Camera A & Camera B

[cjmonty]

Whether you love, hate, or don't care about the iPad, a modest sounding app called "Camera A" is really showing off a remarkable possibility for touchscreen devices... if they can ever get properly and wirelessly tethered to DSLRs.

Basically it's a dummy-proof wireless tether between your iPhone and iPad.  Download "Camera A" to the iPad, and "Camera B" to the iPhone, and open both apps.  Suddenly your iPad is a big viewfinder for your iPhone's camera.  You can release the shutter and "zoom" (fake digital zoom of course).

The problem?  The iPhone camera is horrible.  
The hope?  Being able to do the same thing via the LiveView modes of a modern DSLR.
The reality?  The iGadgets play well together because they share the same firmware.  I doubt Canon, Nikon or the rest will be able, much less willing, to create cameras with WiFi or bluetooth and embedded functionality with iPhone OS, Android or other mobile platforms.  

It would be nice though.

[Wayne Fox]

Can already do this with an iPhone and your dslr, I'm sure an iPad version is in the works.

http://www.ononesoftware.com/detail.php?prodLine_id=38

[fredjeang]

Can anyone tells me what happen if your phone ring during tether?  any field experience?

But with the Ipad that will not happen, and as they fixed the multitask issue.
But about handling, do you really thing it will be the best ergonomic way to tether the gear?
mmm...I'm sceptical.

[michael]

Imagine doing a fashion, product, architectural, landscape, etc, etc shoot with medium format or DSLR set-up and being able to instantly view the shot wirelessly on the gorgeous, 10", high-res, and sharp iPad screen. (If you haven't seen one yet, you owe it to yourself to drop into a Apple store just for the eye candy).

Imagine being able to pass it around to the AD, producer, or client, rather than have them clustered around a bulky monitor somewhere near a power point, with cables running all over the place.

I can.

And you can bet that there are lots of smart folks at camera makers and elsewhere beavering away as we speak to make this a reality sooner rather than later.

I can't wait.

Michael

[fredjeang]

Imagine doing a fashion, product, architectural, landscape, etc, etc shoot with medium format or DSLR set-up and being able to instantly view the shot wirelessly on the gorgeous, 10", high-res, and sharp iPad screen. (If you haven't seen one yet, you owe it to yourself to drop into a Apple store just for the eye candy).

Imagine being able to pass it around to the AD, producer, or client, rather than have them clustered around a bulky monitor somewhere near a power point, with cables running all over the place.

I can.

And you can bet that there are lots of smart folks at camera makers and elsewhere beavering away as we speak to make this a reality sooner rather than later.

I can't wait.

Michael

...yeah...
It reminds me of an anecdote. On one Chanel campaign, Karl Lagarfeld was trying to explains to the photographer the essence of what he wanted. After many sessions ( no digital was involved then ) and viewings, he went crazy with the photographer, took the Pentax 6x7 and shoot the campaign himself.
You imagine if Lagarfeld would have had an Ipad ?

I can.

By the way, I think that the I.pad or whatever similar display will really have to be undestructible in order to do this revolution. It should be able to stand drops, clumsinesses, liquids etc...

[Wayne Fox]

Can anyone tells me what happen if your phone ring during tether?  any field experience?

But with the Ipad that will not happen, and as they fixed the multitask issue.
But about handling, do you really thing it will be the best ergonomic way to tether the gear?
mmm...I'm sceptical.

I know  you can talk on an iPhone and use apps. I don't know if that applies to all apps or not, but you can always use airplane mode.. The new OS4 should help with this.

I think for some the device will be very useful if tethered others perhaps not so much. I imagine there will be gizmos to mount the iPad to various things such as in your car etc. Hopefully one will adapt to a tripod. I would love to tether this in the field to my phaseone for focusing.  Tethering via wifi would be the best ... No cables.

I haven't dropped mine yet but it seems pretty sturdy.  Damage from a fall will depend on how it lands, how far etc. I think i am less likely to drop it than the phone, especially in the case which makes it easier to grip as well as use on your lap.  I  have found it useful and fun for many things and the apps for it will be far more powerful and feature filled than the phone. The screen ia amazing, and is much easier clean and to keep clean than my iPhone.

Typing takes some adjustment because you don't rest your hand on the device - you learn pretty quickly to hover your hands. I can still type faster with a keyboard but am getting pretty good with the iPad now. I do all email and most web surfing on it now.

