Hi Jasem,

My version is 2.5.9, so should be ok...i wrote this to gphoto mailinglist and i'm waiting reply.

In gphoto website i notice that the latest version is 2.5.11 that seems to improve Sony Alpha features. Maybe the 2.5.11 can solve the problem.

I would like to upgrade my version but i don't know how.

hi Jasem,
i had not reply from gphoto mailing list so, with my friend's help i upgraded libgphoto (i think).
Now apt-cache policy libgphoto2-dev is
libgphoto2-dev:
Installato: (nessuno)
Candidato: 2.5.9-3
Tabella versione:
2.5.11-1 500
500 archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu zesty/main i386 Packages
2.5.9-3 990
990 archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu xenial/main i386 Packages

in attachment the new gphoto2 --list-all-config where i can see Label: Shutter Speed.

I tried with new upgrade to take exposure <= 1 second but the problems are not solved. In attachment the log file.

Can you do something to solve the iussue with this new informations?

Thanks so much for your patience

Giuseppe

Ok, so please try to find out what GPhoto command you can now use to set the shutter speed settings and test it. As now I see this property:
But I'm not sure what the range means? It's unsigned 32bit number, is it in micro-seconds? or milliseconds? or what does it mean exactly? So take exposures, and try to set that property until you figure out how to properly take captures using gphoto2 command. Once you figured it out, let me know the command used, and the units of the shutter-speed property above and I'll incorporate it into the driver. Thanks!

At our public observatory we acquired a Sony A7S (12MPix) camera just 4 weeks ago. I got myself a Sony A7II (24MPix) We are still in testing mode with KStars/Ekos with the observatory hardware so we didn't even try to control the A7xx using Ekos. But we did some testing using gphoto2.
So here is some information about what we found out and what seems to work for A7S and A7II. (Btw the A7II registers as "Sony ILCE-7M2" with gphoto!)

a) gphoto2 support for Sony improved with version 2.5.10 and the newest 2.5.11. Current gphoto version with Ekos is 2.5.9.
For Debian the 2.5.10. version has been compiled from source by a colleague of mine. Same version comes with SUSe Leap 42.2 which I use for testing.

b) Version 2.5.10 supports some settings (--set-config) such as
gphoto2 --set-config imagesize=0 # 0="big format"; 10=middle; 2=small
gphoto2 --set-config- iso=1600 # 50 to 25600 (A7II); 409600 (A7S)
or use
gphoto2 --set-config-index iso=19 # 19=3200; 0= auto-ISO; 7=200; 10=400; 13=800;
# 16=1600; 22=6400; 25=12800
gphoto2 --set-config focusmode=0 # 0=manuell; 1=automatisch; 2=AF->C; 3=AF-A
gphoto2 --set-config whitebalance=1 # 1= Tageslicht; 0=auto; 2=shadow; 3=Wolkig
gphoto2 --set-config exposurecompensation=0 # 0=0
# flashmode funktioniert nicht MH 11.12.2016
# gphoto2 --set-config-index flashmode=0 # 0= "flash off"
gphoto2 --set-config f-number=4.0 # f-number in steps of 0.1
gphoto2 --set-config imagequality=3 # 3=RAW; 0=Standard; 1=fein; 2=???; 4=RAW+JPEG
gphoto2 --set-config aspectratio=3:2 # "3:2 oder "16:9"
gphoto2 --set-config capturemode=0 # 0=single exp; 1= multiple?!; 2=continuous
# 3= selftimer 2s; 4=selftimer 10s
gphoto2 --set-config shutterspeed=100/10 # 10s; from 1/10 indicate in n/10th!
# max.: 300/10 (=30s)
# bulb can be set manually at camera only!)!

c) short exposure (up to 30 s), for example 10 s:
set camera to manual (program wheel), then
gphoto2 --set-config shutterspeed=100/10
gphoto2 --capture-image-and-download --filename xxx.jpg

d) exposure times beyond 30 s
set camera to manual (program wheel) and manually set exposure time to "bulb" first, then
gphoto2 --set-config bulb=1 --wait-event=120s --set-config bulb=0 # exposure time 120s
(I have no idea why bulb=1/0 is needed; "gphoto2 --set-config bulb=1" for itself returns an error?!)

We succeeded controlling the A7xx with simple bash scripts (setting the config values and starting a do loop) such as taking 40 pictures with 30s exposure, or 20 pictures with 90s exposure using a separate laptop for camera control.
I guess more recent versions of gphoto2 are required for better control, but don't expect to much from gphoto since from what I read in other forums Sony is not a vivid supporter of open software control. (For example I doubt there ever will be a preview other than by the HDMI camera port; so I suppose there is no chance for auto focusing. Edit: This of course was incorrect, since focusing works on downloaded images, not on some kind of preview. USB-based preview probably will never be supported by Sony.

Thank you, that was very helpful. Can you list detailed info on the Sony shutterspeed widget from list config? It seems to be different to all other supported cameras now. Is 1/10 the minimum exposure time?!!

Hi all,
Nice to see another sony user.
Yesterday i made some tests so i have some news that i hope can help.
"gphoto2 --set-config shutterspeed=" works for change shutterspeed abd i have the list of all values (i'll post the list these evening because now i'm out for work); but i found something to fix:
- if i connect sony in bulb mode i can not change shutterspeed! The sony rest in bulb mode...
- if i connect sony in every other shutter speed i can use the command line to change shutterspeed. I can also use "gphoto2 --set-config shutterspeed= Bulb" to set bulb mode! But when in bulb mode i can not came back and re-change shutter speed... I must return manualy in other shutter speed using camera.

