iPhone app for field data

[RICHARD BARINGER]

Does anyone know of a database application for iPhone that can be used to record film, f/stop, shutter speed, bellows extension, location, lens selection etc?
J. R. Baringer

[evan clarke]

It's not database but Photojot is probably better, check it out... Evan Clarke

[J. Gilbert Plantinga]

I make an iPhone snapshot and a voice memo.

[percepts]

I thought all that stuff came with its inbuilt camera. Just snap something and you've got all the exif data attached to the image. :)

[RICHARD BARINGER]

Thanks to all of you. My request didn't indicate the need was for 4x5 film photography.
Photojot is a little incomplete, but I think will work well:)
JRB

[evan clarke]

Thanks to all of you. My request didn't indicate the need was for 4x5 film photography.
Photojot is a little incomplete, but I think will work well:)
JRB

How do you find it incomplete? I've been messing with things for this for years and it fills all my needs. I record my exposure info on gaffers tape which i have on my filmholders. This little app takes care of everything else. Let me know...Evan Clarkr

[RICHARD BARINGER]

evan:
I would have preferred it had tabs for bellows extension, filter and factor, development time (for contrast compensation), contrast range, and lens focal length, but it's better than anything else I've seen for 4x5.:)

[Ben Syverson]

What else would you want? I've sketched up an iPhone LF-specific logger and exposure calculator. Any feature suggestions?

[RICHARD BARINGER]

bensyverson
Ideally there should be places to record date, holder number (or roll number for roll back users), place, subject description, film type and ISO, lens focal length, filter type and compensation, bellows extension and compensation, shutter speed, f/stop, metering of high and low zones (and maybe zone 5) and a place for notes.
It would be convenient if things like film speed, shutter speed and f/stop could be on a pop up menu, so they could be selected by touch rather than have to enter them by typing. I feel that entering data is a chore, distracting from the act of photography, so the simpler and quicker that data entry can be made, the better. Don't know if these could be user modified (e.g., I often use shutter speeds in many seconds or minutes, which most people might never need) but that would be an advantage. Also would be nice to be able to download to a computer. All this too much?
Hope this is helpful. Keep me informed.
J. Richard Baringer <richard.baringer@comcast.net>

[Ben Syverson]

Thanks so much Richard -- I'll keep you informed!

[percepts]

bensyverson
Ideally there should be places to record date, holder number (or roll number for roll back users), place, subject description, film type and ISO, lens focal length, filter type and compensation, bellows extension and compensation, shutter speed, f/stop, metering of high and low zones (and maybe zone 5) and a place for notes.
It would be convenient if things like film speed, shutter speed and f/stop could be on a pop up menu, so they could be selected by touch rather than have to enter them by typing. I feel that entering data is a chore, distracting from the act of photography, so the simpler and quicker that data entry can be made, the better. Don't know if these could be user modified (e.g., I often use shutter speeds in many seconds or minutes, which most people might never need) but that would be an advantage. Also would be nice to be able to download to a computer. All this too much?
Hope this is helpful. Keep me informed.
J. Richard Baringer <richard.baringer@comcast.net>

I would suggest you use a little dictaphone tape recorder. Its far quicker and easier to record everything with notes and explanations than pratting about with a pda or iphone. You can write it all up when you get home if want to keep detailed records. Sometimes the older technology is just better than the new.

[sultanofcognac]

I would suggest you use a little dictaphone tape recorder. Its far quicker and easier to record everything with notes and explanations than pratting about with a pda or iphone. You can write it all up when you get home if want to keep detailed records. Sometimes the older technology is just better than the new.

Personally, I don't actually "Pratt about". . . I am the media director for a multimedia publishing company registered in two countries and I work, professionally, in five countries. My magazine is read in 183 countries.

I do use my iPhone and it is a perfect tool for me. Possibly it is not for you.

