Composing in difficult positions - tethering?

rhubarb

rhubarb

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Giles
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Just wondered how you all compose your shots when space or positioning doesn't allow you to see the view finder? A shot I needed to take at the weekend saw me placing the camera in a corner of a room, low down and as close to the wall as possible. My normal technique is just shoot as wide as I can and then crop back.

This got me thinking about tethering, now I know you can tether your laptop to most dSLRs these days, which is great and could have worked in the above scenario, but that's a whole lot more kit to carry around. So wondering why the manufacturers haven't thought about or even given us (by now) something like bluetooth tethering, so we could use our iPhones, IPod Touches or Android devices as an off camera view finder. I know you'd only be able to get a couple of meters away but that would really help - me at least. Would be great also to see histograms etc etc.

I've come across an iPhone app that sort of allows you to do this but still needs a laptop tethered to you camera.

So am I missing something that's already out there, would it even be technically possible and would anyone else find it useful?
 
Didn't we use something like a HDMI cable and one of those in-car portable dvd monitors on the "Wheels Project"? Basically like a live-view screen like the back of the camera, only on a bit of wire.
 
Both Canon and Nikon do wireless adapters, but they are in the region of £700. I can't imagine a bluetooth option being cheaper, even if there was a demand for it.

In situations like the one you describe I use a right angle finder. Whilst it works it's not ideal especial if you are up against a wall. Easiest way is really using a laptop and shoot tethered. It's even easier if the software you use and the camera both support live view options.
 
av out cable to a dvd player with an av in socket? tried this at weekend using a wireless remote to fire the camera and a long av lead, i could look at the screen 20 ft from the camera and fire the camera when subject was in position.
 
This is where the movable screen of the new 60D starts to make sense, despite the misgivings of some people. I wouldn't object if the 7D2 had it.
 
The screen on my bridge tilts and flips. I can use it as a waist high viewfinder, tilted down when the camera is above my head, and can move it around to lose the glare. very handy, I can't understand why every camera doesn't have this feature as it is so usefull.
 
I believe you can tether some cameras to iPhones!
 
Canon Eos utility is brilliant for tethering, especially if you have a camera with live view. You can call up the pic on screen, make adjustments, select focusing using the live view.

Last week I mounted my camera high up whilst production equipment was delivered and shot tethered on timelapse. It would have been a nightmare adjusting if I couldn't shoot tethered. Laptop with large screen, viewing the live view so I could adjust whilst up a high ladder. Worked a treat.

It runs through USB, so the only limitation is 5m length of USB before you have to extend with a powered hub or usb extenders, but I've gone over 100m before this way.

Lightroom also allows tethering, but you don't have as much control over the camera.

Then once you are connected to the laptop you can remotely control it from your iphone using this app: http://www.ononesoftware.com/detail.php?prodLine_id=38
It puts a server on the laptop and client on the iphone and relies on both devices connected to the same wireless network.
 
The other place I've shot tethered to Lightroom is in a darkened room shooting kit that's got lit switches/panels. 20 secs exposures, lit with multiple flash triggered manually to get the required image. It would have been impossible without a large screen to instantly see the results.
 
Byker28i said:
20 secs exposures, lit with multiple flash triggered manually to get the required image. It would have been impossible without a large screen to instantly see the results.
Click to expand...
Do you wonder how O. Winston Link managed..... ;)
 
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