5 is ok and exit works.

Regards Jani

waterwingz

M141
-Script exit doesn't work. Camera hangs and power off with lens out everytime. Same thing happen if using Menu button, 1 min timeout or number of shots to end script. In Kap log end i see nothing for this problem?

I can't reproduce this on my A1200. But maybe you have some settings different than mine.

To help find the problem, would you use the Load default param values menu option in the Script menu to reset all your parameters, change only the Total Shot (0=infinite) setting to [ 3 ] , and then run the script and report what happens?

M141

waterwingz
To help find the problem, would you use the Load default param values menu option in the Script menu to reset all your parameters, change only the Total Shot (0=infinite) setting to [ 3 ] , and then run the script and report what happens?

No difference. Camera takes 3 shots and hangs.

blueSTAR

On the wiki page you say:

7. IS Mode Off (may not be necessary for KAP but should be off for UAV)

Why would you disable IS (that is image stabilisation, right?) for use on a UAV. I would think the contrary would result in better images. Is a camera without IS better for UAV? or is it only for optical vs. for digital?

What camera model would you recommend?

waterwingz

blueSTAR
On the wiki page you say:

7. IS Mode Off (may not be necessary for KAP but should be off for UAV)

Why would you disable IS (that is image stabilisation, right?) for use on a UAV. I would think the contrary would result in better images. Is a camera without IS better for UAV? or is it only for optical vs. for digital?

That advice comes from several places on the various UAV forums (that I can't find a link to right now of course). I believe the theory is that image stabilization is designed for the kind of motion you get from shaky hands. You'll note that the Canon camera manuals usually recommend turning it off if you are using a tripod as apparently the IS system gets confused if there is no motion at all. For a UAV, I think its the same issue - the types of vibration (high frequency) and movement are not what the IS system expects to see.

What camera model would you recommend?

The ixus220 , sx260 , s100 and s110 are all CHDK enabled cameras that seem popular for that application. YMMV.

azery

I very briefly tested the new beta with braceting function. In summary: it works on my camera (powershot A2500)

The longer story:

test 1
First attempt failed with the error:
started
:158 attempt to call global 'get_sd_over_modes' (
a nil value)
terminated
kap uav 3.6b15

As I was running an older chdk version (chdk 1.3.0-3416), I upgraded to the latest version (422😎 and tested again.

test2 (now on chdk build 422😎
with default parameters (no bracketing): script works

test3 (now on chdk build 422😎

exposure bracketing +/-1.00
shot interval set to 5 seconds instead of 15s
Focus @ Infinity : checked
allow us of ND filter? No

script runs without problems
pictures are taken (in the order +0, -1, +1)
the camera takes almost continously pictures: taking an writing the pictures to memory card is indeed not very fast on my little camera

I'll take it out on my kite if the weather gets nicer (which will not be in the comming days according to the forecasts), to test it on my kap rig with my most often used parameters (as above, but with screen off, triggered by usb). As one burst of shots now almost takes 5s, I'll also have to check how to set the timing of the usb-trigger to avoid taking pictures while the rig is moving.

Thank you very much for implementing the feature...

waterwingz

M141

waterwingz
To help find the problem, would you use the Load default param values menu option in the Script menu to reset all your parameters, change only the Total Shot (0=infinite) setting to [ 3 ] , and then run the script and report what happens?

No difference. Camera takes 3 shots and hangs.

I just tested with four different cameras (A1200, G10, S100, Powershot N) using the configuration I described and I still can't reproduce your issue.

To make it more "interesting", the code that runs after the last message you show in your log :

2015Sep05 01:55:18    Logger : log file updated.

is identical to the code in v3.5 (that you report as working).

One thing that has changed between v3.5 and v3.6 is that the script has become a little larger. I did a quick scan of the porting thread for the ixus220_elph300hs and it does not seem to have a lot of memory compared to some other cameras. Let's try a "loader" script - a small script that loads a larger script such that it takes up a lot less memory. This will no longer be needed in CHDK 1.4.0 (when it finally gets released) but will work for 1.3.0. Simply install the loader script like you would any other script on your SD card (in the same folder as the kap_uav.lua script) and run it.

kloader.lua

3.07KB

waterwingz

azery
As I was running an older chdk version (chdk 1.3.0-3416), I upgraded to the latest version (422😎 and tested again.

Thanks for that note. The script tries to check that the CHDK version used is new enough but I must have missed updating that check when I added the get_sd_over_modes( ) call. I'll fix that in the official release.

the camera takes almost continously pictures: taking an writing the pictures to memory card is indeed not very fast on my little camera

The best most Powershots will do taking normal picture (i.e. not in continuous or Canon burst modes) is about 2 seconds per shot. Cheap ones are a little slower than expensive models but not by much (a few 1/10s of a second maybe). The script tried to take all three bracketing shots as quickly as possible by holding the "half press" down and using the initial exposure and focus info to set exposure for all three shots. But it really can't make the camera work any faster than that.

azery

I do not think the speed (or lack thereof) will be an issue.

On the other hand, I could try to use it as an excuse to get a better camera 😀

M141

waterwingz

One thing that has changed between v3.5 and v3.6 is that the script has become a little larger. I did a quick scan of the porting thread for the ixus220_elph300hs and it does not seem to have a lot of memory compared to some other cameras. Let's try a "loader" script - a small script that loads a larger script such that it takes up a lot less memory. This will no longer be needed in CHDK 1.4.0 (when it finally gets released) but will work for 1.3.0. Simply install the loader script like you would any other script on your SD card (in the same folder as the kap_uav.lua script) and run it.

That's it! Now it works 😁 Thanks waterwingz! I tried multiple times with different settings and no more freezing. Script seems to work very well and can't wait to try it in air soon. Today couldn't because of bad weather and raining.

Btw. is there any drawbacks using this loader?

ps. Extra thx for pm reminding 😀

Regards Jani

waterwingz

M141
Btw. is there any drawbacks using this loader?

None beyond the complication of needing two files for one program. And that's why the loader functionality is now built into the Lua script engine by default in CHDK 1.4.0.

dowallin

Greetings. I'm using an S100 for UAV work. I just loaded the KAP_UAV.lua (version 3.6) Exposure control script and also the kloader.lua script. I'm using CHDK 1.3.0.4245.

I can get it to run (with or without using kloader) but I have two problems:

1.Focus: with the Focus@Infinity set to either [ ] or [@] distant images are quite blurry, yet close up images (things within ~12 inches) are quite sharp. After stopping the script, I get a brief confirmation onscreen of key parameters and regardless of whether the Focus @ Infinity option is set to [ ] or [@], it always tells me that focus is set to infinity. But the images are NOT consistent with this. Again, photos of distant landscapes are blurry and photo consisting only of things close in are quite sharp. I have all of the AF settings set to off (using the Canon menu) and I've also shut off the Image stabilization feature.

2. Shot Interval: I can't seem to take photos any faster than once every 4 seconds or so. I've tried setting the shot interval to 2 and I've also tried setting it to "Fast". Either way, the best I can get is an interval of about 4 seconds. This simple isn't fast enough to get overlapping photos with the fixed-wing UAV that I'm using. Note that I've also tried the basic Interval.lua script but this also gives me a shot interval of about 4 seconds.

My guess is that these two issues may be related in that refocusing every shot takes time and may result in the longer shot interval? I'm flying at 400 feet above ground level so locking the focus at infinity would be fine I'd think.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

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