PhotoToolsPro! It Shipped! [Archive] - Large Format Photography Forum

Lenny Eiger

17-Jun-2010, 14:21

Greetings everyone.

I am so excited I just can't stand it. After more than a year of working on this project, our iPhone app for photographers is now available on iTunes.

It's called PhotoToolsPro, and it has a bunch of features that just about every Large Format user needs - all of the time.

PhotoToolsPro has a very extensive note-taker feature that allows you to create a record of your photos, organizing them by trips and photo sessions. You can enter the details of your cameras, lenses and film, while creating defaults for everything from favorite film for this camera to preferred f-stop for that lens. This makes entering data on a photo page very easy.

On a photo page you can specify your holder and side, or a negative number. Of course it takes your GPS location automatically. You then specify your exposure - either manually, or you can put in your Zone 3 and Zone 7 readings - and it DOES THE ZONE SYSTEM CALCULATIONS FOR YOU! Can you modify them? Absolutely. Corrections for Reciprocity, Bellows Extension and Filter Factor or Filter stops? Of course!

Once you've done that you may want to take a picture of what you are doing; so you snap a pic with the camera and, well, you find that it's not really what you were shooting. So why not rotate it and crop it to match your photo exactly? Then you can add a note - with text or a voice recording.

So how, you may ask, did we start down this creative path? It was an idea from one of us here - Tim Povlick.

One year ago, we talked about a vibration sensor that could alert the photographer if the camera was moving - from a little too much wind, vibrations from trains and trucks; whatever. It then occurred to me that the iPhone was a perfect device for it because of its built-in accelerometer. It wasn't easy - acceleration isn't movement - so we had to teach the app what vibration is. However, we did all of the work to make sure it's easy for you to use. You simply place the iPhone onto the bed of the camera, press 'start', and it will trigger an alarm if things are moving too much. Is the sensitivity configurable - I know you guys too well - of course it is!

And it wouldn't be a large format tool without a level. Want to make sure the back and front standards are at the exact same angle? No problem. Want to check to see just how much forward tilt you are adding? You got it - it's all there!

The app is totally configurable; from adding and removing fields from the entry screen, to specifying how many stops you think N should be for your development. It's got reference items (a treatise on a very simple approach to the Zone System) and Photo Tips from yours truly.

I am really very proud of PhotoToolsPro, and I wanted to share my news with this community first because, frankly, I wrote it for you. Yeah, you can use it with all sorts of cameras, but it was written for Large Format folks. Those people who demand extra quality and are willing to lug around those large cameras to get it. You all deserve a great tool that works well for what you do. I hope you like it.

Here's the iTunes link: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/photo-tools-pro/id374359605

Warmest regards to all of you,

Lenny

darr

17-Jun-2010, 21:56

Lenny Eiger

17-Jun-2010, 22:01

I just purchased it for my iPhone. Just in time for my trip to Iceland in a few weeks. The Note Taker and Zone System interest me, and the Level sounds pretty cool too. Between this program and Viewfinder Pro, I'm set to go!

Best of luck with your new venture Lenny!
Darr

Thanks for your kind thoughts.

Drop me a line when you return and let me know how it went...

Have a great time!

Lenny

Marko

17-Jun-2010, 22:05

Lenny Eiger

17-Jun-2010, 22:16

I got it too. So far it looks good but I have two remarks:
1. The background image is way too pixelated, esp. for LF users. ;)
2. Why do I have to choose between a film and digital camera? Viewfinder app has them all together...
I usually carry both, and even when I don't, I'd like to be able to make notes for the time I come back with a film one.
Other than that, I like it so far. :)

Marko,
Thanks for the vote of confidence.
1) I have yet to find a better image, but I'm still working on it...
2) No worries. These just set some of the Preferences for the photo page. If you say film, for instance, it will default to having the Holder & Side field on the Photo page - which you can turn on and off. All you have to do is check out the Preferences (under More) and set things the way you like. You can do both... without a problem and we'll make that clearer in a future release.

Have fun with it!

Lenny

sultanofcognac

18-Jun-2010, 01:40

I've also just bought the App - what an amazing tool. I concur with the pixelated background image. If you need one of my dog I'd be glad to provide it :p

Thanks for taking the time to create such a useful tool Lenny.

Good luck with it!

Cheers,

Johnny

sultanofcognac

18-Jun-2010, 01:41

Scott Walker

18-Jun-2010, 08:35

I received your e-mail about the app yesterday & downloaded it immediately. It appears to be a very good usable tool.

Lenny Eiger

18-Jun-2010, 09:01

I've also just bought the App - what an amazing tool. I concur with the pixelated background image comment. If you need one of my dog I'd be glad to provide it :p

Thanks for taking the time to create such a useful tool Lenny.

Good luck with it!

Cheers,

Johnny

Johnny, thanks. dog pic might be nice, but I wanted something historic. This is from an old Seneca Camera ad. The guy is classic. I would love some help - from anyone - on finding a similar image that expresses the classic view camera ideals.... if we can find one that is very cool - we'll put it up immediately.

I am happy to give attribution and I'd love nothing better than to have it suggested from here...

Lenny

Marko

18-Jun-2010, 09:09

Johnny, thanks. dog pic might be nice, but I wanted something historic. This is from an old Seneca Camera ad. The guy is classic. I would love some help - from anyone - on finding a similar image that expresses the classic view camera ideals.... if we can find one that is very cool - we'll put it up immediately.

I am happy to give attribution and I'd love nothing better than to have it suggested from here...

Lenny

Oh, it's the great image itself, especially for this purpose. Why don't you just scan it from the ad? :D

Bob Salomon

18-Jun-2010, 09:10

Lenny,

Hate to ask but what about the iPad and will this work on the new iPhone?

Lenny Eiger

18-Jun-2010, 09:12

Oh, it's the great image itself, especially for this purpose. Why don't you just scan it from the ad? :D

Marko,

I have to find one - I just grabbed if off the internet... at very low rez. I'll bet one of those guys on the PhotoHistory forum has one. Thanks for the tip...

Lenny

Marko

18-Jun-2010, 09:15

Lenny, that was just a joke! No offense meant, it's a great application and you obviously put a lot of effort in it. :)

I may take a couple of days off next week and go for a photo trip. I'll be sure to put the app through its paces and let you know how it performed.

The way things are going, it seems I won't be alone either. :)

Marko

Lenny Eiger

18-Jun-2010, 09:20

Lenny,

Hate to ask but what about the iPad and will this work on the new iPhone?

Bob, no harm in asking, as they say. The answer is yes on the iPhone 4.

It will also work on the iPad - in iPhone mode (smaller). The differences in the iPad require us to rethink how we approach a lot of things. Not to mention redraw every screen. Provided there is good response - and there certainly seems to be in the first few days... we'll be happy to, of course. We have iPads and love them...

Lenny

Bob Salomon

18-Jun-2010, 10:33

Bob, no harm in asking, as they say. The answer is yes on the iPhone 4.

