The global stop-motion record Stop Motion Database

camera

Dragonframe camera and lens support

Dragonframe

Corroborated 2 sources on file · Needs a primary source — official site, end credits, or a festival record.
Spotted an error? Suggest a correction →

Definition

The bounded set of camera hardware Dragonframe can drive directly from its capture timeline, organised by connection type (USB-tethered live view, HDMI capture, webcam/mobile) -- and, distinctly, the absence of any equivalent published list of supported lenses, since aperture and focus automation happen at the camera-body/firmware level rather than the lens.

Dragonframe's "camera support" is the software's maintained list of camera hardware it can drive directly from the capture timeline -- distinct from lens choice, which the software does not govern. Dragonframe separates supported hardware into tiers by connection type, because the tier determines whether aperture, focus, and exposure can be automated from within the app or only monitored.

The largest tier is USB-tethered live-view-and-capture cameras: Canon's EOS mirrorless and DSLR lines make up the bulk of the list, from the EOS R1/R3/R5 series and the compact R7-R100 bodies down through two decades of DSLRs; Nikon's Z-series mirrorless and D-series DSLRs; Sony's Alpha and FX-series; Fujifilm's GFX medium-format and X-series; Panasonic's Lumix S and G bodies; and shorter lists for Olympus/OM System, Leica SL, Pentax, and Sigma fp. On several current Canon EOS R-series bodies, aperture lock and focus control specifically require the camera's own "stop motion" firmware mode paired with Dragonframe 5 or newer -- the body being on the list is necessary but not sufficient for full remote control. A separate, smaller tier covers machine-vision and specialist sensors (Ximea, Z CAM, Intel RealSense depth cameras, Insta360 and Ricoh Theta 360 bodies) used for reference capture, depth data, or unconventional coverage rather than the main animation camera.

A second tier is HDMI capture: cinema bodies such as ARRI's Alexa/Amira line and RED's DSMC2, plus older Sony and Panasonic models, feed Dragonframe through a capture card rather than native USB control. This trades in-app aperture/focus automation for compatibility with cameras built for live-action production, which is how a handful of stop-motion productions have paired a cinema-grade sensor with Dragonframe's exposure and onion-skin tools. A third, low-cost tier -- generic USB webcams (Logitech BRIO/C920/C922/C930 class) and mobile devices via companion apps -- lowers the entry cost for students and hobbyists to the same frame-accurate capture workflow professionals use, without any camera control beyond exposure review.

What the compatibility page does not do is name lenses. Dragonframe's own camera-support documentation lists camera bodies and, for some Canon models, the firmware/software-version pairing aperture control depends on -- it publishes no equivalent bounded list of lens models. Aperture and focus automation happen at the camera-body/firmware layer; which physical lens is mounted, and whether its aperture ring can be locked to avoid the flicker an auto-iris lens produces between frames, is a separate, per-shoot decision documented case by case rather than certified by Dragonframe itself (see Lens selection for stop-motion capture).

The list keeps moving with each Dragonframe release: as of software version 2026.07.1, the newest confirmed additions on Dragonframe's own camera-support table are Canon's EOS C50 (the company's smallest full-frame cinema body, announced 2026) and EOS R6 Mark V, plus Sony's Alpha A7 V -- each listed with its live-view resolution and the minimum Dragonframe version it needs. The panoramic tier -- Insta360's X3, X4, X4 Air and X5, and Ricoh's Theta X and Z1 -- was added in the 2026.01.1 release; all six require that version or newer and share a 1920x960 live-view figure, distinct from the ordinary rectilinear tiers above and still limited to reference/unconventional capture rather than the main animation camera.

Workflow

  1. Decide the connection type the shoot needs: USB-tethered live-view-and-capture for full in-app aperture/focus/exposure control, HDMI capture for a cinema body Dragonframe cannot drive natively, or a webcam/mobile device for a low-cost or teaching setup.
  2. Check the exact camera model, not just the brand, against Dragonframe's published camera-support list -- support varies by generation within a manufacturer's own line-up.
  3. For a USB-tethered Canon EOS R-series body, confirm the camera is running its stop-motion firmware mode and that Dragonframe is updated to version 5 or later before relying on in-app aperture lock or focus control.
  4. Separately assess the lens: Dragonframe's compatibility list does not cover lenses, so confirm the intended lens supports a lockable manual aperture to avoid exposure-flicker between frames.
  5. If the target camera is not on the list, evaluate an HDMI capture-card route before ruling the body out entirely.

Related

Links