Image capture question.

[kacinda]

I have a nikon D100 and have tried using image capture. It works, however I can't control my camera throught my computer. Does anybody know of any camera control software. I just want to be able to view the image that I am going to take in real time on my computer.

[symphonix]

This would be a physical impossibility to "view the image that i am going to take on the computer" on a digital SLR camera. The reason is that on an SLR camera, a mirror is positioned between the shutter screen and the lens mount, and diverts the image onto a focussing screen. When you look through the viewfinder, you are seeing the reflection of the focussing screen in a pentaprism, allowing you to see *exactly* what the final image will look like regardless of the lens that is attached.

This is the common feature and advantage of an SLR. If you fit a telephoto lens, you get to see how the image will appear in the final photograph.

However, because the mirror is blocking the light to the sensor, and only flips up out of the way when the shutter is fired, the sensor can't see *anything* except when a photograph is being taken.

So while it is possible with a compact, point-and-shoot camera to preview what you are about to take a photo of on the LCD screen (because their sensors are exposed to the image all the time), you cannot do this on an SLR camera.

I do know of some Nikon software that allows you to remotely fire the camera from your computer, but you certainly can't see what you're shooting unless you look through the viewfinder. The software is called Nikon Capture 3.0 Camera Control and should be on the included CD-Rom or available from the Nikon website.