It will also work on the iPad - in iPhone mode (smaller). The differences in the iPad require us to rethink how we approach a lot of things. Not to mention redraw every screen. Provided there is good response - and there certainly seems to be in the first few days... we'll be happy to, of course. We have iPads and love them...

Lenny

Lenny,

I know it will work in 1x and 2x modes on an iPad, but the 1x is so small on the iPad and 2x is always fuzzy.

Granted my needs are different then most others here due to my job but a nice DoF calculator and filter factor program as well as macro calculations would be very handy on the iPad (I have programs already for the iPod) for customer calls, dealer visits and trade show questions. It is really a delight to leave the catalogs in the office and have all of our brochures and price lists on the iPad and to also be able to do PP and Keynote presentations and YouTube clips on it!

Lenny Eiger

18-Jun-2010, 13:11

Lenny,
Granted my needs are different then most others here due to my job but a nice DoF calculator and filter factor program as well as macro calculations would be very handy on the iPad (I have programs already for the iPod) for customer calls, dealer visits and trade show questions. It is really a delight to leave the catalogs in the office and have all of our brochures and price lists on the iPad and to also be able to do PP and Keynote presentations and YouTube clips on it!

Bob, I certainly understand wanting something different but that's a totally different app. Draw up some specs, we can get HP Marketing to fund it, and we'll build it for you. Whatever you come up with couldn't be any stranger than a 4-legged tripod ;-)

Lenny

Lenny Eiger

19-Jun-2010, 16:37

Note to all - Just posted a new version to Apple with a little more touch up on the splash screen, also a few little tweaks to get readiness for iOS4. When they get it thru their submission process it will appear as an upgrade...

Lenny

Scott Walker

21-Jun-2010, 13:02

I seem to be having problems with the "voice" notes. Everything appears to function normally but there is no sound when played back

rdenney

21-Jun-2010, 13:08

I seem to be having problems with the "voice" notes. Everything appears to function normally but there is no sound when played back

Is your phone in "silent" mode using the switch on the side?

Rick "noting that some apps obey this switch and some don't" Denney

Scott Walker

21-Jun-2010, 13:38

Is your phone in "silent" mode using the switch on the side?

Rick "noting that some apps obey this switch and some don't" Denney

That was the problem, Thank you

David Karp

21-Jun-2010, 13:42

This is awesome. Now, all I need is an IPhone. Its in the que. :)

Lenny Eiger

21-Jun-2010, 13:43

I seem to be having problems with the "voice" notes. Everything appears to function normally but there is no sound when played back

Scott,

I just checked, mine appears to function as expected.

We also had a bug that was fixed where the person recording did not press the stop button, but hit the back button and the resulting file did not get saved. As I said we fixed it.

Oops, just saw Rick's response. Thanks Rick!

We'll take a look at addressing this... and to everyone, we are always open to assisting with anything....

Lenny

Lenny Eiger

21-Jun-2010, 13:45

This is awesome. Now, all I need is an IPhone. Its in the que. :)

I wish I could help.... however, it might be noted that an iPodTouch will also work - if you happen to have one of those. Slightly less zippy than a 3GS, but works well, nonetheless....

Lenny

David Karp

21-Jun-2010, 21:53

Thanks Lenny. There is one in my future. Just not for a little while.

J_Tardiff

22-Jun-2010, 20:06

As soon as my new iPhone arrives tomorrow I'll take it for a spin, Lenny -- heading to Yosemite late next week and looks like I get a day on my own for shooting, so I can give it a good trial run.

Oh, and here's a vote for an iPad version -- I really like mine.

JT

sanking

23-Jun-2010, 01:52

Sorry this is not available for the Blackberry as that is the smart phone I use. However, I do have an iPod Touch which I just recovered from my grand daughter and have downloaded PhotoToolsPro and installed it on the Touch. So far everything seems to work fine on the Touch, except for the camera features of course as the Touch does not have one. On first look PhotoToolsPro appears to be a neat program that offers some interesting features I have not seen before in this type of application. Will offer more thoughts after using the program in a few real life situations.

Sandy King

Lenny Eiger

23-Jun-2010, 11:45

Note to all users - and prospective users: Apple changed a few things with the release of iOS4 and while we had prepared, we got bitten. Minimally, thankfully, but bitten nonetheless.

Basically, they deprecated one of the functions and rendered one of our user interface elements unusable. This is only on the Lens entry screen, specifically the focal length page. (Focal length is a required field.) One can enter Cameras and Film, but NOT Lenses. Photos do not require that a lens be specified so the rest of the program works as expected.

One could also wait a week to update their iPhone to the new iOS.

We have fixed the problem and a new version of the application has already been submitted to Apple and is pending approval.

Of course we're sorry, and more than a little upset, but we are where we are. We are getting a lot of great feedback from everyone, which we are very thankful for...

Best,

Lenny

z_photo

26-Jun-2010, 12:54

Lenny

Just curious. Do you have anyone working on (or planning for) porting the app to the android language for use on the Droid?

kyle

Lenny Eiger

26-Jun-2010, 13:59

Lenny

Just curious. Do you have anyone working on (or planning for) porting the app to the android language for use on the Droid?

kyle

We have been thinking about it, of course. However, we have to balance development with income. The Droid would take us learning yet another language, and quite a bit of effort... We have opted to see if we could make enough sales from photographers on the iPhone side of things first. We certainly don't expect to be millionaires, but we'd like to see some response. So far, indications are pretty good and people seem to genuinely like the app.

Our next project is to get our web site to the place we want it to be, syncing one's images, etc.

I don't know if that answers your question or not. We are certainly open to doing a Droid app. If enough people buy the Apple version we will.

Lenny

Lenny Eiger

30-Jun-2010, 15:47

Greetings all,

Apple has finally released our updated iPhone app. The release of iOS 4 caused an error which precluded the user from entering Lenses.

This has now been addressed, submitted, approved, and is ready for free download from iTunes.

And I can't say its perfect, but I did do a little work on the splash screen to make it cleaner.

Thanks to everyone for their patience.

Happy PTP'ing, and don't forget to tell your friends!

All the best,

Lenny

SW Rick

1-Jul-2010, 14:40

Lenny,

this is a nice app, and a wonderful addition for LF photographers. I'd tried numerous others and gave up, and am glad we now have this, which meets 98% of my wish list.

Rick

sanking

1-Jul-2010, 18:44

This has now been addressed, submitted, approved, and is ready for free download from iTunes.

Lenny

Lenny,

Sorry but I don't know how to download the revised version. I opened iTunes with my iPod Touch connected to the computer but could not figure out how to get the revised version. Should I download it directly on the IPod? If so I don't know how to do it. I get automatic notices of new versions of installed software for my Blackberry Bold but it is a mystery for me with the iPod.

Sandy King

Lenny Eiger

1-Jul-2010, 18:48

Lenny,

Sorry but I don't know how to download the revised version. I opened iTunes with my iPod Touch connected to the computer but could not figure out how to get the revised version. Should I download it directly on the IPod? If so I don't know how to do it. I get automatic notices of new versions of installed software for my Blackberry Bold but it is a mystery for me with the iPod.

