gessman Loc: Colorado

More and more interest is being shown in the ability to control cameras wirelessly from devices such as iPad, iPhone, as well as Android phones and tablet computers.

One of the most stable methods and gain in popularity is with a device called CamRanger through which you can control either a Nikon or Canon DSLR with either the iPad/iPhone or Android phones or tablets. What you get is a wifi router, a usb cable to hook the CamRanger to your camera and a charger for the rechargeable battery that comes with the CamRanger. That will cost you just right at $300.00 +/- a few cents. That kit can be bought from various places such as http://www.camranger.com and other online merchants such as http://www.amazon.com/CamRanger-Controller-Wireless-Control-Computer/dp/B00AA478UQ/ref=pd_sim_p_4?ie=UTF8&refRID=020SBJS2RAT6CBW7EYDD or even ebay at http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_trksid=p2050601.m570.l1313.TR0.TRC0.H0.Xcamranger&_nkw=camranger&_sacat=0&_from=R40

Along with the device you must download the app that runs it for your camera and phone or tablet. You will receive instructions where to download the app you need when you purchase your CamRanger. Demo apps are available at http://www.camranger.com for all the CamRanger equipment.

In addition to the Camranger, there are two other devices that you may also purchase that will assist you in the usage of the CamRanger. On is a motor that you put on your tripod and then fix your camera to it so you can remotely turn your camera left or right and up or down and to go with that there is an additional module that makes the motor wireless as well. The combination of those two items will cost you roughly $230.00 but I would just point out that you can remotely control your camera from a phone/tablet device without those two items although they do enhance the usage and the experience. With the motor you then can control all aspects of your camera remotely except the zoom. Some say you can control all of it at up to 150 from where you sit, whether it be on your deck, inside your home, or sitting in your car out of the elements. You will find the pt hum and motorized tripod at http://camranger.com/camranger-pan-tilt/

The CamRanger is a nice package all put together for your convenience and for that you pay extra but there are lesser expensive methods to achieve the same end. The CamRanger is a repackaged portable wifi router with the name of TP-Link MR3040. A company named XtremeTether has also repackaged the same basic setup as CamRanger, the router, usb cord, and charger, and sells their product on Amazon as well and can be found at http://www.amazon.com/XtremeTether-WIRELESS-tethering-extreme-Windows/dp/B00GWU6TGQ/ref=sr_1_1?s=photo&ie=UTF8&qid=1399672622&sr=1-1

To go with that, as with the PT Hub and motorized tripod head, Amazon sells the same thing as the PT Hub here: http://www.amazon.com/XtremeAccessory-Wireless-wireless-motorized-photography/dp/B00GWXI2UE/ref=sr_1_2?s=photo&ie=UTF8&qid=1399672622&sr=1-2 and the motor here although Amazon is currently out of stock just since I looked at them about an hour ago: http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B00535TL0M/?tag=sntd-20

Now, there is a third and cheaper yet option all dealing with the same equipment but under the original name for the wifi router, the TP-Link MR3040 available here but this applies only to Canon camera shooters: http://www.amazon.com/TP-LINK-TL-MR3040-Wireless-Portable-Compatible/dp/B0088PPFP4/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1399681875&sr=1-1&keywords=tp-link+mr3040

If you go this latter route, you will need to change the dns address for the router which is simple to do and only takes about five minutes at your keyboard. Then you will use another app called DSLR Controller that you download through the Google Play Store at a cost of less than $10.00 so by now you are up to less than $50.00 for this method. You will want to go to http:www/dslrcontroller.com and check their list of eligible devices to see if your camera and Android phone or tablet are on the list of devices that are compatible. If your camera/phone/tablet are eligible, there are instructions there for what you need to do to enter the new dns address into the router. DSLR Controller is a beta app but is stable. I have been using it for about 1.5 years now tethering my Canon 5D2 via usb which this app also allows so you can use this app and not bother with the wifi router at all if you don't mind being tethered. The speed of the exchange between your camera and tablet/phone is faster with usb than with wifi and other than being tethered there is no functionality lost or gained either way, usb or wifi. I have been using the TP-Link MR3040 route only about three months now and it performs quite well. You can also add on the controlling module and the tripod motor for about $200 more and still have less in than if you bought the CamRanger and still have the same identical equipment.