[cjmonty]

I think for some the device will be very useful if tethered others perhaps not so much. I imagine there will be gizmos to mount the iPad to various things such as in your car etc. Hopefully one will adapt to a tripod. I would love to tether this in the field to my phaseone for focusing.  Tethering via wifi would be the best ... No cables.

An easy tripod adapter would be perfect.  Too niche though I think for anyone to break even on the production costs.  Maybe if they used a universal adapter like the 3/8" screw or hotshoe dimensions.  then it would be compatible with numerous lighting accessories ala magic arms.

Regarding the tethering software, I am torn as to whether I would prefer Canon/Nikon/Phase making highly-functional and polished but brand-specific apps (like apple) or a 3rd party developer making a brand-agnostic but functionally limited apps (like android)

[fredjeang]

I'm surprised that all the comments are aimed to the specs and presentations etc...
But again, if that "table" (it reminds kind of Moise table, no?) has to be a game changer as Michael's intuition said, and I beleive he is right, don't you think that the undestructible feature is going to be as important as the specs?
Because I.pad and Co destiny is to be manipulated all day by all kind of people etc...
Thiese will have to stand any kind of bad treatment.
If not, it will just be another fancy gadget for fashionable photographers and AD.

When they'll do an add like Phase with the 4x4 wheels on the back, I'll start to beleive it is a game changer.

I suggest a test:
Throw the Ipad on the floor, and then, throw a glass of bad champagne on it (you don't want to waiste a Don Perignon 69), and see what happen.
Then clean the screen with alcool or any cheap product etc...
This is a real test for this medium.
The others are just specs speculations and limitations that we know they solve in the future. IMHO.

[michael]

Wayne,

Try Dragon Dictation. It's uncannily accurate, and makes the whole keyboard issue go away.

Michael

[chex]

Imagine doing a fashion, product, architectural, landscape, etc, etc shoot with medium format or DSLR set-up and being able to instantly view the shot wirelessly on the gorgeous, 10", high-res, and sharp iPad screen. (If you haven't seen one yet, you owe it to yourself to drop into a Apple store just for the eye candy).

Imagine being able to pass it around to the AD, producer, or client, rather than have them clustered around a bulky monitor somewhere near a power point, with cables running all over the place.

I can.

And you can bet that there are lots of smart folks at camera makers and elsewhere beavering away as we speak to make this a reality sooner rather than later.

I can't wait.

Michael

This kind of tablet has existed for years, both with proprietary OSs and Windows, so the ipad is nothing new - other than apple's marketing behemoth pushing the ipad on us why should things be any different now? Unless the unquantifiable 'it's apple so it's cool' factor is that strong that people get excited about old technology dressed up in new clothes.

[michael]

This kind of tablet has existed for years, both with proprietary OSs and Windows, so the ipad is nothing new - other than apple's marketing behemoth pushing the ipad on us why should things be any different now? Unless the unquantifiable 'it's apple so it's cool' factor is that strong that people get excited about old technology dressed up in new clothes.

Sorry, but you couldn't be more wrong. Cool it is, but cool has little to do with it. The iPad is nothing like any previous tablet, either in features or function.

Hype and marketing can only go so far before people discover whether the Emperor has clothes or not. In this case not only is he very well dressed, but he makes everyone else look naked by comparison.

It's about the whole ecosphere that Apple has created, as well as the iPad itself. It's elegant technology in and of itself, but when combined with the movie / video / book / application / publishing environment that Apple has put together, it's a game changer.

Only Sony has the ability to challenge Apple in this sphere, and somehow I doubt that they have the guts or the wherewithal to do it. Microsoft is still stuck in the Windows / DOS world, and Zunes aside, just doesn't get it, and if and when they do, it's too little too late.

There just isn't anyone else at this time. And with some $30 billion of free cash in the bank Apple is on a roll and unlikely to trip, unless something happens to Jobs in the near future, in which case all bets are off.

Michael

[fredjeang]

There is a lot of money involved here, and if these are going to be what the print use to be centuries ago, Apple will not stay alone for a long time. Guarantee.

Now, talking about the replacement of flash, can someone tells what will happen to the video codec to display in html 5?
Apple did some fake ads for presentation, it is cool. But if they want us to not use flash any more, is that tech going to be Open? (as many prentend so) I seriously doubt it.
I hope the Emperor has shown his cards and plays fair. And that the new law table will be (sorry if I insist again): undestructible.
 

