Photobooth help

March 12, 2007 9:57 AM

I want to build a photobooth, but I have a few questions...

I'd like to build the booth using a computer, digital camera, and printer. The interface would be simple enough: press a button, get a countdown, get your picture taken. My main questions are regarding the software to control the camera.

Does anyone know of free, preferably open source, camera control software I can use to tell a digital point and shoot to take a photo? Alternatively, is there a specific manufacturer that ships control software with the camera?

I know about "Photoboof" software for windows, but I'd rather not have to pay for the $600 license.

posted by splatta to Technology (8 answers total)

I know my Canon S200 came with control software that when you hit the button, it will take a picture, if the camera is wired up via USB. My Nikon D50 doesn't come with the software, but you can purchase it from Nikon. (And yes, it works good) (Also wired in)
posted by defcom1 at 10:05 AM on March 12, 2007

Back in the day, gqcam controlled my Agfa just fine from Linux. More recent cameras have declined to cooperate, but there are still dozens, if not hundreds, in the supported list.
posted by DU at 10:13 AM on March 12, 2007

Read jwz fail at building one (as only he can): here, here, here, here, and here.
posted by togdon at 10:22 AM on March 12, 2007

Heh, I was coming in here to post that very link to jwz's livejournal. In summary, his failure seemed to stem from the poorly documented OS X API that was necessary to interface with the camera. So, if you are using Win32 or Linux there may still be hope, depending on your skill level. But jwz's experience is helpful in that I trust he did due diligence before sitting down to write his own, which implies that there is not a viable existing open source package for this niche.
posted by Rhomboid at 10:48 AM on March 12, 2007

Response by poster: Yea, that thread is a little bit disheartening. I have the advantage of not having bought any hardware, so I'm not yet locked in to one platform.
posted by splatta at 11:13 AM on March 12, 2007

If you haven't bought the computer yet, this is really easy.

Any new MacBook or iMac comes with a built-in camera and a free application called Photo Booth. You can apply effects and everything. Go to an Apple Store and check it out.
posted by designbot at 11:26 AM on March 12, 2007

Use Linux and gphoto. Look at the gphoto page about remote controllable cameras before you buy anything.

You also want to make sure that the camera comes with or can be used with an AC adapter.

The rest is pretty simple, as you already indicated, from a software standpoint.

If you have an old crap Kodak DC2xx camera lying around, there's a specifc little tool that just talks to the camera from the command-line. I used this for a while as a webcam when I was too cheap to buy a real webcam. Added bonus: the serial input for my DC200 was a 1/8" headphone jack, so I used a 25' headphone extension to get the camera far away from the computer.
posted by chuma at 11:28 AM on March 12, 2007

You might want to ask these guys how they did it:

http://blog.mcleodresidence.com/2006/11/our_first_proje.html

This one posts to Flikr - it's pretty cool.
posted by mildred-pitt at 11:37 AM on March 12, 2007