Sandy King

Sandy, I'm sorry to say I don't actually own an iPodTouch. With everything else I don't seem to have the time to put music lists together...

If you can DL it directly to the iPod I would say do it. I have had reports of it being very easy, not needing anything else, etc. If you want to try tomorrow, I'll be around all day and we can mess with it a bit - give me a call...

Lenny

sanking

1-Jul-2010, 20:44

Sandy, I'm sorry to say I don't actually own an iPodTouch. With everything else I don't seem to have the time to put music lists together...

If you can DL it directly to the iPod I would say do it. I have had reports of it being very easy, not needing anything else, etc. If you want to try tomorrow, I'll be around all day and we can mess with it a bit - give me a call...

Lenny

Lenny,

I figured out how to get the revised version directly from the IPod touch. You just open the App store and touch updates and it automatically downloads the revision. Really very simple and I imagine it is done the same way on the iPhone.

Sandy

rdenney

2-Jul-2010, 06:02

Lenny,

I figured out how to get the revised version directly from the IPod touch. You just open the App store and touch updates and it automatically downloads the revision. Really very simple and I imagine it is done the same way on the iPhone.

Sandy

It is. You can also check for updates from within iTunes.

Rick "who will update today" Denney

ldhayden

4-Aug-2010, 11:08

I've been using this program for about a month now and I really like it. Looking forward to the website coming up and I think that will round it out.

The learning curve was quick and once you have your gear selections set up using it for individual images comes quick. I like the combination of voice and text notes and I really like the conversions. Exposure settings are spot on with my readings and provides a quick of my information when I'm a little confused ( often ) and just makes for a quicker and more efficient recording of the set up.

GPS works well and is useful but I've found that I turn off GPS in the phone unless I really want to mark a particular spot. I have used the program while out scouting in this way and it allowed me to get back to where I wanted.

The sensor has been helpful in windy situations to let me know if I can get away with the lens choice. I tested the sensor on a day where the wind picked up and noted the sensor went red. The developed negative shows the vibration and now I know why where I might have missed it before.

All in all, I really like the program and I'm happy with it. Well worth the nominal costs

Lenny Eiger

4-Aug-2010, 12:01

All in all, I really like the program and I'm happy with it. Well worth the nominal costs

Larry,

Thanks for the kind words!

Lenny

Matus Kalisky

16-Aug-2010, 08:54

Looks like a cool app. Could be the first serious reason to get a new mobile phone after 7 years ... :)

Lenny Eiger

16-Aug-2010, 09:09

Looks like a cool app. Could be the first serious reason to get a new mobile phone after 7 years ... :)

Thank you. We should tell this to Apple... maybe they would pay some attention to us...

;-)

Lenny

Tom Schaefer

21-Aug-2010, 19:23

Lenny
Just purchased your app, looks nice
any chance for a timer.
Tom

Lenny Eiger

22-Aug-2010, 09:44

Tom,
That's an interesting question. Apple has such a nice timer. Do you suggest we reproduce some of it inside our app? Or would a different design suit you?
Lenny

Tom Schaefer

22-Aug-2010, 11:17

Lenny
My original thought would be inside the app.
When you put in all the info for the neg and it gives you
the recommended time for exposure, it would allow you to run the timer
Which apple app timer are you referring to
Thanks
Tom

I like a count down time

Lenny Eiger

22-Aug-2010, 18:00

Which apple app timer are you referring to
Thanks
Tom

Oddly enough, it's called Clock and it comes with the phone.... There's a World Clock, an Alarm, a Stopwatch and Timer. The last two allow you to go up or down in timing....

A search for clock also revealed a n umber of others...

Give it a look...

Lenny

Tom Schaefer

22-Aug-2010, 19:11

Lenny
on my iphone stopwatch only counts up and timer counts down from a minute I'm looking for the 15 second countdown timer
Thanks
Tom

Lenny Eiger

23-Aug-2010, 08:49

Lenny
on my iphone stopwatch only counts up and timer counts down from a minute I'm looking for the 15 second countdown timer
Thanks
Tom

Yea, you're right. A sound at the end would be helpful for a few seconds... I just look at it, but I'm used to looking at my watch... There are a number of "clock" and stopwatch apps that I saw - I'll be one of them would work.... Let us know if you find something - or if you don't.

Lenny

Hovmod

27-Aug-2010, 13:43

Hi, Lenny, and congratulations on a very cool app!
This is going to get a lot of use from me.

One thing. No, two:
1) Would it be terribly difficult for you to include a list of film manufacturers and types to choose from (like for instance the massive dev app)? I find it a bit odd to have to tell a film shooter's app that there is a thing called Kodak that makes something that goes by the name Tri-X... :)

2) The formats... Film comes in much fewer formats than you have listed, you know. I have cameras that make 6x6 frames and 6x8 frames, but they all use 120 film. In the app I have to either make two films from scratch with only that detail altered or just ignore that I'm using 6x8 film in the Hasselblad. :)
So - perhaps the film format should be 120? And then you could make the 6x6, 6x4.5, 6x8, 6x9 and all that a feature of the camera? Or something? Because they all use the same Tri-x...

OK, that were my two things.

The zone system implementation is AWESOME and I thank you so much for doing that!!!

Lenny Eiger

27-Aug-2010, 14:39

Hi, Lenny, and congratulations on a very cool app!
This is going to get a lot of use from me.

Hey thanks!

One thing. No, two:
1) Would it be terribly difficult for you to include a list of film manufacturers and types to choose from (like for instance the massive dev app)? I find it a bit odd to have to tell a film shooter's app that there is a thing called Kodak that makes something that goes by the name Tri-X... :)

Naa, it wouldn't be... It's just that there are a lot more than one imagines, including color, then we have to manage the ones that are getting deleted. It's just a task. I figure most folks use one or two films most of the time.

2) The formats... Film comes in much fewer formats than you have listed, you know. I have cameras that make 6x6 frames and 6x8 frames, but they all use 120 film. In the app I have to either make two films from scratch with only that detail altered or just ignore that I'm using 6x8 film in the Hasselblad. :)
So - perhaps the film format should be 120? And then you could make the 6x6, 6x4.5, 6x8, 6x9 and all that a feature of the camera? Or something? Because they all use the same Tri-x...

That's a good idea... We'll take a look at this...

The zone system implementation is AWESOME and I thank you so much for doing that!!!

You are very welcome! Enjoy it and take some great pics with it....

Lenny

jeroldharter

27-Aug-2010, 14:50

Excellent work.

Have you thought about working with Fred Newman at the View Camera store to convert the BTZS software for Palm to an iPhone/iPod app? That would be great if it were possible.

roteague

27-Aug-2010, 14:59

Greetings everyone.

I am so excited I just can't stand it. After more than a year of working on this project, our iPhone app for photographers is now available on iTunes. Warmest regards to all of you,

Lenny

Lenny, if you have any interest in porting this to Windows Phone 7 let me know. I've been considering writing something very similar (based upon your description - I don't have an iPhone).

Lenny Eiger

27-Aug-2010, 15:05

Excellent work.

Have you thought about working with Fred Newman at the View Camera store to convert the BTZS software for Palm to an iPhone/iPod app? That would be great if it were possible.