[chex]

Sorry, but you couldn't be more wrong. Cool it is, but cool has little to do with it. The iPad is nothing like any previous tablet, either in features or function.

Hype and marketing can only go so far before people discover whether the Emperor has clothes or not. In this case not only is he very well dressed, but he makes everyone else look naked by comparison.

It's about the whole ecosphere that Apple has created, as well as the iPad itself. It's elegant technology in and of itself, but when combined with the movie / video / book / application / publishing environment that Apple has put together, it's a game changer.

Only Sony has the ability to challenge Apple in this sphere, and somehow I doubt that they have the guts or the wherewithal to do it. Microsoft is still stuck in the Windows / DOS world, and Zunes aside, just doesn't get it, and if and when they do, it's too little too late.

There just isn't anyone else at this time. And with some $30 billion of free cash in the bank Apple is on a roll and unlikely to trip, unless something happens to Jobs in the near future, in which case all bets are off.

Michael

I am not "wrong", personal media tablets have been available for years, this is a fact not an opinion. I didn't claim it was a bad product (ie that the emperor had no clothes) simply that it is not as revoultionary a product as you think and if what you think will happen does indeed happen it will be because their marketing is so good (in addition to the pretty design and easy interface) that a hell of a lot more people buy it than did media tablets by other manufacturers. This will make it a self fulfilling prophecy ie there will be a lot of content given the large captive market. Which again comes down to marketing expertise and not a 'revolutionary' product - when was the last time you saw a Cowon or Archos ad on tv? Hell who here even know who Cowon is?

How does being able to send pictures wirelessly to another device have anything even to do with the ipad alone that hasn't been possible all this time with laptops, some of which are convertible tablets? THe pad may be more elegant but this is hardly 'revolutionary'.

 Sony has been lagging innovation-wise with consumer electronics a long time ago, however, in this case they seem to be waiting for colour e-ink, and even htough they may end up with better hardware their interface and software will be horrible as per usual with them.  microsoft is more a software company than anything else but their journal doesn't seem bad.

[BernardLanguillier]

Only Sony has the ability to challenge Apple in this sphere, and somehow I doubt that they have the guts or the wherewithal to do it.

Sony's CEOs and CTOs have been very open about their strategy in this domain for at least 2 years. I wouldn't bet agains them. They are going through a transformation that is probably un-heard of in a company that size/history/complexity.

Cheers,
Bernard

[Wayne Fox]

Wayne,

Try Dragon Dictation. It's uncannily accurate, and makes the whole keyboard issue go away.

Michael

Wow.  Very cool.  Thanks for the tip.

[Wayne Fox]

And that the new law table will be (sorry if I insist again): undestructible.

Not sure what you mean by this and why you feel something that could be run over is necessary. I see it as robust or more so than any laptop or netbook out there, and it certainly would be easy to design a  case that would make it even more protected.  It seems to be fine.

I am not "wrong", personal media tablets have been available for years, this is a fact not an opinion.

I've tried many of these devices, from the newton, a couple windows attempts at a tablet, and  some recent netbooks. You may label it as a "personal media tablet" and thus categorize it as nothing new, it is in fact nothing like anything I have ever used.  I was very skeptical that it was nothing but an oversize iPod touch, but once you use one for a while the similarities end at a touch screen interface and the icons that represent the apps.  there is a lot of potential.  It is interesting how the device becomes the app you are running at the time, intuitive and functional.

It will change the game ...by now many are working on similar devices, and one of them is bound to break free of the windows metaphor and reinvent the OS to provide an experience more like the iPhone OS than a traditional OS, perhaps Sony, some Linux developers,  google - maybe even MS.  Long term there will be non-Apple options, some of which will probably be pretty good.The idea of consuming media via a light portable device is certainly going to gain momentum, and once you have the device for that, it opens the doors for many other possibilities.

[BJNY]

Imagine doing a fashion, product, architectural, landscape, etc, etc shoot with medium format or DSLR set-up and being able to instantly view the shot wirelessly on the gorgeous, 10", high-res, and sharp iPad screen. (If you haven't seen one yet, you owe it to yourself to drop into a Apple store just for the eye candy).

Imagine being able to pass it around to the AD, producer, or client, rather than have them clustered around a bulky monitor somewhere near a power point, with cables running all over the place.

I can.

And you can bet that there are lots of smart folks at camera makers and elsewhere beavering away as we speak to make this a reality sooner rather than later.

I can't wait.

