[SOLVED]Digital camera in UDEV or gtkam, no thumbnails- no filemgr

558 jakobsson · 2012-03-13 10:41:53

What I want:
To attach my camera (PTP-type) to the computer and see all pictures, as thumbnails or whatever,
but not as a list, BEFORE downloading them. Preferably in a filemanager, rather not in
any "extra" program.

Basics:
3.2.9-1-ARCH #1 SMP PREEMPT Thu Mar 1 09:31:13 CET 2012 x86_64 Intel(R) Xeon(R)
CPU 5130 @ 2.00GHz GenuineIntel GNU/Linux

Packets installed (amongst all)
udev 181-2, libgphoto2 (2.4.13-1), gphoto2 (2.4.11-1) and gtkam (0.1.18)
My camera is known to /lib/udev/rules.d/40-gphoto.rules as
ATTRS{idVendor}=="04a9", ATTRS{idProduct}=="3146", ENV{ID_GPHOTO2}="1", ENV{GPHOTO2_DRIVER}="proprietary" .
It's a Canon EOS40D.

User, which is only me, is in the camera group. However, contrary to the Wiki, this is not needed:

pacman.log
[2012-03-11 11:56] Users no longer need to be in the 'camera' group to use camera devices
[2012-03-11 11:56] upgraded libgphoto2 (2.4.11-1 -> 2.4.13-1)

The Wiki suggests that if I have permission problems I can do some changes and create 90 type udev rules.

It does not seems there are permission problems because when using gphoto2 commands
they seems to give logical and correct answers. I can list files, I can read the summary
and I can download them.

 gtkam debug
gtkam 0.1.18
gtkam has been compiled with the following options:
 + gcc (C compiler used)
 + no bonobo (for FIXME)
 + no gnome (for FIXME)
 + no gimp (plugin for The Gimp)
 + exif (for displaying exif information)
libgphoto2 2.4.13
libgphoto2 has been compiled with the following options:
 + gcc (C compiler used)
 + ltdl (for portable loading of camlibs)
 + EXIF (for special handling of EXIF files)
libgphoto2_port 0.8.0
libgphoto2_port has been compiled with the following options:
 + gcc (C compiler used)
 + ltdl (for portable loading of camlibs)
 + USB (libusb, for USB cameras)
 + serial (for serial cameras)
 + no resmgr (serial port access and locking)
 + no ttylock (serial port locking)
 + no lockdev (serial port locking)

Gphoto2 --ports and --summary as txt

But IF using the suggestions in the Wiki, it gives errors when booting, because the suggested script "check-ptp-camera" is no longer to be found.
Could it be that check-ptp-camera is no longer used in version 2.4.10 of gphoto2?

After trying the udev alternatives as suggested in the Wiki without success I started to look at other solutions.

Gtkam can list all the picures and also shows them, one by one. If I right click every line in list!
Gtkam says it can show thumbnails OR list the files according the manpage. But that does not work!

So how do I convince gtkam to show thumbnails? Or gthumb which I have seen in various earlier
postings on the net that before had such possibilities. Or the filemanager? I.e Nautilus or Thunman.

I guess there still is a need to reboot to Windows each
time I want to check the camera files and use Canons own programs. Why do I say that? Because when searching the Net
for some time now there are lots of earlier posts in different forum about udev changes, libgphoto changes and so on.
And this leads me to think that this is too complicated for the Linux that I have found so interesting and useful. But not to the full 100 %
degree usability.

OR, have I missed something? Please advice me...

Last edited by 558 jakobsson (2012-03-13 19:38:48)

558 jakobsson · 2012-03-13 19:37:29

Case solved. (Almost...)

After reading about udev and USB cameras I had to draw the conclusion that using Udev to attach my camera ( and all PTP type cameras) will not work.

I quote from www.reactivated.net/writing_udev_rules.html:
USB Camera
Like most, my camera identifies itself as an external hard disk connected over the USB bus,
using the SCSI transport. To access my photos, I mount the drive and copy the image files onto my hard disk.
Not all cameras work in this way: some of them use a non-storage protocol such as cameras supported by gphoto2.
In the gphoto case, you do not want to be writing rules for your device, as is it controlled purely
through userspace (rather than a specific kernel driver).

That was the first step. Forget about udev rules for PTP cameras.

As a second step when reading about gphoto2 I saw something about gvfs-gphoto2.
I will not say I realized that this was the final solution but I just installed that packet too.

Anyway, after rebooting, the camera is now visible in the sidepanel of my Nautilus filemanager but NOT in the Thunar sidepanel.

It is mounted in under my : Home/.gvfs as "gphoto2://[usb:001,005]/". Going to this map the camera is visible also in Thunar.

Even if the camera is visible in the filemanager you will not see any thumbnails here until you open the individual
pictures with Rawstudio or download them with gthumb. Not until then there will be thumbnails created.

