Dreaming: controle a 20D with a PocketPC!!

Got thinking about this today, in some ocasions "remote" viewing and controle of the camera is very useful, I know it can be done with a laptop (I haven't connected my 20D to the laptop yet, do you see the image you are going to shoot/shot in the laptop screen??) already but not at all practical when shooting outdoors.

Like yesterday had to take some photos of a building and needed the tripod higher then I can reach, so had to set the 20D to manual, set it and then use the corded remote and hope.

I have this real nice HP PocketPC, the new one with 640X480 resolution and couldn't but dream how AMAZING it could be if Canon would make a cable and software to use the PocketPC to act as a "remote" for the 20D !!
Oh well not going to happen but I can dream

Jean-Claude

ps: make me happy and tell me it can already be done ?? GRIN

--
It's a kind of magic
20D
EFs 10-22 f/3.5-4.5 USM
EF 50 f/1.4 USM
EF 17-40 f/4L USM
EF 100-400 f/4.5-5.6L USM

Agon said:

ps: make me happy and tell me it can already be done ?? GRIN

--

Click to expand...

now that would be an interesting project regarding the SDK...maybe someone will do it...that is something that I would be interested in hearing more about...I'd give it a shot if I only had a pocket pc to do develop it on!

I know nothing about programming, but looked around on the net and did found adapters CF to USB , so you put the CF card adapter in the PocketPC and out of it comes a USB dongle, I am sure for Canon it would be easy to make somehting like that with an EOS connector.

Third party software makers like Breeze already have their own remote capture software for PC, again, I would assume making it for PPC wouldn't be terribly dificult.

I am not sure how much R&D and investment would be needed to create such a "kit" and if the EOS users base would be big enough to make it profitable, but I am sure most PPC and PDA owners who have an EOS would like somehting like this and those who don't have one would certainly consider getting one just for this.

WOW how fantastic it would be to control my 20D from my HP PocketPC with it's sweet 640X480 res, I already use the corded switch controler ALL the time when camera is on tripod, this would indeed be the ultimate camera remote!

Jean-CLaude

42 said:

42 said:

ps: make me happy and tell me it can already be done ?? GRIN

--

Click to expand...

now that would be an interesting project regarding the SDK...maybe
someone will do it...that is something that I would be interested
in hearing more about...I'd give it a shot if I only had a pocket
pc to do develop it on!

Click to expand...

--
It's a kind of magic
20D
EFs 10-22 f/3.5-4.5 USM
EF 50 f/1.4 USM
EF 17-40 f/4L USM
EF 100-400 f/4.5-5.6L USM

Agon said:

Got thinking about this today, in some ocasions "remote" viewing
and controle of the camera is very useful, I know it can be done
with a laptop (I haven't connected my 20D to the laptop yet, do you
see the image you are going to shoot/shot in the laptop screen??)
already but not at all practical when shooting outdoors.
Like yesterday had to take some photos of a building and needed the
tripod higher then I can reach, so had to set the 20D to manual,
set it and then use the corded remote and hope.
I have this real nice HP PocketPC, the new one with 640X480
resolution and couldn't but dream how AMAZING it could be if Canon
would make a cable and software to use the PocketPC to act as a
"remote" for the 20D !!
Oh well not going to happen but I can dream

Jean-Claude

ps: make me happy and tell me it can already be done ?? GRIN

--
It's a kind of magic
20D
EFs 10-22 f/3.5-4.5 USM
EF 50 f/1.4 USM
EF 17-40 f/4L USM
EF 100-400 f/4.5-5.6L USM

Click to expand...

--It's nice to dream, but if you want to know what technology can do for you, you may want to start with knowledge of the technology you have. You have the 20D and the software to take pictures remotely. Do it, try it out.

The next step is to press the space bar remotely (that's how you trip the shutter). Or would you like to use a wireless remote to do that? ( See the recent thread on that subject).

The first step in making technology work for you is to understand what you already have.

Jim Rickards



Photo critiques are always welcome.

I do understand what I have already available and like I mentioned in my first post, when doing photography outdoors, or in some location, I can change spots easily 30 times or more for diferent photos, carrying a laptop is not at all practical as you can realise plus, you either carry some table to set the laptop on since the floor is not always clean or dry or you hold it on your arms. So you have a camera, a tripod, a camera bag, adding a laptop and a stand for it is again, not practical.

These reasons are already more then enought to make a laptop unpractical in most outdoor shooting and why I did not even bother to install the software that came with the camera. A wireless remote control has nothing to do with the use I am trying to propose here, i don't want self protraits either which is about the only reason to buy a wireless remote.
That is why a PDA would be perfect!

Jean-Claude

Jim Rickards said:

--It's nice to dream, but if you want to know what technology can
do for you, you may want to start with knowledge of the technology
you have. You have the 20D and the software to take pictures
remotely. Do it, try it out.

The next step is to press the space bar remotely (that's how you
trip the shutter). Or would you like to use a wireless remote to
do that? ( See the recent thread on that subject).

The first step in making technology work for you is to understand
what you already have.

Jim Rickards



Photo critiques are always welcome.

Click to expand...

--
It's a kind of magic
20D
EFs 10-22 f/3.5-4.5 USM
EF 50 f/1.4 USM
EF 17-40 f/4L USM
EF 100-400 f/4.5-5.6L USM

Your CF to USB adapter wont work because both the cammera and your PDA are USB client devices, you need a USB host device. This means it would have to be done through a serial connection which I dont know if Canon would support. As soon as I get the SDK I'll have a look at it though (5-10 working days acording to canon).

Agon said:

Jean-CLaude

42 said:

Agon said:

ps: make me happy and tell me it can already be done ?? GRIN

--

Click to expand...

now that would be an interesting project regarding the SDK...maybe
someone will do it...that is something that I would be interested
in hearing more about...I'd give it a shot if I only had a pocket
pc to do develop it on!

Click to expand...

--
It's a kind of magic
20D
EFs 10-22 f/3.5-4.5 USM
EF 50 f/1.4 USM
EF 17-40 f/4L USM
EF 100-400 f/4.5-5.6L USM

Click to expand...

Agon said:

Jean-Claude

Jim Rickards said:

--It's nice to dream, but if you want to know what technology can
do for you, you may want to start with knowledge of the technology
you have. You have the 20D and the software to take pictures
remotely. Do it, try it out.

The next step is to press the space bar remotely (that's how you
trip the shutter). Or would you like to use a wireless remote to
do that? ( See the recent thread on that subject).

The first step in making technology work for you is to understand
what you already have.

Jim Rickards



Photo critiques are always welcome.

Click to expand...

--
It's a kind of magic
20D
EFs 10-22 f/3.5-4.5 USM
EF 50 f/1.4 USM
EF 17-40 f/4L USM
EF 100-400 f/4.5-5.6L USM

Click to expand...

--
photoblog http://www.xanga.com/nviati