Over the past few months, our team has been diligently working on improving core image editing features in Visere Captura, as highlighted in our May Newsletter. While continuing development on these tools, several valued customers surfaced concerns about camera stability—specifically with Nikon and Sony devices on macOS.
Camera Stability Challenges on macOS
We’ve observed that both Nikon and Sony cameras can occasionally lock up under seemingly unpredictable conditions. In contrast, Canon cameras have remained consistently stable, thanks to Canon’s robust SDK and reliable support framework.
Refocusing on Nikon and Sony SDK Integration
Given our commitment to making Visere Captura the most reliable camera control software available, we’ve shifted focus toward resolving these issues. Our investigation revealed that the root cause is likely tied to our multi-threaded architecture—while it ensures snappy performance, it doesn’t align well with how Nikon and Sony SDKs handle concurrent access.
Solution: Single-Threaded Plugin Architecture
To address this, we’ve re-engineered both the Nikon and Sony plugins to use a dedicated single-threaded queue for all camera commands. The new Nikon plugin is currently in beta and showing promising results.
Beta Testing Nikon
If you’d like to provide feedback on the new Nikon plugin, please download the beta version:
· macOS Beta Installer (3.1.36691)
· Windows Beta Installer (3.1.36691)
Beta Installation Instructions
1. Remove all the SD cards from your Nikon camera
2. Launch Visere Captura
3. Navigate to Gearbox → About → Enable/Disable Plugins
4. Ensure the following:
o ✅ libNikonOpticalDevice.so (New Plugin) is enabled
o ❌ LibNikonCamera.so (Old Plugin) is disabled
Technical Improvements
· All Nikon SDK calls are now serialized through a dedicated thread-safe command queue.
· Improved camera stability, especially on macOS.
· Easier debugging and reproducibility of issues.
Performance Note
When the Camera Control dialog is open, capturing images may be slightly slower due to real-time settings validation. For faster performance, we recommend closing the dialog when not actively changing settings.
What’s Next
We’re now shifting development to the Sony plugin, implementing the same single-threaded architecture. Once complete, these changes will be part of our upcoming Visere Captura v4.0 release.
We Need Your Feedback
If you own a Nikon camera, please consider installing the beta version and sharing your experience with us. Your feedback is essential in helping us optimize Visere Captura for all supported cameras.
As always, thank you for your continued support and feedback. We’re excited to deliver even more powerful and stable tools in the months ahead.
Finally
Lastly, don’t miss our latest blog post detailing how to embed and showcase 360° product views directly on your website.
Sincerely yours,
The Pictomic Team