Android app to control your Nikon via USB

jdeg

^ broke something
Staff member
I found this on XDA: [APP] Nikon DSLR Dashboard via USB V0.16 beta - xda-developers

It looks very neat. Here is the list of features:
  • Change of camera operating mode (camera mode, host mode)
    In camera mode you can operate the control on the camera
    In host mode the program is in control of your camera
  • If camera is in host mode then you can change the camera program mode from the app (P, S, A, M, Auto, Scene ......)
  • Changing the basic camera parameters (aperture, shutter speed, white balance, focus mode, iso, metering, shooting mode, EV, flash mode, image size, image quality, number of continous shoots)
  • Change the recording media
    sdcard - the taked picture is saved to sdcard in the camera
    sdram - the taked picture is saved to sdram and sent to your phone (it will be saved to DCIM/DSLR) the jpeg files will be added to your media library, .nef files are saved to the same folder
  • AF - drive the autofocus (if there is a compatible lens and not in manual focus mode)
  • taking picture(s) to sdcard (only if sdcard is selected as recording media)
  • taking picture(s) to sdram
  • live view - turning on/off (sdram must be selected as recording media)
  • change the live view focus mode
  • display and change the AF area in live view (touch the screen) (green rect)
  • display the detected faces if live view af is in face detection (yellow rect(s))
One of the really cool features is the ability to choose your phone as the storage media, which means you can basically upload things from your camera on the fly assuming you have a data connection on your phone.

It requires Android 2.3.4.

Now all you would need is a wireless USB interface (and a way to power it) and you'll have complete wireless control of your camera via your phone.
 

yega2012

New member
This is interesting, I will try in my made in chinese android Tab hope also working properly

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Dooku77

Senior Member
Have you tried this yet Willie? I didn't see this in the android market. What is the app called? I looked under Nikon DSLR dashboard and nada...

I have not tried this yet. I'm not sure if your phone has to be rooted. I looked in the app store and did not find it either. I found this one.

Willie C
 

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Dooku77

Senior Member
I saw on the net today where Android phones are very prone to malware...what do you all make of that? Just crap?

Well any phone is prone to malware but android more so because you can allow it to download unauthorized non market apps. My phone is rooted and I have an app (virus protection) running in the background on my phone. It scans all apps I download for malware and I have it set up with a firewall.

Willie C
 

Tami Jo

Senior Member
I have not tried this yet. I'm not sure if your phone has to be rooted. I looked in the app store and did not find it either. I found this one.

Willie C

That sounds like it might work. I wonder if any one else here has tried this? Okay so my phone may need to be rooted? What on earth is that?
 

Dooku77

Senior Member
That sounds like it might work. I wonder if any one else here has tried this? Okay so my phone may need to be rooted? What on earth is that?

It's a term people use in the android community. It means to use special software to remove all the restrictions the carriers and manufacturers put on all the phones.

Willie C
 

Tami Jo

Senior Member
It's a term people use in the android community. It means to use special software to remove all the restrictions the carriers and manufacturers put on all the phones.

Willie C

I like the sound of that! Who wants to be restricted by the provider's picks when you can chose your own:cool:
 

steptoe

Senior Member
And rooting your phone can be very very simple with software doing it all for you or pretty much impossible where one error can 'brick' your expensive phone making it a paper weight unless you can afford a new motherboard

But, again, depending on your phone. There are some very good guides on 'rooting'


Rooting basically opens up your phone so you can pretty much do anything with it, and a lot of the more 'interesting' software needs a rooted phone as it allows full access to the system, and not the restrictive set-up (but safer) that it comes with as default

I've rooted both my android phones, and the last one was quite scary as they did a motherboard change under warranty on my HTC Sensation as it 'just died' (apparently common-ish fault with the motherboards) so all other methods didn't work apart from a scary one with a bit of wire and tricking the phone into engineer mode so I could reinstall my custom firmware and get the phone back to how it should be with no branding and no restriction

But rooting is not for everyone, as there IS a risk
 

steptoe

Senior Member
I'll be giving it a try, as I was just think the other day about an app to control the camera

Here is a cable I have just ordered off eBay, if you live in UK

Micro USB To USB2.0 OTG Host Cable Adapter For Asus Google Nexus Tablet 7 7" NEW | eBay

You will need a USB cable though, as this is just an adaptor. Even if you don't have a spare a 1m cable off ebay is almost free. But it needs to be a male to male (A to A) cable

1m High Speed USB 2.0 A Male to A Male Cable Lead Black | eBay

For the sum of 99p including postage, or go into town and be royally ripped off into buying a superfast hi-speed USB 2.0 shielded cable. That is the same, but costs at least £7 as its in a nice sealed package with a logo on it
 

steptoe

Senior Member
It should work fine with your D5200, the D3100 causes a few headaches as it hasn't really got a true mode for directly connecting the camera to the outside world. Apparently its in 'permanent' PTP mode the others have the choice of USB/PTP mode so work better with software that accesses it

Also Nikon don't help by refusing to provide any developer info in their SDK so its a bit hit and miss for the software developers unless they have access to a D3100 to try to workaround Nikon's lack of developer support for such a 'low end DSLR'
 

jrush78

New member
Very nice, thank you both. I was not aware that the wifi adapter would work for it also. I might have to look into that so I can cut the cord. I just got a notice that my cable will be here today, so I might try it out a bit tonight. I still need to go pickup a good tripod and a longer cable so I am not having to stand right by the camera to control it with the app.
 
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