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Author Topic: Android Tablet for Remote Control of Nikon  (Read 4484 times)

rschlierbeck

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Android Tablet for Remote Control of Nikon
« on: May 03, 2012, 01:41:26 pm »

Sorry if this is the wrong forum for this question but didn't see a better one.

I'm looking for an Android Tablet that I can use for remote control of my Nikon D300. It looks like Helicon Remote will work with any tablet running 3.1 or higher and requires a USB port.

Does anyone have any experience doing this and what hardware would you recommend?

Thanks in Advance.

Scott

Alan Smallbone

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Re: Android Tablet for Remote Control of Nikon
« Reply #1 on: May 03, 2012, 08:47:16 pm »

Scott,

I use a Motorola Xoom tablet for remote control of my Canon cameras. There are quite a few apps that are available and I have tried the helicon app, his app will be very expensive and does not work any better than a lot of the other apps out there. Do a search on the marketplace of "google play" as it is now known. For my Canon cameras I use DSLR controller, it works very well. Really nice to see the live view on a full screen tablet and be able to focus and also do focus steps as well as hdr and exposure control, timelapse and just about anything else. The Motorola and just about any android phone will need a usb host cable, which is not very expensive, you can pick them up for under $5 on ebay, then just use your normal usb camera cable. In a quick search I found several that say they support Nikon cameras.

Hope this helps.

Alan
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Alan Smallbone
Orange County, CA

rschlierbeck

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Re: Android Tablet for Remote Control of Nikon
« Reply #2 on: May 05, 2012, 08:56:42 am »

Alan,

Thanks so much for the information.

I've been looking at DSLR Controller as my first choice. It looks really good, but, I have to wait until they support Nikon. Apps are pretty inexpensive so I'll give a couple of others a try when I get my tablet.

I appreciate the description of what I'll need. Right now I have zero experience with Android tablets. I read the specs and I see USB 2 and I feel comforted. Then I read bout the software and see that I need to be sure my tablet has a USB host controller. Then I see that you need a USB On The Go cable. So my first task is to be sure that the tablet I select is adequately equipped. Then I find myself wondering about size. Do I look at 7 inch tablets or 10 inch tablets or find a used Android phone on ebay? So I was curious about what people might have found works well. I suspect that the convenience of a pocketable device would be really nice but don't think the live view would be that much improved over the camera back. I also wonder how much difference the single/dual/quad core processors make? I don't mind experimenting with different software but I'd like to only have to purchase one tablet and would like to get it right the first time.

Again thanks for relating your experiences. It's very helpful.

Scott

Rhossydd

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Re: Android Tablet for Remote Control of Nikon
« Reply #3 on: May 05, 2012, 11:50:33 am »

From what I've read a lot of these apps only seem to be tested and working on a few specific devices. Mainly I suspect because not many android devices so far have the required USB host controllers yet and camera control protocols aren't as well understood as they should be. Also remember that most of these are apps are written and developed by individuals and they're really only interested in making their own kit work and don't have the resources to do much in depth testing.

I'd advise first finding an app that does what you want, then read through all the reviews/feedback and see what issues people are having with it and what hardware it works reliably on.
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rschlierbeck

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Re: Android Tablet for Remote Control of Nikon
« Reply #4 on: May 07, 2012, 06:29:27 pm »

Thanks. I think that is sound advice. I would have thought this to be an area that would have a lot of interest but seems more on the fringe than mainstream. I think I will keep my eye on DSLR Controller for when they release a Nikon compatible version. Still I'd like to get prepared and purchase a tablet now. I'm leaning towards the new Toshiba Excite. Seems to have the right mix of features, power and price. If it had a full size USB port I'd be happier but it looks like the trend is towards micro USB.

Scott
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