Sony released the new Light Trail App (Click here). It captures light trails from fireworks or the headlights of moving cars in a single magical photo. You can see how this works on the video on top. Sony also update the Time-Laps APP.
Sony released the new Light Trail App (Click here). It captures light trails from fireworks or the headlights of moving cars in a single magical photo. You can see how this works on the video on top. Sony also update the Time-Laps APP.
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Looks similar to olympus’s live bulb. Can this be use with RAW?
According to specs, yes.
Yes
I really wish they had something like livebulb on the Olympus cameras..all the apps are cute, but jpg only 🙁
+1
Sony should shut down the playmemories site for good.
Jpg only? You didn’t check before whining I suppose?
And look at that, now they do! Magic.
Wow! This app is amazing and totally worth all of my money! The effect is so unique and the outcome totally doesn’t look like a photo taken with a long shutterspeed and small aperture. I am sooo going to buy this!!
You and six more people (at the time of this writing) totally didn’t read what it is all about, yet were quick to whine.
Com’on! Is it really that hard to make a light streak photo manually?
Wow. Sony really is for professionals.
A7s only? Strange decision….
sorry but why would i need an app for that?
is this for full automatic mode users or what?
I think you answered your own question.
Well two possibilities (having not used the app myself) is that the image builds over time, so no need for multiple attempts at different exposure times. This app could actually be quite useful.
You don’t need an app for that. Same as most people don’t need AF. It is a convenience. According to the description, it locks the exposure for everything that doesn’t move and according to the video, it shows you previews of your image building up over time. Certainly more convenient than trying to nail the exact exposure time and blending layers on the computer.
I got their star trails app which is shit : the end of the trail makes a big blog and there is no option to correct that. Instead of producing a new app, they should rather have updated the star trail app.
Now of course I can produce the same results by stacking and using the different blend modes in PS. But if the app can produce a single raw with customized settings, then 1) I can spare storing space and 2) I can spare processing time as well. So it isn’t totally useless.
I use their Timelapse app, but I find it is a pain in the ass to get the custom settings I want, although it is possible. Main problems : it doesn’t allow you to use your usual camera settings : even in the custom manual mode you have to change them after leading the app using the menu. Other issue : the app doesn’t seem to remember the last settings you had used with it..
Also : I have to dig in the menu to return to AF with shutter each time before I can use the app, because it won’t work with AF on the AEL/AF button .. A real pain to use. But for long time lapse I can spare a lot of storing space, so the app us still a bonus.
why not doing a usefull app.
like shoothing a few frames and remove everthing that moved.
so you can create empty citys, empty streets etc?
something you could do only with apps like photoshop otherwise.
but light trails?….this is something you can do with normal camera settings in no time.
to be clear i mean combining a few images and removing everything that moved in the frames.
multi image iso is your friend 😉
Just yes an ND filter and take a single long exposure ! Everything that moved will disappear.
well i rather spend 10 seconds instead of an hour when possiible.
and try to setup an tripod in a city or on a street…..
i mean use you brain…. this would be really helpfull.
Apparently you never tried it : you don’t need one hour to make moving subjects going away. But you will need a tripod even with an app !
Also… the smart remote has been withdrawn (albeit temporarily) a month ago?? The one app they push in all the adverts and is actually occasionally useful? Even if they are updating it for new cameras, why withdrawal the old version – unless theres a serious problem with it (i.e. security issue).
I sure hope there’s a major security issue in it, since an exploit would likely allow for developments of third party apps a’la CHDK/Magic Lantern.
Patent fight might be another reason for withdrawal.
On Sony HP you find only references to A7s, but nothing about the A6000 regarding this App. So my question is: would this fine new app also work with the A6000?
i know i know you can see the effect life but come on…..
No it does not even allow you to install it on any camera other than a7S … I tried to install it on A7, A6000 & RX100III … but it won’t allow you to install it.
Was quite excited when I saw this, it’s one of the features I miss most from my Olympus OM-D E-M5. Seems odd that it’s for the A7s only and not at least the rest of the A7 series. I wonder if it has anything to to with the electronic shutter.
Just speculating, but there might be a chance the app makes use of the 4K full pixel readout video stream specific for A7S for creating the files. A bit weird to make this app IMHO. Most people who buy the A7S should be skilled enough to make their own long exposure shots.
