Wireless Dslr Shooting with Ipad

I must admit, the primary reason I bought an ipad for our Photo Department is because I read about the onOne ipad app called "Dslr Camera Remote".  This app has a "lite" free version which doesn't do much, and a much heftier version that costs a bunch but packs a punch. 

In a nutshell, if you connect your camera to any computer, notebook or laptop with wifi, an ipad can remotely access all the camera functions with the onOne software.  That means if you are shooting hummingbirds, you can have the camera and laptop right next to the feeder while you hide 20 feet away so you don't scare them off.  Well...why not just use a remote shutter release? 

Because onOne's remote allows you to do a lot more. First off, if your camera has Liveview mode, you can view Liveview on your ipad screen in real time, a great benefit to photographers with bad eyes.  You can change the iso, shutter speed, aperture, focal point, white balance, even exposure bracketing straight from the ipad.  It also has an intervalometer, burst mode and video mode. You also have the ability to view and download the images to the ipad as well as the laptop, allowing you review and make choices about camera controls on the fly.  This would also be of great benefit in the studio; you could have the ipad set up withing view of the model, so they could better understand what the camera sees.  Or you could also have another fun situation--lets say you're photographing a client's children.  You could remove the parents so the kids get silly and have the parents take the pictures from another room.

I regularly use myself as a model in my artwork.  Even though I take great pains to set up my exposure, composition, focal point, etc using a stand-in until I'm ready to shoot, small changes in gesture require me to stop, leave the frame and check my work.  With the ipad app, I could stay in position, have my assistant bring the ipad to me and review what I've done.  Brilliant. 

Here's a video link by Adorama for onOne's app, which can also be used on the iphone.

I've shown this to my Trends in Software class, but we have not been able to use it in the lab itself, since our wifi signal is shoddy at best...so far.  Since our studio is also buffered by a full digital lab and a film lab filled with machines known to interfere with wifi signals, we have already begun the process of adding a new signal and hotspot.  When that changes, we will be incorporating this into our Studio Lighting course as well.

A photo of me using the ipad onOne software to take a photo me while Evil Kitteh is watching.

Now, I will admit I was incredibly bummed out when I read that my Fuji X100 isn't compatible, and if you have a less popular camera brand, you'll need to check their website before you buy.  This isn't a cheap app, and is only useful for those who actually know their camera controls.  But I still think it's super cool every time I click on a spot on the ipad's Liveview and hear my camera refocus on that area.