Frequently Asked Questions

Cameras

SLR Booth has been designed to work with the most powerful and popular Canon and Nikon SLR cameras on the market today.  Our supported cameras list is where we add cameras that we have tested with the app here at SLR Booth HQ.  If your camera that you are interested in is not on the list, the best thing to do is download the app and try it out! If it does work, we’d love for you to let us know (info@slrbooth.com) so that we can add it to our test list and share it with the SLR Community.

I have all of the supported hardware, but my app can’t seem to control the camera. What’s up?

Make sure you grant permission for the app to use the camera when you plug it in, and don’t let the gallery or any other app have control of it.

Can I use the app without a camera?

SLR Booth was designed to control your powerful, high-end DSLR camera to vastly improve the quality of the photographs taken during an event. If you don’t have a stand-alone camera and want to use the camera in your device, there are many photobooth style apps that you can use, likely already installed on your device from the factory. These are lots of fun, but we love the control and photo quality we get from using our DSLR cameras.

Will this work with a camera using a Eyefi card?

You can certainly use an Eyefi card in the camera while shooting, but the communication between your tablet and the camera has to happen over USB, not wifi.

Special Considerations for Canon Owners

If your Canon is 40D or higher (ie, is not part of the Rebel series), the  LiveView silent shooting setting needs to be disabled in order for the flash to fire through the app. On the Rebel, the non e-TTL flash won’t fire in live view, so you may need to investigate using e-TTL compatible triggers, or using an onboard flash as a wink light to trigger an optical slave off camera.

You need to have a USB OTG adapter to plug your camera into your tablet. On some Canon Rebels you need to enable live view in the menu system on your camera.

Tablets

I am concerned about the battery life of an android tablet while using the app for a few hours. Any suggestions?

If your device only has a single USB port, you might not be able to charge at the same time. There are custom USB-OTG adapters for some Samsung devices that allow this, but if  you are looking for something that can run for hours on end, something with a USB port and separate power port will be your best bet.   AOC, Acer and HP all make 21-24″ all in ones with multiple USB ports and dedicated power.  An USB OTG Y cable would allow you to charge and connect to your camera at the same time. Support for simultaneous USB and charging is heavily dependent on the device, so be sure to research which cable/hub might work for your specific tablet.

Why can’t I use the app with my Samsung Galaxy Tab 4?

The Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 7″ tablet does not have USB-OTG support, so sadly it can’t control an SLR camera via USB. Most new tablets have USB-OTG support these days, but this particular one is quite popular, and doesn’t have that feature.

Do you have any recommendations on a low cost large screen tablet?

Acer, AOC and HP all made 21-24″ android all in ones, but they are becoming more and more rare. Here at SLR Booth HQ, we have an AOC A2272PW4T running Android 4.2.2 that we are really happy with.

What is the lowest version of Android that the app works with?

Version 4.1

Printing

Do you know if the [insert printer name here] is supported?

If a printer supports AirPrint, it should be supported. You can usually check this in the online printer documentation, such as this one for the HP6100: http://support.hp.com/us-en/product/HP-Officejet-6100-ePrinter-series—H6/4322969/model/4323174/document/c03116917/. 

We will be supporting Google Cloud print very soon (early 2016).

Can an earlier Canon Selphy printer (without WiFi) work, with a USB OTG -splitter (one USB to support the camera, one to support the Selphy 800 or 900?

The Selphys all require custom drivers to print via USB. If you want to print to an older Selphy that doesn’t have AirPrint support, you’ll have to plug it into a computer and share it over the network.

My venue does not have wifi … can I still print from the app?

If you are using a Canon Selphy, it has a built-in access point, so you can connect your tablet to it directly (of course you can’t email or share files through that connection, just print). You could also use your mobile phone as a wifi hotspot to connect your tablet and printer together.

I want to use a high-quality dye-sub printer for my events to support on-demand printing. Can I print over wifi from the app?

Most professional dye-sub printers don’t support wireless printing via AirPrint, so they need to be connected to a laptop or wireless print server to share them, so the SLR Booth app can find them. We use a Mac laptop to share a HiTi P510L printer at our larger events, and it works great. You could also use a Linux computer running CUPS to share the printer, or a wireless print server like the Lantronix ones (although device support on these is a bit spotty). The app has some very basic USB printing support built in (you can try it out – we have it working with the injket and laser printers in our office), but most high-end dye-sub photo printers need custom driver support. We are definitely looking at this for a future release.

My Bluetooth printer is not showing up … what’s wrong?

SLR Booth does not support Bluetooth.  We support AirPrint, and will support Google Cloud Print very soon (early 2016).

Backgrounds and Templates

Can I add a logo to any template?

You can add a logo to the built-in photo strip template. Otherwise, you can add a totally custom template with whatever logo you like.

I see that there is an option to add more templates, are there instructions on how I can make my own?

Yes! You can add custom templates – you just need a .png file with the photo placeholders as transparent areas. Take a look at our “Custom Templates” page – we are constantly updating that with new information and how-tos.

