# Anyone using DSLR Controller?



## GrantH (Sep 27, 2012)

I picked this up and will be ordering the cables shortly that are needed but wondered what everyone is using it for? I use live view for panoramics an nature shots and having this will make life a lot easier I think when doing those shots. Anyone else?


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## Buckster (Sep 27, 2012)

I use it, and really like it a lot.

I especially like it for microscope and macro work, but I'm getting to the point where I'll use it just about anytime I'm shooting from a tripod.  Here's my typical macro setup:







In this shot: A Manfrotto 410 Junior Geared head supports an Adorama focusing Rail which supports the Canon 5DMKII wearing a Sigma 180mm f/3.5 EX DG IF HSM APO macro lens.

A Manfrotto Superclamp holds a Manfrotto Magic Arm to my Manfrotto 3205GN3 Tracker Tripod, and the other end of it holds a Tether Tools Wallee which holds onto my Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1" 32GB tablet.

The tablet is connected to the camera via USB, and the camera is controlled from the tablet using the DSLR Controller app.


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## GrantH (Sep 28, 2012)

holy crap lol


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## 480sparky (Sep 28, 2012)

Buckster said:


>





Please explain the logic of leaving the grip on the camera for work like this.


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## Buckster (Sep 28, 2012)

480sparky said:


> Please explain the logic of leaving the grip on the camera for work like this.


I use the grip for extended battery time, more than anything else, though the convenience and control in portrait orientation is handy when I use it.

Since I go from one studio setup to another, then run out the door with it and shoot landscapes or wildlife (or any number of other things), then come back and shoot something or someone else, I just never see a need or reason to take the grip off and put it on and take it off and put it on.  Since it hurts nothing to just leave it on, and helps keep me from being caught short on battery life, and requires no extra time putting it on and taking it off and putting it on and taking it off if I don't do that, it makes sense to me to just leave it on.

By the way, when shooting tethered to the tablet via the DSLR Controller app, I'm in Live View all the time so that I can see on the tablet screen what the camera sensor sees - all the time.  That means that for the duration of the shoot, my camera is powered on and operating.  So, if I spend an hour or two setting up, dialing in and then shooting dozens of frames for stacking purposes, it's on pretty much the whole time.  THEN I may want to unplug the mini USB from the camera, remove it from the tripod, and run out the door with it.

Please explain the logic of taking it off and putting it on and taking it off and putting it on and taking it off and...  You get the idea.


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## 480sparky (Sep 28, 2012)

Buckster said:


> ......... Since it hurts nothing to just leave it on, ..........



Head weight, for one.  It's easy to overload a tripod/head combo when you get a big camera, long lens, and throw a 4-way focus rail into the recipe.



Buckster said:


> .........Please explain the logic of taking it off and putting it on and taking  it off and putting it on and taking it off and...



It's the same logic as changing lenses, filters, hoods, flashes, flash modifiers, batteries..... You get the idea.


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## Buckster (Sep 28, 2012)

480sparky said:


> Buckster said:
> 
> 
> > ......... Since it hurts nothing to just leave it on, ..........
> ...


It's never happened to me in all the years I've been shooting big cameras with grips and long lenses on tripods with focusing rails and/or other attached gear (like lights, triggers, transmitters, etc), so I don't think I'll start worrying about it now.

Apparently, it's not as easy to overload the head as you seem to think, unless of course you're working with inferior gear that can't handle the loads you work with, which is entirely up to you.  I prefer not to do that though.



480sparky said:


> Buckster said:
> 
> 
> > .........Please explain the logic of taking it off and putting it on and taking  it off and putting it on and taking it off and...
> ...


No, actually I don't get the idea, nor do I see any actual logic in it.

I _*HAVE*_ to change those other things you listed in order to effectively deal with different subjects and circumstances in order to get the _*LOOK*_ I want for each photo.  I don't _*HAVE*_ to take my grip off and put it back on and take it off and put it back on to get the _*LOOK*_ I want for each photo.

In fact, I see it as a waste of time and energy to take it off and put it on and take it off and put it on and take it off and put it on and take it off and put it on, over and over and over, shoot after shoot after shoot after shoot, all day long, day after day after day.

Why don't you try again?  Reach even deeper into those dark recesses and see if you can find a _real_ point to taking it off and putting it on over and over and over again.


