SharpCap - free Astro Webcam Capture Software

[astrovale]

Hi Luca,

Glad you sorted it out - as you found out the Genicam option is a bit rubbish - Basler have made the cameras available in this way via DirectShow, but didn't make many of the controls available.

Now you've got the proper Basler capture driver running you should have control over all the important stuff for the camera. Sharpcap doesn't show some of the weirder options for the Basler cameras, but the selection you get should usually be sufficient.

As you might notice, the histogram is 8 bit only - when you run in 12 bit mode it is applied to the reduced bit depth version of the image that is used for preview display.

Finally, the zoom function in Sharpcap should work fine for Basler cameras for both zooming in and out.

Robin

Thanks Robin,

but I have a new problem now and so do a group of friends from an Italian forum that installed the program.

I have attached the log file. In short when I try to open the histogram the program crashes. Later I noticed that any attempt to recall any of the item in the "No Tranform" menu results in a crash.

Ciao Robin

Luca

PS Log ile removed! I tried to attach it as a text file at first, but it told me that the .rtf file was not an allowed attachment. Hence the long post.

[rwg]

Hi Luca,

I can see what is going on - this doesn't seem to work for mono Basler cameras at the moment (I only have a colour one). I will _try_ to put together a fix sometime tomorrow because if I don't get it done by monday I am away for 2 weeks

cheers for reporting the problem,

Robin

ps. could you edit the log info out of your message please? It's handy for me but most people won't be interested in it all

[astrovale]

Hi Luca,

I can see what is going on - this doesn't seem to work for mono Basler cameras at the moment (I only have a colour one). I will _try_ to put together a fix sometime tomorrow because if I don't get it done by monday I am away for 2 weeks

cheers for reporting the problem,

Robin

ps. could you edit the log info out of your message please? It's handy for me but most people won't be interested in it all

Please try if you can: your program is the only one that makes any sense! Firecapture isn't exactly my favorite as you may have gathered and the only alternative I have is the dreaded Streampix:eek:

Thanks anyhow for replying so promptly and enjoy your 2 weeks off.

Luca

[astrovale]

Hello Robin,

I know it sounds stupid, but hope never dies: do you think that v1.4 would have the same problem with histogram and B&W Baslers?

Luca

[astrovale]

Well Robin,

have a good time on vacations, but if you can please remember when you come back that there is a whole tribe of Italian amateurs (who did not know SharpCap) that are waiting for you to fix that histogram bug for B&W basler cameras.

Thanks and ciao

Luca

[MorningMajor]

have a good time on vacations, but if you can please remember when you come back that there is a whole tribe of Italian amateurs (who did not know SharpCap) that are waiting for you to fix that histogram bug for B&W basler cameras.

Well, no pressure then, Robin - lol

[rwg]

Luca,

I have put a fix into 1.4 that I hope will fix your problem - I will PM you the link. If it works then feel free to post the link here

I say hope because it looks like the only thing that could be wrong based on your bug report log, but then it worked for me before the fix when I put my camera into mono mode, which surprised me...

good luck.

Robin

[astrovale]

Well, no pressure then, Robin - lol

No, no :D

[astrovale]

Luca,

I have put a fix into 1.4 that I hope will fix your problem - I will PM you the link. If it works then feel free to post the link here

I say hope because it looks like the only thing that could be wrong based on your bug report log, but then it worked for me before the fix when I put my camera into mono mode, which surprised me...

good luck.

Robin

I just got home, so I haven't had the time to try it yet, but people from the forum report that the histogram works but the program seems to be jittery. So much so that everyone went back to 1.3.

I'll try it too and then report back here.

We'll talk in a couple weeks.

Luca

PS I tried it: the histogram works alright, but as soon as you try to start a capture, the program crashes. I'll try to send a log file in PM. If I don't succeed I will put it here.

[astrovale]

Sorry! couldn't attach any file to the PM.

So here it is attached as .txt

SharpCap error.txt

[rwg]

Hi Luca,

I think I have fixed this problem now - please try build 212 from the beta download page (follow the same link as before, it just points to the new build).

sorry for the delay!

Robin

[riklaunim]

Beta link seems to be broken on the page.

[rwg]

Fixed it.

Robin

Sent from my GT-I9000 using Tapatalk

[DoctorD]

Hi Robin

I'd like to make a feature request (have not been able to find it in the list, but please forgive me if it's been mentioned before).

I'm using the SDC 435 frame integration video camera and would like to be able to select capture of every nth frame.

