Just starting to use this - confused - info not updating??

[pootle]

Starting on a little python app, and I have found that reading datetime over several seconds, the value returned does not change, but remains fixed at the time camera.init() is called. This isn't what I expected.

I changed the get_camera_clock example to (re) read the value over several seconds and it never changes. Is this the expected behaviour?

I've tried this on a Canon 7D and a canon R...

`>>> import gphoto2 as gp
>>> gp.__version__
'2.0.0'`

[iain@fedora ggcam]$ gphoto2 --version
gphoto2 2.5.27

Copyright (c) 2000-2021 Marcus Meissner and others

gphoto2 comes with NO WARRANTY, to the extent permitted by law. You may
redistribute copies of gphoto2 under the terms of the GNU General Public
License. For more information about these matters, see the files named COPYING.

This version of gphoto2 is using the following software versions and options:
gphoto2         2.5.27         gcc, popt(m), exif, no cdk, no aa, jpeg, readline
libgphoto2      2.5.27         standard camlibs, gcc, ltdl, EXIF
libgphoto2_port 0.12.0         iolibs: disk ptpip serial usb1 usbdiskdirect usbscsi, gcc, ltdl, EXIF, USB, serial lockdev locking

Camera clock:   2021-06-16 09:17:14
Computer clock: 2021-06-16 09:15:59.216821
Camera clock is ahead by
Camera clock is ahead by 0 days and 74 seconds
Camera clock:   2021-06-16 09:17:14
Computer clock: 2021-06-16 09:16:02.237091
Camera clock is ahead by
Camera clock is ahead by 0 days and 71 seconds
Camera clock:   2021-06-16 09:17:14
Computer clock: 2021-06-16 09:16:05.257309
Camera clock is ahead by
Camera clock is ahead by 0 days and 68 seconds
Camera clock:   2021-06-16 09:17:14
Computer clock: 2021-06-16 09:16:08.277531
Camera clock is ahead by
Camera clock is ahead by 0 days and 65 seconds
Camera clock:   2021-06-16 09:17:14
Computer clock: 2021-06-16 09:16:11.297728
Camera clock is ahead by
Camera clock is ahead by 0 days and 62 seconds
Camera clock:   2021-06-16 09:17:14
Computer clock: 2021-06-16 09:16:14.317415
Camera clock is ahead by
Camera clock is ahead by 0 days and 59 seconds
Camera clock:   2021-06-16 09:17:14
Computer clock: 2021-06-16 09:16:17.337735
Camera clock is ahead by
Camera clock is ahead by 0 days and 56 seconds
Camera clock:   2021-06-16 09:17:14
Computer clock: 2021-06-16 09:16:20.357474
Camera clock is ahead by
Camera clock is ahead by 0 days and 53 seconds
Camera clock:   2021-06-16 09:17:14
Computer clock: 2021-06-16 09:16:23.377101
Camera clock is ahead by
Camera clock is ahead by 0 days and 50 seconds
Camera clock:   2021-06-16 09:17:14
Computer clock: 2021-06-16 09:16:26.395684
Camera clock is ahead by
Camera clock is ahead by 0 days and 47 seconds

# python-gphoto2 - Python interface to libgphoto2
# http://github.com/jim-easterbrook/python-gphoto2
# Copyright (C) 2014-20  Jim Easterbrook  jim@jim-easterbrook.me.uk
#
# This program is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify
# it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by
# the Free Software Foundation, either version 3 of the License, or
# (at your option) any later version.
#
# This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
# but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
# MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See the
# GNU General Public License for more details.
#
# You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License
# along with this program.  If not, see <http://www.gnu.org/licenses/>.

from __future__ import print_function

from datetime import datetime
import logging
import sys
import time

import gphoto2 as gp

def main():
    # use Python logging
    logging.basicConfig(
        format='%(levelname)s: %(name)s: %(message)s', level=logging.WARNING)
    callback_obj = gp.check_result(gp.use_python_logging())
    # open camera connection
    camera = gp.Camera()
    camera.init()
    # get configuration tree
    # find the date/time setting config item and get it
    # name varies with camera driver
    #   Canon EOS350d - 'datetime'
    #   PTP - 'd034'
    name, fmt = ('datetimeutc', '%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%S')
    for x in range(10):
        config = camera.get_config()
        OK, datetime_config = gp.gp_widget_get_child_by_name(config, name)
        time.sleep(1)
        if OK >= gp.GP_OK:   
            
            widget_type = datetime_config.get_type()
            time.sleep(1)
            raw_value = datetime_config.get_value()
            time.sleep(1)
            if widget_type == gp.GP_WIDGET_DATE:
                camera_time = datetime.fromtimestamp(raw_value)
            else:
                if fmt:
                    camera_time = datetime.strptime(raw_value, fmt)
                else:
                    camera_time = datetime.utcfromtimestamp(float(raw_value))
            print('Camera clock:  ', camera_time.isoformat(' '))
            now = datetime.now()
            print('Computer clock:', now.isoformat(' '))
            err = now - camera_time
            if err.days < 0:
                err = -err
                lead_lag = 'ahead'
                print('Camera clock is ahead by',)
            else:
                lead_lag = 'behind'
            print('Camera clock is %s by %d days and %d seconds' % (
                lead_lag, err.days, err.seconds))
    else:
        print('Unknown date/time config item')
    time.sleep(3)
    print('exit')
    camera.exit()
    
    return 0

if __name__ == "__main__":
    sys.exit(main())

[jim-easterbrook]

I've no idea if it's expected or not. My first thought was that it might be fixed when you call get_config(), but I see you are doing that for each iteration. I suppose it's possible that the camera driver is caching the config and giving you the same one each time.

[pootle]

well that's a bit naughty really!
I'll just live with it then...

[jim-easterbrook]

For most purposes it works well enough. Have you tried the get_single_config() method? It might behave differently.