Could you fix this bug?

The best thing would be to use bulb for exposure > 30 s and the other shutter speeds for the exposure <= 30 s ( this will be great also for solve the star-eater of sony a7s).

The min exposure time is 1/8000

With a "Sony ILCE-7M2" and using gphoto version 2.5.10 we get the below result
LANG=C gphoto2 --get-config shutterspeed
Label: Shutter Speed
Type: RADIO
Current: 300/10

However the same command for the "Sony A7S" presents the list of possible exposure times:
gphoto2 --camera="Sony Alpha-A7S (Control)" --get-config shutterspeed
EDIT 2016-12-13: This information was due to a miscommunication! The Sony A7S returns the same information as the A7II: only the current shutterspeed setting! The values of the following list were read from the camera display after being set manually and then confirmed that
gphoto2 --camera="Sony Alpha-A7S (Control)" --set-config shutterspeed=nnn
would set the desired speed.

1/8000
1/6400
1/5000
1/4000
1/3200
1/2500
1/2000
1/1600
1/1250
1/1000
1/800
1/640
1/500
1/400
1/320
1/250
1/200
1/160
1/125
1/100
1/80
1/60
1/50
1/40
1/30
1/25
1/20
1/15
1/13
1/10
1/8
1/6
1/5
1/4
1/3
4/10
5/10
6/10
8/10
10/10
13/10
16/10
20/10
25/10
32/10
40/10
50/10
60/10
80/10
100/10
130/10
150/10
200/10
250/10
300/10
bulb

Yes: the list is perfect.

If can help, i post some lines of "gphoto2 --list-all-config" about different exposure times (in every list there are 2 different labels for Shutterspeed: one with normal values that works with command line and the other with strange number (if can help i have the list of all this values):



BULB
/main/actions/bulb
Label: Bulb Mode
Type: TOGGLE
Current: 2
.
.
/main/capturesettings/shutterspeed
Label: Shutter Speed
Type: RADIO
Current: Bulb
.
.
/main/other/d20d
Label: Shutter speed
Type: RANGE
Current: 0
Bottom: 0
Top: 4,29497e+09
Step: 1
/main/other/d20e




1/8000
/main/actions/bulb
Label: Bulb Mode
Type: TOGGLE
Current: 2
.
.
/main/capturesettings/shutterspeed
Label: Shutter Speed
Type: RADIO
Current: 1/8000
.
.
/main/other/d20d
Label: Shutter speed
Type: RANGE
Current: 73536
Bottom: 0
Top: 4,29497e+09
Step: 1
/main/other/d20e


0.4”
/main/actions/bulb
Label: Bulb Mode
Type: TOGGLE
Current: 2
.
.
/main/capturesettings/shutterspeed
Label: Shutter Speed
Type: RADIO
Current: 4/10
.
.
/main/other/d20d
Label: Shutter speed
Type: RANGE
Current: 262154
Bottom: 0
Top: 4,29497e+09
Step: 1

Well if shutterspeed widget is available as above, the current GPhoto driver can work with it without any further modifications since it already parses X/Y speeds. Now to switch from Bulb to none Bulb is another matter. This works fine on Canon/Nikon, but it appears as you reported once you set the bulb mode in the camera, you can't use the camera shutterspeed to expose anymore?

I have to correct my information about the data the Sony A7S returns after a "--get-config shutterspeed"
The Sony A7S returns the same information as the A7II: only the current shutter speed setting! The values in the list were read from the camera display after being set manually and then confirmed that
gphoto2 --camera="Sony Alpha-A7S (Control)" --set-config shutterspeed=nnn
would set the correct speed.
However, setting the shutter speed to an "undefined" value will cause the Sony A7xx to automatically step through the list of defined values and set the shortest (1/8000) or longest (bulb) shutter speed depending whether it has to change the shutterspeed "up" or "down" from the current value.
.
This behaviour is different from the one my Canon D1100 shows when trying to set an undefined shutter speed:
Values between 1 and 52 that are not defined as exposure time (in s) are interpreted as a --set-config-index value and the corresponding shutter speed is set (i.e. 27 gives 1/13s). The Canon returns an error -1 when trying to set to an undefined value such as 55 or 1.2s

All said refers to gphoto2 version 2.5.10. I have no idea whether there are improvements concerning the Sony A7xx in version 2.5.11
But may this information helps to cancel out some possible misbehaviour in EKOS.

CS
Michael

Interesting

Now i'm out d'or work untill Saturday. Then i would like to test if setting a undefined value when in bulb mode the shutter speed can change.

So, if I understand, with the actual informations is not possible to take bias and flat using only ekos: It is necessary to use camera to exit from bulb mode. Correct?
For me is not a big problem because actually i don't need to remotely control my instruments.
The only thing that I would like to solve now is the 1s exposures that are useful for HDR composition

If You start with lights that would be correct.
I will intent to follow this procedure:
start exposure time at 1/8000 and lowest ISO, take bias frames and flats, then change shutterspeed to bulb to take lights (and eventually darks).