Setting up the camera

Found under admin area "System and device settings" > "Camera". The camera belongs to the device: it stays set up no matter which event is loaded.

There are two separate areas — "Camera: photos" and "Camera: GIF & boomerang". Both can use the same camera or different ones, for instance a DSLR for photos and a webcam for moving images. The button "Copy from photo camera" saves setting everything twice.

Camera type#

The camera assistant#

Setup runs through the button "Set up camera". The assistant asks for manufacturer and connection, checks the link and tries a capture. Nothing is stored until you finish with "Apply & save".

1. Connect the camera by USB, switch it on and set it to M (manual).
2. Insert a memory card — even with direct transfer to the PC, some models insist on a card.
3. Open "Camera: photos" in the admin area, start "Set up camera" and follow the steps.
4. Finish with "Apply & save".

For Canon cameras the assistant enables extra drivers (EDSDK) and asks for a restart of the application. That is normal.

Checking detection#

The "Detected camera" section shows what the software currently sees — model and serial number. "Refresh detection" repeats the search, for example after switching the camera on.

With several identical cameras connected, "Select a specific camera" decides which one is meant (by serial number, port or model).

Test shot and live view#

• "Show LiveView" opens the camera image inside the admin area, with grid and mirroring for alignment.
• A successful test shot ticks the item "Set up and test the camera" in the setup list.
• A webcam has no test shot in the strict sense; checking the live image is enough, and the item is ticked by hand.

Exposure#

The "Exposure" section reads aperture, shutter speed and ISO straight from the connected camera and applies changes there immediately. The values are not stored in the software — they stay in the camera.

A common case: with flash settings such as 1/160 s, f/9 and ISO 400 the live image is almost black. "Brighten live view via the camera" helps — exposure is raised for the preview only and restored immediately before the shutter fires, so the flash shot stays correct. Cameras that never show an exposure preview in live view (common on entry-level models) will not react to it; there, use "Brighten preview image", which works purely in software.

Autofocus#

• "Trigger autofocus before every capture" — needed on older cameras, but it costs time before the shutter fires.
• "Trigger autofocus before starting live view" — not every camera can do this, and some cannot focus at all while live view is running.

Manufacturer drivers#

After changing these switches, restart the camera session.

When it does not work#