Michael

This app exist today when shooting into computer, but for the iPhone.
http://www.leaf-photography.com/products_lcremote.asp

Phase/Leaf just has to port to iPad.

[fredjeang]

Not sure what you mean by this and why you feel something that could be run over is necessary. I see it as robust or more so than any laptop or netbook out there, and it certainly would be easy to design a  case that would make it even more protected.  It seems to be fine.



I've tried many of these devices, from the newton, a couple windows attempts at a tablet, and  some recent netbooks. You may label it as a "personal media tablet" and thus categorize it as nothing new, it is in fact nothing like anything I have ever used.  I was very skeptical that it was nothing but an oversize iPod touch, but once you use one for a while the similarities end at a touch screen interface and the icons that represent the apps.  there is a lot of potential.  It is interesting how the device becomes the app you are running at the time, intuitive and functional.

It will change the game ...by now many are working on similar devices, and one of them is bound to break free of the windows metaphor and reinvent the OS to provide an experience more like the iPhone OS than a traditional OS, perhaps Sony, some Linux developers,  google - maybe even MS.  Long term there will be non-Apple options, some of which will probably be pretty good.The idea of consuming media via a light portable device is certainly going to gain momentum, and once you have the device for that, it opens the doors for many other possibilities.

Wayne,

The sturdiness is going to be relevant in a coming generations, now not that much IMO. I'll explain why.

Is the I.Pad a game changer? I certainly beleive it is. Or more exactly: the game is about to experiment a revolution where the I.Pad is the forerunner.
It is a little different but I won't play with words.

Actually, the proof that this is serious is that I have more work now from clients who asked me to get rid of the flash features in their websites and work on html alternative in order to be displayed properly in I.pad and I.phones.
I'm not talking about ads wich is where the "problem" stands but about structures.

I think that Michael is not right when he pointed that Apple is going to play alone for awhile (although it depends what we understand in terms of time).
Sony is not going to stand still, and there are some informations that Adobe is working with HP in a Flash compatibility alternative.


Why is The I.pad a sort of first revolution?
Chex posted here a true comment saying that these kind of tablets where not new. But no one as gone as far as Apple. It is the user experience and the integration of multitask etc...that makes the I.pad a game changer. I'll do a comparaison with MFT. MFT was not new, Evil cameras did exist before, but MFT pushed the concept to such a level that it became a revolution. Now...will MFT stay alone for a long time? The answer is 90% NO. Sony, probably Pentax are coming, and others will come.
As always, Apple has done the best in usability and features. That's their strengh.
To see the user experience
Someone in another thread posted this visual link that shows well a configuration.
http://photobusinessforum.blogspot.com/201...viewing-on.html

Back to resistance, why did I pointed that the I.pads or Co will have to be undestructible? and that this will be a key factor?
Now, what Michael describe here, this experience on the field, is possible right now as it is with no need to more structure strurdiness.
But the I.pad is MORE than a tool for photographers. It will be able to compeat with the paper press and give to the user a totally new dimension in this area. These tablets have the capability to make a enormous revolution further than the applications we tend to talk now.
So, these tablets will be passed in hundreds of hands every day, will have to handle kids, pets, clients, drinks etc...you see? This will not just be a nice and fancy display for photographers, it will need to be a "military tank" and will have to be built under military standards.

Then, back to Michael comment, he seems to see the I.pad a little bit in one way, the light side. For the photographer and AD, it is a great tool, but as everything, there is also a dark side. That is why I posted the Karl Lagarfeld story.
The I.pad can be a fantastic help as it can also be a problem with certain clients and put even more pressure to the photographer. I just depends on the situation. So there is no magic land.
Revolutionary it is, and a game changer.
But this game is long path and we'll have I'm sure many surprises from others soon or later.

Cheers.

Ps: Sorry to ad more. And I forgot: Cheap pricing, open source video encoder.

[cjmonty]

As many have posted, and as I realize more and more, the important part about the iPad is bringing a new, non-windows interface to real computing, not just smartphones.  Whether its from Apple, Sony, or MSoft, its going to be all about the OS software.

This is a good, if poorly titled, article:

http://gizmodo.com/5506692/ipad-is-the-future

[yaya]

This app exist today when shooting into computer, but for the iPhone.
http://www.leaf-photography.com/products_lcremote.asp

Phase/Leaf just has to port to iPad.

Yes and it works well with both Capture One and Leaf Capture

...and an iPad version is in the making;-)

Yair