But there is no need to download the picture files to see them visually . You can choose which ones to download
directly from the camera.

Gtkam still didn't show any thumbs. Goodbye to gtkam.

Gthumb, if installed, creates a button in the filemanager that gives direct access to the download window in gthumb.

So, needed packets seems to be just libgphoto2 and gvs-gphoto2. And something to read/open RAW files in my case.

Finally I uninstalled gphoto2, the CLI utility to libgphoto2. Not needed.

nicolasantini · 2013-01-13 18:02:42

Hi 558!!!

From a couple of months my Arch seems to be "in war" with the download from PTP cameras (I have a Nikon DSLR and a Canon pocket). I tried to confront in various forums but no one seemed interested in the problem.
I do not like to use complicated programs and intrusive to perform a task so simple. The file manager (Nemo, Nautilus, Thunar etc.) for me have always been the most logical path.
In my case the problem is the break in the middle when the number of images to be transferred is large. This is done without the system log showing any inconvenience. Cool or not?
I came to the conclusion that the cause is just "gvfs-gphoto2" (current 1.14.2-2) which, at least two versions here, is buggy.
Have you tried to select and transfer a large amount of images?
While waiting for the problem to be solved, I just uninstalled "gvfs-gphoto2" and use (even though I do not like) Digikam (witch at least communicates effectively with "libgphoto2") for download from the cameras.
When "gvfs-gphoto2" and "gphoto2" are both installed it creates a conflict. Is for this reason that, for example, "digiKam" can not access the PTP device and not shows thumbnails.

Sincere greetings from Italy and thanks for your attention!

--

Last edited by nicolasantini (2013-01-13 19:13:12)

558 jakobsson · 2013-01-14 14:33:51

nicolasantini wrote:

Hi 558!!!
From a couple of months my Arch seems to be "in war" with the download from PTP cameras (I have a Nikon DSLR and a Canon pocket). I tried to confront in various forums but no one seemed interested in the problem.
I do not like to use complicated programs and intrusive to perform a task so simple. The file manager (Nemo, Nautilus, Thunar etc.) for me have always been the most logical path.
In my case the problem is the break in the middle when the number of images to be transferred is large. This is done without the system log showing any inconvenience. Cool or not?
I came to the conclusion that the cause is just "gvfs-gphoto2" (current 1.14.2-2) which, at least two versions here, is buggy.
Have you tried to select and transfer a large amount of images?
While waiting for the problem to be solved, I just uninstalled "gvfs-gphoto2" and use (even though I do not like) Digikam (witch at least communicates effectively with "libgphoto2") for download from the cameras.
When "gvfs-gphoto2" and "gphoto2" are both installed it creates a conflict. Is for this reason that, for example, "digiKam" can not access the PTP device and not shows thumbnails.
Sincere greetings from Italy and thanks for your attention!
--

 I have installed:

[root@krasaki leif]# pacman -Ss gphoto2
extra/gphoto2 2.5.0-1
    A digital camera download and access program.
extra/gvfs-gphoto2 1.14.2-2 [installerad]
    gphoto2 (PTP camera/MTP media player) backend for gvfs
extra/libgphoto2 2.5.0-1 [installerad]
    The core library of gphoto2, designed to allow access to digital camera by
    external programs.

[root@krasaki leif]# pacman -Qs gthumb
local/gthumb 3.1.2-1
    Image browser and viewer for the GNOME Desktop
[root@krasaki leif]# 
"Installerad"= installed.....

Hi
I use Nautilus as filemanager, where both my cameras, one Canon EOS 40D and one Canon G12 are visible when attached via USB-cable. As you see I do not use gphoto2 which in my last post I said that I removed. Before writing this I checked and I must have forgotten to remove gphoto2.

Both gvfs-gphoto2 and gphoto2 was installed, and seems to have been so for a while. Perhaps since in March last year when I spent some time with this problem. And there has not been any conflicts in my system, at least not related to those files...

However, since last March, I have downloaded pictures on several occasions without problem. But I do not use the CLI (=gphoto2). I use gthumb to select. Usually I download all pictures to my pc and sort and process them via Rawstudio to jpg:s. If only a few I just copy them as a normal file from the camera to whereever.

I can not recall that I have had any problems downloading files this way since my last posting. But I remember I became irritated over the new Nautilus style and tried some other filemanagers. There was one, the Space FM, that seemed to have some good things, that did not see the cameras at all. So for the moment I am stuck with Nautilus.

Finally, today, I spent some hours outside and now, after removing gphoto2, I downloaded 97 Canon raw file pictures without problem via Nautilus and gthumb.

One possible solution to your problem could be that the camera switches itself of? I think my camera closes itself after one minut or so when "nothing" happens. I think you have checked that, and during a started transfer it should not close down?

