"Virtual Cam" support for Raw (DSLR) files

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BobHehmann
Posts: 17
Joined: Thu Sep 16, 2021 11:17 pm
Location: Moorpark, California, USA

"Virtual Cam" support for Raw (DSLR) files

#1

Post by BobHehmann »

As a Sony DSLR user (older A700), I find I'm I'm in purdah regarding remote camera control. I can use Sony's tethering software to place Sony-format camera raw files in a known Windows directory. But I don't have a way to let SC see them, they're not in one of your supported file formats. Having the camera save JPEG images isn't really suitable.

Unfortunately, some of the common libraries for handling generic raw files might be under a non-commercial licensing, such as GNU/GPL. If that makes this unfeasible, as a fallback I may write a simple near real-time poller to watch a (configurable) directory, convert the files to something SC understands (TIFF?), and write them to another known/configurable directory, which could then in-turn be watched by your virtual camera feature.

Cheers, Bob

PS - great bit of software, can't wait to step up to a dedicated astro-camera an unleash the beast! It is worth the price today just for the super-easy fine polar alignment. I'm just re-entering AP as a hobby after a 30-year hiatus, so everything digital is new to me. My last real AP session was on top of Mt. Pinos (2600 meters), sub-freezing, hand guiding my C-11 while exposing self-hypered Tech-Pan film while hoping to avoid someone driving to the site with their headlights on, ruining everyone's 30-60 minutes exposures (to be followed by much creative use of the mother tongue, not suitable for this form :roll: ).
Cheers, Bob
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admin
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Re: "Virtual Cam" support for Raw (DSLR) files

#2

Post by admin »

Hi Bob,

I think at least one other user on here has gone down the route of creating a script to convert raw images to TIFF or FITS as they arrive from the camera as you are suggesting. Have a look at this thread which might be useful : viewtopic.php?t=2178

I have the ability to read DSLR RAW images on my list of potential new features - I would probably just run DCRAW via its command line in the background to convert before loading a PNG or TIFF. That would sidestep any GPL requirements as the GPL applies to linking components together to make an application rather than to one application using another.

I'm too young to have done any film based deep sky imaging. Aside from the obvious drawbacks like manual guiding, non-reciprocality, low total sensitivity, etc, the simple fact that you did not see any results until you had packed up, gone home and processed the film must have made it a tremendous challenge!

cheers,

Robin
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