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## Bitter Jeweler (Sep 28, 2012)

Buckster. _CLEARLY_, you are doing it wrong. :roll:


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## 480sparky (Sep 28, 2012)

Buckster said:


> 480sparky said:
> 
> 
> > Buckster said:
> ...




Apparently, anyone else's method besides yours can only be one thing.......... clearly, utterly and shamelessly wrong.  I bow to your superiority.

You win.


















Oh, and I'll have a bellows for sale. Since I can't take my grip off any more, I can't use my bellows.


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## Bitter Jeweler (Sep 28, 2012)

I know, right?

Why would anyone buy a Canon 1DX? So stupid to have a grip you can't ever remove.

Sparky, I don't understand your problem with how somebody else likes to do things.
 I mean, you asked him why, and he answered. Why are you trying to say what he is doing is wrong?

Sure, it may not make sense to you, that's cool.
 You don't have to do it that way.You can do it your way.
 No harm, no foul.
 I don't see Buckster trying to be superior.  I do see you trying to be superior. 

WTF?


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## Buckster (Sep 28, 2012)

480sparky said:


> Apparently, anyone else's method besides yours can only be one thing.......... clearly, utterly and shamelessly wrong.


 "Method", eh?  Your response looks an aweful lot like butthurt to me, just FYI.

In any case, your latest claim, quoted above, is also not true.

Still, I'd love to see you make a rational defense for your advocating the constant removal and replacement of the battery grip over and over and over and over and over and over, if you think there is one, no matter how many attempts it takes you to find one.  I love to learn new things, and this might just be the tip I've been missing that could really be helpful.

So far however, I'm still not seeing it as anything other than a waste of time and energy, along with unnecessarily creating a lot of opportunities to wear out contacts or plastic catches or break something off or lose it entirely out in the field because it wasn't stored well while off the camera, or something like that.

Nonetheless, I remain open to having my mind changed, if you have any reasoning that actually makes sense.


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## shefjr (Sep 28, 2012)

This is why I hate this forum!!!! I see sh!t on here I want and then have to find reasons why I need to have it. Wives! Ugh! Lol! That is a cool setup Buckster.
Sparky, is this something that you would use with your 40foot wonder pole? (no homo, or double entendre)


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## rexbobcat (Sep 28, 2012)

Bitter Jeweler said:


> Why would anyone buy a Canon 1DX? So stupid to have a grip you can't ever remove.



I'm that one guy who wants one.


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## Buckster (Sep 28, 2012)

480sparky said:


> Oh, and I'll have a bellows for sale. Since I can't take my grip off any more, I can't use my bellows.


Good luck with the sale.  I might be interested, but I've still got my PB-4 for my Nikon film gear and it works just fine for me.  Not that I use it much these days, since I usually shoot with my digital Canon gear, but I'm good to go, either way, since I also have a bellows for the Canon gear.

That said, try not to freak out over this: Because the bellows and short lens are so lightweight, I don't have a problem with using them as shown below, still without removing the grip:






(I didn't bother to dig out my reversing ring and flip a lens and set up the tablet for this example shot of how to use a bellows AND a grip at the same time, but you get the idea)

BTW, even if I _did_ think that the bellows' weight might be a problem, I could DIY a riser or support bracket in about 10 minutes to make it work.

But you should probably just sell yours, if that's what makes sense to you; None of my business, after all.


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## GrantH (Sep 28, 2012)

Back to the matter at hand...I would be interested to see it in action being used for something with a purpose. Seems the videos on youtube are just basic here is how it works videos.


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## Psytrox (Sep 29, 2012)

Besides that its really, really cool... What exactly is the point? Or is the point just bigger display, and pressing buttons without touching the camera?


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## Buckster (Sep 29, 2012)

For me, there are a couple of advantages, in particular situations.

When shooting through my microscope, the camera is shooting straight down into it, and it would be VERY difficult to look down through the viewfinder or even work with the live view on the back of the camera AND work the microscope, slides and light(s) PLUS all the camera controls, and that's especially true for stacking.  Having the tablet as a display there on the table next to the microscope and having the camera controls right there on the tablet makes the setup as a whole MUCH easier to work with.

When shooting macros, I have a similar problem because I often need to be able to interact with the macro subject and it's lights, modifiers, background and so forth directly, especially during the setup and staging, and that's all set up in front of the camera.  That means I'm often sitting in front of the camera as well, to the side of the macro staging area, where I can easily access that macro subject.  Having the tablet facing me allows me to work with both the macro subject, lights etc., and still be able to see as I work with it what the composition looks like in a live view without going back and forth from that position next to the macro "stage" to the back of the camera, then back again to make another adjustment, then back to the camera to assess how that now looks, then back again, etc., etc., etc.