It's all possible. I hadn't thought of talking to Fred, but am happy to. It is a lot of work to do one of these apps and its a labor of love, as the realities of getting one's money back for all the effort are that, in short, you won't.

At your suggestion I picked up the phone and called them. We've known each other for some time, I did an example scan and print for them a while back...

We had a nice chat, will talk some more, and who knows where it will go...

Thanks for the suggestion.

Best,

Lenny

Lenny Eiger

27-Aug-2010, 15:09

Lenny, if you have any interest in porting this to Windows Phone 7 let me know. I've been considering writing something very similar (based upon your description - I don't have an iPhone).

Contact me directly and let me know what you have in mind.

Lenny

EigerStudios
eiger@eigerstudios.com
707-763-5922

Hovmod

27-Aug-2010, 15:24

Enjoy it and take some great pics with it....

Lenny

I really think this will be a very useful tool.
Loved how my preview pic was in black and white. Nice touch... :)
If it could help me remember what kind of film I loaded in those cameras in the first place, it would be pure magic! :lol:

jeroldharter

27-Aug-2010, 15:33

It's all possible. I hadn't thought of talking to Fred, but am happy to. It is a lot of work to do one of these apps and its a labor of love, as the realities of getting one's money back for all the effort are that, in short, you won't.

At your suggestion I picked up the phone and called them. We've known each other for some time, I did an example scan and print for them a while back...

We had a nice chat, will talk some more, and who knows where it will go...

Thanks for the suggestion.

Best,

Lenny

That's great. I will buy it.

rdenney

30-Aug-2010, 20:20

Lenny,

Couple of things I'm running into.

One is that the app seems to get location information sometimes and not at others--I can't seem to count on the current location being in the photo entry when I open a new one.

Second is that when I go back and review entries I've entered, including their reference photos, it sometimes locks up my 3Gs (ver. 3.3 OS). This happened several times in a row, and reviewing the attached photo seems to be the issue.

When I email a photo listing to myself, it would be nice if it included everything in the listing, including the reference photo (as an attachment). That way, I can open it up in my desktop PC and print it for insertion in my record book. I am figuring that you intend for the database to link up with a user's database stored on your website, but emailing complete records might be an alternative if you never get to the point where it makes sense to set up the site. Also, it would be extra nice if I could email a session or even a trip, rather than have to send them to myself one photo at a time.

Sometimes, when I switch back and forth between Manual Exposure and Zone System, an exposure I've already entered gets lost.

Finally, it would be really nice if I could touch the location reference information and have it bring up the Maps app with the location pushpinned. That way, I could check the location reference. Being able to edit it in the maps would be extra slick but probably far more difficult.

I used it for a dozen or so photos during a recent trip, when using the Pentax 6x7, and these were the issues I ran into.

By the way, "Simple Timer" provide an excellent countdown timing capability with auto-reset. Perfect for this. But with OS3, you still have to close PhotoToolsPro to open the timer, and vice versa.

Rick "still getting used to it" Denney

Lenny Eiger

31-Aug-2010, 12:11

Here's some answers...

One is that the app seems to get location information sometimes and not at others--I can't seem to count on the current location being in the photo entry when I open a new one.

Sometimes GPS is avail and sometimes it isn't....

Second is that when I go back and review entries I've entered, including their reference photos, it sometimes locks up my 3Gs (ver. 3.3 OS). This happened several times in a row, and reviewing the attached photo seems to be the issue.

Is there a reason you haven't upgraded? There was an old bug that did this but it was repaired before the release. I presume you are also using the 1.1 version, vs the 1.0.... If so - email me some specifics directly and see

When I email a photo listing to myself, it would be nice if it included everything in the listing, including the reference photo (as an attachment).

Are you sure that it doesn't? Mine does....

Also, it would be extra nice if I could email a session or even a trip, rather than have to send them to myself one photo at a time.

We had that working, but all sorts of questions arose, some based upon what the app could do before multitasking in the way of sending large amounts of data (the images).[/QUOTE]

Sometimes, when I switch back and forth between Manual Exposure and Zone System, an exposure I've already entered gets lost.

If you had any idea what it took to calc the zone system stuff, you would know why... but I think the answer is don't do that? Also, the exposure is so easy to set...

Finally, it would be really nice if I could touch the location reference information and have it bring up the Maps app with the location pushpinned. That way, I could check the location reference. Being able to edit it in the maps would be extra slick but probably far more difficult.

Interesting. I have always hated this. I get sent out to another app - and then when I want to get back I have to quite Maps and then I'm not sure it gets me back to where I was and end up starting in another place and having to navigate again to that page... If others ask for this we will of course, consider it, but are sure you want this?

You should also send these concerns directly to me. While I have nothing to hide - I don't want to take advantage of this forum as a private tech support list... so go ahead and contact me directly... whenever you want.

Lenny
eiger@eigerstudios.com

HBDesert

4-Sep-2010, 08:47

I just picked up a iPhone 4 yesterday. This is the first paid for app I got. It's just what I've been looking for. My latest torn up note book has been put on the shelf with the others.

What I didn't see was a way to somehow back up this info to a PDF or some other file type. Thoughts for next version maybe.

Thanks again for a great tool.

Doug

Lenny Eiger

4-Sep-2010, 10:38

What I didn't see was a way to somehow back up this info to a PDF or some other file type. Thoughts for next version maybe.
Thanks again for a great tool.
Doug

Doug,
Congrats on your iPhone4! And thanks for buying our app, and the kind words.

At the bottom of the photo page is an email link that can email the whole thing to you computer, attachments and all. There is more planned, direct syncing, etc.

All the best,

Lenny

DarkroomDan

4-Sep-2010, 11:16

Larry,

The link to your site that appears under your signature is broken. I get a "Cannot Locate" when I try to use it.

By the way, I'm another pleased owner of your software.

Dan

Lenny Eiger

4-Sep-2010, 11:37

Larry,

The link to your site that appears under your signature is broken. I get a "Cannot Locate" when I try to use it.

By the way, I'm another pleased owner of your software.

Dan

Thanks Dan, for catching that. I just fixed it. We just got rid of a bunch of older servers on our network and replaced them with shining new ones, requiring a re-do of the DNS server. There was a mis-spelling in the main A record.... DNS is so picky....

Thanks again, and am glad you are pleased...

Lenny

rdenney

4-Sep-2010, 16:35

You should also send these concerns directly to me. While I have nothing to hide - I don't want to take advantage of this forum as a private tech support list... so go ahead and contact me directly... whenever you want.

You're right and I'm sorry. I will work through your suggestions and clarify my issues, and contact you directly. I am very pleased with what the software does, and just ran into these issues during use.

I have gone back through one thing, and that's the ability to send photos with the emailed records--they are indeed coming across. My test was with a record that didn't have a photo, which makes me feel a little silly.

Rick "wishing the iPhone could be used as a remote disk for easily moving files" Denney

Lenny Eiger

4-Sep-2010, 17:36

I have gone back through one thing, and that's the ability to send photos with the emailed records--they are indeed coming across. My test was with a record that didn't have a photo, which makes me feel a little silly.

