Bluetooth Wireless Remote For Cameras..

In photography, shutter release remotes have a useful purpose. Using one with your camera is an effective way to reduce camera shake: You can put yourself into family or group photos without having to set a timer (or pick the person you like the least), or create interesting long-exposure images. Satechi, an accessories maker of everything from speakers to presentation pointers, recently introduced the Smart Trigger, a Bluetooth receiver that lets you control the camera’s shutter remotely through your smartphone or tablet. Besides basic shutter control, the Smart Trigger helps you easily shoot long-exposure shots and time-lapse videos. Despite the low price, is it an important accessory you need? Let’s look at it further.

Features and design

The Smart Trigger is a small lightweight device – about the size of a box of Tic-Tacs – that’s designed to fit on top of your DSLR’s hot shoe and act as a remote shutter release you can control with your smartphone

or tablet. Depending on the version you buy, it comes with a cable to connect the Smart Trigger to match the camera’s remote control terminal. As of press time, the Smart Trigger is available for Canon’s EOS DSLRs (going as far back as the EOS 10D), as well as select PowerShot and limited Pentax models. Satechi says Nikon and Panasonic versions are forthcoming.

satechi-smart-trigger-1 The unit has a single button on top that’s used to pair with a smart device, put it to sleep, or re-pair the connection. There’s also an indicator light that lets you know if it’s in pairing mode (a steady flash) or that it’s going to sleep. The Smart Trigger uses two AAA batteries, which Satechi says will power the device for up to 10 years. Since we don’t have that kind of time to test it out, we’ll take their word for it.

To control the Smart Trigger, you will need the proprietary app loaded on your smart device, (free on iOS; an Android version is in the works). The Smart Trigger communicates with your device using Bluetooth 4.0, and Satechi says it has a range of 50 feet (the low energy attribute of Bluetooth 4.0 also accounts for the long battery life). When you first launch the app, it will scan for the Smart Trigger device. The app handles the Bluetooth pairing automatically, and there’s no passcode to enter.

Once the Smart Trigger and app are paired, you are directed to the Regular Shot mode, which has a giant virtual button that controls the shutter. This mode is the most basic: Press the button, and the camera takes a shot. If you are in the camera’s bulb mode, you can hold on the button to keep the shutter open for long exposures; let go of the button, and the shutter closes. The next mode, Manual Shot, requires your camera to be in bulb mode. Here, you can set the focus and keep the shutter open using the shutter lock button; a timer indicates exposure time. Manual Shot is ideal for capturing long exposure scenes like light trails and fireworks.