The app is not about usual long exposure but 1st. you can see the photo while it is being taken and 2nd you can do a long exposure during the night (and even the day) without it getting to bright after a while. And that is really cool, if you want to do that.
Looks like the feature is indeed what Olympus introduced under the name “live composite” with the E-M10 and just added to the E-M1 with the 2.0 firmware. Which is much nicer than Sony’s idea of “apps” which you actually have to buy; would have been nicer still if the E-M5 and possibly other models would have received such an update, too.
The last part of your statement is WHY apps are actually a pretty good idea, despite having to pay a few bucks for them. You can add features / functionality later with no longer supported devices etc. It’s actually a pretty good and majorly overlooked feature of the Sony’s, yes you pay a few dollars and yes they could be better integrated, but it’s actually a pretty smart idea.
I do think “apps” have a good future in cameras. Companies need to start opening up their software to allow for 3rd party developer’s apps. Most of these from Sony seem like a waste of money. Anyone with decent photoshop skills can get way better results than what these in camera apps give you, not to mention many of these only work with JPEG. These apps make more sense on cheaper consumer cameras, not the A7 series, which seems to be aimed at the advanced amature or professional.
I agree I would love for them to make available an SDK for us to play with and create our own apps. Sort of like CHKDK for Canon cameras.
In theory, that’s quite true, and most apps (if perhaps not always the most useful ones) are in fact free.
Then again, we will see if in two or three years time new apps will still be compatible with older cameras. If a specific feature requires special hardware, it’s out of the question, but whether Sony really wants to support old cameras with new apps remains to be seen as well.
The major problem I have with Sony’s apps policy, though, is that they demand money specifically for rather basic features which quite some other cameras offer as a matter of course, out-of-the-box, like “time-lapse”, “multiple exposure” or “multi-frame NR” (even older Sonys like the NEX-3 and C3 could do that already). Sorry, but the way the do it it is, in my opinion, an outright ridiculous profit-maximizing scheme.
But can I get an app for my Nex-6 that lets me write my own exposure/ISO tables for P mode?
Can I get an app to reconfigure auto ISO in A/S modes, so it isn’t wedded to f/4 and 1/80s?
Can I get a macro recorder app that lets me put the multiple button pushes and wheel turns needed to get from Multi focus to Flexible Spot and back onto a single button push?
Can I get an app that simulates the “memory recall” for storing the whole camera settings, that their have on their point and shoot RX100?
Light trails, my arse.
Seriously, A7S only?
I love how they demonstrate the app on a Nex-5 type body, which doesn’t actually support the app at all 😀
Still no APP support for the A77m2! WTF SONY!
How is this Light Trail app different than doing a long exposure? I don’t get it.
Not sure since I have not tried it, nor do I intend to buy it, but I think it is the real time -ish (it does look a bit choppy) LCD reprerentation that is the main attraction. You start the exposure, see light streaks develop, and end it when you are happy with the amount of streaks.
Being a legacy glass shooter, I would much rather see NFC supported EXIF modification (lens info) apps instead. But I am pretty sure that will never happen. 😛
nope, you can set it to 50s exposure but later you can choose the photo at 20s, 30s or 40s… This is extremely important for firework photography as you don’t have to try many times
If it is what the latest Olympus cameras have by the name of “live composite”, and Sony’s description does sound like it, then it’s something quite sophisticated – yes, it is a long exposure, but at the point where the image is sufficiently exposed, the shutter is kept open without the image itself getting any brighter or even overexposed; only new light trails will then add to the image. (That was a bit simplified, but roughly what it amounts to.)
Follow the link. Maybe you will see a difference.
Yes, I see that it not only allows you to preview the exposure as it’s being captured but it takes the exposure in a way that prevents blowing the highlights on non-moving bright spots.
I like the idea of viewing the exposure as it’s taking place, like Olympus did. How about a feature set instead of an app?
WOW THAT IS AMAZING…too bad there is no demo movie for fireworks capture as well
It looks like you have to hold the shutter button down. I wonder if it will work with the remote.
Also known as the long exposure. Reminds me of the time Puddy sold Jerry a Saab and the keys were extra. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j5Km59YlcJg
Do you think the app will become available to the a7ii? As a Lightpainter it is a must have app for me because it allows me to do Lightpainting during the day. And I would prefere the higher resolution the alpha7ii has over the a7s.