I'm just glad its working for you....

Lenny

Erik Larsen

4-Sep-2010, 19:22

Lenny, thanks for the great app - it's pretty cool. I use an ipod touch with it and all seems to work as advertised except for the Iphone only stuff. One thing however, when I try to make a "note" it takes me to the text or voice option and I enter the text of the "note" but I can't seem to find the note after I save all the photo data. Is this an Iphone only thing or am I doing something stupid?
Again, thanks for bringing this app to the public, I really like it.
regards
Erik

Lenny Eiger

5-Sep-2010, 10:21

Lenny, thanks for the great app - it's pretty cool.

Erik, thanks, I'm very happy that everyone seems to like it. Its continuing to sell, 1-4 a day, to my surprise and delight. Now all I need is some place like luminous landscape to review it... and then all kinds of things can happen. Anyone have any influence? ;-)

One thing however, when I try to make a "note" it takes me to the text or voice option and I enter the text of the "note" but I can't seem to find the note after I save all the photo data. Is this an Iphone only thing or am I doing something stupid?

Hmmmm. I just tried this on my iPhone and it worked fine. I saved changes after I entered a note and navigated off to some other area, came back and it was there. Went to another app and came back and it was there.

However, I don't have a touch - perhaps next week you could contact me directly. We'll set up a series of steps for you to follow and see if this is a problem on the touch - or not. I doubt it, but since I don't have this device in my hand I can't say for sure....

Lenny
eiger@eigerstudios.com

brianbreeze

15-Dec-2010, 22:24

Is this app still available? I can not find it on iTunes per the provided link or by searching.

Scott Walker

16-Dec-2010, 10:41

http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/photo-tools-pro/id374359605?mt=8

Works fine for me

Lenny Eiger

16-Dec-2010, 10:46

Is this app still available? I can not find it on iTunes per the provided link or by searching.

Brian, thanks for asking. Yes, it is still available.

There was some snafu with renewing the contract. I don't know what Apple is up to. I just sent them some more emails, I expect it will be back today. I don't envy them dealing with all the traffic of issues, but their web site is an absolute mess.

Lenny Eiger

16-Dec-2010, 10:51

Thanks, Scott. Apparently you can get there via the link he supplied. However, I can't search for it under any of the keywords or the name in iTunes.

Lenny

Lenny Eiger

16-Dec-2010, 18:13

We're back! Apple fixed our link...

Thanks for bringing this to our attention.

Lenny

brianbreeze

16-Dec-2010, 21:12

We're back! Apple fixed our link...

Thanks for bringing this to our attention.

Lenny

Works for me also! I am glad to see your back in business.

Brian

mtroxell

2-Jan-2011, 16:37

I don't know if that answers your question or not. We are certainly open to doing a Droid app. If enough people buy the Apple version we will.

Lenny

I'm ready to buy the app as soon as a Droid version comes out.

Mike

jb7

24-Jan-2011, 06:04

Lenny Eiger

24-Jan-2011, 10:47

I've asked in an email, got no reply, so I'll try here-

Any idea when the app will be fixed so that focal length preferences work correctly?

At the moment, all lengths are displayed in inches, although set to millimeters-
not so great to have two 3" Super Angulons displayed, when one is 65mm and the other is 72mm, for example-

We haven't scheduled this yet. It's one of those things we have to do when we get a free weekend. Should be a small fix, but we have so many of those to do. A bit overwhelmed during the winters.... because of finances.. much more time in the spring.

I hadn't responded, as I was trying to figure out a good answer for you that wasn't just hot air...

Lenny

John Jarosz

24-Jan-2011, 14:14

Is there a list of what functions are supported on the Ipod Touch vs. the Iphone? I have a feeling this may not be working on the Touch they way you envision. Have you run the app on the Touch?

How do I add notes?
I don't see the filmholder data.
What does the Reference section do. How do I add information there?
The Touch will support microphone input but thru a corded mike and earphone. How do I use audio notes this way?
It doesn't seem that I can return to a "Home" screen without exiting and reloading the app. Is this correct?

I'm running a 3G Ipod Touch (32 Gbyte)

Thanks

john

Lenny Eiger

24-Jan-2011, 16:26

Is there a list of what functions are supported on the Ipod Touch vs. the Iphone? I have a feeling this may not be working on the Touch they way you envision. Have you run the app on the Touch?

Yes we have. We don't have one personally, but one of our beta testers did. We tested all of the features on it and they all worked, except the ones where the touch did not have the hardware, such as the camera, or a microphone. We didn't try an external mic.

How do I add notes?
I don't see the filmholder data.
What does the Reference section do. How do I add information there?

I don't know why you are not seeing filmholder data. Do you have it set for large format in the preferences? (That could be it).

We do have a known error where reference data is not loaded unless you are connected to the net... it should stay and get updated.

It doesn't seem that I can return to a "Home" screen without exiting and reloading the app. Is this correct?

Yes, and no. If you are out on a photo, then you do have to flip back a few pages to using the buttons on the top left to navigate. You can also hit new for a new photo at top right. We tried, until we went completely nuts, to create shortcuts like the one you suggest. iPhone apps work on a "stack" system, like a deck of cards. We wanted to add a shortcut to a new photo on the tab bar below. It was totally impossible, it would not re-link back into trips and sessions, even after we built features to make it do it. It was living on a different 'stack.'

I hope this info is helpful. If you get stuck, feel free to contact me directly.

Lenny Eiger
eiger@eigerstudios.com
707-763-5922

John Jarosz

28-Jan-2011, 05:45

Lenny Eiger

28-Jan-2011, 10:20

With regard to the Ipod Touch, it appears that the reference information is only on the Touch when I am connected by wifi. If I'm in a location without wifi then there are no references. I can't tell from your comments if you consider this something that needs to be fixed or not. I'm kinda down on ANY software that requires a constant web connection. No one needs to be constantly connected. (IMO)

Thanks

john

John

It is definitely something that needs to be fixed. The other known issue is that the lens sizes are measured in inches when you get back to the lens page, whether you put them in mm or not. It's on the list, we're almost there...

Sorry, didn't mean to be vague...

Lenny

Eric Rose

28-Jan-2011, 10:39

any plans on developing an android version?

Lenny Eiger

28-Jan-2011, 12:19

any plans on developing an android version?

Not at this time. It was a huge effort to write the iPhone app. It was a labor of love, meaning that we didn't write the marketing plan first, and now we are up against 300k iPhone apps vying for attention (we don't get any). This app has a very specific market, primarily LF photographers who like to take notes about their images, and some folks who need a little help with the zone system. Not all photographers like to take notes... and many like color rather than b&w so the zone system isn't much use to them, so its a very specific group. We likely won't ever make our investment in time and energy back...

Despite a small bug or two, which will be fixed very soon, the app actually works. I'm happy that a large number of people appreciate it and using it. However, I'm not sure I want to do it again (as in do an Android version). The forum participants here were much more open to it, and many here purchased it, for which I am grateful. The same did not happen over at apug, nor have I gotten any mention on luminous landscape.