Troubleshooting

I’ve set everything up and I think that all of my devices are supported, but I’m getting an error message telling me that a compatible device is not connected. What’s up?

Often, this error is due to the camera not being started before the app.  Try these steps:

1.  Unplug

2. Exit SLR Booth app

3. Restart your camera

4. Plug back in and try again.

To find out for sure if your device supports USB host mode, download the app “USB Host Diagnostics” from https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=eu.chainfire.usbhostdiagnostics

When I took some test shots, I noticed that the files were saved on the Android, not the camera’s SD card. Am I doing something wrong? Is there a setting I missed?

You are using the free version of the app, which will only store downsized images with a watermark on your tablet. The full version will keep the full size originals on the camera.

I’m using a regular multi-photo template (not a filmstrip), but the photos are duplicated?

Check your camera settings – if you’re shooting RAW+JPEG, but don’t have the option to skip RAW file downloads, the app will get two photos downloaded for each photo you take.

I’m using a regular multi-photo template (not a filmstrip), but the photo placeholders are all white?

The graphics processors on some devices can’t handle large image sizes – try setting your camera to shoot a S or M sized jpeg file. Those are still large enough for populating templates, and as a bonus they transfer faster and take up less space on your device!

My photos aren’t showing up in the Gallery app

The default android gallery app periodically scans for new folders with images to display. So the first time you use SLR Booth (or switch to a new album), the gallery app may take time to notice it. You can force the gallery to update itself by doing the following:

Go to settings – apps – gallery
Clear cache, clear data, force close

Go to settings – apps – media storage
Clear cache, clear data, force close

Hard reset your device, and when you load the gallery app again, it will scan for new folders.

The app takes a few seconds to display photos after they’re taken

When a photo is taken, the camera first writes it to the local memory card and then SLR Booth downloads the photo from the camera over the USB cable and displays it. For large RAW images (which can be 10s of megabytes each), this can take a few seconds. To speed things up, consider shooting smaller sized images, or shooting JPEG images as these will transfer much quicker. You can also set your camera to shoot RAW+JPEG, but tell SLR Booth to only download JPEG images in the app settings.

The countdown doesn’t match up exactly with when the camera takes the picture

There is an option on the settings screen where you can configure the delay between when the shutter signal is sent, and when the camera takes the picture. This will be different for every combination of camera, focus mode (manual vs automatic), and ambient lighting. For example, a Canon 60D using “Quick” live view autofocus under indoor lighting takes about 1200ms (or 1.2 seconds).

The camera wasn’t able to take a picture, and now the screen is frozen

There are a variety of reasons the camera might fail to take a photo:

  • Unable to autofocus due to low light or subject being too close
  • Missing memory card
  • Low battery

When this happens, the app will wait for 30 seconds, and try again. If it was an autofocus issue, it may be successful. If it was a battery or memory card issue, it will stay in this loop until the issue is addressed.

The app won’t connect to the camera, I get a CP -1 12 error.

This generally means another app on your tablet is using the camera. Often this will happen when the gallery asks to use the camera when you first plug it in. Unplug the camera, turn it off and on again, and plug it back in. If the gallery asks to use the usb device, hit the cancel button. If the SLR Booth app asks for permission to use the usb device, grant it.

 

 

338 Comments

  1. Hello and thank you for this excellent application.
    I have a question, would it be possible to use a double mini HDMI cable to connect a tablet to the camera instead of micro USB ?

  2. Hi Greg,

    Please can you advise. I did post a few days ago but my post is now not showing?( it was when I posted it). I explained I was a photo booth owner and that I currently run my photo booth with social booth software. I wish to trial your software on my samsung andriod tablet as I am not happy with the video rendering time with social booth, however as I already own two £800 Mitsubishi (CP-D70DW) printers I wanted to know if there is a work round for andriod softare driver for these mitsubishi printers as I know Mitsubishi do not do andriod drivers. As I understand it your softwere is only compatible with the Canon Selphy CP1200 – As I have not seen the results/quality of the prints off this printer I do not want to blindly spend money on this printer – Can you tell me how the prints compare against a Mitsubishi printer or from those on the high street – are they of a professional standard.

    Let me know.

    Thanks Dave

    • Hi Dave – you should be able to use your CP-D70DW if you share it over the network. I’ve used other professional Dye-Sub printers from HiTi and DNP, using a mac laptop as a print server, and SLR Booth can find and talk to them that way.

      The selphy makes great looking dye-sub prints, but they take about a minute as opposed to the 10-15 second print times of the high-end models.

  3. Hi Greg. I use dnp wps-1 print server with dnp dnp ds-rx1hs printer. The quality of photo directly printed from slr booth is poor than the quality of the same picture from slr booth but printed from my pc. Why, it’s because android, slr booth app? What can i do? Thank you in advance!

    • Hi Valentin – I haven’t tried with the rx1, but I know with the ds620 you get extra quality options (fast vs high quality) when printing with a PC vs using the wps-1

  4. Hi Greg – I am trying to connect my D7100 to the app on my iPad using the WU-1a wireless adaptor. I saw in an earlier comment it was not supported but I wanted to check if that’s still the case. The app keeps telling me it’s searching but it does not seem to find anything at all.

