7 replies to this topic

[XM381]

Hey All,

 

I've been doing Eclipse Orchestrator test runs with my Nikon D5300 before I plop down $109 for the Pro version and it seems to be working correctly.

 

But....  their web page specifically says the D5300 is not supported.

 

Is anyone using one of the unsupported cameras successfully or know more about the statement on the web page?

 

 

Here's the list of unsupported Nikons on the page:

 

Not supported: D2H, D2Hs, D2X, D2Xs, D50, D70, D70s, D3000, D3100, D3200, D3300, D3400, D5000, D5100, D5200, D5300, D5500, D5600

 

http://moonglowtechn...Supported.shtml

 

Thanks,

 

Mike W

[KevinMerchant]

Hello Mike,

 

I was on the Zoom meeting w/ the Kalamazoo Astronomical Society where Fred Brunjes (the developer of EO) spoke. Based on what he said, I would not count on the web site being up-to-date, nor the documentation for that matter. It is not his highest priority. Also, that Zoom meeting was recorded and they just put up a link to it, which also includes a presentation from the developer of Solar Eclipse Maestro. Well worth watching - https://www.youtube....h?v=qLHfURDO1YY.

 

If you are able to connect your Nikon D5300 and run a basic script, chances are good you will have success with the Pro version. I make no guarantees, just passing along what I know.

 

Per the KAS presentation, Fred plans to put out an update to EO this month. He did not specify what would be in the update. Keep watching for that as well.

 

I can tell you that Fred uses a Canon body (5D Mark II, if I recall correctly) for his eclipses and so has certainly made that a priority for himself.

 

I hope this is helpful.

 

Kevin

[CreatorsHand]

Hello Mike,

 

I was on the Zoom meeting w/ the Kalamazoo Astronomical Society where Fred Brunjes (the developer of EO) spoke. Based on what he said, I would not count on the web site being up-to-date, nor the documentation for that matter. It is not his highest priority. Also, that Zoom meeting was recorded and they just put up a link to it, which also includes a presentation from the developer of Solar Eclipse Maestro. Well worth watching - https://www.youtube....h?v=qLHfURDO1YY.

 

If you are able to connect your Nikon D5300 and run a basic script, chances are good you will have success with the Pro version. I make no guarantees, just passing along what I know.

 

Per the KAS presentation, Fred plans to put out an update to EO this month. He did not specify what would be in the update. Keep watching for that as well.

 

I can tell you that Fred uses a Canon body (5D Mark II, if I recall correctly) for his eclipses and so has certainly made that a priority for himself.

 

I hope this is helpful.

 

Kevin

Hi Kevin,

 

I was on the Zoom meeting with KAS as well; thank you for posting a link. I plan to watch it again, especially the EO portion.

 

Paul

[XM381]

Kevin,

 

Thanks for the link, it was a great presentation to listen to. Although it makes me even a little more concerned due to the discussion of which cameras live view works on in EO, and that feature is only in the paid version so I can't test without buying. Trying to focus without live view would probably be a deal breaker. 

 

My goal is an HDR corona pic 10% as good as Paul's!

[johnpd]

I installed Nikon Camera Control 2 on my laptop. It has Live View support for most Nikon cameras. It worked nicely with my D7500. I can use that up until about 10 minutes or so before totality to get a firm focus then switch to EO. I will have my laptop connected to a 18.5" monitor so I should get a nice large view for focusing. Beats trying to use the little display screen. Unfortunately the software costs $180 +tax. There is a 30 day trial for it so if you install after mid-March, you probably will get away without paying for it. Supposedly it is compatible with the D5300.

 

JohnD

[XM381]

JohnD,

 

Good option, but with my luck, switching between two programs that both want to control the camera will be flawless when testing and hang the day of the eclipse!

 

My plan... as of today, is to use Digicamcontrol ( https://digicamcontrol.com ). Digicamcontrol supports Canon, Nikon and Sony. It has live view, can take pics from live view, and is scriptable including triggers based upon the current time.

 

A guy named "jerryd" posted a very nicely done 2017 eclipse script here: https://digicamcontr...opic.php?t=1823

 

I cleaned it up, because the formatting was lost in the post, and have run it multiple times without issues. 

 

I think I'll run live view, manually take a pic every 10 minutes and a few minutes before totality launch the script. You do have to close live view windows before running the script, but that's just one click.

 

I've attached a copy of the script. To use it one has to put in their specific times, it still has the 2017 times.

Attached Files

•  eclipse-dcc.tcl.txt   3.45KB   14 downloads

Edited by XM381, 17 February 2024 - 03:01 PM.

[johnpd]

Whoa that is some big time code. The program is free and has a forum for support. Pretty nice. EO needs something like that. Whatever works best. For me I will do periodic Live Views in the Nikon software and take a few pics until it gets close to totality. Then close the Nikon software and open EO and let it fly. I will test it frequently to make sure the process works without a hitch.

 

JohnD

[KevinMerchant]

Kevin,

 

Thanks for the link, it was a great presentation to listen to. Although it makes me even a little more concerned due to the discussion of which cameras live view works on in EO, and that feature is only in the paid version so I can't test without buying. Trying to focus without live view would probably be a deal breaker. 

 

My goal is an HDR corona pic 10% as good as Paul's!

The Eclipse Orchestrator Live Feature is a question mark for me. For sure, I can bring up Live View with the cameras I am controlling (Canon R5 & R7) and you get the full image. But, when I zoom in, I have not found a way to move around to where I want to check focus. I don't know if this is a problem for certain cameras and works for earlier models that the developer used when developing EO.

 

The good news is that once EO is started and connects to the camera, you can still navigate camera menus and use the camera's LCD screen and zoom feature for the purposes of fine tuning the focus. This is how I am planning to do a final focus before starting the EO script for totality (about 10 minutes prior or possibly 5). It is possible that the Live Feature would just happen to zoom in to an edge of the sun or preferably a sunspot and I don't need to use the camera's screen for focus. That will be a finer point when I have an opportunity for an actual field test with clear daytime skies.

 

So, I'm not sure if that helps, but for me the Live View feature, as I am experiencing it, is not a deal breaker.

 

Kevin