Wow. I am completely amazed and excited at the feedback we’ve gotten over our DSLR Remote iPhone app for Canon EOS DSLR cameras. I’d like to thank all of you who have left comments or linked back to the article. We appreciate hearing from you. I’d like to try to consolidate all of the questions posted in the comments into a brief (if possible) FAQ here to make it easier for you to find the information you’re looking for. Much of this will be a repeat of what I’ve responded to in the comments for the two original posts (here and here).

Do you have an email list that I can sign up for to be notified when the DSLR Remote app is available through iTunes?

The best way to get an update is to check back here to the One onOne Blog or subscribe to the RSS feed. I do have a list of everybody who has left a comment or contacted me so I’ll try to get a bulk email out as well, but the fastest way to be notified is going to be through the RSS feed. Additionally, I will post something via Twitter so if you’re on Twitter you can follow me (@therealmikewong) and get updated that way too.

Is the DSLR Remote app approved yet? When will it be? When can I buy it in the iTunes App Store? When will the companion software be ready for download?

As of May 21, 2009, the DSLR Remote app has not yet been approved by Apple. We’ve submitted everything that they have asked for so we’re assuming that it is sitting in their approval queue. Unfortunately, we don’t know exactly when it will be live, but I’m told we will be getting a 24-hour notice before it goes live. When I know, you’ll know. :-)

The companion software is currently completed and ready for download. We just haven’t posted it yet because it really won’t do you any good unless you have the app on your iPhone or iPod Touch. [  {1} ] As soon as the app is in the iTunes store, we’ll make the links to download the server software available on our website.

What is this Server Software and what does it do? Will run on a Mac OS and Windows OS computer? Will it run on an iPod Touch or iPhone? Is it hard to set up?

dslr-remote-serverThe DSLR Remote Server Software is a lightweight application that runs on your Mac or Windows computer. The DSLR Remote app that runs on the iPhone talks to the server software which in turn talks to the camera and tells it what to do. It all happens very quickly too. You make a change to the shutter speed, aperture or white balance on the iPhone and click the Fire button and the camera fires as soon as you let go of the Fire button.

The server software only runs on a Mac or Windows computer. It’s a great idea that several of you have suggested for making it run on the iPhone but for the time being it needs to run on a laptop or desktop.

To set it up, you just launch the app on your computer. The DSLR Remote app running on your iPhone will then find it over the WIFI network.

What about support for Nikon, Olympus, Pentax and Sony cameras?

While version 1.0 of the DSLR Remote app only supports select Canon EOS DSLR cameras, a Nikon version is not out of the question. I talked to a friend of mine at Nikon today and he’s provided us with the necessary SDK (software development kit) to allow us to support Nikon cameras. Which ones, I don’t know yet as I haven’t had a chance to talk to our developers about that. They’re busy on another project, but projects do get moved around sometimes. :-)

Rest assured Nikon shooters, we know you’re interested and are taking the feedback very seriously. As for Olympus, Pentax and Sony, it would be good to hear from more of you so if you fall into one of those camps and want this app to support those cameras, please spread the word and have them leave a comment.

Does the camera have to be tethered to the computer? Can you connect the camera directly to the iPhone running OS 3.0?

Yes, you need to have the camera connected to the computer running the server software in one of three ways.

  • Via USB cable.
  • Via Firewire cable.
  • Via Canon Wireless File Transmitter.

Please see the server software comments above for the reasons why.

Can I control the focus of AF lenses through this app?

Not in version 1.0. We’ll look at doing this in an update.

Can I start and stop video on the Canon 5D Mark II?

Not in version 1.0. We’ll look at doing this in an update.

The cameras listed as being supported only list the U.S. names. What about the international versions of these cameras? Can you list them too?

Sure thing. I apologize for not doing that originally. Here is a complete list of supported cameras in the DSLR Remote version 1.0:

  • EOS-1D Mark II
  • EOS 20D
  • EOS-1Ds Mark II
  • EOS Kiss Digital N/350D/Rebel XT
  • EOS 5D
  • EOS-1D Mark II N
  • EOS 30D
  • EOS Kiss Digital X/400D/Rebel XTi
  • EOS-1D Mark III
  • EOS 40D
  • EOS-1Ds Mark III
  • EOS Digital Rebel Xsi/450D/Kiss X2
  • EOS Digital Rebel XS/1000D/KISS F
  • EOS 50D
  • EOS 5D Mark II

I have the Canon Rebel T1i and the software that came with it allows me to do remote capture. Why isn’t this camera listed as being supported when it is so new?

The currently available Canon SDK does not support the Canon Rebel T1i so unfortunately, we don’t support it either. It’s not uncommon for an SDK to be slightly behind the software that ships with a newer camera like the T1i. So for now, we don’t support it, but if that camera makes it into the SDK, we’ll get check it out.

Whew. That was a lot. If you have more questions, please feel free to leave a comment below and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can. Thanks again for your interest and patience!

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  1. I'm just going to say iPhone from now on [↩]

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