Review: iUSBportCAMERA

Tue, 4th Feb 2014

FYI, this story is more than a year old

The iUSBportCAMERA offers the ability to remotely control your DSLR, pairing with an iDevice, other smart devices or your computer to offer live preview and image capture. Does it make your photography better?

With the growing trend of the accessory plus app market, new and exciting companies are combining extra hardware with the ubiquitous iDevice to change the way we work.

Hyperdrive have released a very interesting accessory called the iUSBportCAMERA, it sits in your hot shoe and connects to your camera via its USB port. It will create its own wireless network which your device can connect to. I used an iPad which with the accompanying app, is very easy to use.

The accessory comes with an inbuilt battery so it doesn’t suck your camera’s battery life away. It is styled to fit in with today’s cameras and looks like a remote trigger.

When using the iPad with the iUSBportCAMERA, its usefulness is immediately obvious. With live preview, tap to focus, aperture control and wifi file management, I can see this finding its way into a number of studios around the country. Seeing a live preview on the small screens on the back of DSLRs is one thing, seeing that same preview on an iPad’s screen is a whole different matter.

Shot composition becomes so much better and easier. Being able to control the camera from a distance and seeing it as the ‘final’ image means photographers will immediately become more creative, the app even has the ability to share with others meaning the client can immediately see the raw shots whilst you’re shooting (or edit the images straight away in an appropriate application).

There were some small teething issues and the application could use some work on its UI, but once you’ve got your camera and application set up, you’ll forget about these issues very quickly and you can revel in being disconnected from the camera.

Pros:

Wireless camera connection and control
Photos immediately transfer to your device
Heaps of functionality to explore and expand your skills
Can be separately mounted on a tripod

Cons:

Software could do with a little work to improve usability
Occasionally loses connection with camera but 5 seconds to restore

Summary:

The accessory & app market is growing at an amazing rate. As devices are becoming maxed out in terms of their functionality, the next wave of innovations is starting to appear in accessories. If you own a DSLR camera, you’ll know how expensive it is to buy the additional equipment. At $299 (available at Playtech), it’s definitely a tool to add to your arsenal of equipment to help you unleash your creativity.

Score: 4 / 5

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