Dumb Question 2C

[oldugly]

Have tried to get an answer from Olympus sites. No luck.

I would like to couple my camera to my laptop in the portrait studio. Have tried using Studio software and it does a fair job, but the USB downloads are just to danged slow! (yes, I shoot RAW.) A friend says his Canon hooks up directly when he is in live view mode. Will this work with an Oly? I'd have to buy a newer body than my E500, but it might be worth it.

Has anyone out there tried this?

[Laydewlf]

I saw on youtube the other day where a photog took along a portable dvd player. He hooked his camera up directly to it to view his shots. I don't know if you can do this on all cameras but I can on my rebel xt. It's just like hooking it up to the television.

[jhaide]

I believe Oly makes a cable that allows the newer live view models, 4x10, 5x10, E-3 and newer, to be connected to a computer for control and review and a tv or any video in device to monitor the live view image. Plugs into camera usb port but splits out the two outputs. I don't have it but have read that this should do what you are looking for.

[defred601]

The Olympus Studio 2 software allows you to connect and control your camera with a computer through the USB cable. I did this the other night with my E-510. You can shoot with the controls in your camera and the picture will display on the computer screen, or you can control certain settings and trigger with the computer. The only thing it does not seem to do is show a live view. There is a "preview" button in the program, but it stayed grayed out no matter what settings I changed in the program. After doing some online searching, I came to the conclusion that this feature doesn't work yet and Olympus is working on it. At least that is the case for the E-510.
Maybe I am missing something. If anyone else knows how to do a live preview through the computer I would sure like to know how.

[oldugly]

Well, I tried the Studio 2 software (trial version.) It would work okay if all I was doing was still lifes. Using the USB cable there is a 30 to 40 second lag between shutter and display. (Yes, I shoot RAW with a nonlive view E500.) That makes it prettty much useless in the portrait studio. At least I didn't have to spend the $$ to find out.

Thanks for the answers guys.

[craftysnapper]

You could always shoot Raw +jpeg and have it display the jpeg.

[oldugly]

Scheesch, I wish I had thought of that before the trial period ran out. Thanks for the thought though.

[Raist3d]

Olympus was showing about 1.5 years ago or so, a new prototype version of Studio that supported real time live view but I don't know what happened to that...

- Raist

[Mike_PEAT]

Just to update this thread, first of all it's NOT a dumb question. Olympus was dumb (and cheap) for the longest time for not having USB2.0 speeds on their consumer cameras, they did with the E-1 (not to mention having firewire) but their early consumer cameras only had USB1.1 speeds (IOW SLOW).

As for live view, it's been available in Studio for over a year now...the details:
- it requires both usb and video connections from the camera to the computer to do this
- to have usb and video at the same time (on anything other than E-3) you need the AV/PC-2 cable from Olympus
- you need video input capability (or a tuner card with video in) on your computer

Here's a page with all the details:
Fourthirdsphoto Member’s Articles » Blog Archive » Controlling the camera via Studio and have live video on your screen at the same time.

I can't try this myself since I don't own the cable, and by the sounds of it for me it would be easier if I just connected the live view output to a video monitor (which I happen to have by my computer since I do video editing).

The video:
YouTube - Olympus Studio Software's New Live View Preview at PMA 2008

[Raist3d]

As for live view, it's been available in Studio for over a year now...the details:
- it requires both usb and video connections from the camera to the computer to do this
- to have usb and video at the same time (on anything other than E-3) you need the AV/PC-2 cable from Olympus
- you need video input capability (or a tuner card with video in) on your computer

The demonstration of Studio that Olympus had- that I referred to, required none of this as the data came directly with the USB port controlling the camera- as far as I know. This is a work around (certainly can be a nice work around).

- Raist

[Mike_PEAT]

Originally Posted by Raist3d

The demonstration of Studio that Olympus had- that I referred to, required none of this as the data came directly with the USB port controlling the camera- as far as I know. This is a work around (certainly can be a nice work around).

Well, the camera in the video link I posted appears to be an E-3, and there are TWO cables coming out of it, USB AND VIDEO.

The E-3 happens to have separate video and USB which is why two cables are required...the other E-LiveView cameras (including the E-330) have a combined video and USB port, so that's why they need the cable I mention above. Of course if you look at the camera and not to the connections at the back of the computer you'd think that all the signal comes from the USB port, but it's coming from what is actually a multi-function port.

If my E-330 had a separate video port like my E-300, I'd try this in a second...but I don't feel like spending the money on a cable just to show how this works.

In none of the posts I've ever seen, has Olympus ever joined in and debunked (or proven) it, so we only have posts like the link I posted above.

[oldugly]

Mike,

Thanks for the link. I still haven't given up.

[Mike_PEAT]

Let's put it this way...if someone had discovered the way to do this through USB only don't you think it would be posted all over?

And why hasn't Olympus publicized how to do it if it was possible, to sell more copies of Studio?

[Raist3d]

If you are replying to me-

When Olympus announced it back in time it was posted in a few places. That's how I understood it. And it could have been one of those things "still in development" and falls to the back burner. I am not saying that's 100% the case, but I don't understand what's so hard to see that as a possible scenario.

- Raist