Just in case your dSLR camera doesn’t have a touchscreen and all of the important functions seem to be buried in the menus, Pulse gives you instant access to what you need, when you need it.
Most moderns dSLR cameras work with remote controls, and in the case of mirrorless cameras that really goes without saying, so what’s the buzz surrounding this Pulse device? Well, first of all, dSLR and mirrorless camera remote controls offer way too few options compared to what photographers might need or want. Enter Alpine Laboratories’ Pulse, a device that connects to your camera via USB and communicates to your smartphone over Bluetooth LE, whilst providing you extended control over many of the camera’s functions.
First of all, it should be mentioned that the Pulse gets installed in the hot-shoe of your camera, where external flashes would normally go. After placing it there and connecting it to the USB port of the camera, fire up the companion app on your smartphone and start taking control over your interchangeable lens snapper. In terms of supported platforms, there will be versions of the companion app made available for both Android and iOS. As far as camera compatibility is concerned, Alpine Laboratories claim that only Canon and Nikon are supported, for the time being, with other brands to be added soon, in case the manufacturers decide to modify the way their cameras work when connected over USB. More precisely, Sony, the maker of some of the best mirrorless cameras available on the market today, doesn’t allow storing photos on the internal memory so long as the USB port
As seen in the above image, the shutter speed, aperture and ISO values can be modified on the go. That’s particularly useful if your camera doesn’t have a touchscreen, as getting to all those settings by pressing the camera’s buttons definitely takes more time than swiping left or right on a touchscreen.
The app also enables you to see thumbnails of the photograph prior to taking it.
Shooting time-lapse photography gets incredibly easy with the Pulse, as users have the option of setting the total duration and the intervals at which photos are taken. Alpine Labs have spent four years developing some of the smartest timelapse products on the market, and all that experience was combined into Pulse.
As seen below, recording videos using the dSLR or mirrorless camera is equally easy, as the start/stop button is one tap away.
Alpine Labs were looking to raise $50,000 on Kickstarter, but that funding goal has long been reached, with pledges currently exceeding 900% that. Some 1,700 backers had the chance to secure a Pulse for themselves by pledging $69, and those spots are long gone, so if you want this device, you will have to support the project with at least $74. Assuming that everything goes as planned, expect to receive the Pulse in April 2016.
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[via Kickstarter]
