Smart Trigger with on a Canon with an iPhone and the app for the trigger
Smart Trigger let you do time-lapse videos
San Diego based company Satechi recently announced a series of inexpensive Bluetooth wireless shutter triggers for Canon and (some) Nikon DSLR cameras which can allow a user to operate the camera from a great distance using an iPhone or and iPod.
Ever wanted to use your Smartphone to make your DSLR camera shoot? a new Bluetooth 4.0 wireless smart trigger was recently showcased by Satechi, a San Diego based accessory manufacturer which specializes in Bluetooth based devices.
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There are currently 3 versions of the Satechi Bluetooth Smart Trigger (A,B,C), each suited for a different set of cameras. The units support most canon DSLRs as well as some high end compact cameras (G10/G11) as well as Most of the higher end Nikon models (currently lower end Nikon DSLRs are not supported as far as we can tell). After connecting the Smart Trigger to the hot shoe of the camera the user will connect the unit to the camera itself using a supplied connector (depending on the version of the camera). Finally the user will pair the unit with his mobile device and use a free app to operate the camera from the device. Currently only iPhone 4s/5 and iPad mini/iPad 3 are supported due to their native Bluetooth 4.0 support (the company plans to launch an android app next month but it will only support a small number of devices such as Samsung Galaxy III which come with Bluetooth 4.0 support built in).
One of the most interesting features of the Smart Trigger is its battery life. According to Satechi the device can operate anywhere from 2-10 years (!). Currently you will be hard pressed to find many battery operated wireless electronic devices that can work for more than a few days let alone months or years. The reason why this number is even plausible is that the Bluetooth 4.0 standard is extremely efficient with power consumption and it allows certain devices to operate with minimal loss of power when they are not needed.
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So what can you do with the Satechi Bluetooth Smart Trigger once its connected to your iPhone or iPad? actually quite a few things. First, you can take a picture wirelessly from up to 50 feet away (here is one point where Bluetooth 4.0 power kicks in). This is done with the “Regular Shot mode” and is aimed at people who simply want to take a picture with their friends and not be left out of the image (although we can easily come up with much more creative uses for this feature). The second option is called manual shot mode and it allows users to adjust different settings in the camera and help more advanced photographers take a series of images at set intervals for creating time-lapses (as can be seen in the video below).
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The Satechi Bluetooth Smart Trigger is definitely not the first wireless trigger and not even the first one to allow mobile devices to control the camera, however its combination of long range, extremely long battery life and inexpensive price (most other units which connect to mobile devices cost 4 times as much or more), makes it a really distinctive solution.
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The Satechi Bluetooth Smart Trigger cost $45 and can be found on the Satechi website (make sure you pick up the right version for your camera).
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The following video shows the Satechi Bluetooth Smart Trigger in action
