Unsung Remote with Foto’s App

[stevegaskin]

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Hi, has anyone successfully, by which I mean consistently used the remote function in the Fotos app? I have been trying this morning for the first time, and although I can connect and take a picture, when within 2 metres of the camera, when I move further away the camera disconnects. I was hoping to set the camera up on a tripod to take birds in the garden, but I would need to be ‘out of sight’ which means indoors and probably at least 5 metres away.  I have successfully connected and downloaded images to my iPad but the remote function seems very flaky.

 

[cirke]

I am using Leica CL iOS app, it works very well

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[ramarren]

Leica FOTOs app used with the CL on iOS seems very stable and usable for both remote capture and image review/download to iPhone or iPad. I've used it extensively with both.

BUT, the CL (and any other) camera's WiFi hot spot capability is very limited due to the power of its antennae and transceiver (the hardware in the camera body). They're simply not designed to operate reliably at distances greater than a short distance away. A couple of meters distance is the effective limit of reliable operation.

Edited February 27, 2019 by ramarren

[jaapv]

You could use a WiFi repeater

[stevegaskin]

2 hours ago, ramarren said:

Leica FOTOs app used with the CL on iOS seems very stable and usable for both remote capture and image review/download to iPhone or iPad. I've used it extensively with both.

BUT, the CL (and any other) camera's WiFi hot spot capability is very limited due to the power of its antennae and transceiver (the hardware in the camera body). They're simply not designed to operate reliably at distances greater than a short distance away. A couple of meters distance is the effective limit of reliable operation.

Thanks Ramarren, I guessed as much. I was hoping I would get at least 5 meters but it struggling.   

[stevegaskin]

1 hour ago, jaapv said:

You could use a WiFi repeater

Hi Jaapv,  I do have repeaters for internal use around the house; not sure how that would work with the camera outdoors and me inside with the remote.  Are you suggesting that I find a way of placing a repeater outside?

 

Thanks

Steve

[cirke]

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Devolo system is better than repeater, I have it in all the house , WIFI  by the electric cables of the house

[jaapv]

On 2/27/2019 at 6:27 PM, stevegaskin said:

Hi Jaapv,  I do have repeaters for internal use around the house; not sure how that would work with the camera outdoors and me inside with the remote.  Are you suggesting that I find a way of placing a repeater outside?

 

Thanks

Steve

pull an extension cord outside

[stevegaskin]

Hi, I’m a little confused on this and probably because of my lack of technical knowledge.  I thought the wi-fi signal was created by the camera thus enabling it to connect to the iPhone; as opposed to using wi-fi from your home network; otherwise how would the connection work out in the field?   If this is true, then how can a repeater plugged into my home network be of any help? Apologies if I got this completely wrong.

Thanks

[Ricard0]

3 hours ago, stevegaskin said:

Hi, I’m a little confused on this and probably because of my lack of technical knowledge.  I thought the wi-fi signal was created by the camera thus enabling it to connect to the iPhone; as opposed to using wi-fi from your home network; otherwise how would the connection work out in the field?   If this is true, then how can a repeater plugged into my home network be of any help? Apologies if I got this completely wrong.

Thanks

Not to speak for Jaapv (not that I could!) but I believe he was saying to use a wi-fi repeater for the mini-network created by the CL.

 

[scott kirkpatrick]

On 2/27/2019 at 7:25 PM, stevegaskin said:

Thanks Ramarren, I guessed as much. I was hoping I would get at least 5 meters but it struggling.   

I'm getting about 5 meters, sometimes a bit more, with M10, M10-D and CL.  Less with an SL.  I test using remote mode.

[ramarren]

8 hours ago, scott kirkpatrick said:

I'm getting about 5 meters, sometimes a bit more, with M10, M10-D and CL.  Less with an SL.  I test using remote mode.

That's nice, but in what environment and how reliable? I find that I can get connection and operation at 3m consistently and reliably, beyond that it gets pretty flakey. 

[scott kirkpatrick]

I was testing with each camera on my desk, and then backing out of the room into a hallway and around the corner.  Concrete walls.  It might go further outdoors, and that deserves a test.  The original question was if Fotos would work with the camera set up looking at a bird feeder outdoors, controlled from a comfortable, dark spot indoors, perhaps through a window.  This question seems most relevant to remote operation.  I would think that someone who wants to upload selected DNGs and work on them on a tablet will be able to stay closer to the camera. 

Remote operation with a camera that you can't reach easily is still problematic with Fotos.  You can't initiate focus magnification, for example.  The CL and SL do offer to autofocus on the point that you touch on the transferred live view image, but the histogram is not transmitted for any camera.  Other controls are limited to exposure items, except on the M10-D.  So I think of it as a remote shutter release.

How reliable also depends on the camera.  The SL is the easiest to disconnect.  The M10-D and CL are pretty solid.  I had to take the battery out of my M10 after one fail, but it was something that I couldn't reproduce.

 

Edited March 4, 2019 by scott kirkpatrick

[stevegaskin]

20 minutes ago, scott kirkpatrick said:

I was testing with each camera on my desk, and then backing out of the room into a hallway and around the corner.  Concrete walls.  It might go further outdoors, and that deserves a test.  The original question was if Fotos would work with the camera set up looking at a bird feeder outdoors, controlled from a comfortable, dark spot indoors, perhaps through a window.  This question seems most relevant to remote operation.  I would think that someone who wants to upload selected DNGs and work on them on a tablet will be able to stay closer to the camera. 

Remote operation with a camera that you can't reach easily is still problematic with Fotos.  You can't initiate focus magnification, for example.  The CL and SL do offer to autofocus on the point that you touch on the transferred live view image, but the histogram is not transmitted for any camera.  Other controls are limited to exposure items, except on the M10-D.  So I think of it as a remote shutter release.

How reliable also depends on the camera.  The SL is the easiest to disconnect.  The M10-D and CL are pretty solid.  I had to take the battery out of my M10 after one fail, but it was something that I couldn't reproduce.

 

Thanks for the update, I need to try it again with the camera outdoors and me inside; previously I just tried it indoors and it dropped its connection frequently beyond around 2-3 metres.

[ramarren]

43 minutes ago, scott kirkpatrick said:

I was testing with each camera on my desk, and then backing out of the room into a hallway and around the corner.  Concrete walls.  It might go further outdoors, and that deserves a test.  The original question was if Fotos would work with the camera set up looking at a bird feeder outdoors, controlled from a comfortable, dark spot indoors, perhaps through a window.  This question seems most relevant to remote operation.  I would think that someone who wants to upload selected DNGs and work on them on a tablet will be able to stay closer to the camera. 

...

Of course it's most relevant to operation with the camera a good distance away, rather than downloading and editing DNG files. Depending on the specifics of your location and the geometry of the walls, etc, interior situations like that might present *better* connection conditions than outside in a field or connection through a window. 

I have only the CL to test with and I use manual focus lenses only. I've used Leica FOTOs extensively to manage operating the camera for copy work and table top. One of my projects required that the setup fill most of my living room so I set up the camera, aperture, and focus, then retreated down the hall about 2-3 m distant to make the exposures with me out of the photo. When I passed 3m, connection flakeyness rose dramatically. All the intervening walls were simple plasterboard and wood frame, relatively transparent to BlueTooth frequency RF. 

[LocalHero1953]

From extensive testing with the CL in cafés around town and in London, all I can conclude is: "it's variable". Sometimes I get a quick connection that is rock solid and sometimes I have to try lots of times before I can get them to talk. I've concluded that a lot depends on ambient competing wifi network interference.

Edited March 4, 2019 by LocalHero1953