Intro

This is one of those cool stories that only the internet could make possible. I meet a few of the guys from Triggertraps at Photokina this year.  There had been a lot of talk about them in on of the Flickr groups I administer so I wanted to check them out. Basically a few guys thought they had a great idea but needed the start up capital. Using Kickstarter they wanted to raise $25,000 (£16,000 / €20,000) to create their first product, Triggertrap v1. But got more than they bargained with an astounding 300% of the target amount, and nearly 900 backers funded them to the tune of $75,000 (£48,000 / €60,000). The item that interested me the most is the Triggertrap Mobile, which launched in May 2012.

Triggertrap Mobile: iOS & Android app

Have you ever wanted to use your smart phone to control your camera. The “Triggertrap Mobile” consists of three parts:

• the Triggertrap Mobile App
• the Triggertrap Mobile Dongle
• a camera connection cable (you will need the right cable for your camera manufacturer and model)

There are two versions of Triggertrap Mobile app for iOS and Android. NOTE: at the time I wrote this Triggertrap apps are all free to download during a free promotional period, this may change with time.

For iOS there is Triggertrap (which has 17 different modes, and costs $10 / £7 / €8), and Triggertrap Free (3 modes, free download).

The Android app only comes as a paid full-featured version with 8 different modes.

The iOS Triggertrap Mobile modes are are

• Timelapse Mode
• TimeWarp™ Mode
• Sound sensor Mode
• Shock & Vibration sensor Mode
• Metal & magnetism sensor Mode
• Facial recognition Mode
• LE HDR Mode
• LE HDR Timelapse Mode
• DistanceLapse™ Mode
• Motion detection Mode
• Cable Release Mode
• Star trail Mode
• Bulb Ramping Timelapse
• Wi-Fi Slave Mode
• Wi-Fi Master Mode (trigger other devices running Triggertrap Mobile
• Sunset & Sunrise Calculator
• Lag-o-Meter

And for Android(due to the different hardware types used by Android devises it isn’t possible to have all the functions supported in iOS)

• Timelapse Mode
• TimeWarp™ Mode
• LE HDR Mode
• LE HDR Timelapse Mode
• DistanceLapse™ Mode)
• Cable Release mode
• Star trail Mode
• Bulb Ramping Timelapse
• Wi-Fi Slave Mode
• Sunset & Sunrise Calculator

So this is how it works plug the “camera connection cable” into the “Triggertrap Mobile Dongle” which in turn plugs into the headphones port of your Smart-Phone. Start the app. You can now control your camera via your phone, utilising the functions available for your phones OS. Of course you will have to have your camera set to the correct settings for the function you want to use e.g. Bulb for timed long exposures.

Which Camera Connection Cable

• CL-CB1 cable is used to connect Triggertrap to some Olympus cameras – but not all of them.
• MC-30 cable is used on most professional Nikon cameras – and quite a few of their prosumer models.
• MC-DC1 is a cable that fits mostly older Nikon digital SLR cameras. Please check carefully – you may need a MC-DC2 or a MC-30 lead instead, depending on your camera.
• MC-DC2 is a cable that fits quite a few Nikon digital SLR cameras. Please check carefully – you may need a MC-DC1 or a MC-30 lead instead.
• CL-E3 camera connects Triggertrap to Canon’s entry-level and some of Canon’s prosumer grade cameras, along with a load of other cameras that accept a 2.5mm socket.
• CL-RS1 cable is used for some Panasonic and Leica cameras.
• CL-N3 cable connects the Triggertrap to a Canon RS-80N3 connector. That’s the D-shaped one with three pins.
• CL-S1 cable is used for Konica-Minolta and Sony DSLR/SLT cameras.
• CL-UC1 camera cable is used on some Olympus cameras.

Please check the port that your camera uses for a cable release before ordering one.

Conclusion

Its just to cool its one of those must have photography items. And it wont cost you an arm and a leg. Even the normal cable release from some manufacturers cost more then the whole mobile set up (that is taking into account you already have an iOS or Android device). I will blog each of the features one at a time in detail in the future….