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A480 - Motion detection trigger photo and automatic upload to PC? Film Scanning?

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Offline gordonmcdowell

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A480 - Motion detection trigger photo and automatic upload to PC? Film Scanning?
« on: 07 / April / 2010, 20:17:43 »
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I'm reviewing the CHDK scripting options for a Canon A480, and I'm not sure what I want is doable.

I'd like to scan 8mm film in. I was thinking by moving film SLOWLY across either the CCD (directly over top of it) or the camera's field of view. Perhaps CHDK could determine when a new frame is positioned more-or-less correctly.

There's a nice sprocket hole on the side of 8mm film, so I really only need to detect when a range of pixels is bright (after having been dark). I could later use PC image stabilization software against sprocket hole positions to make all the frames line up perfectly... so it doesn't have to be perfect. But I would like the camera to snap 1 photo per frame of film.

I assume I would need "MX3's Motion Detection Build" for that? How do I acquire MX3 for A480?

My attempt was changing this URL...

mighty-hoernsche.de/bins/a480-100b-0.9.9-885-full.zip

...to this...

mighty-hoernsche.de/bins/a480-100b-0.9.9-865-MX3.zip

...and well nope. Is it possible to get MX3 on the Canon A480? Do I really need it, or is there some other way of detecting that the film is in a good position to snap a photo of a frame?

Also, it is not clear to me how to push a photo that has just been taken on to a PC via USB cable. Does that need to be remotely scripted from the PC? I was hoping to have all the decision making in the camera itself. And a memory card will quickly fill up.

Thanks for any direction on this. -Gord
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Offline reyalp

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Re: A480 - Motion detection trigger photo and automatic upload to PC? Film Scanning?
« Reply #1 on: 07 / April / 2010, 23:20:21 »
The current autobuilds include the latest motion detection stuff.  The old mx3 branch is obsolete (as is much of the info on the wiki. Sorry :()

You might be able to detect the sprocket holes by just restricting MD to a small area and measuring testing luminosity with a high trigger threshold. Test mode should let you figure this out. I suggest experimenting with the MDFB script, which lets you set most of the relevant options in the menu.

If your film transport stops for each frame, you might be able to do reverse motion detection (that is, take a picture when no motion has been detected for at least X time). I think you could script this with existing md parameters.

Quote
Also, it is not clear to me how to push a photo that has just been taken on to a PC via USB cable. Does that need to be remotely scripted from the PC? I was hoping to have all the decision making in the camera itself. And a memory card will quickly fill up.
There isn't any easy way to do this. The camera normally won't allow shooting when it's plugged into USB. Some canon cameras allow PC remote control (without CHDK), but not the recent cheap ones.

There is experimental work on USB control within CHDK: http://chdk.setepontos.com/index.php/topic,4338.0.html
Note that this requires a special build of CHDK, and doesn't directly let you push from the camera to the PC. However, you could probably rig something up to copy the files while the camera does the shooting.

ISTR that some people have also managed to get some cameras to switch to PTP mode and back again with CHDK, but I don't remember the details.

You might consider http://www.eye.fi/ as an alternative.

Note that the camera will probably want re-booting after a few thousands (or tens of thousands) of frames even if the card isn't filled up.
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Offline fudgey

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Re: A480 - Motion detection trigger photo and automatic upload to PC? Film Scanning?
« Reply #2 on: 08 / April / 2010, 14:24:33 »
Quote from: reyalp on 07 / April / 2010, 23:20:21
If your film transport stops for each frame, you might be able to do reverse motion detection (that is, take a picture when no motion has been detected for at least X time). I think you could script this with existing md parameters.

