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12-09-2016, 08:06 AM - 1 Like   #1
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Tethering support and or API release for K-50 and others

When I bought my K-50 I did so based on it's good low light performance, watertight chassis and availability of inexpensive large "old school" lenses all of which made it seem like a real winner for astrophotography(AP). It didn't take long to discover that tethering support, while apparently still having a command structure, was unstable at best no longer being supported, Which has since forced me to buy another brand for my telescope...which is a crying shame considering how much I love the k-50.

*** Is there any hope of getting tethering fixed in a future firmware update? ****

Solutions include tweaking it to match previous versions so apps like pktriggercord and Gphoto will be able to add it to their lists or compatible cameras, and or releasing an api to the open source community and letting us take over from there.

Also, while I'm plugging for updates. giving us more than 30 seconds of open shutter time would be very easy.

Thanks for your support!

12-09-2016, 02:21 PM   #2
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Thank you very much for your post. We gladly welcome product and or firmware update suggestions. Please send them via email @ TSSCricohimaging@ricoh-usa.com please put in the subject “Suggestions” Thank you for being a valued Ricoh Customer.
12-09-2016, 03:03 PM   #3
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QuoteOriginally posted by BigRed Quote
Thank you very much for your post. We gladly welcome product and or firmware update suggestions. Please send them via email @ TSSCricohimaging@ricoh-usa.com please put in the subject “Suggestions” Thank you for being a valued Ricoh Customer.
Will do!
12-09-2016, 03:20 PM   #4
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Thank you.

10-12-2017, 11:54 AM   #5
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I second this request. I’ll write to the email as well.
08-08-2018, 08:55 AM   #6
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Followup on this. After working to get tethering support without help from Ricoh, They did eventually release an SDK but it doesn't cover the majority of "consumer" cameras, includinig my k-50 so 2 years later I still can't use it on my AP telescope setup the way I'd like to...instead I've been using ZWO. Come on guys! fix this for your most loyal fans!
08-25-2018, 07:21 AM - 1 Like   #7
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I found about tethering: Lightroom Tethering not supported because of Pentax - PentaxForums.com

Lightroom plugin is for KP and K1s.

08-26-2018, 08:18 AM   #8
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QuoteOriginally posted by pxt Quote
I found about tethering: Lightroom Tethering not supported because of Pentax - PentaxForums.com

Lightroom plugin is for KP and K1s.
They are limiting tethering to flagship models. I'm hoping if enough dedicated Pentaxians shame Ricoh for this behavior, they will take note.

as I mentioned elsewhere, I bought a Pentax because I "thought" it was the best for the job of night time and AP photography, but this opinion is changing with the lack of support.

I'm using an old canon t1 on my telescope for tethered wide field astrophotography because I could not afford to buy a flagship model. My entire rig costs less than a k1.

Now I'm about fed up and looking at buying a dedicated cooled ZWO aps-c or full frame instead. Take note Ricoh. money is flying out the window because of this draconian practice.
08-27-2018, 12:55 PM   #9
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QuoteOriginally posted by blues_hawk Quote
flagship models
Recent models. Every camera since the K-3 (late 2013) has supported some sort of native tethering.


I'm hoping that starting with the KP, every future APS-C model will support the USB interface as well.

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08-27-2018, 02:45 PM   #10
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QuoteOriginally posted by Adam Quote
Recent models. Every camera since the K-3 (late 2013) has supported some sort of native tethering.


I'm hoping that starting with the KP, every future APS-C model will support the USB interface as well.
I have to disagree here as there is much evidence to the contrary, including my own efforts at libGphoto and pkTriggercord gits.

I hope they come around also. I'm afraid though that the move to wifi upload only systems is taking precedent,
...because we all need instagram uploads of 50 culls(sarcasm) :P
08-27-2018, 03:09 PM   #11
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QuoteOriginally posted by blues_hawk Quote
much evidence to the contrary
What do you mean?

Whether it's wired or wireless, ideally any API should offer a broad range of functionality.

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08-27-2018, 04:04 PM   #12
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QuoteOriginally posted by Adam Quote
What do you mean?

Whether it's wired or wireless, ideally any API should offer a broad range of functionality.
Ideally yes, and ordinarily I would agree, has been pointing to less function and more automation based on what I've seen on the development side. As the newer cameras came out less and less tethering functions could be made to work. This includes the loss of preview modes and bulb, which kills it for AP...which is what got me posting about this originally. Pentax isn't alone in this remix of communications options, Canon has backstepped their tethering as well. For example, no or not working preview mode in new models due to undocumented protocol changes. Their mirrorless eos-m was a disaster, locked out completely "to protect higher end model sales" according to one representative I talked to. Marcus has newer ones working though...(Boggle)

Wifi access is much slower than usb tethering. 10-12 seconds per shot is pretty slow. This means wifi connections will primarily be useful for instant in the field uploads via cellphone, something which, in my opinion, high end users are less likely to do.

The recently released SDK only included a compiled binary with some rudimentary linking which only works in a few cameras. When I asked Libgphoto2 developer Marcus Meissner about this he said he couldn't use it due to the compiled binary and it would again require reverse engineering to start. - that's not what an SDK is supposed to do.
Support for Pentax K-50 · Issue #31 · gphoto/libgphoto2 · GitHub <--this might require coffee

I'm really only involved because even after getting some older cameras to tether and bulb(a recent breakthrough made by A.Solomon at PkTriggercord) my k-50 was the one camera that wouldn't ... very frustrating after all that research and testing work.

