• Fixed an issue with the Canon Rebel T1i preventing its use on Windows
• Added support for Nikon D300s
• Fixed an issue with Nikon D300 when used in LiveView and Burst mode at the same time
• Improved permissions detection and warning on Mac OS X
• Fixed an error on Mac OS X when an old version of Nikon Camera Control is installed
• Fixed an error when attempting to autofocus in LiveView when the camera is set to manual focus
• Fixed a problem with bulb mode on the Rebel T1i

The new version of the DSLR Camera Remote Server is compatible with version 1.1 of the iPhone or iPod Touch app. The iPhone/iPod touch app and the server DO NOT require the same version number as they did in the past. Also, please note that this update is an update to the Server and not the iPhone/iPod Touch app. You will not see an update in the iTunes store.

You can download the new DSLR Camera Remote Server 1.2 immediately from our web site.

Updated 10/12/09

You can download the new DSLR Camera Remote Server 1.2 immediately from our NEW web site here.

Before I used DSLR Camera Remote, I was concerned that there was going to be a bit of a delay between tapping fire and my camera actually snapping the shot as this would be a major problem when shooting subjects like children or pets. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that there is no noticeable delay.

Now for the most part, using an Ad-hoc network works just fine, but I found out the hard way during a press meeting, that if you have an iPhone 3Gs, connecting over an ad-hoc network requires an extra step in order for it to work. I haven’t researched this in-depth, but I’m guessing that somehow when you connect to an ad-hoc network that the iPhone is still on the 3G network and those two network connections interfere with each other somehow causing a less than reliable connection between the DSLR Camera Remote app on the iPhone and the server (this may not be confined to just our app, but I haven’t explored it any further than our app).

Here’s what I did to get around the connection problem.

I’m assuming that you’ve already created the Ad-hoc network and it is up and running awaiting a connection from your iPhone 3Gs.

Step 1 – go to Settings and turn on Airplane Mode as shown here. Your Wi-Fi setting will get turned off automatically. We’ll get that started again shortly.

Step 2 – Click on Wi-Fi (Off >) and you’ll see a screen that looks like this. Turn the Wi-Fi option on.

Step 3 – After turning it on, give it a moment and your iPhone 3Gs should see your Ad-hoc network. Select it as the network to join and if you connect successfully, you’ll see the check mark next to the network name as shown here.

From there, launch the DSLR Camera Remote server on your laptop or desktop that is creating the network. Then launch the DSLR Camera Remote app on your iPhone 3Gs. A list of servers found running will appear. Please note, the server name that appears is going to be the name of your computer, not the name of your ad-hoc network.

I just got word from Apple that they have officially approved version 1.1 of the DSLR Camera Remote application. If you already own version 1.0, you should see the free 1.1 update as an update on your iPhone or iPod Touch via the App Store Updates section as soon as they push the 1.1 update to the iTunes Store. I did a check in iTunes at 4:12 pm PST on 8/24/09 and it still says version 1.0 so it may be up to 24 hours before version 1.1 goes live, but it has been approved.

Please note, Apple gives developers like us about 24 hours notice that an app has been approved so we can update our web site or just be aware that it is about to go live. It could go live in an hour or it could be 23 hours from now. The reason I’m telling you this is version 1.1 of the DSLR Camera Remote app is going to require version 1.1 of the free companion server software. Version 1.1 of the iPhone app WILL NOT work with version 1.0 of the Server. Likewise, version 1.0 of the iPhone app will not work with version 1.1 of the server.

So, we’ll be watching for when version 1.1 of the iPhone app is live in the iTunes App store and will then post the download links for the 1.1 server immediately.

The May 15, 2009 date is the date of the original submission of the 1.0 app, not the 1.1 update.

That’s good and bad. The good part is that if you’re an iPhone or iPod Touch user, there are lots of apps being developed for your potential use. The bad news is that they have to be reviewed and that process takes time. Your continued patience is appreciated. Just remember that the Apple App Store review team is filled with people just like you and me who are working as fast as they can.

Please note, just to be clear, the 1.1 update is not yet available for download, but we have submitted it to the iTunes App Store for review. The review process can take as few as 2 days or as many as 2 weeks depending on the number of other iPhone apps that are awaiting approval ahead of our submission. These things just take time.