    Thanks!

  5. Hi,
    I’m Adam,
    At the beginning, I must apologize for my English – I haven’t use it since high school : )

    I have one question about your software SLR Booth, because I don’t understand one of the paying options. I have three options to choose.
    1 – Subscription – payment one per month
    2 – One-Time – payment one for week of using software
    3 – Unlock

    Can you tell me more about the “unlock” option? I understand that I will not have the “share via SMS on Tablets” and “automatic Online Gallery Upload” available.

    I would like know how long is the software functions available in this plan. Is this a life-time license with one-time payment or is this a subscription – like one per year or something like that?

    Thanks in advance : )
    Adam

  6. Else, in the tablet screen how can I hide SRL settings? if you use the system in a room, I would not want people join the SLR settings thanks

  7. Hello Greg, how are you, I know because every time I snap a photo with my Nikon D3200, tablet, the first picture is never taken, and all I get the message no photos uploaded, and I have to wait two or three times to count down and two or three times the shot, before having the photo taken?

  8. Hey Greg. I am having trouble getting the app to recognize my printer. I have connected the printer via my home wifi, the tablets hotspot, and direct connect via the printer itself. i am using the canon cp1200… any help would be appreciated.
    thanks.

    • Hi Ernesto – I’ve got a CP1200 on my desk I use for testing, so it is compatible. Does it come up in the list of printers on the settings screen?

  9. Hi! I connected my Canon to the app and it can actually take pictures just fine – BUT there’s a text that says “no image from camera – retaking photo” displayed and then it continually keeps on trying to re-take a photo.

    The thing is, the photo HAS been taken – it shows up in the gallery of the app. My shutter fires, etc. But for some reason it’s still stuck in that “loop” and continually retakes the photo and I have to back out of it to stop it.

    What is going on here, how can I fix it? Thanks!

  10. Hallo Greg can you say me how i can actived the tewtter social, i don’t understand if tha’s or not, and if can work togheter facebbok thank you

    • The twitter and facebook options in the app can only easily post to one account (you log in from the settings screen). If you want guests to be able to use their own accounts, I suggest using the social sharing companion app.

  11. hi,

    ive already purchased your apps,but it seems that i cannot print my picture on my DNP DS-RX1 via airprint.It shows an error code stating cant use ipp printer status code 0x406.If you could help me it would be great.

  12. Hi Greg

    I just want to send the pictures by email. i filled out all the information for it (server name, port etc.). But it doesn’t work. Any idea, what goes wrong? (i’m using a Sony Xperia tablet)

    Thanks,
    Pius

  13. Hi Greg,

    Great App! However, I do have a question. Are you required to purchase the app for it to print out the 4×6 pictures to my selphy cp1200? I have already spent so much time trying to add the printer, but once i go back to the main page and take it a picture nothing happens. It would not print. I go back to printt settings and the canon selphy is no longer available, but instead all you have to is either FTP or google cloud printer. Most of the time you have to select a printer again. It just would not stick, which is probably why I’m not able to print. I do have another wireless printer, would that be the reason causing my dilemma. Regardless if you selected the default printer? Please advise at your earliest convenince. Much appreciated. Ariel

  14. Is it possible to test pro features? I would like to test templates (and ‘green screen’), but then I have to buy?
    Thanks,
    Reinout

  15. Hi Grag, i’m Marco from Italy, i need know if the app work only with personal page of facebook or also with fan page, i say this because i want mounting a Kiosk in my restaurant, but i have fan page with many people, and aren’t contact in my personal Fb, you know the people that have a shop use the fan page, thank yoy very much Greg

  16. Unable to print to my Epson PM-400 via Google Cloud or AirPrint through your app on my Android tablet. Your app shows the PM-400 as an option to print to but nothing happens when pictures are sent to the printer. The tablet prints to the PM-400 through the Epson app with no problem. I’ve been fighting this for the last week and today is the last day of my one week subscription. Any help would be appreciated.

    • Might be something that could be added. In the meantime, most cameras have the ability to shoot B&W jpegs, and of course you can make a template B&W as well.

  18. Hey Greg,

    My custom 6×4 double image templates aren’t working..but my 6×4 singles and 4shot templates work just fine as well as the 6x4s …it’s just the double shots that are giving me trouble. Do you know what the problem could be?

  19. I have the CP1200, and was able to print from slrBooth. I googled how others had setup Selphy CP1200 for Android printing, and following their lead, installed Canon’s Android print app. Works fine, although I really need to do the ftp to a laptop and then use Win7 printer pooling to enable a “printer farm”. – Why Win7? Canon hasn’t put a lot of effort into Win10 print drivers.

  20. Have you tried this app with any Android Tablets with full size USB ports? I have an LG gpad f 8.0 and a GPad X 8.0, both with full USB ports. I’ve read about the custom drivers needed for DNP dye-sub printers. Curious if I can use the USB for the camera with this app (I’ve used it with other apps like DSLR controller). Is the only way to connect to a printer to print automatically via GCP, or Airport?

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