Helicon Remote and Hudl 1

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Dave Canon
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Helicon Remote and Hudl 1

Post by Dave Canon »

I have been using Helicon Remote on my Hudl for some time successfully. Even after I upgraded my Canon 5D2 to a 5D4 the remote was working fine until a few weeks ago. Now when I run Helicon, I just get a blank screen which eventually times out. I have tried uninstalling and re-installing but no difference. I would welcome advice? Other Apps still run fine on my Hudl.

Dave
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Stas Yatsenko
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Re: Helicon Remote and Hudl 1

Post by Stas Yatsenko »

Does it only happen when the camera is connected, or without any camera, too?
We have no idea what could be causing this behavior. Have you tried restarting Android (powering off and back on)?
Dave Canon
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Re: Helicon Remote and Hudl 1

Post by Dave Canon »

It still happens even after a complete power down. It is not responding whether or not the camera is connected.

Dave
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Stas Yatsenko
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Re: Helicon Remote and Hudl 1

Post by Stas Yatsenko »

We have found and fixed the problem, and will publish an update later today.
Dave Canon
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Re: Helicon Remote and Hudl 1

Post by Dave Canon »

Thanks, I have installed the up-to-date version and now HR runs on the Hudl 1. However, I have just spent several hours trying to set up my EOS 5D Mkiv to capture shots for focus stacking. While the Hudl connects to the camera and HR runs and recognises the camera and shows a live view image (camera set to manual exposure and AF), almost all controls/settings are greyed out. This is true for the Exposure menu, focus menu and for tools, If I select bracketing I can select the number of shots but cannot actually capture any shots. It is annoying as I was able to use HR remote with my 5D4 until recently. Cannon Connect works fine but it does not have a focus stacking feature.

Dave
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Stas Yatsenko
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Re: Helicon Remote and Hudl 1

Post by Stas Yatsenko »

Try resetting the camera body settings.
Dave Canon
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Re: Helicon Remote and Hudl 1

Post by Dave Canon »

I have spent several more hours on this. I have gone back through the camera WiFi settings but still the Hudl connects to the camera and Helicon Remote recognises the camera and shows a live view. Most of the he camera controls (e.g . Preview, take a picture) have no effect and are mostly greyed out on HR. Also while the camera was initially set to Raw when Helicon remote is connected it is often S1. I can usually alter the exposure settings on HR but they do not effect the camera. When I exit HR, it leaves my camera locked up and I have to power down. When powering back up, I find the quality setting has been changed to S1. It seems that the camera EOS 5D4 and HR do not communicate correctly.

What settings in particular should be reset in the camera? I would not want to clear all my settings as there are many and it took some time to set them.

Dave
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Stas Yatsenko
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Re: Helicon Remote and Hudl 1

Post by Stas Yatsenko »

If I knew which specific setting needs changing, I would have certainly said so. Also, I can't be certain a reset will help, but sometimes it does.
Can't you save your settings to a memory card, and then restore them? I know Nikon cameras have this feature.
Dave Canon
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Re: Helicon Remote and Hudl 1

Post by Dave Canon »

Sadly, you cannot record the 5D4 settings. However, this morning I have recorded them all manually and then reset the camera. I first checked that the camera was still controlled OK using Canon Connect and it was. I then tried Helicon Remote and it was just the same as I reported earlier. It connects to the camera, switched to Live View and I can see the live view in Helicon Remote but almost all settings for the camera are greyed out. It is not possible to change settings or capture a picture. Whatever quality setting was on the camera, Helicon remote changes it to JPEG S1.

I was prepared to replace my Hudl with an iPad but would I have to buy another Helicon Licence and how can I be confident that this will work with my 5D4. As I have said before, the most frustrating thing is that it did work last March/April when I first bought my 5D4. I can no longer capture focus stacked sets and I cannot go back to my 5D2 as I traded it in for the 5D4.

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Stas Yatsenko
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Re: Helicon Remote and Hudl 1

Post by Stas Yatsenko »

Have you tried uninstalling and reinstalling the app? Unlikely to help, but still worth trying.
Then, please reproduce the problem and send us a bug report while the settings are grayed out (menu - Help -> Report a bug). Include a short comment, something like: "Camera settings not accessible".

Are you using a wireless connection? If you are, then try USB. Also, can you try the same the same thing that fails on Android on a Mac or Windows computer using the desktop version of Helicon Remote ( can be downloaded from here: http://www.heliconsoft.com/software-downloads/ ) ?

P. S. You will not need a new license for iPad, but we cannot be certain the problem will not occur there.
Dave Canon
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Re: Helicon Remote and Hudl 1

Post by Dave Canon »

Yes I had already tried uninstalling and installing. I have now generated an error report and sent which seemed to related to a timeout error. This has always been using the WiFi which was one of the reasons why I upgraded to a Mark IV. I have now tried the USB connection; HR and the camera do appear to operate normally using USB. I have now also downloaded a copy of HR to an iPad and tried a WiFi connection. It functions exactly the same as on the Hudl in that the Camera is recognised and live view initiated but then the controls are greyed out. An error came up referring to a timeout error again.

I hope this feedback helps to identify the problem.
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Stas Yatsenko
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Re: Helicon Remote and Hudl 1

Post by Stas Yatsenko »

Yes, we have received your report, thank you. Sorry for not replying sooner, we were investigating the problem and coming up with some useful reply. Unfortunately, we have none so far. We believe this issue only occurs with some Canon cameras, and we don't have any of the bodies subject to this error. However, we have ordered one, and we hope we will be able to reproduce and fix the error when the new body arrives (hopefully, next week).
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Stas Yatsenko
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Re: Helicon Remote and Hudl 1

Post by Stas Yatsenko »

There is one possible workaround that I've forgotten about. Clear the Wi-Fi settings in the camera body, then reactivate Wi-Fi, but this time choose "Computer" mode or "EOS Utility" mode instead of "Smartphone" mode.
Dave Canon
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Re: Helicon Remote and Hudl 1

Post by Dave Canon »

I have now tried the "Computer" mode and this essentially works. The camera is recognised and the settings are correct; it is no longer changing the Raw to Jpeg S1. All the controls are available and no longer greyed out. I can now focus remotely and capture stacked sets as well as multiple exposure sets. One curious thing which was also true when connected by USB, the zoom function always zooms in towards the upper left of the screen no matter where you tap. Also the autofocus focuses in the same area as the zoom goes to even if you have not zoomed. However, I can set the near and far focus points though without the benefit of zooming but at least I will be able to go out and capture some fungi shots now.

Thanks for all your efforts in investigating these issues though I wondered if the autofocus/zoom issue was related to camera settings.

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Stas Yatsenko
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Re: Helicon Remote and Hudl 1

Post by Stas Yatsenko »

The zoom issue sounds like a bug on the app, but it's odd that this is the first time we're hearing about it (and zoom works for me no problem). Please launch the app and go to menu -> About. What version number does it display next to "Helicon Remote"?
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