Cutting the Cord: A Photo World Without Cables and Wires

Although wireless products have become ubiquitous in everyday life, they are not as pervasive in the photography world. Curious to see whether photographers could truly “cut the cord” and liberate themselves from cables and wires, we gave a few wireless photography solutions a try. The results, as you’ll see, were decidedly mixed.

REMOTELY FIRING FLASHGUNS
Both Canon and Nikon offer integrated wireless flash systems that allow a photographer to use multiple heads controlled by a transmitter on the camera. That transmitter can be a separate control unit or incorporated into some flashguns.

Canon (aside from the newest Speedlite 600EX-RT) and Nikon flashes rely on light pulses to control off-camera flashguns. The problem with both systems is that the flashes need a clear line-of-sight between the master controller and the off-camera flashguns to operate reliably. In a studio or small room it is not such a problem as there is often enough reflection to allow the systems to work. Outdoors, things can get trickier.

PHOTTIX MITROS+ AND ODIN TRANSCEIVER
Third-party flashguns are nothing new, and I’m sure older photographers will fondly remember the Vivitar 283 and 285 HV flashguns that were workhorses for many photojournalists. However, it’s only recently that aftermarket flashes have become compatible with the modern TTL metering systems incorporated in today’s flashguns.

Phottix is a company that has begun to make a name for itself as a maker of quality photo gear. I recently tried the Mitros+ flashgun along with the Odin flash control system to accompany my Nikon camera and SB-800 flash.

The combination of a Phottix Odin controller (on the Nikon) and an Odin receiver for attaching to a Nikon Speedlight along with the Phottix Mitros+ flash provides a robust, cost-effective flash lighting system. All Photos © John Rettie

The Mitros+ is a hotshoe flash that sells for $400 and incorporates a radio to control other Phottix flashes. It’s compatible with several different flash triggering systems sold by Phottix. The Odin TTL Flash Trigger/Receiver kit ($350) is the best of the systems, and I used it to trigger a Nikon SB-800. I was then able to use the Odin commander on the camera to control the Mitros+ and the SB-800 attached to the Odin receiver.

The menu for setting up the flashes is slightly simpler than that on the Nikon, but still a little convoluted; I had to refer to the manual to figure out how to adjust settings. Once I got everything set up, though, the system worked like a charm. The commander fired the flash and I could even stand behind a wall and have a remote flash fire every time in another room over 25 feet away. Phottix claims the radio signal will reach over 300 feet. It certainly works well outdoors at 100 feet. This could be an ideal setup for use in a church or wedding reception when direct line-of-sight would probably defeat a Canon or Nikon system.

WI-FI AND CAMERAS
Anyone who uses a smartphone knows only too well the frustrations of trying to emulate its capabilities on a DSLR. I’m someone who wishes I could seamlessly upload images from my DSLR to Facebook or email them to a client without any hassles.

Sadly, that’s not the case when it comes to DSLRs. Instead, we have to live without the convenience or wait until we are at a computer to transfer the images. Or we can try and utilize the add-on Wi-Fi capabilities slowly being offered for DSLR users.

A few years ago, Eye-Fi began offering an SD card that incorporated Wi-Fi. At first glance, it’s a simple and cost-effective way to download images when needed­—that’s if you can get it to work effectively all the time (much as I like to think I’m tech savvy, I have had problems with getting reliable connections).

While Canon and Nikon have begun to include Wi-Fi capabilities in their DSLRs, they are still not nearly as user-friendly as one would hope. For example, I recently purchased a Canon EOS 6D which has built-in Wi-Fi, but setting it up was trying. While the instructions are not very clear, once it’s working, users seem to be enamored with the fairly limited features that come with the EOS Remote app.

Several Nikon cameras, such as the D600/610, can be connected by Wi-Fi through the WU-1b device plugged into the camera’s USB port.

If you own a pro-level Nikon camera, you have to rely on an external Wi-Fi adaptor for all but the new D750. I have a D600 and a $50 WU-1b adaptor. It proved to be fairly easy to set up and works well for transferring images to my iPhone with the free Wireless Mobile Utility app. It can also remotely fire the camera, but won’t change any settings other than focus. When I tested it at dusk, the images showed up okay on the iPhone, but the saved images were all too dark—a reminder of the limitations of the app.

CAMRANGER REMOTE CONTROL
The ability to remotely control a camera from a distance has always been an important part of professional photography, especially for filmmakers and commercial photographers. If you’re a wedding photographer working in the confines of a church or reception hall, it’s not so practical to use wires to connect a camera for remote control.

The CamRanger ($300) is a third-party product that does a far better job than the wireless solutions from Canon and Nikon. The combination of the CamRanger and an accompanying motorized tripod head lets a photographer alter the position of the camera as well as adjust settings remotely.

The CamRanger app, seen here on an iPad, provides a good number of functions to control a camera connected to the CamRanger Wi-Fi router.

I had the opportunity to try out this combo and was very pleased with how easy it was to set up and get working quickly. The CamRanger is a small Wi-Fi transmitter that pairs with a smartphone and plugs into the USB port on a DSLR. Just about all the camera’s functions (except zoom) can be controlled by the CamRanger using an app for an iPhone, iPad, Android or a Mac or Windows laptop. It also provides timed exposures, HDR, focus stacking and intervalometer, and can record video. All in all, it proved to be extremely versatile.

The CamRanger device connected to a PT Hub and a motorized tripod head is a great way to have complete control over a remotely situated camera.

Even greater versatility comes when you add the PT Hub and MP-360 motorized tripod head ($230). The app can then rotate the camera through 360 degrees and moved it up or down up to 15 degrees. The combination works well and lets a photographer place a camera where it might be impossible to get to in person. I could see this working really well for a wedding photographer wanting to capture images from behind the minister at a church wedding.

FASTER, PLEASE
Although far too slowly, camera manufacturers are catching up with smartphone makers when it comes to offering wireless capabilities in cameras. Until they get their act together, take a look at after market products, which seem to be far better and less costly at this stage.

The bottom line is that whatever solution you opt for, definitely pre-run a shoot where you intend to rely on wireless work with your DSLR. Lighting is not so much of a problem, but control of a camera and downloading of images can still be hit or miss. Make sure your camera does not go to sleep, and that there are no obstructions affecting the wireless signal—be it line-of-sight or a radio signal.

On critical shoots such as weddings, you should probably not fully rely on wireless communications. Instead, use a remote-control system like CamRanger to obtain hard-to-get images that can help you wow your client (since you’ll have a shot nobody else can get). Heck, your clients might not even know it was taken if you hide the camera behind flowers or a lectern.

One truism of wireless photography is that batteries drain much faster when using Wi-Fi. Just remember to turn Wi-Fi off when not in use or you could end up with a dead battery after a few hours. Of course, you could use an external power supply to power the unit, but then you’d have a wire connecting it to a power plug and then you would not be working wirelessly!

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