The CamRanger device and associated free iOS app enables wireless tethering control of supported Canon or Nikon DSLRs from an iPad, iPhone, or iPod touch. CamRanger creates its own WiFi network so there is no need for additional computers or existing Internet. CamRanger provides near complete control of a camera from up to 150 feet away. Watch the full story video from the CamRanger site.
The CamRanger was very easy to setup — the instructions provided were clear — got my iPad connected to the CamRanger WiFi in about 5 minutes. Once I got the CamRanger app set up, I read the user guide and played around with the CamRanger app to get familiar with how it works. Now I was ready for a real photo session.
I set up my camera (Nikon D600) on a tripod in the kitchen and pointed it at our bird feeder outside the window. Then I retired to the living room (which is not in sight of the kitchen) so I could watch the football games on TV. I used LiveView on my iPad to watch for birds landing on the bird feeder and when they did, double-clicked on the bird’s head in the screen to get the focus set and then clicked a few pics. I did this for about five hours and did not miss a thing from the football games and got lots of great pics of the birds on our feeder. What a cool way to spend the afternoon.
The only downside I can see so far is that there is a bit of a lag between the time you “click” in the iPad app and the time the photo is actually taken by the camera; makes it a bit tough for action shots. The good news is that some of the birds sat still long enough to get some great shots. It sure beats standing over the camera waiting for a bird to land and getting a sore back.
I can see how this set up will be very useful for macro photography, especially if you want to get insects … you can set up the camera on a flower, for example, move out of range so you don’t scare them off, and then watch on the iPad for them to land in your frame. In the meantime you can be reading a book or having a chat with someone while you wait for the bugs to land.
Photo from my CamRanger session with camera in kitchen pointing to bird feeder outside and me in the living room with my iPad watching TV. (photo was cropped in LR)