If something happens and it does become a little more successful, I will surely do an Android version.

I hope this clarifies things...

Lenny

Roger Thoms

16-May-2011, 13:05

Lenny Eiger

16-May-2011, 13:19

Why can't I find the decimal point on the number key pad? I was trying to enter a lens focal length in inches. Also it seems to round off my lens to even inches even if I enter them in mm. What am I doing wrong?

Roger

Apple messed us up on this one.... they actually broke it on us with the release of the first 4.x iOS. We used to be able to remap one of the keys to something else. I think we had a "Done" button in there... Then they decided that only they were allowed to program with the numbers. So we just removed it....

There are currently no functions that depend on focal length. I don't anticipate doing any, so these numbers are just for your viewing pleasure, and making it easier for you to select the lens you want to indicate as the one you used for the shot...

That's where we are today, altho' I can see how that could be useful.... and will look into it..

Lenny

seobuzz

1-Jun-2011, 00:44

Yes it is a good product to buy

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David Beal

7-Jun-2011, 10:57

Lenny, before you do an Android version, wait a year. Then poll the users of this forum with respect to whether more of them own an Android tablet or more of them own a webOs tablet. That'll give you an idea where to direct your efforts.

Congratulations and thanks for your good work.

,,, and good shooting.

/s/ David (neither an IPhone nor an IPad user, but always a LF shooter)

akfreak

7-Jun-2011, 11:19

Nice app, To bad I hate apple products and what they stand for. I like open source platforms like Linux, and Google OS, I like the ability to write and compile programs in C++ and run them on windows systems. I hope soon people will start to develop to the Droid and CE (windows mobile) platforms. Iphone apps seems to be the mostly developed because of the usb host controllers on droid and CE are difficult to work with due to limited memory in the devices.

I wish you the best of luck with your device. I hope that you take the time to rewrite a similar app for the droid market. It is a dog fight iOS vs Droid. Apple is winning by a large margin on 2010. It will be interesting to see how 2011 pans out. OpenSource vs Ios. Both platforms have their pluses and minuses. Google needs to hurry and release Google OS (ChromeBook) this will bring all of the cards to the table. Then Open source Cloud based OS's will be the game changer for largest portion of the world, Poor People!

I have been working with Google OS SDK, as well as HTML5 for over a year. I missed getting a pilot device by 5 people. I am excited to see what will be on June 15th. I hope I did not hijack your thread. I am happy that you have this nice app, I just wish to see more people move to open source. This is where all of the cool technology is going to be born in the future.

Good luck with your app. I hope you decide to embrace the Android SDK and make available to us your app. AKF

Lenny Eiger

7-Jun-2011, 13:18

Lenny Eiger

7-Jun-2011, 13:21

dingoman

20-Aug-2011, 04:09

Just purchased your app.
Looks pretty good. It is what I needed!!! :) Thank you.

But please change the intro background photo! Why not to make possibility to change this by the owners of this app?

Few questions and suggestions:
How to start a "gear bag"? I'm stuck...
What is a story with PhotoTools Authentication?
Exporting each photo by mail is not very good... Syncing with server will be much more useful. When you start with this functionality?
Maybe it will be good idea to add viewfinder function as a composition tool?
Regards
Adam Basinski, POLAND

Lenny Eiger

20-Aug-2011, 20:14

Just purchased your app.
Looks pretty good. It is what I needed!!! :) Thank you.

Great - put ot to some good use...

But please change the intro background photo! Why not to make possibility to change this by the owners of this app?

Hey, I like this idea... I will check into it...

Few questions and suggestions:
How to start a "gear bag"? I'm stuck...
What is a story with PhotoTools Authentication?
Exporting each photo by mail is not very good... Syncing with server will be much more useful. When you start with this functionality?

Don't really know. Am training a new programmer... depends how good he gets...

[QUOTE=dingoman;766583]Maybe it will be good idea to add viewfinder function as a composition tool?
Regards Adam Basinski, POLAND

Thanks for all this, Adam. We could do a viewfinder.... One could use the cropping function in the snapshot to check out how you would like to frame things...

I would also say that most of the photographers in the history books used one camera and one lens for many years at a time. They got sensitive to what fit in the frame with their lens... I do this and when I am in practice I know exactly where to place the camera... If I need a longer lens, I pick up the camera and walk closer... just my 2 cents...

Lenny

dingoman

21-Aug-2011, 10:09

G
I would also say that most of the photographers in the history books used one camera and one lens for many years at a time. They got sensitive to what fit in the frame with their lens... I do this and when I am in practice I know exactly where to place the camera... If I need a longer lens, I pick up the camera and walk closer... just my 2 cents...

Lenny
Thanks for such a fast response!
Lenny, You are the master.
But Im just lerning large format. Why not use this app for help in this case?
Knowing focal lenght and choosed film format, PhotoToolsPro! could visual a future photo on the iPhone screen... Same as in Viewfinder Cine iPhone app.
Yes, I can check it in the focusing screen of the camera but sometimes its impossible.
My pinhole camera got no focusing screen at all...
Next thing: In my opinion "Save your changes?" button is to close of the bottom options:"Trips", Sensor", etc. Or maybe I've got too large fingers... ;) Many times, I was staring Level function, instead of saving changes...
Looking for the new upgrades! :)

regards
Adam Basinski

rdenney

21-Aug-2011, 20:27

Lenny Eiger

21-Aug-2011, 21:58

Lenny, do you know of a way to transfer a database from an old phone to a new phone? I have just upgrade from an iPhone 3GS to a 4, and haven't figured out how to maintain the database. I guess I need to email it all to myself and transcribe it into my field book.

Rick "whose 3GS is now an iPod touch" Denney

Rick, I'd love to give you a quick answer, but I don't want to blow smoke, and I think you found the best one already...

I do need to finish that syncing utility...

Lenny

gevalia

18-Sep-2011, 07:50

Lenny,

Just bought the app. I'm off on vacation in a few days for who knows how long so I'll have ample time to use it in the field. I'm on an older iTouch with the 4.2.1 O/S.

It does have a lot of usefull bits in 1 place. I'm a software developer so hopefully I won't be too critical.

Ron

Lenny Eiger

18-Sep-2011, 10:52

Lenny,
It does have a lot of usefull bits in 1 place. I'm a software developer so hopefully I won't be too critical.
Ron

It does have a couple little things that folks have pointed out. I'm training a new developer, I'm hoping he will take over on the development... We put a lot of preferences in there for the Zone system and I'm pretty proud of that flexibility...

Have fun with it!!

Lenny

akfreak

18-Sep-2011, 12:09

What about all of the folks that, well just say dont like apple and use Android. Do you plan to compile it foe Android useage?

gevalia

18-Sep-2011, 12:13

What about all of the folks that, well just say dont like apple and use Android. Do you plan to compile it foe Android useage?

I thought of that myself but you walk before you can run. I have both an iTouch (for tunes) and an Android tablet for most of everything else when I'm away from a PC. I'd rather it be on my tablet but I know how much of an investment there is in getting it out for just 1 platform. FYI, it's running on my iTouch version 3 which has gotta be pretty cheap at this point.

