[Python] Python Accessing EO Edmund Optics Camera

I have a camera (EO Edmund Optics Camera, Model UI-154xSE-M) connected to a Windows computer via USB. When I open IDS Camera Manager, The camera is "configured correctly and can be opened".

I am trying to write a code in Python to have the camera capture an image every x minutes for a period of y total minutes using the cv2 package. Unfortunately, I am getting an error while doing this.

Please find my code below and the result:

import cv2
import os
import time
from datetime import datetime, timedelta


output_directory =

camera = cv2.VideoCapture(0)

if not camera.isOpened():
print("Error: Could not access the camera.")
else:
print("Camera found and initialized. Starting photo capture...")


end_time = datetime.now() + timedelta(hours=24)
capture_interval = 10 * 60 # Capture every 10 minutes (600 seconds)

try:
while datetime.now() < end_time:

ret, frame = camera.read()


print(f"Capture status: {ret}") # Print whether the capture was successful
if not ret:
print("Error: Failed to capture image.")
continue # Skip this iteration and try again


timestamp = datetime.now().strftime("%Y%m%d_%H%M%S")
file_path = os.path.join(output_directory, f"photo_{timestamp}.jpg")


cv2.imwrite(file_path, frame)
print(f"Photo captured and saved at {file_path}")


time.sleep(capture_interval)
except KeyboardInterrupt:
print("Photo capture interrupted by user.")
finally:

camera.release()
print("Camera released. Photo capture ended.")


"Error: Failed to capture image." prints for the time frame I specify. Although "Camera found and initialized. Starting photo capture..." prints as well.

I am very unfamiliar with accessing/controlling external devices with Python code. I am open to alternate ways to do this besides Python.

I am new to coding and devices.

Continue reading...