I don't have time to write down the notes when "I get home", as when I "go out" I usually am working on two or more projects. An iPhone app which would offer a selection of tools for quickly recording LF work on location would be a breath of fresh air. I take my time to set-up and take the shot - despite their importance, notes, for me, play a secondary role.

I do not pratt about; but thank you for the view from your location.

[Lachlan 717]

I would suggest you use a little dictaphone...

I have, but find it much quicker to use my finger...

(An analogue joke in a digital world).

[Robert Hughes]

I'd prefer a pencil and pad of paper - waterproof, no batteries, human-readable, and permanent.

[jbenedict]

I'd prefer a pencil and pad of paper - waterproof, no batteries, human-readable, and permanent.

My thoughts, too. I guess I'm not as 'scientific' as some of you other guys. For my 8x10, I have one lens and use one film, one developer and only own two filters (yellow and red). I keep my technique simple. Films are N, N-1 and, maybe for the big expansions, "C" with dilute stand development. I have enough holders I don't need to change them in the field so I write what info I want on a tag on the holder.

Having a calculator to do reciprocity allowances would be nice.

[mklosterman]

Hello All,

I'm the developer of PhotoJot. I'll be the first to admit a new release is overdue. There is some good feedback in this thread. If there are any additional items you wish to let me know about feel free to contact me at matt@infofission.com.

Thanks,
Matt

[Fast Frankie]

Hi Richard,

I,too, have struggled looking for a solution. Tried PDAs, iPhone/iTouch, and anything else I could. Decided to use a mini laptop. Created my own form in Excell. Downloaded calculators and DOF guides. Mini fits in my bag, has good battery life, and can even record an image using the built-in web camera.

[Jim Michael]

Matt, you'll never think of every field someone will want/need, so consider adding dynamic fields in a configuration section.

Those using voice dictation, if you were to use a specific format for recording the information it should be possible to use speech recognition software to import the spoken notes, either formatted or as free form text. The technology (e.g. Dragon Dictate) has become quite good.

[mklosterman]

Matt, you'll never think of every field someone will want/need, so consider adding dynamic fields in a configuration section.

Those using voice dictation, if you were to use a specific format for recording the information it should be possible to use speech recognition software to import the spoken notes, either formatted or as free form text. The technology (e.g. Dragon Dictate) has become quite good.

Jim,

I agree. Custom fields (similar to what is available in the iPhone Contacts app) are planned. I had looked into available iPhone speech recognition libraries in the past and wasn't too happy with what I found.

As an aside, is anyone interested in an Android port of PhotoJot? I am currently looking into having one of my business partners start porting my apps to Android.

Thanks,
Matt

[rdenney]

...metering of high and low zones (and maybe zone 5)...

I would like the option of recording these in EV. As I look through my notes, I see that I write down the measured EV and the zone I placed it on for three or four locations in the image. An exposure measurement table that allowed me to scroll a list for EV, scroll another list for zone, and then have a notes field to describe the portion of the picture it applies to would be really helpful.

If it has all that stuff, I'll pay to buy it. Keep us posted.

I like notebooks, and I usually transcribe everything into one, but I have two problems with them in the field: sometimes it's too dark to see it without a flashlight (requiring the use of a third arm), and my handwriting has been fouled up by occasional shakes, especially when I'm under any sort of stress or time pressure. I've come back with notes that were not, actually, human-readable.

Rick "who has been using the notepad on the iPhone for this" Denney

[Ben Syverson]

I'm going ahead with my design, but it may take some time as I have a lot of other work on my plate.

I've taken a look at Photojot and like it a lot -- especially the organizational tools. My app will be much much smaller in scope, focused on fast data entry and exposure calculation specifically for LF photographers.

[Struan Gray]

There is a recently-released app that uses the exposure data from the iPhone GS to act as a lightmeter. There are also container notetaking apps which will allow you to bundle together, say, a voice recording, a photo, GPS data and time stamps, and written notes.

