Bricks in Motion
We are a friendly filmmaking community devoted to the art of stop-motion animation using LEGO® and similar construction toys. Here, you can share your work, join our community of other brickfilmers, and participate in periodic animation contests!
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Hey everybody so I recently decided to start brick filming again(I used to back in like 2011) So I downloaded dragonframe and plug in my dslr(sony a55) to find out that it is not compatible 
My question is does anybody have a way that I can still make this work?(or should I just go pick up a Nikon) I would like to have the live view and preferably onion skinning, and if not is there another program similar to dragonframe that will work with my camera?
First off, welcome to Bricks in Motion! I hope you have a great time here. 
I downloaded dragonframe and plug in my dslr(sony a55) to find out that it is not compatible
I've never used a Sony camera, but I have heard a lot that they are incompatible unfortunately, so I'm afraid I'm no help on this topic if there is a workaround. The main reason I'm commenting on this is because:
(or should I just go pick up a Nikon)
I'm not gonna try to start a Nikon vs Canon war here, but from my experience with both brands, Canon cameras are superior when it comes to stop-motion. Some lower-end Nikon cameras don't support live view (the D3100, for example). Nikons also have a longer flange distance, making infinity focus impossible on some lenses with adapters. The Nikon also hates some lenses (even manual Nikor lenses) because it tries to control the aperture, causing light flicker caused by inconsistencies. Nikons also have less software support in comparison to Canon.
This info comes from my own experience with both cameras, and spending a few hundred dollars buying a Nikon that ended up not working well for stop-mo, ending up spending even more money buying the Canon I should have bought in the first place. 
Sorry to hear about your Sony, I hope this information helps you if you do end up having to get a new camera (hopefully you won't!).
Last edited by rioforce (March 11, 2016 (09:56am))
I said this to you in chat, but I'll post it here incase any one else has the same problem:
The issue is that most Sony cameras do not provide a live view out through USB, so different software won't help.
A work around is to use an HDMI interface for the live view, dragon frame provides info here;
http://www.dragonframe.com/blog/sony-al … lumix-gh4/
edit... here is the list of compatible cameras;
http://www.dragonframe.com/camera.php#other
Last edited by MarkNelsonMovies (March 11, 2016 (11:55am))
A little update I'm planning on getting a new camera my budget is about $350-400 and i'm looking at this http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B016SN … _i=desktop
Anybody have one or have opinions on this camera? or have a better one for the price?
I'd say that most Canon cameras are pretty much the same, just some come with different features that are useful for different people.
I personally use the Canon SL1, which I see is on sale Refurbished for the same exact price Amazon sells the T5 (and it's rare to get an SL1 with lens for that cheap).
http://shop.usa.canon.com/shop/en/catal … efurbished
Not that the SL1 necessarily a better camera, or that the T5 is worse, but Snapsort seems to think that the SL1 is better. Besides, it's smaller which has some benefits for stop-motion (not really many though, because 99.99% of the time, your camera will be on a tripod, not the table). Really, they're pretty similar cameras.
Ultimately, it's all up to you. Just do your research and online comparisons to figure out which camera is best and hast he features you want. Remember that the newest model isn't necessarily the best, I've heard many older models (like the T2i) are just as good, and can often be found for cheaper on eBay and such.
I'm no camera expert, so maybe someone who has used many Canon DSLRs will reply with better advice.
I'd say that most Canon cameras are pretty much the same, just some come with different features that are useful for different people. ... I've heard many older models (like the T2i) are just as good, and can often be found for cheaper on eBay and such.
This is definitely true, because the sensor technology (aka the part that really matters) hasn't changed much in the amateur level Canon cameras for years. Some of the newer ones probably have better low light performance than older ones (I haven't looked into this myself since the lower level cameras have been off my radar for a while) but this hardly matters for stop motion. A T2i will give you all the image quality you need for animation, and I'm sure you can get one for way cheap now. I have one that I'm holding on to in case me 60D kicks the bucket. The thing to keep in mind with buying used cameras is you always want to know the shutter count before you buy; you don't want to pay a few hundred dollars for a camera and then have the mirror or shutter break a few months later.
I think theres something called folder watch for Dragon Frame its not live view but it should work. Have you looked into that?
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