But who knows how the camera interprets a long durated transfer via USB. I have never been into that situation with my cameras. Try to set a longer open time before auto shut down in the camera if auto shut down is activated...

nicolasantini · 2013-01-14 19:15:06

Hi, again!

I think your situation is not too different from mine, 558.
However, using:

pacman -Ss gphoto2

we will obtain the situation of cache, not the packages really installed, or not?
I would write, instead:

[nicola@k6_400 ~]$ pacman -Q | grep gphoto
libgphoto2 2.5.0-1

As you can see the only package installed now in my Arch is the library; no "gvfs-gphoto2" neither "gphoto2" (as you say "gphoto2" is only required to access the CLI and is not strictly necessary).
If I install again "gvfs-gphoto2" this package somehow disturbs access to cameras and prevents thumbnail display and browsing for the photo programs (not for file managers).
But "gvfs-gphoto2" is required if you want to explore the device or make a file transfer using a file manager, even for a small number of files (not for Shotwell or other similar software).
In summary:
Taking "gvfs-gphoto2" I can browse the files with a file manager (but without being able to transfer large amounts). Removing "gvfs-gphoto2" I can either browse or transferring files, but I have to use a program like Shotwell or Digikam (it's my current situation).

Could you please try to make a transfer of a large number of files (+ or- one hundred, for example) using exclusively nautilus or nemo (better than nautilus, try! )? Does it work?
It would be interesting also to have the response of the commands:

pacman -Q | grep gphoto

and

pacman -Q | grep gvfs

I hope you did not get overloaded indeed I apologize!

Nicola.

P.S. Obviously I have no problems with the sleep timer of the camera, it would have been too easy!

--

Last edited by nicolasantini (2013-01-14 19:16:16)

558 jakobsson · 2013-01-14 22:34:13

Hi again Nicola. No worries for my assistance, if I can clear something I am happy.

Pacman has a lot of possibilities. When -Ss you search first in the repository,
secondly also in your local cache. You can see that for two of the three hits, you
have inside the brackets the info [installed]

Before removing gphoto2 which I thought I did
last year, but obviously forgot, I had that info on all three hits.

[root@krasaki leif]# pacman -Ss gphoto
extra/gphoto2 2.5.0-1
    A digital camera download and access program.
extra/gvfs-gphoto2 1.14.2-2 [installed]
    gphoto2 (PTP camera/MTP media player) backend for gvfs
extra/libgphoto2 2.5.0-1 [installed]
    The core library of gphoto2, designed to allow access to digital camera by
    external programs.

As you suggest,pacman -Q | grep and so on,
no surprises. Same version as you.

[root@krasaki leif]# pacman -Q | grep gphoto
gvfs-gphoto2 1.14.2-2
libgphoto2 2.5.0-1
[root@krasaki leif]# pacman -Q | grep gvfs
gvfs 1.14.2-2
gvfs-gphoto2 1.14.2-2

Finally I did two more file transfers. First of 117 pictures, then of 137. Just copied them. I will not use the cut or move functions. I have had trouble on another memory card when removing files this way.

Both transfers via USB cable to temporary maps and I used Nautilus. No problems reported. The files seems to be there.
I have not checked them individually. However picking some here and there randomly they seems
to be at good health.

May I suggest you remove the troublesome files from your local cache?
Pacman -S for new ones, and even better try also to remove those Digikam and Shotwell. At least Digikam according to
my experiencies, is way to complex.

Then try out the gvfs-gphoto2 alone for a start?

But perhaps I am banging on open doors here? Meaning you have already tried that?

As I said, I use Nautilus and gthumb. And they work well both individually and together. For making
jpgs of my rawfiles I use Rawstudio. If I need to edit, I use Gimp.

Can it be memory related in one way or another? Bad memory?

But here I am at very deep water, because I do not know how it works. But I assume some info must pass the memory when transferring files?
Have you checked regarding your CPU use and if your Linux swap partition is engaged during your transfer efforts?

I am out of ideas. I hope it will work out one way or another..
Leif alias 558

Arch Linux

#1 2012-03-13 10:41:53

[SOLVED]Digital camera in UDEV or gtkam, no thumbnails- no filemgr

#2 2012-03-13 19:37:29

Re: [SOLVED]Digital camera in UDEV or gtkam, no thumbnails- no filemgr

#3 2013-01-13 18:02:42

Re: [SOLVED]Digital camera in UDEV or gtkam, no thumbnails- no filemgr

#4 2013-01-14 14:33:51

Re: [SOLVED]Digital camera in UDEV or gtkam, no thumbnails- no filemgr

#5 2013-01-14 19:15:06

Re: [SOLVED]Digital camera in UDEV or gtkam, no thumbnails- no filemgr

#6 2013-01-14 22:34:13

Re: [SOLVED]Digital camera in UDEV or gtkam, no thumbnails- no filemgr

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