What I would like is an app which takes a picture and then posterises it into zones, possibly with allowance for custom HD curves. On the GS it could make a stab at an actual exposure value, but even on the earlier model(s) it would be simple enough to identify an area suitable for spot metering.

There again, my testing of my iPhone this summer led me to conclude that it is lacking as a wilderness device. The GPS aerial isn't sensitive enough, the battery life is too short, and the screen got hiccups when my fingers were less than spotlessly clean and dry. It was useful to have, but not something I would want to rely upon, even to take notes.

[Paul Kierstead]

Well, I plunked down the $3 for Photojot. It is probably stuff the author has heard before, but :) ...

Things that would make it sing, for me:

- Picklist for aperture and shutter speed. Probably majors down one list, 1/2 down beside it or something like that. Still be able to enter anything, of course. It would be nice if the picklist was a drop down or something to reduce the amount of clicks and page switches
- Equipment selection, with pre-set, user definable sets of course
- Film selection. User defined pick-list

It would be nice if the phototaking (for sample) were less button-pressy and faster, but that would likely create other problems. Still, I'd prefer it worked like .. click the empty box for a pic. Get liveview. Click the shutter button. Done. If you don't want the pic, you can click the pic and delete it; I foresee wanting to keep the pic much more often then rejecting it (it is, after all, a documentary pic, not the end-result), so the taking-a-pic case should be streamlined for the user, with extra clicks to undo or remove the pic, instead of extra clicks to accept the pic.

I'd be using this app for some MF and 35mm work too, hence my interest in efficiency of recording.

I do like it though, and have found it best-in-class so far. For calculations, etc, I don't mind using other apps instead; I'd prefer this one be the best at recording, rather then the most feature rich.

[mklosterman]

Paul,

Thanks for your input!

[Paul Kierstead]

Doh, and, of course, pretty importantly, roll/frame number (or sheet number, of course)

[Paul Kierstead]

And the frame should default to 1 more then the last one :)

[Allen in Montreal]

Well, I plunked down the $3 for Photojot. It is probably stuff the author has heard before, but :) ...



I do like it though, and have found it best-in-class so far. For calculations, etc, I don't mind using other apps instead; I'd prefer this one be the best at recording, rather then the most feature rich.

Thanks Paul,
I was looking at it too, the app store does really tell you enough about the apps before you buy, so these posts help.
there was a DOF app, but for 35mm, it looked pretty cool if only it had been adapted to LF.

[rdenney]

there was a DOF app, but for 35mm, it looked pretty cool if only it had been adapted to LF.

For depth of field calculations, the best app I have found is DOFMaster, which has a useful iPhone version. It will allow you to set the format in addition to the focal length as a means of establishing the standard. That standard is based on an 8x10 print. If you want a tougher standard (as many of us would), you can use your choice of a circle of confusion value instead of the format. For a tilt situation, just set two or three different focus distances of points on the focus plane, and the depth of field is on either side of that.

Rick "who has it but usually uses a loupe" Denney

[Lachlan 717]

Thanks Paul,
I was looking at it too, the app store does really tell you enough about the apps before you buy, so these posts help.
there was a DOF app, but for 35mm, it looked pretty cool if only it had been adapted to LF.

"DOF Plus" has several LF options (8x10, 4x5, 5x7 and 6x17 are all covered).

[sultanofcognac]

For the iPhone try Photocalc - I think it's a bit more flexible. I have DOF calc but Photocalc is my favourite.

[Stephen Willard]

I have been using a generalized database application called FileMaker to create my own personalized database on my desktop and on my Palm Tungsten T3 to manage all of my compositions. A FileMake app is also now available on iPod touch and iPhone. Currently, I have created 121 fields for each record/photograph that starts with location info, camera settings, characteristics of the composition, masking info, printing info, and finally the narrative that I write about the experience of taking each photograph when I created the composition.