Lenny Eiger

18-Sep-2011, 12:37

What about all of the folks that, well just say dont like apple and use Android. Do you plan to compile it for Android useage?

Not right now. I did it as a labor of love... With the economy the way it is, I don't have the extra resources to spend on a project as expensive as that would be without the possibility of return.

Lenny

Ed Richards

2-Oct-2011, 15:22

BarryS

2-Oct-2011, 16:14

I've found a few bugs, including the default aperture settings not working. I've been disappointed that there haven't been any bug fixes or updates since the initial version was released. I can't recommend this app anymore.

Lenny Eiger

4-Oct-2011, 11:02

Hi Lenny,

Just got the app. Not sure I have it figured out - I cannot find a place to save the filter data. There is a place to enter filter factor, but not what the filter was. I created a custom field for filter, but it will not save the value or email it. The voice note is also not emailed. Is there a setting to email the trip log and photos, or do you have to do it picture by picture?
Thanks!

I've been disappointed that there haven't been any bug fixes or updates since the initial version was released. I can't recommend this app anymore.

I was unaware that custom notes did not come along with the email. I'll see if I can get that fixed. We were intending to do a sync function, to a web site. However, we spent about $20K getting this thing to the state it's in. Made about $2,000 for the app so far, in round numbers. We were going to offer direct links to film from stores, but none of them were interested. Apparently, there isn't much markup in film (maybe why they want to sell digital) and they weren't that forward thinking. I never wanted to sell ads, I hate them myself...

So we never did the web site, preferring to eat rather than go broke. All that said, I am talking to my new programmer about fixing the four little annoyances and maybe attaching the sound notes to the email (we were initially worried about the size of that file). If any of you folks out there have ideas about how to make this even get to break even, I'm all ears.

Lenny

David Karp

4-Oct-2011, 14:52

I know you don't like ads, but I have a friend who made a small app with another person, and they initially offered it as a free limited app, with a paid app available. They made some money, but it died out. They decided to offer it for free, and have been making money continuously since.

Their market is much larger than the market for a LF app, but who knows. At the pace you are going, it might be worth a try.

Magnar

21-Mar-2012, 21:45

There seems to be compatibility problems with the latest versions of iOS - both 5.0 and 5.1. The app crashes when I make a new photo entry and try to switch camera or lens.
Are there plans to fix these issues?

Thanks,
Magnar

Kirk Gittings

21-Mar-2012, 23:16

Sorry for my ignorance but how do you make money with a free app.?

I know you don't like ads, but I have a friend who made a small app with another person, and they initially offered it as a free limited app, with a paid app available. They made some money, but it died out. They decided to offer it for free, and have been making money continuously since.

Their market is much larger than the market for a LF app, but who knows. At the pace you are going, it might be worth a try.

jonreid

22-Mar-2012, 03:18

App crashes every time for me too. Emailed developer twice. No response. Left an intensely negative review. No response. Waste of money.

Lenny Eiger

26-Mar-2012, 11:42

Jon and everyone else.

First of all, let me apologize if I missed getting back to anyone. That's not fair....

This is very frustrating to me. I wish I could move faster. I lost my programmer last year to meth-amphetamines and am still recovering. I nave a new programmer and getting him up to speed has been slow. However, he is there, he has actually fixed most of this stuff already, we just haven't had a moment to wrap it up into a version.

I spoke to him about it again this morning, we just finished two big projects, and we are moving it back up to the top.

Sorry for the delay....

Lenny

Len Middleton

5-Apr-2012, 09:19

Sorry for my ignorance but how do you make money with a free app.?

Probably through the use of advertising that pops up when the app is opened.

The advertisers Would then be paying the freight, same as broadcast television...

rdenney

11-May-2012, 22:18

If you use this product, make sure you email the files to yourself regularly. There is no other way to archive the data, and it is not saved in a backup near as I can tell. When your iPhone gets old and explodes, the data will be gone, gone, gone.

I'm looking at my old iPhone 3GS, which I was using as an iPod touch, having replaced it with an iPhone 4 for cellular phone and data. I am just getting around to scanning some photos I made two years ago in eastern Washington, and I went to fetch my old iPhone to read the data. It had, quite literally, exploded. Apparently, the batteries don't just stop working, they expand to some multiple of their normal size, which breaks the phone apart. In mine, the circuit board has buckled completely and popped the display right out of the case.

This is, apparently, not uncommon, and Apple's response seems to be, "the battery doesn't last forever; get over it." Uh, yeah.

Rick "Sorry, Lenny, I'm back to manual notes" Denney

darr

12-May-2012, 04:20

That sucks!! Sorry for the @#$%, but I have 2 iPhones and I use one for something other than a phone (no service).
Thanks for the heads-up!

If you use this product, make sure you email the files to yourself regularly. There is no other way to archive the data, and it is not saved in a backup near as I can tell. When your iPhone gets old and explodes, the data will be gone, gone, gone.

I'm looking at my old iPhone 3GS, which I was using as an iPod touch, having replaced it with an iPhone 4 for cellular phone and data. I am just getting around to scanning some photos I made two years ago in eastern Washington, and I went to fetch my old iPhone to read the data. It had, quite literally, exploded. Apparently, the batteries don't just stop working, they expand to some multiple of their normal size, which breaks the phone apart. In mine, the circuit board has buckled completely and popped the display right out of the case.

This is, apparently, not uncommon, and Apple's response seems to be, "the battery doesn't last forever; get over it." Uh, yeah.

Rick "Sorry, Lenny, I'm back to manual notes" Denney

Robert Budding

22-Sep-2012, 15:36

So what is the status of Photo Tools Pro? I'm interested in it, but not unless it works on my phone/iOS6.

Lenny Eiger

27-Sep-2012, 18:42

OK, finally I have an answer.

We submitted an upgrade to Apple 2 days ago. I usually just takes a few days, its always possible they could reject it for some reason, but its on its way, one way or the other.

It's been way to long, a very difficult story. I hired 3 developers since the original one, to no avail. Basically, it needed a photographer.

I am very happy to announce that Chuck Price has agreed to help out. He is a large format photographer, a member here (chuck94022), and happens to be a professional software engineer with Objective-C skills. Chuck offered to help EigerStudios after purchasing the product and discussing its merits, and issues, with me. He is currently building a software company in Beijing, China, but has agreed to pitch in and make this a great tool for large format photographers.

This new version doesn't work on an iPhone 5 yet, but it works on iOS 5 and iOS 6. We figured we would get it out the door to all of you who are having problems with the current version. Work has already started on the iPhone 5 upgrade.

Thanks to everyone for your amazing patience.

Lenny

Lenny Eiger

1-Oct-2012, 20:04

It passed Apple's review and is now available in iTunes.

Hurray!

Thanks,

Lenny

Steve Goldstein

2-Oct-2012, 08:23

Hmmm, not showing yet as an available update for my iPhone 3GS. Should it be?

Lenny Eiger

2-Oct-2012, 13:17

Hmmm, not showing yet as an available update for my iPhone 3GS. Should it be?