So this is why I disagree that they all support tethering. I hope you can understand my frustration. Enjoying the forum btw. Some nice folks here
08-27-2018, 06:43 PM   #13
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QuoteOriginally posted by blues_hawk Quote
Ideally yes, and ordinarily I would agree, has been pointing to less function and more automation based on what I've seen on the development side. As the newer cameras came out less and less tethering functions could be made to work. This includes the loss of preview modes and bulb, which kills it for AP...which is what got me posting about this originally. Pentax isn't alone in this remix of communications options, Canon has backstepped their tethering as well. For example, no or not working preview mode in new models due to undocumented protocol changes. Their mirrorless eos-m was a disaster, locked out completely "to protect higher end model sales" according to one representative I talked to. Marcus has newer ones working though...(Boggle)

Wifi access is much slower than usb tethering. 10-12 seconds per shot is pretty slow. This means wifi connections will primarily be useful for instant in the field uploads via cellphone, something which, in my opinion, high end users are less likely to do.

The recently released SDK only included a compiled binary with some rudimentary linking which only works in a few cameras. When I asked Libgphoto2 developer Marcus Meissner about this he said he couldn't use it due to the compiled binary and it would again require reverse engineering to start. - that's not what an SDK is supposed to do.
Support for Pentax K-50 · Issue #31 · gphoto/libgphoto2 · GitHub <--this might require coffee

I'm really only involved because even after getting some older cameras to tether and bulb(a recent breakthrough made by A.Solomon at PkTriggercord) my k-50 was the one camera that wouldn't ... very frustrating after all that research and testing work.

So this is why I disagree that they all support tethering. I hope you can understand my frustration. Enjoying the forum btw. Some nice folks here
Makes sense. Until Pentax figures out what to do next, have you given the KP any thought? If offers the full range of tethering functionality through IT2.

Another nice feature, for astro, is the built-in bulb up to 20 minutes.

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08-27-2018, 08:50 PM - 1 Like   #14
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QuoteOriginally posted by Adam Quote
Makes sense. Until Pentax figures out what to do next, have you given the KP any thought? If offers the full range of tethering functionality through IT2.

Another nice feature, for astro, is the built-in bulb up to 20 minutes.
Yeah, I was just poking at it today, but It's a hefty chunk of change for me...the chicken coop gets cold. It does look like it would make a good one with that tilt screen and high sensitivity, but even with that one I would have to work to get it integrated with indilib to run with my other projects - but then everyone could use the drivers...the power of opensource! There are also some good dedicated options to consider for my needs in that price range, though I'd love to see more pentaxians in the AP groups. I know three..and we're all the same kind of nuts. and limber. I've actually laid under th scope to work the thing on targets near azimuth(straight up). Dedication. :P
Pentax the red does very well the rest of the time. I tested the seals sweating in the heat yesterday, climbed up to a ridge to get some landscape pics in what turned out to be challenging lighting. It's smiling.

I diy most of my astro gear to save money. --long story. I may do an article on it sometime.

When I use my k-50 for night duties like those star trails I just did, I use an external intervalometer to get longer than 30 seconds per frame so that feature in a higher end cameras would also get used.. I'm building an inexpensive barn door tracker with some cool tricks(bluetooth/phone app/arduino/stepper). I hope to have it working by the time Andromeda gets high enough in the evening to shoot in the next month or so.
08-28-2018, 03:36 AM   #15
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QuoteOriginally posted by blues_hawk Quote
Yeah, I was just poking at it today, but It's a hefty chunk of change for me...the chicken coop gets cold. It does look like it would make a good one with that tilt screen and high sensitivity, but even with that one I would have to work to get it integrated with indilib to run with my other projects - but then everyone could use the drivers...the power of opensource! There are also some good dedicated options to consider for my needs in that price range, though I'd love to see more pentaxians in the AP groups. I know three..and we're all the same kind of nuts. and limber. I've actually laid under th scope to work the thing on targets near azimuth(straight up). Dedication. :P
Pentax the red does very well the rest of the time. I tested the seals sweating in the heat yesterday, climbed up to a ridge to get some landscape pics in what turned out to be challenging lighting. It's smiling.

I diy most of my astro gear to save money. --long story. I may do an article on it sometime.

When I use my k-50 for night duties like those star trails I just did, I use an external intervalometer to get longer than 30 seconds per frame so that feature in a higher end cameras would also get used.. I'm building an inexpensive barn door tracker with some cool tricks(bluetooth/phone app/arduino/stepper). I hope to have it working by the time Andromeda gets high enough in the evening to shoot in the next month or so.
Hi @blues_hawk, sounds like you are suffering like the rest of us astrophotographers. A friend who also has a K-5 has been sharing the pain.

I was lucky enough to have bought a K-5 II years ago and it just happens to be an excellent AP camera - I would even venture to say the best. So good in fact that I spent another $300 US or so for a full spectrum modification. You might think about buying one second hand - I modded my K-5 and bought a second hand K-3 for regular photography!

After a couple of years of dealing with lack of software support on the Pentax, I would say that at this point, there is only one real need for tethering and thats to work with plate solving, which I use for alignment and to zero in on my targets. If you don't do plate solving, that is you do alignment and target framing manually. Then the intervalometer is all you really need. You can preview your shots on camera and these computer-less setups are much less frustrating to deal with - I had often thought I should have stuck to the manual methods.

For focusing I still use live view - I can put my K-5 into live view mode without causing hang-ups with GPhoto2 - just have to remember to put it back to bulb mode before trying to take a pic or it WILL hang.

Cheers
Greg
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