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INDI Library v2.0.6 is Released (02 Feb 2024)

Bi-monthly release with minor bug fixes and improvements

Problems/questions testing EKOS with Sony a7s

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  • Thank you received: 10
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
Last edit: 7 years 3 months ago by Hellriegel.
7 years 3 months ago #13067

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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
7 years 3 months ago #13068

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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?
7 years 3 months ago #13084

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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
7 years 3 months ago #13095

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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
7 years 3 months ago #13108

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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).
7 years 3 months ago #13109

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Ok, but i can't understand one thing: How can i use ekos to capture no-bulb exposure? To take bias and change shutterspeed i can use ekos or i must use gphoto command lines and then use ekos to take lights? I can't see nothing in ekos interface or indi panel to change shutter speed.. I think that the exposure time in ekos interface works with bulbmode of camera; isn't true?

The other problem is this: I would like to create a HDR sequence queue with: 120s+10s+1s exposures but 1s exposures (and faster) don't work now (I don't understand why)
7 years 3 months ago #13110

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I guess I could make an exception for Sony camera to make them take bulb under 1 second but maybe the timing wouldn't be accurate at the camera's own shutterspeed timings.
7 years 3 months ago #13122

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Ok Jasem, no problem.
For HDR sequence queue i will use 120s+10s+1,1s (after a lot of tests 1,1 seconds seems to be the faster exposure that works with bulb-ekos.
after tests i find this way to change from bulb to other shutterspeed:
i start with a setup save in manual and any shutterspeed; after set in bulb mode I can return in other shutter speed changing expprogram from M to A (or S or other) and then return in M. Unfortunately I must use the wheel on Sony because the gphoto command line for "set expprogram" doesn't work and Sony rest in M mode. So this operation is not possible in remote. Another way is to remove and reconnect the usb cable (the camera return in saved shutter speed after usb reconnection) but also this operation can't be done in remote.
So now I'm ok. I will take Bias and flat manually. When i will need to use everything in remote I will find another solution.
Thanks
7 years 3 months ago #13252

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Hi all,

i installed Hitecastro focuser to complete my set-up but during indoor test i had a problem using focuser with sony a7s:
-the hitecastro driver works correctly and i can use focuser with ekos;
-if i set "fits" in gphoto control panel i can take exposures in focus module (using exposures > 1,1 seconds for the usual sony issue)
-if i set "native" in gphoto control panel ekos crash every time (logs attached); maybe the issue is the ARW extension? (i remember that during first tests i had a problem with aligment module because arw files were not included);
-using "native" in capture module i have no problem.
It's possible to use focus module with arw files? (i would like to save exposures in arw files if possible but if focus module doesn't work with arw files it will be a problem). Or maybe it would be possible to use arw files with capture module and fits with focus module automatically?


For further information: during last days of december i tried an outdoor session with indi-ekos but i had some problem with qhy5 II guide camera.
-Celestron cg5 advance gt: ok slew and track. no problem.
-capture module with sony a7s: ok
-plate and solve: ok
-guide: no way to use qhy5 II: every time i tried to take a frame indi driver crashed. No way to use internal guide or pdh2.

Now after last updates seems to work correctly. i'll try again to use ekos during next session.

Thanks

Giuseppe
7 years 2 months ago #13641
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Hi Jasem,

sorry to up the topic another time but i found another (big) problem using capture module (i didn't notice it before):
The ISO setting changes during a sequence.
For example:
• the initial setup of Sony is 12800 ISO (displayed in camera and indi control panel). I create a sequence of 5 frames with 12800 ISO set in capture module. When first capture starts the ISO change at 10000!... when second capture starts the ISO change at 12800... ecc. so at the end of sequence i have five frames at 10000-12800-10000-12800-10000 ISO!
• the initial setup of Sony is 10000 ISO. I create a sequence of 5 frames with 12800 ISO set in capture module. When first capture starts the ISO change at 12800... when second capture starts the ISO change at 10000... ecc. so at the end of sequence i have five frames at 12800-10000-12800-10000-12800 ISO!
With different ISO setting the problem is the same. For example:
• the initial setup of Sony is 6400 ISO. I create a sequence of 5 frames with 6400 ISO set in capture module. When first capture starts the ISO change at 5000... when second capture starts the ISO change at 6400... ecc. so at the end of sequence i have five frames at 5000-6400-5000-6400-5000 ISO!
ecc. ecc. ecc.
I made a lot of test and i checked every .arw files downloaded to confirm this bug.
With this bug INDI-EKOS with Sony is compromised.
Luckily, if someone use always the same ISO i found a (complex) way to work. If can help someone, these are the steps that must be done to avoid changing ISO between frames:

1. Create a Setup on Sony camera with the ISO you want to use and start with this;
2. start INDI and connect only Sony camera with INDI control panel (Gphoto)
3. Verify the ISO value in INDI control panel (Gphoto). If ISO is set to "AUTO ISO" you can go to point 5.
4. If ISO is set to any other values, you must physically disconnect USB cable of sony; disconnect INDI gphoto (in INDI control panel); reconnect USB cable; reconnect INDI gphoto (in INDI control panel). Now, if you verify the ISO in INDI control panel the value should be "AUTO ISO";
5. now you must use "AUTO ISO" in every EKOS modules (and obviously create sequence files for capture module with "AUTO ISO");
6. now, if you make a sequence, every frames will be captured using ISO value saved in setup of sony camera
7. make some test
Obviously if someone could fix the bug would be better.....

Now i'm out for work. If necessary, i can attached log files this evening.

Any news about last post? Is it possible to use ARW files with Focus module?

Thanks so much for your support
7 years 2 months ago #13742

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Could the ISO issue be an indexing problem? If you select in Ekos a specific ISO and then capture a preview, does the ISO in the camera changes to this value? Does it change in the INDI GPhoto driver?

Regarding ARW in Focus module, I'll try to add support to load non-FITS images in the FITSViewer so that they can be used across all modules. I'll see if this is doable or not.
The following user(s) said Thank You: giuseppe
7 years 2 months ago #13745

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