Apple iPad Pro can now be used to remote control professional DSLRs
If you are a professional photographer, or an advanced enthusiast, things just exciting. Manfrotto, one of the top manufacturers of pro gear for photographers, has recently expanded support of its Digital Director for iPad, to include the 12.9 inch iPad Pro, as well as the iPad Mini 4.
The Digital Director consists of a plastic cradle equipped with a dedicated ARM Cortex-A8 CPU, a Lightning port, and a wired interface that tethers the 12.9 inch iPad Pro to any one of 14 Canon DSLR models, and any of 15 Nikon cameras, via a USB cable.
The accessory comes with a Workflow Management Processor, which is an iOS app that lets photographers control every aspect of the shot, while providing better, and easier controls than the ones available on the camera itself.
Initially, support for the app and the accessory was limited to the iPad Air, iPad Air 2, and iPad Mini 2 and 3. Finally, photography buffs, and pros who may have been wondering about integrating an iPad Pro, or an iPad Mini 4, into their workflow, will now be able to use it to control not only camera settings, but LEDs and multiple flash units via Bluetooth.
Some of the functions available through the app, aside from the typical remote control tasks include time lapse and intervalometer set up, focus control, and various filters used to analyze and adjust the shot with finer controls, such as the Zebra filter, and the focus peaking filter.
Also through the app, photos can be downloaded directly into the iPad as RAW images, and, for those who are used to Adobe Camera RAW will find a similar interface, where they will be able to manage their shots, organize them in folders, and rate them for future review.
The app is also compatible with Adobe Lightroom, and photos can be shared and uploaded in multiple ways, including social media apps, Wi-Fi web servers, email, or directly via FTP, into the built-in Lightroom server for desktop.
While the new accessory and app are only featured in Manfrotto’s UK website, US customers should expect availability pretty soon, and a similar price tag, which is currently in the range of $300 for the kit and the app.