Conception of a database record for a photograph starts in the field with the creation of a new composition. The data created on my Palm T3 is then downloaded to my desktop database. The data stored on the T3 is a subset of the database on my desktop and contains only database fields applicable to location, camera settings, and characteristics of the composition. Most of these database fields use discrete pull-down menus for data entry so it is pretty fast. I also have a small portable Palm keyboard that allows me to write my narratives directly into the database on my T3 in the backcountry during times when I am not busy.

For each composition, I take a cheap digital point-n-shoot photograph, record its GPS location, and enter all data about the photograph into the database on my T3. All of this information is then merged into the database on my desktop including the digital photograph. The digital photograph is displayed in a special container database field that all allows me to see the image the data is about which is absolutely essential for managing around 320 images I am monitoring, but I have not taken yet. Some of the images I have been trying to shoot for over six years now revisiting them over and over again until I get the right atmospheric and lighting conditions necessary for complementing the compositions as I first envisioned the photograph.

The GPS info is also downloaded to my TOPO map software so that I can actually see the location of each composition on the map on my computer. When I go back to revisit a composition, I simply upload the applicable data and cheap digital photograph to the database on my T3 and upload GPS data from TOPO to my GPS device. When I arrive at my camp site with my llamas, I use tmy GPS device to take me right to the spot where the composition resides, and my T3 database data to set up my camera with the proper lens, aperture, camera movements, and tripod setting in just a few minutes.

The power of a database like mine is that it allows you to monitor all of your compositions from conception to final printing on one record for each photograph and to easily track an unlimited number of compositions that you have not taken. You can also ask it questions such as list all the untaken photographs in a particular area you plan on visiting. Or perhaps list all the untaken compositions that are exposed to sunrise alpenglow.

Creating FileMaker databases is real easy once you get the hang of things and allows you to customize the database to fit your needs. It has all the tools you need to add a database field and possible enumerations. For example, I have a field called Lens and when you touch the field a pulled down menu is displayed with all my lenses to select from. It also has formatting tools so you can control how the fields and labels are displayed to make it easy to use and read.

Give it a try. I think you will like it.

[Ben Syverson]

As a "break" from real work, I've sketched up a working version of my iPhone LF notes app, and would love to get some comments and beta testers.

I've attached a screenshot of the basic view. As you can see, it's exposure-centric, though the blank area near the bottom will eventually accommodate a snapshot, note field and a GPS readout. My main focus has been on making the app as fast as possible for data entry.

All the numeric values are "scrollable," and you can lock three of those values.

The default is "data entry" mode aka Full Manual, where EV is unlocked and set by the other values.
If all three are locked, you're in Metered Manual mode, where it shows you how far you are from the locked (target) EV
If EV and aperture are locked, you're in Aperture Priority, so changing any field will try to adjust the shutter to compensate
If EV and shutter are locked, you're in Shutter Priority.
If EV is the only thing locked, you're in Program (hahaha). Yes, you can finally shoot with your Deardorff using full Program mode. :D


Films dictate ISO and reciprocity characteristics, and lenses dictate shutter & aperture limitations.

One of the really cool things about this app is how easy it is to translate DSLR or meter readings to view camera settings without having to do any mental math far reciprocity, bellows, filter factor, etc. If you're doing long exposures, it also means you don't have to wait for a long DSLR test shot. You can take a handheld test shot at f/1.4 and ISO 6400 and use that shutter speed to figure out what you would need at f/22 and ISO 80.

If you have feature requests or suggestions, reply to this thread -- or if you want to be a beta tester, PM me.

[rdenney]

If you have feature requests or suggestions, reply to this thread -- or if you want to be a beta tester, PM me.

I'm assuming the field down by the format is the frame number.

The notes field will allow me to jot down zone visualizations, which are unique for every new subject.

I like it. See PM.