If anyone is interested in this or think you are, I would suggest that you go watch a couple of videos about the CamRanger. Here is one I think you should watch for sure and at the end there will be links to others you might want to view. There is also a short demo of how DSLR Controller works on their website that I would urge you to watch. The app is rich in features that allow you to very simply do things that are a bit more difficult without such an aid as this. I can assure you that it is pretty neat to be able to sit inside your house with your camera on a tripod in the backyard aimed at a bird nest, or where sitting in your car overlooking a stream where deer come to water late in the day, or especially when it's cold outside and you can sit in your car and shoot wildlife at a distance without spooking them. Each person has their own reason to enjoy the features available in these setups, or not.

Here is that video I recommend you watch: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cYOPIUCPt5I

One further thing, if you have questions I may not be able to answer them all but hopefully I will get a little help if a question takes me out of my comfort zone so don't hesitate to ask questions if you have some. We'll try to find the answers if we don't have them.

LaurenT Loc: Northern California

The Canon 70D has an app for iPhone/iPad that you can install, hook into the wifi on the camera, and fire from your iPhone/iPad.

gessman Loc: Colorado

I think only the number of cameras with wifi built-in are pretty limited, maybe just the 6D and 70D are capable of using that app. It could be that the 1D? and 5d3 can use it but unfortunately, I don't have any of those cameras so I had to come up with another solution. I have looked through the features of that program, if you're talking about the app called EOS Remote and as someone from CamRanger said, that app was two years deficient the day it was released. These other apps allow a person to do so much more than EOS Remote that it's almost worth it. I am not familiar with how the wifi works on the 6D and 70D but it could be that they can hook to a wifi and use some of these other apps to be able to use the features like 19 shot hdr, focus stacking, time lapse, etc... Some of that may be built-in the 70D and 6D. Both of those cameras are on DSLR Controller's list of compatible cameras if only they can link to a compatible wifi it could be good. I'm sorry but I'm just really not familiar enough with them to know. Perhaps you can tell us what you know about that.

LaurenT Loc: Northern California

I'm sure you are correct. I know that with my 70D it has been an option, but to be honest, I've never tried it. Glad you found an alternative that works so well. :thumbup:

DavidPine Loc: Fredericksburg, TX

The Cam Ranger works extremely well with an iPad. It works with a Mac and it works with a Kindel. I want to get a PT- Hub with the M360 head next. It goes 360 degrees with 15 degrees up and down and works in conjunction with the CamRanger. I've only tried the CR from about 60' and it worked just fine. They advertise that it will go 150'. Th CamRanger only works with Canon and Nikon.

gessman Loc: Colorado

Digging a little deeper into this I found that the 70D and 6D are indeed the only two Canon cameras that have wifi built in and that the EOS Remote app does allow two aspects for those two cameras to handle, things like transferring files to tablets and computers and also to handle the management of the camera on the shooting end as well. Also, it appears that the cameras can link to apps such as DSLR Controller which provides many more functions than EOS Remote and that will allow the cameras to be operated just as those with a CamRanger or TLink-MR3040 which are not needed to use the apps available. May I suggest, if you have any interest, that you go to http://www.dslrcontroller.com and look at the features available in their app to see if anything interests you.

gessman Loc: Colorado

I have been following the threads you have started on this subject and am glad to see that you're branching out and enjoying it. The possibilities are magnificent in the ability to take more precision control over cameras in doing such things as focus stacking, hdr, time lapse, etc., as well as putting some distance between ourselves and our cameras which can help in getting some shots we might not get otherwise of skittish wildlife. I began discussing this two years ago and have mentioned it many times in threads other than those i have initiated and I haven't had much response to my posts. It was in fact, May 8, 2012 when I posted my first comments in this thread http://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-39381-1.html

I'm pleased to see that it is getting some traction. Several of the people who are posting in your threads weren't around two years ago. I'm glad to see them here and contributing. Maybe they can add some momentum to the subject and will be involved in promoting it among those who are interested. It isn't a subject that is necessarily all that easy to sort out with all the different aspects of it. A lot has happened in two years and I'm anxious to see what takes place in the near future. Thanks for your comments.