I will be sure to post a new entry here on the blog when we get the approval and I will also put out a tweet on Twitter. If you want to be one of the first to know, subscribe to the RSS feed for this blog or follow me on Twitter.

The full list of features in the 1.1 update can be found here. In addition to Canon T1i support,we have also added support for many of the Nikon DSLR cameras as well. A full list of supported cameras (both Canon and Nikon) can be found here.

• Nikon DSLR Camera Support (see complete list here)
• Canon 500D/T1i/Kiss X2 support
• Auto Bracketing for HDR shooters
• Burst Mode
• Auto-Focus during LiveView
• Updated user interface with improved horizontal view mode
• Lightroom Auto-Import support
• Changed the naming system for downloaded images to prevent accidental overwriting
• Raw+JPG are not treated as a single entity rather than appearing on the phone as two files
• Auto-update added to the companion server software in case there are updates available
• Fixes to various bugs reported by users

I’ve said before that we would release this in mid July and here we are at July 27. At least 12 days past the most common interpretation of mid July and still no 1.1 update. There have been several comments left here or emails sent to me that we are either lazy; stupid; liars; or some combination of the three. To that, I say we’re none of the above. If anything, perhaps we were a little optimistic. Maybe I shouldn’t have shared anything with anybody, but I did, so it’s out there. Here’s a little insight into what’s going on and why the update isn’t out yet.

First and foremost, we are doing best at getting this 1.1 update complete and out the door. Our developer is working full days (8+ hours) plus weekends on this 1.1 update (which technically could be called a 1.5 update, but I digress). Our QA Engineer is doing the same as well as working on testing all of the other updates and projects we’re working on for our Photoshop plug-ins. But we also want to make sure that what we send out there is good and is going to work. To do this, we have to test each new feature that is implemented on every camera that we support tethered to on both a Mac & Windows computer. That “Mac & Windows computer” portion translates into 5 different OS’s to test with.

• Mac OS X v10.4.x
• Mac OS X v10.5.x
• Windows XP (32-bit)
• Windows Vista (32-bit)
• Windows Vista (64-bit)

That’s 27 supported cameras and 5 operating systems times the number of features both new and old (you have to make sure implementing a new feature doesn’t break an existing one). That’s 135 camera & operating platform combinations to test each feature on. Multiply that times the number of features and I’m hoping at that point you might realize that there’s more to releasing an application that meets the eye.

So I’ll repeat. We are neither lazy, stupid or liars. I’m not taking any of those comments personally and I don’t hold any ill will or grudges against those who have made those comments. I understand the frustration at wanting something when you can’t get it ^{1}. We’ve all been there in some form or another about something we were interested in. If anything, we’re flattered that so many people want this update.

Further, this 12-day delay shouldn’t give anybody any cause to doubt our intentions or make you less confident in us. There’s a reason we’ve been in business for 4 years now during less than ideal economic conditions. We do what we say we’re going to do. Yes, sometimes it takes longer than we think, but rest assured we have lots of other projects we want to be working on so the sooner we get done with this update, the happier everybody will be. We do our best to NOT have to do a bunch of maintenance releases by trying to catch bugs, fix them and generally make things work right the first time. Nobody likes to do things twice and I doubt most of you would want to get a buggy piece of software.

Well, this was much longer than I thought it would be, but now at least you know the official list of features in version 1.1 and hopefully have gained a little insight into why it’s taking longer than any of us would like.

For anybody out there reading this who purchased version 1.0 recently in the iTunes App Store, thinking you were getting version 1.1, don’t worry. You’ll get the 1.1 update when it’s available as a free update.

1. It probably didn’t help when people interpreted Rob Galbraith’s review of a pre-release version of the 1.1 update as a review of a shipping version

Have you got a video using the DSLR Camera Remote posted online? Send me a note and I’ll post it here as well.

Don’t you just love it when software does what you want it to do, even goes beyond your expectations, and is relatively inexpensive?

Professional Photographer magazine posted a review of our DSLR Camera Remote app for the iPhone earlier today on their website. The review, written by Jack Reznicki, shares how Jack set up the app with his Canon 5D Mark II at a shoot he was doing for Toys R Us.