DSLR Controller (Android)

I would be interested to here from anyone who knows more about this than I do (I just downloaded it today).

It looks like for the 450D only maual focusing is available (with the lens in AF of course).

Apart from that it looks quite good altough I am still getting the hang of the multitude of focus buttons.

Two things: I assume you know that you can touch the screen to trigger AF, and, the 450D doesn't respond to instruction to autofocus via apps like the EOS Utility. So if you are touching the screen and it's not AFing, it's the 450D not the app.

That was my one complaint with the 450D and the EOS Utility. I'm not sure when they fixed it, but I think the 600D (maybe 550D?) and later do. My 60D sure does.

Have your tried Helicon Remote? It seems a bit more stable and has some nice features.

dickcampbell wrote:

Right from the start R-MF is displayed, I think indication that AF is not available.

Yeah, if you can't touch it and switch to AF...

Let me know what you think of Helicon.

dickcampbell wrote:

Helicon has a cleaner interface but it too seems to not make AF available on the 450D. Perhaps is some setting on the camera that I need to find.

No, you can't get a 450D to AF by remote control, no matter what app you use.

You have to pay for it to save high quality jpeg + raw so I have removed it for now, the two controllers can't seem to coexist.

I had to go into the settings for DSLR Controller and clear the "launch by default" association with the camera, so that the OS offers me a choice of apps.

I was interested in trying something else so thanks for mentioning it.

No worries.

WilbaW wrote:

you can't get a 450D to AF by remote control, no matter what app you use.

More info here - http://dslrcontroller.com/devices.php . Says the 450D was the last Rebel with the VxWorks OS. The models since then with DryOS are fully compatible.

dickcampbell wrote:

Something I haven't figured out how to use yet is the left and right buttons at the bottom of the screen and the A/B buttons.

Focus pulling, more info here - http://dslrcontroller.com/guide-rmf_focuspull.php

It doesn't quite work the way that page describes it, but this works. In R-MF mode, touch one of the > , > > , or > > > buttons at the top to set the speed of focus change from A to B. The arrow buttons at the bottom show which speed has been selected.

Position the focus box on a close subject and hold the Live button until it says "Focusing...". When focus is confirmed, hold the A button until it appear highlit.

Use the arrow buttons at the bottom to focus on a far subject. You can't use the buttons at the top or the Live button to AF on the far subject like it says on the page above, because anything but the arrow buttons at the bottom will cancel the A button. When you have the far subject in focus hold the B button until it appears highlit.

Touch the A button and focus will go from position B to position A. Touch the B button and focus will go from A to B, and so on, until you do something that cancels the A and B buttons.

Also try the Focus Bracketing function (it's on the settings menu - touch the cog in the lower right corner). It just goes from the current position in the number and size of steps you specify.

By the way one thing that Helicon has, that I really like, is the ability to geotag when saving fikes.

Yeah, not something I need but why not.

The problem is that you can really use these apps with the camera on a tripod.

Eh?

dickcampbell wrote:

What seems to work best is to turn off remote triggering, half press the shutter release ( for normal AF) them go back to remote to closely check and refine focus.

Or switch the lens to MF, focus the lens using the image on the device for feedback, then switch back to AF and refine.

With regard to geotagging, what I meant was that this is most useful while trekking and taking handheld shots and that DSLR Controller would not normally be used in that situation.

Makes sense now.