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CAPTURING THE UNIVERSE
text and photography by tony puerzer
wireless astrophotography
cut the cord(s) with a wifi imaging setup
W
ifi caPabilitY seems to be
everywhere these days—from
mobile phones to household
appliances to automobiles. so it’s no surprise
that many manufacturers have started
to include this technology in their latest
cameras. but this is a good thing. it opens
up the exciting world of wireless astrophotography.
for
years, you’ve been able to purchase
a simple infrared remote to trip your camera’s
shutter. this device is very useful, but
with wifi, you can control most photographic
settings remotely.
making the connection
if you’ve purchased a new dslR recently,
chances are that it is already wifi-enabled.
(check the instruction manual for your
particular model if you’re not sure.) if it is,
you may already have everything you need
to get started with remote imaging. but if
you have an older camera that lacks wifi
capability, don’t despair. thankfully, there
are a number of third-party solutions (such
as the camRanger or camfi) that allow you
to add wireless image capture to existing gear.
several manufacturers offer apps that
REMOTE CONTROL the author pauses while setting up his telescope to show the photo he took
of the moon. using a wireless-enabled camera to share live view images of the sun, moon and
planets on a handheld device is a real crowd-pleaser, especially for those, like this budding astron -
omer, who have trouble reaching the eyepiece. facing page: taking advantage of the built-in
wifi capabilities of his canon eos 6D, the author created this cosmic self-portrait. the 90-second
exposure was triggered remotely from his iphone using the canon camera connect application.
allow you to control your camera wirelessly
with your personal computer. canon, for
example, includes its eos utility software
with all its dslRs. nikon offers the equivalent
camera control Pro 2, although at
us$180 for the full version, it’s somewhat
expensive.
More exciting is the growing number of
free apps that allow you to control your
camera with a mobile phone or a tablet.
canon offers camera connect, sony provides
the smart Remote control, and
nikon has the wireless Mobile utility—
all free. two of my favourite third-party
apps are cascable and qdslrdashboard,
each of which supports a variety of camera
models.
once the app is set up, you can con -
trol your camera wirelessly from up to 10
38 SKYNEWS • SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2017
metres away, allowing you to spend chilly
winter nights (or mosquito-infested summer
evenings) indoors in total comfort
while your camera clicks away outside. as
an added bonus, not having to touch the
equipment at all means that there’s no risk
of introducing image-blurring vibrations
while adjusting settings or firing the shutter.
and there’s one less wire to trip over
in the dark.
going live
in my opinion, the single biggest benefit
of wifi astrophotography is the ability to
use remote live View. Regular live View,
utilizing your camera’s display, is tremendously
helpful, but being able to see the
same real-time image on the much larger
screen of your mobile phone, tablet or computer
is simply jaw-dropping! because you
can magnify the image—by as much as
10×—this is a game changer when it comes
to achieving precise focus. in addition, if
you’re shooting with an auto-focus lens,
many apps allow you to tweak the focus
with your wireless device.
if you attach your camera directly to
your telescope for high-magnification imaging,
remote live View can make a world
of difference when it comes to getting tacksharp
lunar, planetary and solar portraits.
Most wireless software allows you to capture
a sequence of shots in burst mode,
which increases your chances of catching a
fleeting instant of perfect seeing for detailrich
photos. solar imagers will also appreciate
being able to control their equipment
from a shady spot, shielded from the sun’s
heat and brilliant light, which can overpower
even the brightest tablet screen.
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