Reading mode: Light Dark

News Reviews Articles Buying Guide Sample Images Videos Cameras Lenses Phones Printers Forums Galleries Challenges

Now reading: Free software lets you control your DSLR from your mobile 42 comments

Free software lets you control your DSLR from your mobile

Published May 13, 2013 | Erin Lodi

DigiCamControl currently supports most Nikon DSLRs, and support for Canon cameras is in the experimental stage.

After a year of testing, the makers of digiCamControl are officially releasing version 1.0.0 of the free, open-source software that offers remote control over your DSLR camera.

With your camera connected to your Windows PC via USB cable, digiCamControl gives you access to almost all camera controls from your computer. Live view, direct image transfer, multiple camera control, bracketing, automated focus stacking and motion detection are supported. You can further control your camera using a compatible iPhone, iPad or Android device, or set up a second remote computer to direct the camera wirelessly.

Nearly all camera controls are accessible through the software.

DigiCamControl supports almost all digital Nikon DSLRs, and offers experimental support for quite a few Canon models.

DigiCamControl also offers a user manual and a discussion forum on its website.

Tags: mobile, dslr, news, phone, smartphone, software

Comments

All (42)

Most popular (0)

Editors' picks (0)

DPR staff (0)

Oldest first

Duka Istvan

As a status update : we release a new stable version 1.1.0 :
http://digicamcontrol.com/news/stable-release-110

Apr 14, 2014permalink

Simonsimon

I use canons eos utiliy for focus stacking etc. thats pretty good. But this looks really good, cant wait to try it.

Jul 19, 2013permalink

Sunil Talati

Cool Software. Works with D90 which has a dead LCD.

May 20, 2013permalink

Lucas_

Looks nice, I‘ll wait for it to available also for Sony A99 and Android!

May 17, 2013permalink

dearjym

Correction:

Free software lets you control your NIKON DSLR from your mobile

May 17, 2013permalink

Stuart Cowan

Fantastic product. :)

Be nice to see an android version as well.

May 15, 2013permalink

tallguy600

I like it, works great with Nikon D600.

May 15, 2013permalink

tecnoworld

Please develop this sw also for samsung nx300!

May 15, 2013permalink

VidJa

Hey guys, stop worrying, it just works. even for my old dinosaur D50 and the brand new D7100 (no not snatched from the compatibility list, but really tested)

That said Nikon Camera Control also works and I can also remotely control both my cameras using an ancient PalmPilot.

May 14, 2013permalink

Franka T.L.

well, for those not in the know, digikam had been around a long long time , and this module is there way before the smartphone become powerful enough to offer as a platform. The solution is really tailored for studio and on site use rather than mobile field application.

May 14, 2013permalink

jp_eagle

I use DslrDashboard in android, it is free and great. can do everything I need from it.
if it works in ios would be better.

May 14, 2013permalink

KonstRuctor

I use iphone, ipad, and I didn't understand how this program will allow me to operate the camera via phone or a tablet... As far as I understood, the windows-computer between the camera and my mobile device is all the same necessary?
* * *
I wrote once the whole review about management of a camera from the computer by means of the DSLR Remote Pro program (in Russian). It was interesting, but this decision in any way isn't suitable for everyday use – to drag with itself on walk the camera and the heavy laptop with limited operating time it is absolutely not convenient. It is much more interesting to operate the camera from phone, which always with itself. For example, how to photograph timelapse on Canon EOS M camera? only using such programs!

May 14, 2013*permalink

lap777

I tried many of these control software, and if used with xnview (I have the xnviewMP version, the internal viewer is buggy on my system), this is arguably the best for what I wanted (fast initial connection, fast file transfer and quick fullscreen display). Nikon has its own Camera Control Pro, but it takes a minute to connect to my camera and I have not found how to make it display fullscreen without touching any buttons while shooting. YMMV

May 14, 2013*permalink

Paul Guba

If I have the camera connected to my computer I can operate it via my phone. So I can neither be at my computer or my camera but rather a third place. Maybe I just need to hire an assistant.

May 14, 2013permalink

simmybear31

Linking this into the debate on Adobe CC proposals and pricing - this is what should frighten Adobe and other "giants" - open source whether for camera control or image manipulation is excellent software - and whats more people work on it for love and enthusiasm and that is always a better task master than purely for moola.

May 14, 2013permalink

fuego6

AGree.. but the major problem with open source software is that the majority of them go "out of business" after development slows and no one can step in to take them over... happens all the time with this type of software. I'm sure Adobe isn't too worried - they can always just snap up the code and make their own version!

May 14, 2013permalink

jtan163

Adobe should worry - I reckon they have alienated a lot of people. Some of the Corel stuff looks usable.
They even have a linux version.

May 14, 2013permalink

fuego6

That is Adobe's own doing... they do not fear open source software.

May 15, 2013permalink

SRT3lkt

I think camera manufacturers should have done this long ago.

something like MIDI for cameras (PIDI or IIDI sound strange though...)

May 14, 2013permalink

marike6

It's a bit unusual to see Open Source software for Wintel, but at least Mac users can run it via VMWare so platform is really a non-issue.

May 14, 2013permalink

IcyPepsi

There's Java, Open office, to name a few :)

May 14, 2013permalink

dccdp

No, it's not unusual at all.

May 14, 2013permalink

Jon_S

Enough with the snidey Mac vs Windows comments.
FACT: I attended an event for a Corbis photographers a few years ago and their own survey showed 70% were using Macs. (And remember Corbis was founded by Bill Gates!)
Whatever your personal preference, a lot of serious photographers use Macs and it may well be a majority among pros.