I can also zoom in on the tablet to 5x and 10x for precise focus and, indeed, the much larger screen works VERY well for that.  Shooting in live view and lightly touching the tablet face to trip the shutter means I have no camera shake issues either.  I can control ISO, aperture, shutter speed and nearly everything else I'd want to control from shot to shot right there on the tablet, without getting up from where I'm manipulating the staging area, and I can also work with the macro focusing rails as well as the geared head for precise movements having to do with composition and stacking with ease from that same position, all while seeing the effects right there on the tablet screen.

For portraits, I can easily show the client stills as we shoot them if I want to, without them getting up from where I have them posed, just by showing them the large tablet from my position or walking it over to them for a quick review - all without moving my camera at all and without them squinting at the small screen on the back of it. During setup, I can also have it face the posing area and move my lights and modifiers around and see the effects on screen as I do it, or I can take it with me via a long tether and hold it in my hand while making those modifications to see how they affect the composition.

With my long 30' tether, I can position the camera in one place, and monitor and shoot from somewhere else, up to 30 feet away.  That comes in handy for skittish birds and so on.  Just set up the camera on a tripod (and lights if you want) looking at the bait/staged area, get up to 30' away into a blind or the porch or have a seat behind some trees or bushes, and wait for the right moment to shoot while monitoring the live view on the tablet.

I can put the camera on the end of a pole up to 30 feet tall, clamp the tablet to the bottom of the pole where I can see it, and get shots from unique higher POVs while still retaining compositional control, rather than guessing I'm pointing it in the right direction, and still able to work ISO, aperture and shutter, white balance, etc., while the camera's up in the air.

I can use similar techniques to hang/boom the camera out over places that would be very difficult, dangerous or even impossible for me to physically get to and shoot from, and still retain full control.

I can use suction cups or clamps to position the camera on the outside of a vehicle, then monitor and shoot from inside that moving vehicle in the passenger seat because I have the live view on the tablet in my hands, and as always, I retain the ability to change ISO, aperture, shutter speed, white balance and more from right there on the tablet, and without having to pull over, get out, and adjust the settings on the camera, and hope they're right when we get rolling again.

Here's the bottom line: Using the tablet and the DSLR Controller app opens up MANY new possibilities for shooting, and the more I use it, the more uses I'm finding for it.


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## 2WheelPhoto (Dec 27, 2012)

I'm scared to jump back on topic..... do you guys happen to know if they make such an app for iPAD too?  Buckster wow that is nice


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## thetrue (Dec 27, 2012)

Wait, is it the same one that is on the disk that came with my camera? I've used that with my laptop a few times and it works quite nicely...


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## keith foster (Dec 27, 2012)

There is another app that does this called TriggerTrap.   The app is free but there is a conversion cable you have to buy to connect to your camera.

Besides the reasons listed by Buckster

The app works to automatically trip the camera for timelapse photography.

You can choose the time the camera delays firing.

It will work as a motion detection device fire the camera.

It works as a lightning detector to fire the camera.

It works to fire when there is a loud sound.  You can set the db level you want to use to fire it.

It can do travel lapse photography so that the camera fires every time you travel whatever you program it to.


There are some others but I don't recall all of them right now.  I don't use mine all the time but I use regularly.  I will definitely use it more as time goes on and in certain situations.


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## thetrue (Dec 27, 2012)

Keith, what is the dongle for exactly? Just to actuate the shutter?


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## keith foster (Dec 27, 2012)

thetrue said:


> Keith, what is the dongle for exactly? Just to actuate the shutter?



The dongle just converts the signal from the iPad or other device to a signal the camera sees as an activation.  I think.  But is also lets you see what the camera sees so it must convert signal both ways.  The dongle actually looks like just two cords that both come out of a small black box.  One has a plug for the iPad and one plugs into the flash outlet on the camera.  I was surprised at how simple and small it all is.


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## thetrue (Dec 27, 2012)

So it's essentially the same as the USB used to connect to the computer?


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## SkipT (Sep 9, 2013)

I bet that setup works great for macro. I thought about seting up like that but then I thought about the fact of another piece of hardware I had to drag with me and forgot about it. Looks like you have a good setup.


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