BlueSLR for Remote Shutter Release
Thursday, December 9, 2010 at 8:41AM 
It looks like a Canadian company called BlueSLR has created a remote shutter-release with a unique twist - it pairs your iOS device (iPhone, iPod Touch, or iPad) to your camera via a bluetooth dongle. From looking at the product page, it appears that it will trigger the shutter up to 300 feet away - not sure we need that much distance for Pole-Aerial-Photography, but hey, the extra range is always welcome.
The one feature-omission of this product is the lack of image-reviewing capability - it would be a dream-come-true if it could transmit the photo back to the iOS device, maybe that's a feature it'll see in the future.
The other reputable iOS remote app is DSLR Camera Remote by onOne Software, that one works when the camera is connected to a computer, which is then connected to the same wifi network the iOS device is connected to - a little complicated, eh? Both of these products are attempting to bridge the gap that our camera manufacturers are leaving out - built-in wifi or bluetooth. Instead of paying a fortune to add wifi to our cameras with an adapter (which doesn't even seem to transfer quickly enough), please just build it in with a physical switch to turn it on or off - is it really that difficult/expensive?
BlueSLR's dongle can pre-ordered here for $149 (with free shipping at the moment) and their app can be downloaded in the App Store here for free. Currently, Nikon is the only supported DSLR brand and be sure to selected the correct dongle when purchasing as they trigger the shutter differently depending on the camera model.
Pole-Aerial-Photography
Reader Comments (4)
Does it control AEB? If it could be used to get around Canon's restrictive 3-shot bracketing (like the Promote) it might be worth having.
I'm not sure - I'll look into it. The review-unit will be arriving in January, I'll be sure to explore using AEB with it.
Mike
Hi Mike,
Couldn't the Verizon iPad be used as a hotspot to create a local network, then use an eye-fi card to transmit photos back?
My iPad is first generation 3G and I'd have to jailbreak it to use it as a hotspot which voids the extended warranty I got. I had assumed the Verizon iPad would fix the limitation of creating a local wifi so I wouldn't need to carry an extra piece of equipment.
Maureen
It sounds like what you're suggesting would work, though I'm not entirely certain. Anybody out there tried this or planning to try it in the near future? If so, let us know!