Working with a Video Camera

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• Immediately see what changes in front of the camera
• Easily correct when you accidentally moved the camera
• More fun to use, recommended for working with kids

Supported Video Cameras

iStopMotion can be used with almost every camera that can be used with QuickTime. We can only test some cameras so if you want to be sure that your camera works with iStopMotion get a demo license and try before you buy.

QuickTime Devices

Any digital camera that works with QuickTime should work with iStopMotion. We use several Sony cameras, an iBot, numerous iSights, and some low-cost no-brand USB webcam we found at a garage sale, and they all work fine. Popular webcams we've tested include:

• Logitech Quickcam Pro
• Pico iMage
• Apple Internal iSight

DV cams

Most cameras connected via Firewire (also known as IEEE 1394 or Link) work fine with iStopMotion, So far, there are no reports of any such cameras that do not work. Wehad great success using this cameras:

• Canon HV30 in DV Mode
• Canon HV20 in DV Mode
• Canon MV-690 (PAL)
• Sony HDR-FX7E in DV Mode
• Sony DCR-HC27E (PAL)
• Sony DCR-TRV25E (PAL)
• Sony DCR-TRV60E (PAL)
• Samsung SC-D372 (NTSC)

High Resolution Video Cameras

We also tested these high resolution cameras:

• Allied Vision Tech (Marlin F145C-2)
• Basler A102fc with a 1392×1040 pixel resolution

HD Cameras

Connecting an HD camera through a Blackmagic Intensity HDMI card works with iStopMotion 2 and lets you capture in 1080p.
Tested with:

• Canon HV30
• Canon HV20
• Sony HDR-FX7E

HDV Cameras

Currently, Apple does not support capturing HD from an HDV camera outside of iMovie or Final Cut Pro. You can, however, switch HDV cameras into DV mode and capture standard definition output.

Cameras with Flash memory

A new generation of inexpensive consumer video cameras has emerged which records to Flash memory. However, most of these cameras do not provide a live video output or do not provide a suitable Mac driver, so they can not be used with iStopMotion.

Working with a Digital Still Camera

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• More photographic options such as depth of field
• Longer exposure may yield better image quality
• Operate with flashlight

Supported Still Cameras

Your camera must support the Picture Transfer Protocol (PTP) so that iStopMotion can import pictures from the camera.

Implementation of the Picture Transfer Protocol varies from vendor to vendor, and model to model.

Download Images

This is the basic support. You take a picture with your camera and download it later to iStopMoton

Capture Images

If your camera supports this PTP functionality, you can use iStopMotion to control when to shoot an image. It is also a prerequisite for taking time lapse movies with a digital still camera.

To find out if your camera works, either check the List of Supported Cameras or use the Still Camera assistant:

• Download iStopMotion
• Choose the "Test Still Camera" command from the "Source" menu
• Follow the instructions and report your findings to be included with the list

DSLR Cameras with video capture capabilities

As most of these devices do not provide a live video output or do not provide a suitable driver, they can only be used as a still camera.