iOS 14 Compatibility and Device Support Updates

September 26, 2020 by

During the last week we had issued updates to all our apps. These cover compatibility fixes with iOS 14 as well as new iPad and camera support. All apps will work on the new iPad Air, for example.

Bad news first: due to the fact that USB camera control is still completely broken in iOS 14.0.1, we advise Kuuvik Capture and ShutterCount users to defer updating from iOS 13 until Apple fixes the issue. People using only Wi-Fi connections to their cameras are not affected. We’ve added a message when a non-operating USB connection is detected, so you can see whether Apple’s bug affects you.

Update (November 6): The just-released iOS 14.2 finally fixes this bug.

Now the good stuff…

Both Artist’s Viewfinder and Technical Camera was updated with added functionality to be able to use the volume down button as a shutter release, and support the ultra wide camera in this year’s iPad Pro models. Artist’s Viewfinder’s camera database was also expanded with 23 new models.

ShutterCount as well as Kuuvik Capture 5 received a new progress indicator on iOS, displayed when connections take longer than a second. Connections may take a long time if you have numerous images on the memory card, and thus it is a good practice to have an empty card in the camera when using these apps on iPhone or iPad. We’ve also improved Wi-Fi pairing problem detection in all variants and platform versions.

Camera-wise, Canon’s 850D/Rebel T8i is now supported in both apps, and ShutterCount is also certified to work with Nikon’s D780 and Z5. Speaking of cameras, Kuuvik Capture 5 finally gets EOS R5 support!

Since the R5 firmware is still a bug farm, be prepared for some serious limitations. For example, multi-point live view is not available and the snail-fast Wi-Fi is not supported. We are continuously monitoring new firmware versions to see whether these issues are fixed. Honestly, we were waiting for v1.2.0 promised to be released in early September, but since it haven’t materialized yet, we’ve decided to release the app with these limitations.

If you noticed a theme that large companies, such as Apple and Canon, release manure-quality software these days, well, you are not alone…

Kuuvik Capture 5 also got a surprisingly useful new feature on both Mac and iPad: beep when a sequence or a bulb exposure is finished. It is on by default, but can be turned off in the app’s preferences.

These updates are available free of charge for existing users, and can be downloaded from the respective App Store.

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ShutterCount 4.5 Released with EOS R5 Support

August 12, 2020 by

The latest update to my ShutterCount app is now available for both Mac and iOS on the respective App Store. The headline feature is Canon EOS R5 support.

Since the app supports Wi-Fi connections in EOS Utility (Remote control) mode, it’s time to bring another gross R5 fault to the spotlight: glacially slow Wi-Fi connections.

Normally a Canon EOS camera would establish a Wi-Fi connection in a second or two, but for the R5 it may take 40-60 seconds. The same happens with Canon’s own EOS Utility 3 software, just its badly designed, slow-to-operate user interface covers most of this time. Slowness kicks in after the last step of the pairing is done on the camera, as well as in case of all subsequent connections. So if you must use Wi-Fi, then be prepared to brew a coffee while the camera connects. This is one of the many R5 bugs that Canon should urgently fix with a firmware update, but for now I would recommend to forget Wi-Fi and use USB instead – it works even on iOS. Update: firmware 1.1.0 is still unusable for Wi-Fi.

Speaking of bugs, we’ve fixed a crash that could happen when IPTC information is set to a camera having no IPTC set before, and another one in the iOS version’s copyright info template editor.

With this release the iOS version gains a few new features. History logs can be accessed via the Files app on both iPhone and iPad, and ShutterCount now fully supports slide over and side-by-side multitasking on iPads. The latter is a great way to have the app and the Getting Started Guide open side-by-side while you’re doing your very first Wi-Fi pairing, for example.

To use USB tethering on iPhone and iPad, iOS/iPadOS 13.4 or later is required. During the last couple of months we’ve received a few support requests complaining about non-working USB tethering. The cause in all cases was the cheap aftermarket Lightning to USB or USB C-to-A adapter the customer tried to use. We continue to recommend only Apple’s adapters as well as Apple, Canon or TetherTools USB cables.

The version 4.5 update is free for existing users.

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Kuuvik Capture on iPad : Gestures

June 29, 2020 by

Being an iPad app, gesture support in Kuuvik Capture takes center stage. Let’s dive right in!

Long Press

Where you normally would right-click in the Mac version, use a long press on iPad. It brings up context menus on browser thumbnails (shown on the screen shot), on the displayed image, on live view and on the bracketing monitor. It opens the corresponding option panel for the Live View, Clipping Warning, Marker, Sharpening, Focus Peaking, Guide and Image Overlay icons on the toolbar. Long pressing the camera selector in the top right corner will show the Wi-Fi and Ethernet Pairing dialog.

In Pan (Hand Tool) Mode

While an image is displayed, double tapping will toggle between 100% and Fit zoom levels. Otherwise use pinch and spread to zoom in and out. Drag the zoomed image around with a single finger, or flick it for faster movement. Swipe left or right with two fingers held together to show the next or previous image in the session, respectively. Note that the app will change the image when you lift your fingers.

In live view things work a bit differently. You can use flick-zoom (a fast, flick-like pinch and spread) to change zoom levels. And then drag the zoomed image around with a single finger. What a double tap does can be configured in the menu: initiate AF or toggle medium or high magnification levels. Swiping up and down with two fingers will pull focus. Step size for focus pulling depends on the magnification: Kuuvik Capture uses small steps for zoomed-in levels and medium steps at Fit zoom level.

Use the rotate gesture to rotate both displayed images and live view (the latter when live view auto-rotation is disabled). Rotation happens at 90 degrees. Once the app recognizes the rotation gesture, it will highlight the corresponding rotation icon on the toolbar. Let the screen go at this moment, and the image will be rotated.

In Marker Tool Mode

Tap the image/live view to place a marker, and tap an existing marker to remove it. A single-finger left or right swipe can be used to move between the markers. Two finger swipe is also recognized in this mode, just like in pan mode.

In Reposition Overlay Mode

You can resize and rotate the overlaid image with two fingers, and drag it with a single finger. Simple as that. Double-tapping the displayed image will toggle between 100% and Fit zoom levels, to facilitate precise overlay placement.

Guide Dragging Takes Precedence

When you tap a guideline (and it becomes a dashed line), then all other gestures are ignored while you hold or move that line around, regardless of the current tool or mode.

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Kuuvik Capture 5.1 Available on iPad

June 26, 2020 by

Continuing the decade long tradition of bringing you industry-first solutions, I’m pleased to announce that Kuuvik Capture 5.1, both on Mac and iPad, is now available on the App Store. It is the world’s first Canon EOS remote control app that can be used with a USB cable between your camera and iPad – thus skipping slow and error-prone Wi-Fi completely.

Camera connections on iPad work exacly the same way they do in ShutterCount Mobile, as described in my post announcing USB support, as well in the Getting Started Guide for Wi-Fi.

More information about Kuuvik Capture on iPad can be found my previous posts (here and here).

Now I’m taking a deep breath, a few days off, and start posting short articles as the handbook is updated.

Enjoy!

IMPORTANT: If you purchased the app for Mac and want to download it to your iPad (or vice versa), the App Store may not recognize your previous purchase and display the full price. Make sure that you are using the same Apple ID you did for the original purchase, and go ahead with “buying” the app. Instead of charging your card, the App Store should display the message “This update is free”. This is an App Store bug, so please address your comments to the party responsible for it (that is, Apple).

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