[thibs]

With istD, K10D/K20D:

* focus, no (well yes, you could AF but not manually adjust focus of course)
* aperture/shutter etc YES
* mode (HyP, M , Av,Tv) YES
* direct file transfer and display of shot YES

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Last edited by thibs; 03-28-2010 at 01:12 AM.

[falconeye]

it's not a question of software but of hardware (ie the camera).

Well, first there must be firmware support for tethering, of course. What you called "hardware".

Then there must be a driver for Windows and MacOS. Is there a standard device "remote camera" at the OS layer out there?

Then there must be software support for this device in Lightroom etc.


None of the three is currently available. The most clever of course would be to make the Pentax device look as close as possible to a device already supported by LR.


In an interview I fail to look up now, Pentax said that they are looking at adding tethering support to the 645D. If this is going to happen and if K-7 isn't replaced by a successor model then IMHO tethering support will be added to K-7 as well. K-7 and 645D share a huge part of the same firmware.

[Slugger]

I guess i'd like to see the K7 plug into an ipad if possible. In fact, i wouldn't be surprised if Canon and Nikon are already fine tuning whatever apps they have for the iphone already. Come on Pentax, this is your market to lose here. Surely 645D users will want a really basic display like an ipad to review images on. (not that this is a huge market for them but it would be absurd to own a studio camera that doesn't do this.)

[brecklundin]

I guess i'd like to see the K7 plug into an ipad if possible. In fact, i wouldn't be surprised if Canon and Nikon are already fine tuning whatever apps they have for the iphone already. Come on Pentax, this is your market to lose here. Surely 645D users will want a really basic display like an ipad to review images on. (not that this is a huge market for them but it would be absurd to own a studio camera that doesn't do this.)

To what end? There is no practical way to move files to an IpAd as it is designed. Plus just how many people own them? Hardly worth the effort on Pentax's part if the don't already support tethering on the K7 for their largest customer base running Winows/MacOS. Remember the ipaD does not run a desktop OS but rather the iPhone OS so there is that concern as well. AppLe is never gonna let 3rd parties hack the keyboard dock for data xfer, it's not the apLlE way.

Sure it would be nice I am sure, the device is interest, though...well, not gonna get into everything wrong with the ecosystem on that device, but it's not a an ability I would count on anytime soon. But there might be hope as the rumor now is aPpLe also has a more desktop/laptop version of their Mac OS so it should also have common sense things on a portable device like a SDHC card slot or USB ports.

I think there would be some interesting uses of these true SlatePC type devices for photography.

I wonder if there would be a way to use an EyeFi card to send data to the iPad? Still need an app approved by Apple to make it happen. I just don't see many companies spending the resources for such a small portion of their potential customer base. One or two smaller companies mught do it, but even still, I don't see that as happening with the first few generations of the iPad. Sure is a pretty thing though.

[brecklundin]

Well, first there must be firmware support for tethering, of course. What you called "hardware".

Then there must be a driver for Windows and MacOS. Is there a standard device "remote camera" at the OS layer out there?

Then there must be software support for this device in Lightroom etc.


None of the three is currently available. The most clever of course would be to make the Pentax device look as close as possible to a device already supported by LR.


In an interview I fail to look up now, Pentax said that they are looking at adding tethering support to the 645D. If this is going to happen and if K-7 isn't replaced by a successor model then IMHO tethering support will be added to K-7 as well. K-7 and 645D share a huge part of the same firmware.

Thanks Falk....good info as always. And you are right about the need to the system to be in place before everything else can happen. it makes me wonder if Hoya let it be know that until Pentax started earning their keep there were not going to be funds invested in features like tethering, even on the K7...I don't count the 645D as it is a special case system which has a much different customer base who are very invested in their gear. So, it's nice to read there is much shared code between the two systems. We can at least hope.

I'll be honest that I was really ready to buy a K7 about a month back, but when going over things, the tethering issue was still there and while not ideal on the K20D, it's at least something. But the greatly improved LiveView on the K7 somewhat works around how I use tethering.