DavidPine Loc: Fredericksburg, TX

I became interested because I know very little about photography and I have some difficulty holding the camera steady. Tethering seemed to solve some of my problems but distance became an issue and I started looking for extended USB connections. Someone on UHH suggested the CamRanger and so I researched it and I decided to give it a try. I am impressed with how well it works on an iPad and I am really impressed that I can cycle through all my settings in Manual mode and see the results on a much larger "live view" screen, focus on my subject and make the photograph. I feel like the CR is sort of a settings tutor. It is important that we, new people, get input from experienced members like you. I realize some photographers resist change, however, I have been finding out that there are many professional photographers using the CR in their studios. I hope the CR helps me to improve my exposures. No matter what I learn, I still need input from experienced photographers who have a knowledge base that cannot be replaced by equipment. Thank you for your comments.

gessman Loc: Colorado

One of the reason I became interested in this technology is because I am experiencing some age related issues with vision, steadiness, etc., and I was looking for counter measures for all of that. Having the larger screen to see, the ability to magnify 5 or 10 times for minute objects in macro, the ability to have consistent minute measurements for focus stacking, the ability to avoid crawling around on my belly, etc., plus the ability to sit my camera up by a watering hole and go undetected by wildlife, etc...

I'm laughing my butt off right now - a sort of sick laugh. Many uhh members are in the same boat I'm in age wise and aren't nearly as adroit with the combination of cameras, computers, and Internet as I am after all these years and I went to the trouble of doing this thread in case it would be of benefit to anyone and it failed to be listed in the daily digest and has slipped off into obscurity. That's real disappointing for me after the time I put in getting this information in one place so people could easily learn what the possibilities are and it didn't make the cut and as of this time only 175 people have seen this. What a stinkin' waste and disservice to some of the older members.

pfrancke Loc: cold Maine

yes, very cool stuff. I'm using Android Nexus with 6D and dslrcontoller and find that with live view shooting I can at long last get a proper focus! And since I'm using wifi, no tether needed. Very satisfying to see magnified image on 10 inch screen before the shot is taken. Because of the instant feedback (prefeed), I think it helps noobs like me learn much more quickly.

DavidPine Loc: Fredericksburg, TX

I don't disagree with you. I think the technology deserves greater discussion. The information you gathered is valuable and should be viewed by newbies and older folks like me who are not as steady or have the eye sight we did at one time.Thank you for your fine work.

gessman Loc: Colorado

Thank you for your comments. With the 6D and 70D and wifi built in, yours is the simplest approach to the use of apps like dslrcontroller. Those of us who do not have wifi built in have had a bit of a nightmare. In my case, I bought a Samsung Galaxy Tab 2, 7" with Android operating system ICS (Ice Cream Sandwich) with which everything worked great and hadn't had it long until Samsung came in and upgraded my operating system to JB (Jelly Bean) and suddenly dslrcontroller would no longer operate on my tablet - $300 shot for nothing. Fortunately my Galaxy phone still worked so I wasn't shut down completely but it has been a nightmare. I'm glad your road has been simpler. Post some pics and tell us what you did. Cheers!

pfrancke Loc: cold Maine

Ouch, that must have been a bummer. I bought the 6D for it's ISO and for it's wifi. I'd been reading about liveview and just couldn't stand it any more!

This image (I worked on tonight) was a composite of about 15 shots. I set it up and used dslrcontroller to verify the focus and to hit the shutter button. I moved a flash to different positions, once bumping the table lightly which resulted in some ghosting.

I blended the 15 images with PS choosing the parts that I liked. Not at all realistic, but it was a fun experiment. Being able to control the camera without touching it is massive. Focus stacking type applications, or getting a proper focus on stars or the moon, it is so nice to be able to see what you are doing (for me anyway!!)

(Download)

Michael66 Loc: Queens, New York

Can't the same be done with Nikon's WU-1a for $55? Or am I missing something?

DavidPine Loc: Fredericksburg, TX

I worked with the WU-1a and found the software really lacking. I wrote to Nikon and they didn't seem too interested. The CamRanger gives me great software and total control of my camera on my iPad, specifically. I also have it on my Kindel and MacBook Pro, however, the software is okay but not as good as the iPad. Distance may also be a weakness with the WU-1a and that doesn't seem to be a problem with the CR. The only control not available on the CamRanger is zooming.That isn't a problem if you are using a prime lens. One very interesting add-on to the CamRanger is a PT-Hub coupled with a MB-360 tripod head whereby you can pan your camera remotely 360 degrees and tilt up and down 15 degrees --- all working through the CamRanger. I won't know much more until next month when I allow my G.A.S. to kick in again. I did have to purchase a much heavier tripod (Benro) to keep my camera super still (I wanted a Really Right Stuff tripod but I wouldn't spring for it.). I may or may not be headed in the right direction but I am having fun.