Rick "loving the bellows factor, filter, and reciprocity calculations" Denney

[evan clarke]

evan:
I would have preferred it had tabs for bellows extension, filter and factor, development time (for contrast compensation), contrast range, and lens focal length, but it's better than anything else I've seen for 4x5.:)

Yes, I use gaffer's tape on my holders for that kind of info, the tape follows the sheet onto it's envelope after development and I never need to write more notes. I like the Photojot for it's other qualities...remembering what where and why I was attracted to a subject (60 years old and fading fast)...Evan

[Ben Syverson]

Thanks guys, got the PMs.

Would you prefer the Filter field to be in "Filter Factor" units or stops? Or switchable? My only concern with making it switchable is that it adds clutter and possibly confusion.

[Lenny Eiger]

I am in the process of writing an app that does what the OP is asking for an more. It's in beta testing now, should be out very soon. It has one really cool extra for LF photographers - we'll tell everyone soon...

Lenny

[SW Rick]

Sounds like we'll have a number of good choices available soon!

[Ben Syverson]

It has one really cool extra for LF photographers - we'll tell everyone soon...
What a tease!!!

[Lenny Eiger]

What a tease!!!

I know, I know, guilty as charged. It's really cool, I just don't want anyone else to do our extra feature until we get it out. However, I will say, that we have set up a system that allows for a "trip" a session on the trip and individual shots. One could imagine a trip to a national Park somewhere, presumably multi-day (mutli-session), and individual shots during that day.

The shots keep track of date and time, one's own neg numbering field, camera and lens, holder and side, the zone 3 and zone 7 EV readings, the final shutter speed and fstop, reciprocity and bellows corrections, N development number, and a reference shot from the iPhone's camera.

In my other life I am a custom database developer...

The final page here isn't complete, this is the mockup....

Lenny

[Ben Syverson]

However, I will say, that we have set up a system that allows for a "trip" a session on the trip and individual shots. One could imagine a trip to a national Park somewhere, presumably multi-day (mutli-session), and individual shots during that day.
So cool!!

Don't worry about me -- my app is much dumber than that. It has no concept of a "group" of shots. Database-wise, it is really ugga-bugga-thugga.

[SW Rick]

Lenny,

that is a great design! I hope "Date" entry is via a scrolling wheel (as in Calendar app) or calendar, etc., as opposed to keyboard. Would also be nice if date/time were initially assumed to be today/now. Those gps programs which let you "find" cities and then offer matching cities thousands of miles away first, forcing you to scroll thru several screens to find the ones closest to you, drive me crazy.

Look forward to seeing you in the App Store.

[Lenny Eiger]

Lenny,

that is a great design! I hope "Date" entry is via a scrolling wheel (as in Calendar app) or calendar, etc., as opposed to keyboard. Would also be nice if date/time were initially assumed to be today/now. Look forward to seeing you in the App Store.

Rick, thanks. We'll make sure the date is as you say... Scrolling about drives me nuts as well. Of course, there are many things which we hope to do in version 2 - we have to get this thing out the door!

Lenny

[Ben Syverson]

Anybody have an opinion about the Filter units? Filter factor or stops? Unless someone objects, I'm going to make it stops.

[Craig Moyer]

Wow, this looks great. When this comes out I'll have to switch from photojot. Keep up the amazing work!

[adonis_abril]

Off topic but related. I've just developed a DOF Calculator for Android. Takes into account the Print size and viewing distance of the Print. I need testers of the app and feedback (PM me if interested). In the near future I might develop something like a photojot (if time allows) **again for android since I use the Droid phone. I'm also in the process of developing an Ephemeris app (can't find one for the droid dedicated to the photographer :D ) **I develop applications for a living ;D I'm developing these little apps for personal use and will be offered free.

http://www.thedynamiclight.com/images/Untitled-1.jpg http://www.thedynamiclight.com/images/Untitled-2.jpg

[Dirk Rösler]

I use Bento for all data capture needs. You can create any DB you like within minutes and it synchs with the Mac:

http://www.filemaker.com/products/bento/iphone.html