There’s a new toy in town…..

I got a new toy for my camera bag.  It is a Cam Ranger.  A great tool for remote wildlife photography, being able to use it with new modern devices.

For example, if you would like to set up your camera to get close-ups of a bird nest you can get great results.  With the setup which consists of a small transmitter that attaches to your camera, you can put it on a tripod near the nest, go to another location up to 150 feet away, and control all camera functions including focus, aperture, shutter, movies,etc. by using your iPad, iPhone, or iPod.  There is no chance of spooking the birds this way.

You have to download the FREE Cam Ranger app from Apple’s iTunes App Store.  It provides an ad hoc network between the camera and your device so there is no need for a regular wi-fi connection.  You can use it anywhere.

House Finch – photographed remotely using a Cam Ranger.

I set my tripod, with my Canon EOS 7d and 100-400 lens inside the patio door.  I aimed it at a hanging bird feeder.  I took my iPad to my office at the other end of the house.  After opening the app and establishing the connection, I sat and watched the live view of the feeder.  I set the aperture and shutter speed and focused through the app, and when this House Finch landed, I snapped the photo.

To control the depth of field, I used f11 in aperture priority.  The shutter speed was 1/320 at 3200 ISO.

I am really excited about the possible applications for this tool.  Unfortunately, right now it is only available for Canon and Nikon DSLRs.  I bought mine from B&H Photo.

Click on that photo to see an enlargement.