Digital Camera/Mac

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Hi everyone,

I want to use my digital camera to make stop motion animation. The only problem I am having is that I'd like to use the make to operate the camera. At least to be able to see the image on the Mac before I shoot. It would be ideal if I could use the Mac to actually take the picture rather than using the button on the camera. This would prevent the camera accidentally moving.

Both iPhoto and Image capture are no good.

Any ideas would be wonderful.

Jeff
 
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I have done some stop motion work before, and from my experience, a photo camera really isn't going to work for this. You would need a video camera to do stop motion and get decent results.
I know some camera have video features, so I guess if your digital camera had an s-video output, you might be able to hook it up to the Mac, and use iMovie to see the shot...but you would still need to use the camera's controls to take the shot. You wouldn't be able to do this from the Mac itself.
But regardless of what type of camera you use, I would suggest getting a tripod of some sort to stabilize the camera. This will help keep the camera from losing its position.
 
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what kind of digicam do you have?

a tripod is a must for this project.
if your camera has a timer you can press the button re-align everything quickly and then let it take the shot...

or, you can see if there is a digital camera remote control you can use with your camera, that will eliminate any camera movement
-chris
 
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I have done alot of stop motion. I do not see the need for using a video camera since in my experiences I have not used a video camera even though I have always had one available.. I have always used a High Mega Pixel camera and got good results. Just make sure the move things very little, the less you move things the more frames you will have a second and the better your results.
 
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Thanks everyone. I know exactly what I'm doing. I've done stop motion for years both with film and using a video camera. A still camera will give me much better results as well as control. I would suspect I was told to use a video camera for motion but that will all be done on the Mac once I should the individual frames shot.

Like I said, I would just like a way to operate the camera using the Mac to aviod movement with the camera.
 
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what about something like the Isight, well any dv cam would work as well, but opening up Imovie, and taking the snapshot from there, you would be able to see what your looking at and soforth. just a thought.
 
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Not sure if I follow.

I tried to use iMovie (I can with the DV video camera) but not with a digital camera. Maybe I'm doing something wrong?

Thanks
 
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Underbelly said:
Not sure if I follow.

I tried to use iMovie (I can with the DV video camera) but not with a digital camera. Maybe I'm doing something wrong?

Thanks

What I'm suspecting is that, with video footage you can grab the frames that you want from the Mac, like picking and choosing the best ones. So maybe just leave the camera on while you move the objects into their different poses, then choose your frames afterwards? Of course, that kind of changes the whole aesthetic of doing stop motion work, maybe. I have absolutely no experience with this, so I'm just thinking out loud.
 
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Thanks but like I said, I am not using a video camera. (I have but the results are poor). All I want to know if anyone knows of a way to control a digital camera with a Mac. Forget animation, forget video. I know what I'm doing there.

But thanks, really, for everyones willingness to help!

Jeff
 

rman


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I beleive the problem with iMovie is the default 5 or 6 second viewing rate per image. I am using version 4 of iMovie and have not figure out how to cut that time down. Maybe in version 5, you can adjust it.
 
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I am not using iMovie and iMovie has nothing to do with my question. While I welcome and appreciate the help, my question has nothing to do with Imovie, how to do stop motion animation or anything like that. It is simply a question of using a Still Digital Camera with a Mac, using the Mac to control the camera. Please, I know my mac friends are trying to help but you are not reading my question.

I know how to animate video and have done so many times.

Thanks everyone but please read my question before you answer.

rman, you can view still clips in any iMovie at 1/15 a second. You can only import it into iMovie at 5 seconds but one there, you can change it.

Jeff
 
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Underbelly said:
It is simply a question of using a Still Digital Camera with a Mac, using the Mac to control the camera. Please, I know my mac friends are trying to help but you are not reading my question.
I understood the question...:black:
me said:
you would still need to use the camera's controls to take the shot. You wouldn't be able to do this from the Mac itself.
...as did some others
coach_z said:
a tripod is a must for this project.
if your camera has a timer you can press the button re-align everything quickly and then let it take the shot...

or, you can see if there is a digital camera remote control you can use with your camera, that will eliminate any camera movement
-chris
Essentially, what you are asking is impractical and close to impossible, as there are a plethora of digital still cameras on the market, all with different functions and manufacturer software versions. Perhaps the manufacturer of your camera might have some software that you could install, but I wouldn't count on it. You could always check out their site.
 
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once again what kind of digital camera do you have????????????

okay, lets see what google could have told you
(this may or may not work with whatever version of iphoto and osx you have)
Take Pictures Remotely

With iPhoto 4, you can easily share photo libraries with anyone on your local network. But what if you need to share photos with someone who isn't on your network -- a client or a family member in another city, for example? If your Mac has its own, publicly accessible IP address, you can share a digital camera's contents over the Internet.

With a camera connected and turned on, choose Image Capture: Preferences, click on the Sharing tab, and select the Enable Web-Sharing option. Note the IP address listed under this option (see "Share It"). Anyone on the Internet can open Safari, type that IP address into the address bar, and peep at the contents of your Mac's digital camera.

In some cases, you can take this a step further and even control your digital camera remotely: you can spy on the room where the camera is, taking snapshots on demand. (Some cameras that support this feature are the Canon PowerShot A60, A70, S400, S50, and G5; the HP Photosmart C618 and 912; the Kodak DC280, DC4800, and DC5000; and the Nikon D1, D1X, and D1H.)

To set this up, return to ImageCapture's Sharing preference pane, on the camera the Mac is connected to. Activate the Share My Devices option and select the camera. On the receiving Mac, open Image Capture and choose Browse Shared Devices from the Devices menu. Click on the disclosure triangle, select the camera, and click on OK. If your camera is one of the compatible models, the Remote Monitor tab will spring to life, offering buttons for controlling the camera -- Delete, Take Picture, and so on.

If you click on the Remote Monitor tab, you see, at full size, whatever the camera is seeing; the image is updated every minute. (The pictures are blasted to you via the Internet but aren't captured on the camera's memory card.) Click on the light-switch icon to change the shutter interval. -- david pogue
 
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I have Nikon (don't have the model number with me). Thanks for the info. I'll try it as soon as I get home. Sorry about not responding. I thought you were just giving me more advice about how to shoot animation. (Read all the other responses here).

I've played around with iphoto and didn't see a way but maybe this will do the trick.

Thanks Much coach_z!
 

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