Tablet as camera controller

[_Paz_]

CheesyCam video re: using a tablet to control a GH4:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BKHgKnqx-UM[/youtube]

Love the idea of this. I currently use a field monitor but I have to be tethered to the camera.

My smart phone should do this but it is so small... I need something larger to be able to see it.

Cheapest thing going I've come across is about $50 for an Amazon Fire. Would I have to pay a monthly service bill to be able to use it like you do with a smart phone?

Hopefully I'd be able to connect to the internet when within range of my wireless router and it would 'make a connection' like the GoPro does when away from home.

thanks,

Paz

[Bob]

Tablets can be Wi-Fi only or Wi-Fi plus wireless. Only the models with wireless need a contract with a wireless carrier. The Wi-Fi only models connect to the Internet using your home Wi-Fi router. This app only needs the basic Wi-Fi tablet. The app connects to the camera through a Wi-Fi connection between the camera and the tablet -- it does not go through your home Wi-Fi router. The distance between your tablet and the camera matters. If they are too far apart you'll lose the connection.

I don't know whether or not the app is compatible with the Amazon Fire.

[_Paz_]

Thanks Bob. I'll check about the wi fi vs wi fi only.

The app works with Android 4 and above.

I read a review tonight that showed the same text at two different ppi s and I may need a higher resolution tablet to be able to use the screen for manual focus. I'll continue checking things out before taking the plunge!

Thanks again. (You're awesome!)

[Bob]

Yes, definitely check out the tablet resolution and size. Is there a store near by where you can see the tablets operate in person?

The Amazon Fire 7" uses a modified Android operating system (Fire OS) customized specifically for Amazon to promote content available through Amazon services. There is one very big caveat with this tablet. Google Play is the primary Trusted Android app store and it is not included in the Fire tablet. Instead, the Fire tablet uses the Amazon app store. The Panasonic Image App is not available through the Amazon App store. The Amazon app store is an independent app store and is not recognized as a Trusted store by the standard Android OS. If you were to install an app from that store on a standard Android OS, you would need to change the security settings to allow installation of apps from an unknown source. I'm rather reluctant to do that. Personally, I would rather go for a tablet with a standard Android OS that includes Google Play.

[_Paz_]

Yes, we have a couple of stores nearby where I can look in person.

Wow. I did not know about the Amazon setup. Based on all the Amazon ppi I think they're out of the running anyway.

I found this comparison article:

http://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/best-tablets/

At the moment I like the 8" Dell with KitKat. Many reviews indicate problems after upgrading to Lollipop. Haven't made up my mind yet. I can try to use my smart phone in the beginning and I can connect with my field monitor via HDMI. But the filed monitor is not a touch screen so I'll have to make adjustments on the camera and it would be better to not have to touch it.

I've done some looking and like images from the PZ lens in Cheesy's video. Has a pretty good range and the images are sharp and clear. Right now it looks like first lens.

again, thanks Bob.

[sidd finch]

Paz I started using a DIY holder for my camera and iPhone. It seems to work ok.

Sidd

[_Paz_]

Innovative, Sidd! Way to go!

I looked at tablets yesterday and I'm not fond of the Dell Venue 8". Too small, oversaturated.

Still looking. I did like the Samsung 10" with S pen but the ppi is on the low side. Really like the 10" size better and liked some of the other Samsung Galaxy tablets for image quality.

[Ron Hunter]

Hi Patrice! I haven't tried an Android tablet with GH4 yet but I'm tempted. I can say the Panasonic Image App works beautifully with my Android smartphone.

[_Paz_]

Hi Ron,

Are you able to 'zoom into' your focal point while filming to select focus? If that will work, I may be able to use my Android smart phone too, tiny though it is.

Lots of the newer tablets, especially the ones with really high resolution, use AMOLED screens which I find over saturated, especially in reds. The warm grey background color of my site looked pink. Quite similar to the look my RGB LED laptop screen would look if it were not color managed. I really don't like it.

[Ron Hunter]

I have not tried that Patrice, but the CheesyCam video you provided seems to say such focusing is possible only with 2 different Panny lenses, and I don't have those lenses. Normally for video I just use manual focus.

[_Paz_]

Ron,

Yes, Cheesy is using an auto focus lens and selecting the focal area on the tablet. With these two particular lenses he is also able to zoom via the tablet control. I believe he says somewhere in there that it is possible to auto focus with any lens that will work with the GH4 to auto focus - via the tablet.

But that's not really what I'm asking. Manual focus, and how you determine when you have achieved it, is what I'd like to know.

When you are focusing manually, what do you look at?

If a field monitor, a tablet, or the camera's built in flip screen viewfinder, are you able to 'digitally zoom in' to the area of focus and see that enlarged on the screen and adjust focus while the camera is filming?

On my Canon 7D I can 'digitally zoom in' to achieve focus, but only when the camera is NOT recording.

So... you're filming... your subject moves two feet to the left and three feet closer to you. Still in focus? Not in my experience. I have to stop filming, zoom in to see better, choose focus, go back to video mode and then continue shooting.

I really hope the GH4 will allow that closer look while actually filming.

[Ron Hunter]

I just tested my GH4 in accordance with your questions. I just performed this test with the Olympus 12mm f/2.0 lens with auto-focus enabled:
- While filming, I am able to touch the GH4 touchscreen and change the point of focus.
- While filming, I am able to touch my smartphone running the Panasonic Image App and change the point of focus. (Note there is a slight lag when using the app vs using the GH4 touchscreen.)
- I cannot "zoom in" to a region of the screen while filming.

As you know, the GH4 has "focus peaking" to help you know when an area of the image is focused. So in the example you provided, you could tap the touchscreen to re-focus on a moving subject, and the focus peaking will give you a visual indication when focus has been achieved.

Does this help?

[_Paz_]

Yes, that does help. Thank you for checking it out.

I've continued web searching to learn more about 'digitally zooming in' with the Gh4 - and focusing - and now I think perhaps the GH4 can actually 'digitally' zoom in, by 2X or 4X, giving a higher enlargement of the subject in images. I've read this can be done without loss of image quality. (That it is not the same as my Canon's ability to 'zoom in' to see better while setting focus.)

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FeCx9g_NAk8[/youtube]