I have to say its a little confusing. Since I loaded recent beta updates for myself, it shows up as a new paid app for me as well. It should be a free update if you have already purchased it. I don't know why it isn't.

If you have already purchased it and it wants money again, contact me offline...

Lenny
eiger@eigerstudios.com

Steve Goldstein

2-Oct-2012, 18:31

It didn't show up when I searched updates, but I searched for it by name it came up as an update. But I can't until I go to iOS6, which is a bigger production...

Lenny Eiger

2-Oct-2012, 19:47

It didn't show up when I searched updates, but I searched for it by name it came up as an update. But I can't until I go to iOS6, which is a bigger production...

I am sorry this is happening to you. We surely didn't put any controls in there that required it. I worked the beta on iOS5. I might guess its an Apple thing, that they won't let you get updates unless you have 6. Grrr...

Lenny

jonreid

3-Oct-2012, 18:35

Thanks to everyone for your amazing patience.
Lenny
Patience? Did we have a choice? I'd love to see a refund service available for apps that simply don't work.

Jon

Pawlowski6132

4-Oct-2012, 03:06

Patience? Did we have a choice? I'd love to see a refund service available for apps that simply don't work.

Jon

Yes. You could be patient or impatient .

Lenny Eiger

4-Oct-2012, 10:38

Jon, I agree that there should be a refund mechanism at the iTunes store.

It's been very interesting moving from a software provider that builds custom software to launching a commercial product. All of a sudden, everyone who purchases something feels that they are entitled to upgrades for life. Why can't you offer this feature, and I want it tomorrow!!! The software did work. Apple upgrade their software, and changed the rules on some of the basic things we were working with - like the rules regarding the numeric keypad.

Many of the apps that you read about have teams of developers, venture capital to fund them, a marketing budget, in essence a real company. This is one of the apps that is a labor of love. It's basically a couple of guys who thought this would be a cool thing for photographers, and as we built it, we realized that it was really for large format photographers. Most small camera users don't care about the zone system. certainly not like big camera folks do. We also realized that we weren't going to be able to do a lot for the digital camera folks, or the iPhone camera users. Our market was quite small.

It's true that we could be faulted for not pulling the app from the store when the problems arose after the iOS 5 launch. The reason for not doing this had to do with hiring programmers who said they would do something - that ultimately did nothing. There are a number of you who got emails suggesting we should have an update in a week or two. This wasn't an untruth, however, these hopes didn't materialize. Software programmers can be an unruly bunch, I've lost two of them now to drugs like meth. I have already put much more time and money into this app than I will ever get back, so hiring an established service at the top rates is not realistic at this point. I'm not wealthy, if anyone has a great psychic with access to the next set of lottery numbers have them call me.

I am very happy to have found Chuck, who I mentioned earlier, as we both share the interest in large format photography, and we can do this together as time permits. He is after rebuilding the app from the ground up and is facing a lot of work. I sent him a number of the recent positive comments and there's nothing like appreciation to keep someone working. He was very happy his efforts were received well. I look forward to a number of updates addressing the iPhone 5 issues and some new features, making the interface easier to navigate, etc. I have been listening to everyone's suggestions, I have every email anyone has ever sent.

I won't guarantee a version for iOS 10, whenever that arrives. Of course, we don't know if we will have any film by then, some people think printers will go the way of all things. I know most of us here would disagree... including me. However, as long as I have a helping hand here and there, I will keep updating this thing until it just gets better and better, and more useful. I can't promise you what a real company with a bunch of employees can do, the software sales won't support it. What I can do is be honest and upfront with everyone, there is no "company line". This is, after all, the community that will use this app, and hopefully we can improve over time.

Lenny

Lenny Eiger

7-Oct-2012, 10:42

Thanks, Mark. Glad its helpful to you.

Lenny

David Aimone

6-Nov-2012, 07:53

Hi Lenny,

The latest upgrade 2.1 is great, and I'm finding it much more useable than previous version. Great concept.

There is one small request I would make. Is there any way that groups of photos could be organized and reported out by email, instead of having to do each one separately? With note, perhaps, grouped by session? Doing this individually produces a lot of paper and needs a lot of organization. Reporting out together would be awesome, would save paper and perhaps let the user organize the data in a spreadsheet?

Just a thought! Thanks for the work you've put into this.

David

Lenny Eiger

6-Nov-2012, 17:55

Hi Lenny,

The latest upgrade 2.1 is great, and I'm finding it much more useable than previous version. Great concept.

David, thanks. It was version 1.2 actually. We have a lot of things planned for the next version. We have taken a lot of what people have asked for into consideration. Version 2 should be great....

There is one small request I would make. Is there any way that groups of photos could be organized and reported out by email, instead of having to do each one separately? With note, perhaps, grouped by session? Doing this individually produces a lot of paper and needs a lot of organization. Reporting out together would be awesome, would save paper and perhaps let the user organize the data in a spreadsheet?

Just a thought! Thanks for the work you've put into this.

David

The reason we didn't do this initially was we had these reference shots and weren't sure how to send an email with all of them in it... for a while session. What if it totaled 5 or 10 megs, for example? It might get bounced by some mail servers, and there were other issues. We had to release without it. Obviously it needs to be a feature that is well thought out and works properly...

We'll get there.

Thanks for letting us know what you want...

Lenny

welly

6-Nov-2012, 18:23

Small bug I noticed. When you create a new photograph entry and use manual exposure rather than zone system exposure, you press the manual exposure tab and enter your f stop/shutter speed. If you then save it, the exposure values are not saved and when you view the photograph entry, the zone system exposure tab shows instead. What I have found I need to do is change to manual exposure, SAVE the photograph data and then enter the exposure data afterwards, and then save again. It's a minor annoyance but thought I'd point it out.

Have some more feedback for you which I'll offer up shortly. Aside from that, while I only really use the photo data feature, it's a great little utility.

Cheers!

Lenny Eiger

7-Nov-2012, 15:25

Len Middleton

21-Jan-2018, 07:09

Lenny,

Is the app going to be updated to operate under Apple iOS 11?

Just found out recently that I have lost the use of a valuable tool.

Best regards,

Len

Sal Santamaura

21-Jan-2018, 09:44

Lenny,

Is the app going to be updated to operate under Apple iOS 11?

Just found out recently that I have lost the use of a valuable tool.

Best regards,

Len

It might be better to contact Lenny directly. He rarely, if ever, visits here now. He hasn't logged in since last September.

Len Middleton

21-Jan-2018, 16:33

Private Message response from Lenny Eiger, posted with his permission:

"Hi Len,

I don't think there is an upgrade path. So far, one other person has asked for it... I'd have to rewrite the whole thing. Apple keeps all the info - when I wrote it there wasn't even a way to have people register, so I have no emails of those whole bought it - I couldn't even put out an upgrade notice.... I could spend a lot of money and time rewriting it and get 5 people to buy an upgrade... I also think the interface needs a lot of work, and I'm not clear in my mind how to solve the main issues...
I am glad you like it enough to want to keep using it... I don't know how I can keep it going.... "