4 days till the 2-year anniversary of this old thing :xmas : http://chdk.setepontos.com/index.php/topic,1046.0.html

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Offline Microfunguy

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Re: A480 - Motion detection trigger photo and automatic upload to PC? Film Scanning?
« Reply #3 on: 08 / April / 2010, 14:36:53 »
Quote from: fudgey on 08 / April / 2010, 14:24:33

4 days till the 2-year anniversary of this old thing :xmas : http://chdk.setepontos.com/index.php/topic,1046.0.html


This is supported by SDM uBasic commands 'shoot_when_camera_steady'  and 'shoot_when_no_movement_for'  :-

http://stereo.jpn.org/eng/sdm/ubasic.htm


David
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Offline gordonmcdowell

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Re: A480 - Motion detection trigger photo and automatic upload to PC? Film Scanning?
« Reply #4 on: 13 / April / 2010, 22:28:59 »
reyalp & Microfunguy,

I am hoping to keep the film transport moving, just extremely slowly. That might make for poor quality, but it'll be my first approach.
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Offline csavery

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Re: A480 - Motion detection trigger photo and automatic upload to PC? Film Scanning?
« Reply #5 on: 14 / April / 2010, 13:17:23 »
I'm new to CHDK but I have a suggestion on how to auto-upload to your PC.

You could try using Eye-Fi - this is a special SD card that has a wifi adapter in it and is designed to copy any photos in it to your home PC using wifi. I don't know about if it's compatible with CHDK or would interfere. But on it's own it would do what you want. The new "X2 Connect" version will delete them after if you like so your SD memory appears endless to the camera.

But even with the current "Home" model you could probably make the script delete old images when the card is full.

Anyway, when I saw what you needed this idea popped up.

Chris :)
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Offline gordonmcdowell

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Re: A480 - Motion detection trigger photo and automatic upload to PC? Film Scanning?
« Reply #6 on: 14 / April / 2010, 13:37:12 »
csavery,

That was suggested as part of an earlier reply above. I will definitely be trying that (after I nail sprocket hole detection) as it does sound (by far) like the easiest way to go.

Thanks, -g
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Offline mazingaZ

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Re: A480 - Motion detection trigger photo and automatic upload to PC? Film Scanning?
« Reply #7 on: 16 / August / 2010, 03:27:19 »
The main problem is that the card will erase the uploaded images only when you will turn off and then turn on the camera. Of course this is useless if you want to shoot a very long time lapse.
So I'm wondering if is possible to write a script that can delete the oldest images on the card as soon as
the capacity of the card has reached a % inputed by the user.

I'm really interested to get this feature.
Please let me know if this is possible and thanks in advance!!!


Quote from: csavery on 14 / April / 2010, 13:17:23
I'm new to CHDK but I have a suggestion on how to auto-upload to your PC.

You could try using Eye-Fi - this is a special SD card that has a wifi adapter in it and is designed to copy any photos in it to your home PC using wifi. I don't know about if it's compatible with CHDK or would interfere. But on it's own it would do what you want. The new "X2 Connect" version will delete them after if you like so your SD memory appears endless to the camera.

But even with the current "Home" model you could probably make the script delete old images when the card is full.

Anyway, when I saw what you needed this idea popped up.

Chris :)
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Offline fudgey

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Re: A480 - Motion detection trigger photo and automatic upload to PC? Film Scanning?
« Reply #8 on: 16 / August / 2010, 17:02:32 »
Quote from: mazingaZ on 16 / August / 2010, 03:27:19
So I'm wondering if is possible to write a script that can delete the oldest images on the card as soon as
the capacity of the card has reached a % inputed by the user.

Yes it is.
http://chdk.setepontos.com/index.php/topic,3370.msg31178.html#msg31178
http://chdk.setepontos.com/index.php/topic,3291.msg34010.html#msg34010

However do note that the camera will not know that you have deleted the images. Hence it will not free the RAM required for file tables of those images. At least my camera that will eventually crash when it runs out of RAM (if I recall correctly, this will happen while creating the fifth DCIM folder for the 8001th image if file numbering was reset). This means that you'll have to reboot every now and then, you can't just leave the thing running for a few years in a factory. Rebooting can be automated for dryos cams, though (might not be included in CHDK builds yet, but PTP feature devel code has shown a way).
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Offline mazingaZ

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Re: A480 - Motion detection trigger photo and automatic upload to PC? Film Scanning?
« Reply #9 on: 17 / August / 2010, 18:47:54 »
Hey fudgey,
Thank you so much!!!!!!

I'm using a g9 so maybe in the close future this could be available?

I really hope so. This feauture in conjunction with an eye-fi card would be incredible!!!!!

Please keep me updated if you will have any news on it!!!
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