May 14, 2013permalink

gsum

Applications look and behave much the same no matter what you use. This is free Open Source software so can be compiled for MAC or Linux.

May 14, 2013permalink

plevyadophy

@Jon_S
That statistic is a total irrelevance if you want your product to have MASS WORLDWIDE appeal.

The type of high-end pro that the likes of Corbis survey will/may indeed use Macs but they don't account for the majority of pros worldwide nor do they account for the majority of people worldwide who describe themselves as photographers (whether full time pro or not).

FACT: over 90% of computers use the Windows operating system.

If I was developing an app I know what system I would develop for first ............. hint: it ain't the tiny minority. ;-)

May 14, 2013permalink

Suave

You mean Nikons don't already come with software for tethered shooting?

May 14, 2013permalink

yuribel

For Windows only... It means — useless program for the most of photographers.

May 14, 2013permalink

Hobbit13

yep, because most of them use Windows?

May 14, 2013permalink

gsum

He's providing free Open Source code. Stop moaning and compile it for your Mac.

May 14, 2013permalink

plevyadophy

@ yuribel
And where in God's name do you get that stupid notion that most photographers use Macs?

Yeah, it may well be that most photographers within a certain group e.g. your high-end fashion and commercial photographers, use a Mac but they aren't MOST photographers world wide are they?!

The Microsoft Windows platform accounts for like 95% of computing. Live with it!!! And as has already been pointed out, it's an Open Source code project so you and the remaining 5% of the computer using world can get together and compile it for use on Macs.

May 14, 2013*permalink

madeinlisboa

"most photographers use Macs"... what a funny joke :)

May 14, 2013permalink

Franka T.L.

Actually NO, DigiKam is initially KDE specific open source Imaging management and editor, and had been running on Linux ( and similar BSD or Solaris etc ... ) The Wintel version actually come only recently in its history ...

May 14, 2013permalink

Benarm

This is awesome! I hope they will keep adding more cameras and make the interface touch friendly for Windows 8 & Surface Pro.

May 14, 2013permalink

Dallas Dahms

Windows = Fail

Most photographers use Mac. Unless of course they have sado-masochistic tendencies.

May 14, 2013*permalink

chlamchowder

How's this? Windows = Mac = Fail
Real people use Linux :D. Ultimate freedom (in many ways), control over as much as you want, virus immunity, low cost, can be kept running for months at a time without reboots if necessary.
But seriously...if you know what you're doing, any operating system should be adequate for photo processing.

May 14, 2013permalink

Spectro

sorry if there are very few programmers that do free software for mac ecosystem compared to pc. Because there are more normal people then hipster out there. The money I saved on a pc with equal spec goes toward lenses. No I don't buy cheap computers either. And yes I download this sofware, will do afull test later. There are plenty of free tethering software for nikon (for pc users), this one looks the most complete of the bunch.

May 14, 2013*permalink

BJN

I'll give it a try. Sounds like the fail here is on your side. *Cough...Parallels, Vmware...cough*

May 14, 2013permalink

write2alan

I am a photographer and use Android and Windows. Who is failing? You don't have the authority to make such assumptions. Because of free speech you can say whatever you want. You may have SM tendencies eh?

May 14, 2013permalink

Chekr

Maybe stupid people who tie their identity to an operating system. For others that want to get work done, we worry which OS can host the application we want to use.

May 14, 2013permalink

plevyadophy

@Dallas Dahms

You repeat a stupid myth.

Given the FACT that over 90% of all computers worldwide use the Microsoft Windows operating system, and given the numbers of people worldwide who are photographers (whether full time pro, or high-end fashion or not) for your claim to be correct it would mean that almost the entire Mac user base would be made up of photographers; and furthermore, it would also mean that Apple should have a far larger market share.

You're living in a dream world.

May 14, 2013*permalink

Timmbits

DPR: you have classified this in "other news" on the main DPR site, as you're really talking about remote control of DSLRs, but it only links to connect site.

Would be nice to see such a software for Samsung NX cameras, as their software is deficient (too limited) and only works on some smartphones.

May 14, 2013*permalink

assaft

Very nice idea. I tried it with an Olympus E-PL2; it doesn't work. XML sent to admin.

May 14, 2013permalink


Instagram gets a new logo, monochrome interface May 11, 2016	LG introduces live-streaming action cam with LTE built-in May 13, 2016	Facebook announces support for 360 degree photos May 12, 2016	EyeEm launches The Roll for iOS, an intelligent take on your Camera Roll May 12, 2016

88	Thom's Nikon Fix.
71	The mistake a thread makes that causes it to be locked....
63	Part 2: FF snobbishness takes a hit now MF accessible
52	Why not a square sensor?
50	X-T2 ISO 200 isn't low enough
45	Goodbye Full-Frame Cameras
45	><>} Macro/Close Up Thread 1st Oct 2016 {<><
44	Why do I want the 105mm F1.4 so badly?
43	How many people here have ordered the A99II or plan to do so.
41	Panasonic Petition: Exposure Compensation w/ Auto ISO in Manual
41	5DMk4 or 5Ds-R or Neither??
40	Equivalence: Great Progress! remaining: Total Image Exposure (INPUT) vs Brightness
36	Would you buy a Sigma 19mm f1.4 DN?
34	What do you use to quickly cull images?
33	Olympus 40-150 mm f/2.8
33	Rumor of new menu system. (No public beta?)
33	How do you rate the 50-140?
33	Just for fun. What was your first camera?
31	* This Week Through Your M4/3 2016.10.01 *
31	Update on a7 repair at Precision


Orange-tip Butterfly by anisah from Nature's Colour Palette	Windswept juniper by Kreber from Wind power