[falconeye]

There is no practical way to move files to an IpAd as it is designed. [...] AppLe is never gonna let 3rd parties hack the keyboard dock for data xfer, it's not the apLlE way.

I think this is a premature assessment.

iPhoneOS on the iPad and unlike on iPhone has what is called FileServices (or so).

And it features an USB port (in the form of a 29$ adapter plug) so you can physically hook up any USB device. Apple has already specified it be meant for data xfer and offers a variant with embedded SD card reader. Of course, it remains to be seen whch devices can be made to work actually.


The impact of the iPad remains to be seen. Nobody predicted a 150k app store when the iPhone launched...

[brecklundin]

Falk,

Ya got me searching a bit as I really had not been to MR or looking into iPad stuff since I was underwhelmed by the announcement. But Funny there is a new thread over there about an interesting adapter similar to what you are talking about but for cameras (prolly video but see no reason a still camera should not be possible):

iPad Camera Connection Kit Available, Ships Late April - MobileRead Forums

Might be a solution after all...but all these dongles, I am surprised by Apple allowing anything so pedestrian as a dongle. I mean, how "ugly"...perhaps dongles are the new sleek and stylish? hehehehe....

[knoxploration]

In an interview I fail to look up now, Pentax said that they are looking at adding tethering support to the 645D. If this is going to happen and if K-7 isn't replaced by a successor model then IMHO tethering support will be added to K-7 as well. K-7 and 645D share a huge part of the same firmware.

We can but hope!

I guess i'd like to see the K7 plug into an ipad if possible. In fact, i wouldn't be surprised if Canon and Nikon are already fine tuning whatever apps they have for the iphone already. Come on Pentax, this is your market to lose here. Surely 645D users will want a really basic display like an ipad to review images on. (not that this is a huge market for them but it would be absurd to own a studio camera that doesn't do this.)

No interest whatsoever here in seeing Pentax wasting time and resources developing for walled garden products that are significantly less popular outside of the US market. I'd much rather see them concentrate on Windows (and once only once Windows is done, Mac OS X) tethering software, and leave the niche gadget support to third parties.

[rawr]

Is it correct to assume that if tethering came to the K-7 or K-x it would be via the Picture Transfer Protocol (PTP) that both cameras support? PTP is also what Adobe uses to talk to Canon's and Nikons, I think.

But I don't know of a single app that makes any use of PTP for the K-x or K-7, and whether it does anything, or is indeed fully implemented in the camera.

[knoxploration]

Is it correct to assume that if tethering came to the K-7 or K-x it would be via the Picture Transfer Protocol (PTP) that both cameras support? PTP is also what Adobe uses to talk to Canon's and Nikons, I think.

But I don't know of a single app that makes any use of PTP for the K-x or K-7, and whether it does anything, or is indeed fully implemented in the camera.

While PTP is supported by the cameras, they currently power down all camera functionality when PTP is active, and basically function solely as a battery-powered card reader.

Hence there's no way to know the answer to the question, because there's no way to confirm the scope of Pentax's implementation.

[Slugger]

No interest whatsoever here in seeing Pentax wasting time and resources developing for walled garden products that are significantly less popular outside of the US market. I'd much rather see them concentrate on Windows (and once only once Windows is done, Mac OS X) tethering software, and leave the niche gadget support to third parties.

An abnormally high percentage of photographers are mac users. I don't see any reason why a developer wouldn't launch a windows and mac version simultaneously. That said, this goes beyond windows/mac debates in that, its iphone OS and camera profiles we are talking about here.

Niche product now, but touch computing is not going away any time soon, and it won't be uncommon to see it in larger screens in the very near future.

Haters will insist it is a large ipod but they are failing to see the direction this class of device is going in. The iPad can be described as "Lite Computing". Sitting couch-side with your feet up, cranking out a keynote presentation on your pad. It will be a more intimate experience. The advantage for photogs is the 10 hour battery life, and large screen.

[knoxploration]

An abnormally high percentage of photographers are mac users. I don't see any reason why a developer wouldn't launch a windows and mac version simultaneously. That said, this goes beyond windows/mac debates in that, its iphone OS and camera profiles we are talking about here.

