D-Lux 8 + iPhone + FOTOS app

[Synchronicity II]

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I'm trying to do something that seems like it should be simple but isn't.

I have my D-Lux 8, my iPhone, and my copy of the Leica FOTOS app. I've successfully paired the camera to the app via Wi-Fi, and used it to transfer photos over, but it's very slow: a typical DNG+JPG photo takes more than 25 seconds to transfer. (Is that correct or am I doing something wrong?) The FOTOS listing in the App Store reads, in part, "Connecting to your camera is now easier than ever before. Leica FOTOS connects your camera to your iPhone or iPad via Wi-Fi, Bluetooth or cable." So I thought I'd be smart and use a USB-C cable to connect my iPhone to my camera and transfer that way. But the FOTOS app only wants to transfer wirelessly. I can't find any official instruction from Leica, anywhere, that explains how to use the cable to transfer. Does anyone know how to do this? What is the most efficient way to move photos over to my iPhone and/or iPad?

While I'm at it, can someone explain the relationship the FOTOS app and Apple Photos? It seems like what is going on is that the FOTOS app is looking at my Apple Photos database, identifying those photos (using tags of some sort?) that were taken with Leica hardware and/or software (I also have and use the Leica Lux app + Lux grip), and displaying only those. Is that correct? Does that mean that I could skip the FOTOS app for downloading and use my SD card to transfer photos from the D-Lux 8 to the Apple Photos app on my MacBook Pro or (with an adapter) on my iPhone or iPad, and then the FOTOS app will see them properly, including both DNG+JPG?

I'd happily do all my own research, but I've searched, and the documentation for this app seems sparse to nonexistent.

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[Synchronicity II]

I visited my local Leica Store this past weekend, got some answers, and thought I'd replay them here for anyone who stumbles upon this.

• Wireless transfer is just slow. (I don't understand why this is—even at a generous average of 40 MB per JPG+DNG pair, that should be much faster than 25 seconds/pair.)
• Documentation for the FOTOS app is indeed nearly non-existent.
• The FOTOS app isn't meant to be the primary organizing tool for one's photos—it's not what they recommend.
• USB-C upload to an iPhone doesn't work with the FOTOS app. We didn't test out the iPad, nor did we test seeing if the Files app on the iPhone or iPad would recognize the D-Lux 8 as a mass storage device.
• USB-C upload to a MacBook Pro definitely works—it recognizes the D-Lux 8 as a mass storage device.
• The recommendation is to either use USB-C upload or directly insert the SD card and transfer that way.
• Either way, once the photos are visible, either drag them into Apple Photos or use the relevant menu command in Photos to add them to the photos database.
• The FOTOS app doesn't have its own storage. It's using metadata to determine which photos to display from the photos database. We didn't have time to test which specific metadata that is or when/where it's added.
• It's highly recommended to avoid deleting images in camera but rather to format the SD card in-camera once all images have been uploaded and backed up.

What I took away from all this was:

• The FOTOS app is a fun little toy but not part of any sort of serious workflow.
• Wireless transfer may have niche applications but it's not the primary transfer method.
• Cable- or SD card-based transfer is the workhorse for moving photos off the camera.
• Don't use the camera to delete images from the SD card—format after transfer + backup.
• Leica Stores continue to have excellent people who are kind and helpful—I'm consistently impressed with them wherever I go.

[Alf Steg]

Adding to this fun ...Apple photos does not want to read a DNG file digital neg-Adobe format. I've had good success with Nitro and RAW power from Gentlemen coders.  Available on the App Store it's less $ than the adobe lr&ps.  I am shooting DNG with my DLUX8 and Q43.  Frankly - the only thing that is keeping me with the switch to Leica from Fuji is the menu interface.  

[Synchronicity II]

42 minutes ago, Alf Steg said:

Adding to this fun ...Apple photos does not want to read a DNG file digital neg-Adobe format. I've had good success with Nitro and RAW power from Gentlemen coders.  Available on the App Store it's less $ than the adobe lr&ps.

Thanks for the tip! So if I understand correctly, RAW Power is both an app and a Photos plug-in for managing and converting RAW files, including Leica DNGs, and Nitro Photo is the newer photo editing app from the same developers?

[ceflynn]

From https://www.gentlemencoders.com/about/index.html :

Gentlemen Coders was founded in 2016 by Nik Bhatt, an 18 year veteran of Apple. He was a member of the very small team that created TrueType in the 80s. He left Apple, working at a series of startups, before returning in the early 2000s. He then led the teams that created Soundtrack and Soundtrack Pro, before moving into Photo apps. There he served as Senior Director of Engineering and Chief Technical Officer. He led the Aperture, iPhoto, RAW Camera and Core Image engineering teams, as well as the imaging team for the Mac version of Photos.

Mr. Bhatt holds 59 patents in a wide range of disciplines including image processing, audio processing, geotagging, wireless networking, and user interface design.