I'm currently using the LX mod settings and varying the capture time, however it's not possible to select the exact capture time because of the resolution.

Ideally you could have a "Frame Integration" mode similar to the LX mode which would allow the user to select the frame to be captured.

The SDC-435 supports the following integration times:-

x2, x4, x6, x8, x10, x12, x14, x16, x24, x32, x64, x128, x256 & x512.

Note that although the camera is PAL interlaced, the integration is counted in fields so that x512 is actually 10.24 seconds (i.e. 512 20ms fields) but I would want to capture the whole frame.

Thanks for a great piece of software.

Clear Skies

Paul

[astrovale]

Hi Luca,

I think I have fixed this problem now - please try build 212 from the beta download page (follow the same link as before, it just points to the new build).

sorry for the delay!

Robin

Hello Robin and welcome back! Now it's my turn to be sorry for the late reply: I must have thought you were on vacations a week longer than you actually were! So today I was really surprised to find the issue solved, because I thought you just came back.

I can confirm that now the histogram functions perfectly also for monochrome Baslers (at least for mine).

Thanks Robin for your help and assistance.

Luca

[riklaunim]

I've tried to play with the ASCOM support in the Beta. When choosing a camera via the ASCOM driver the app crashes (seems like a missing DLL). The camera isn't connected (I don't have it ) Log attached.

sh-img0h.txt

[rwg]

@Paul,

I'll have a think about how that might be best implemented - it's basically a frame skip mode. Could you put an entry on the feature request site here (Google Moderator) to make sure I don't forget completely

@Luca,

glad it is working now - Keen on getting Basler support working as well as possible, so do keep the feedback coming.

@Riklaunium,

Looks like an incomplete ASCOM driver for your camera - it is throwing a 'NotImplementedException' when I try to set the connected flag to true. Does any software work using this camera in ASCOM mode? I'd be surprised as you are supposed to set the connected flag to 'own' the camera before doing anything else and that is the bit that isn't working.

cheers,

Robin

[jfeeney]

Hi rwg

I just installed SharpCam and it works wonderfully with a Philips SPC 900 webcam I just got today. Many thanks for this wonderful software!!

A few questions, apologies if already answered elsewhere:

- Is there an option to set the capture folder location?

- Is there a way to assign hotkeys to the start/stop capture buttons?

- Is there a way to quickly take a single frame capture without invoking the dialog box?

Thanks again,

John

[rwg]

Hi John,

yes, yes and yes

To set the capture folder, use the option in the file menu.

The start/stop capture buttons are assigned to Alt-S and Alt-T respectively. If you press Alt it shows the little underline thing on all the menu options to show which hotkey they have.

You can take a single frame by pressing the 'Snapshot' button next to start/stop capture (1.4 only).

Robin

[riklaunim]

rwg - I've checked QHY5 and QHY IMG0H ASCOM driver. I'll try also another vendor (as QHY tends to be software "original" :]). I did used QHY5v some time ago in Nebulosity via the ASCOM driver and it did work (but now I may have newer version).

[rwg]

Ah yes, QHY...

As you say, they have an interesting approach to software development, also there seems to have been a bust up of some description between the dutch chap who used to develop ASCOM drivers for them and QHY themselves - certainly his site no longer carries the old ASCOM drivers.

I did look at doing native support for QHY cameras, but it is just too much effort - the API looked to be different for each camera and the documentation is very sparse. This is a real contrast to Basler who have an excellent API that works for all cameras, superb documentation and lots of sample code.

Robin

[riklaunim]

Now they unified everything and drivers are made by Starsensesci.

[MorningMajor]

Hi Robin - great software btw - but, do you have any idea what causes a lot of dropped frames, last night I captured about 16 x 1500 frame shots, the first 5 or 6 were great with just the odd dropped frame, then the next 3 or 4 dropped around 400 during the capture, then the final few captures went back to being fine again - is it me?

[rwg]

Hi Sim,

two common causes -

* Computer performance problems - something else running in the background, fragmented hard disk, that sort of thing

* High frame rates and long exposures combined - ie selecting 30fps *and* trying for an exposure of 1/20s doesn't work. Lots of cameras register dropped frames in this circumstance because they simply haven't finished the previous frame when the next is due.

Robin

[MorningMajor]

Thanks Robin, reckon it's cause 1 - I'm using my older, and therefore slower laptop outside when I capture and run IMerge to check how a mosaic's going at the same time, hmm, maybe I should try my new laptop on dew free nights!