I'd agree that there is a higher percentage of photographers using Macs (especially pros) than the general computing population, but I'd disagree if your suggestion is that there's still even remotely anywhere near as many as there are Windows users.

It makes little sense for Pentax or any company to devote the same resources to Mac software development that they do for Windows software development, until that changes.

Niche product now, but touch computing is not going away any time soon, and it won't be uncommon to see it in larger screens in the very near future.

Haters will insist it is a large ipod but they are failing to see the direction this class of device is going in. The iPad can be described as "Lite Computing". Sitting couch-side with your feet up, cranking out a keynote presentation on your pad. It will be a more intimate experience. The advantage for photogs is the 10 hour battery life, and large screen.

Entirely personal opinion. Which doesn't mean it is right *or* wrong, but it's personal opinion nonetheless -- and my personal opinion is that the iPad and its ilk will likely remain a relatively small niche (especially among photographers) for the foreseeable future.

Guess we'll see which of us is right in -- oh, say five years or so. ;-)

[kenyee]

Haters will insist it is a large ipod but they are failing to see the direction this class of device is going in.

I'd suggest it's going in a similar direction...USB 3.0 or Wireless 802.11n. The eye-fi card is a step in this direction. Someone already hacked a wireless USB 802.11n dongle so it works w/ the K10D/K20D and sending it to a netbook (similar performace as an ipad) makes it interesting as a tethered viewing station...

[falconeye]

Is it correct to assume that if tethering came to the K-7 or K-x it would be via the Picture Transfer Protocol (PTP) that both cameras support? PTP is also what Adobe uses to talk to Canon's and Nikons, I think.

That's a good question.

GPhoto lists the following Pentax cameras as supported: "Pentax Optio 33WR", "Pentax Optio 43WR", "Pentax Optio 450". So, it may well be that these P&S from Pentax support tethering while the K-7 does not

However, I should probably mention that gphoto is meant primarily for cameras which don't even support the USB mass storage protocol.

LR3 tethered capture does indeed require a Nikon be set to "USB connectivity type MTP/PTP" (MTP being the Media Transfer Protocol which is based on PTP) where AFAIK it seems to use the EOS utility library for a Canon.

However, I don't know if PTP is specified complete enough to control all relevant exposure settings. The following vendors have registered extension sets:

0×00000001 Eastman Kodak Company
0×00000002 Seiko Epson
0×00000003 Agilent Technologies, Inc
0×00000004 Polaroid Corporation
0×00000005 Agfa-Gevaert
0×00000006 Microsoft Corporation
0×00000007 Equinox Research Ltd
0×00000008 ViewQuest Technologies
0×00000009 STMicroelectronics
0×0000000A Nikon Corporation
0×0000000B Canon, Inc
0×0000000C FotoNation, Inc
0×0000000D PENTAX Corporation
0×0000000E Fuji Photo Film Co., LTD

and this includes Pentax

[knoxploration]

GPhoto lists the following Pentax cameras as supported: "Pentax Optio 33WR", "Pentax Optio 43WR", "Pentax Optio 450". So, it may well be that these P&S from Pentax support tethering while the K-7 does not

Not sure I follow the logic there. That just shows GPhoto's own compatibility, and says nothing of what the cameras themselves can do. For example, we know the K10D and K20D can be tethered, but they're not supported by GPhoto -- and a user request to add them in February seems to have gained little support:

SourceForge.net: gPhoto: Detail: 2593290 - Support for Pentax K10D/K20D

They also don't list a single Pentax camera on their list of remotely controllable cameras, ignoring the K10D/K20D:

gPhoto - Doc :: Remote controlling cameras

It seems to me that all this shows are that the developers of GPhoto either aren't aware of or aren't interested in Pentax's DSLRs, rather than suggesting that the point-and-shoots support tethering. (GPhoto isn't just for tethered shooting as far as I can see, but also for plain old PTP download -- something the K-7 is already capable of, and I'm guessing all that's actually supported for the point-and-shoots).