Camera

Camera usage within MomentoBooth constists of two parts:

  • Live view
  • Photo capture

For both aspects a few options are available. In general you either work with a webcam, or a separate camera.

Webcam

This is the easiest option to set up. Connect a supported webcam, and use it for both live view and photo capture. This method does not usually result in great image quality, but is great for testing.

Camera

For using a external camera, two methods are available at the moment.

  1. Using the gphoto2 implementation
  2. Using a vendor remote tethering program (Windows only)

gphoto2

Camera support overview – Needs at least capture support and liveview. Alternatively, see the libgphoto2 supported cameras – Needs at least Image Capture and Liveview.

Using the gphoto2 implementation is very convenient, as it allows for both live view and high quality photo capture through a single USB connection. Check the above link for which cameras are supported.

Vendor tethering

When a camera is not suported by gphoto2, it may be an option to use a vendor tethering program for photo capture through an AutoIt script. This works as long as the vendor program writes JPG images to a specified directory. Live view must then be obtained from a camera feed.

  • This can either be with a video capture device (usually HDMI) You need the capture device and camera video out cable.
  • or by capturing the tethering software with OBS Studio and working with the OSB virtual webcam output.

The right webcam source can then be selected in the live view settings.

To activate the AutoIt script, select Sony Imaging Edge Remote as capture source and set the image input directory.

Physical camera set-up

When running a photo booth at an event, the camera will likely need to be turned on for several hours. A normal battery will not be able to supply energy for that long. It is therefore recommended to get a dc dummy battery, which is connected to an external power supply. The most convenient solution is one that works with USB C Power Delivery, as it can be connected to any PD power supply and so does not require a specific adapter. These usually run between €15~€30.

It is also recommended to mount your camera firmly on either a big or a small tripod so it is stable and can be aimed in the right direction.