If you've been reading Android Police for a little while, then you've probably heard the name Chainfire thrown around a time-or-two. After all, he has delivered some awesome and useful apps like Chainfire3d and CF-Bench to the community. His latest offering to the Android Market, DSLR Controller, is probably the most impressive yet, as it allows you to control your Cannon EOS DSLR camera directly from you phone or tablet, no computer required. Aside from the software, the only other thing you will need to make it work is a USB host/On-the-Go USB cable. Take a look at the video to get a better idea of how it works:
[EMBED_YT]https://youtu.be/lnxvFYza6Y4
[/EMBED_YT]Not only is that incredible, but it's absolutely brilliant. I can't imagine how beneficial an application like this will be for photographers, both professional and aspiring alike.
As always, there are things to be aware of. The list of requirements is pretty in-depth so make sure to take a look at that before you go any further:
Requirements
------------- Android device with USB host support
- Canon EOS DSLR
- Correct USB host / OTG / On-The-Go cable for your deviceTablets running Honeycomb have USB host support in software. This does not guarantee hardware-compatibility.
Phones running Gingerbread or earlier do not officially have USB host support, BUT the Samsung Galaxy S2 (firmware KG1 or newer only) does support USB host. At the moment, as far as we know, the Samsung Galaxy S2 is the ONLY PHONE with USB host support available in its software.
The USB cable you use is very important. It will ONLY work with the proper USB host / OTG / On-The-Go cable for your device. "Rolling your own cable" using various USB cables and connectors you have lying around will NOT WORK.
DSLR controller has been tested with the following hardware:
- Samsung Galaxy S2 (KG1 firmware and newer)
- Motorola Xoom- Canon EOS
--- 550D
--- 50D
--- 7D
--- 5D mk II
--- 1D mk IV
Okay, now that you know what it takes to run this, here is a list of features provided:
- Live View
- Auto Focus (tap Live View)
- Manual focus adjustments in Auto Focus mode
- Histogram
- Zoom control
- Grid display
- Bulb capture
- Continuous capture
- Extensive modification of settings
- Shutter speed
- Aperture
- Exposure Compensation and Bracket
- Flash Compensation
- ISO speed
- Auto-Focus Mode
- Focus and Zoom area (tap-and-hold Live View)
- Picture Style
- Drive Mode
- White Balance
- Color Temperature
- Auto-Lighting Optimizer
- Metering Mode
Impressive, no? It's worth noting that this is still beta software, so expect to encounter some bugs. To keep up with the development of this software, report any bugs, or just tell Chainfire how much you appreciate his hard work (which I highly recommend), hit up this thread on XDA.
DSLR Controller will set you back $8.51, and you can grab it by hitting the widget below.