Question about Tethered Shooting
November 18, 2009 by Mike Wong • 18 Comments
I've got another question I'd like to ask you and take a quick, informal poll. We've had a lot of feedback about our DSLR Camera Remote for the iPhone/iPod Touch and the corresponding DSLR Camera Remote Server application that runs on a laptop or desktop computer. In conversations with some other photographers, we've been asked if we had thought about expanding that server software to run as a full-featured tethered shooting camera control application.
So my quick question today is:
[poll id="3"]
Feel free to leave an additional comment below.
Mike:
A tethered Mac app would be great, but I think the most important gain would be getting rid of the camera cable. Canon’s meager program can doing this using the WFT units; perhaps you can achieve this by building a dedicated tether app.
Also, build in the server functionality, so you can control the camera from either the Mac or the Phone.
@Daniel – thanks for the comment.
I’d love to see what you guys could do with an app to control a tethered camera. I haven’t been too happy with the canon program either.
With lots of fusing around, we can get the Canon app to work such that photos get auto imported into Lightroom, but I’d really like to have a tethered app that works better than Canon’s.
Would you anticipate the software being able to run on a netbook, with the 1200×600 screen resolution?
You could create two versions of the server app, one that is free with a purchase of the iPhone/iPod app (i.e. the version that already exists), and an optional feature-enhanced version that would also function without the iPhone/iPod (i.e. the one you’re thinking about now).
Whether I’d shell out money for the latter one depends on what additional features over the bundled Canon app you’ll be able to come up with.
Of course I wouldn’t mind you providing the feature-enhanced version for free, too.
I was interested in the DSLR Camera Remote as a way to replace the canon tethered one, I needed simple functions. However, I hope that you can add bluetooth integration, requiring wireless makes it a trade off between saving battery by turning off the wireless on location or having to set up a adhoc network, hopefully bluetooth is coming?
Now, off to decide which version to purchase…
Maybe you could first concentrate on making DSLR Camera Remote for the iPhone work on my workstation before starting with new projects?
How about being able to control the camera directly with the iPhone without the computer? Thats what I really wanted and bought the app for and I’m very disappointed that it isn’t that. I’m trying to travel light and I want to get shots that are difficult to position myself into.
Having to use a laptop as a bridge for the app is rather stupid. Being able to attach my camera to something and run a cord to my iPhone would be a HUGE help out in the field. But don’t get me wrong, being able to adjust products or a scene and see the result on my iPhone is great. I just wish you were not required to use a computer to enjoy the App.
I think it would be cool if you had an application and some cheap accessory to use it without an actual computer and with a major of mobile phones such as the iphone, blackberry, droid, etc.
Like Adam M and Rohit I would really like to see an application that uses a tethered phone (not necessarily an Iphone) or an Ipod as a remote control, directly connected to the camera. That would be great for things like macro photography.
A version for netbooks (with 1024×600 screens) would be the next best thing, but surely you don’t want to always carry around a netbook with your camera equipment.
hi Mike,
If this software can support Sony Alphas from the get go will be great!
Thanks
Brian
Will this app work on the HTC Droid Eris (Verizon) google phone? Can I purchase it for this phone? If not are there plans for a version for this phone.?
What I would love, as this is not available at all on Windows Mobile (or whatever they call it now…) is DSLR Pro bracketing functionality on the iPhone for Canon camera’s.
I don’t care about saving my photo’s to a laptop, I always save to camera as it is much quicker and on set time is money. No, really….
I wouldn’t mind a longish USB cable too, as long as it works.
Now I’m running around with a full panorama camera set, bag, tripod, computer etc. etc.
Getting the laptop out of the list would be a great start. And your phone is something you always carry around anyway.
rob
From what I hear, the new MacTablet is suppose to be identical the iPhone except larger – 7 to 10″. I’d purchase one of those to shoot into instead of an iPhone. I guess what I’m trying to say is that another platform is on the way and you should consider developing for it.
The option to shoot tethered with just an iPhone, or even better, an iPad, and just the camera would be the ultimate for me. Having to add a laptop into the loop means I rarely use DLSR Remote – lugging a laptop around and finding power just doesn’t work.
My interest is for direct tether to iPad. No computer involved.
How about Direct Tether to any iDevice and controllable by any other iDevice
eg
1x iPod touch attached to camera via usb
1x iPad or iPhone controlling it (or a Mac or PC).
How about multiple cameras each tethered to an iPod touch via usb and the ability to trigger together or in a sequence via a single iPad – you could charge much more for an advanced pro app that enables this. (although I expect plenty of love in exchange for my ip
)
This could be used for ‘bullet time’ and various HDR setups
Also, how about using the iPhone camera as an action trigger. For example to create those bursting balloon shots where;
• An object is detected as it passes in front of the iphone
• The usb attached iPhone via OnOne would, after an adjustable time period, trigger the camera
• The camera would fire at a precisely determined moment capturing the fast moving object as it punctures the balloon.
What if the app could trigger multiple other cameras in unison or in sequence allowing us to create an object movie or bullet time of a bursting balloon or other difficult to capture moment.
Perhaps we could frame an object like a birds nest, drag a little pinch frame around the nest on the iPhone screen and then when the bird comes into this zone the camera fires off a burst.
Incidentally, does anyone want to produce a hot-shoe bracket to dock connector in anticipation of this kind of thing. (it could even provide provide power with a built in battery)
(Of course if the iPhone OS does not yet allow this kind of functionality I would be delighted to be able to do this with an OnOne MacBook App