A check before buying Smart Shooter 4

#1

Hallo from a total newbie.

After years of use of video cameras attached to microscopes (easily controlled via USB), I discovered that I need a larger APS sensor, with wider sensor pixels than those in my professional microscope video camera.

But I still need to activate image capture from the keyboard, as I always did. I also control a self-made automated Z-stage from the keyboard.

For those reasons I’m in the process of buying an used Canon EOS 550D and - most probably, depending on the answers that I will receive - Smart Shooter 4 to make my first attempts at tethered macrophotography with a photo camera body.

So, here are my two questions:

  • do I need a special kind of USB cable for Smart Shooter 4 to work? Or does any USB cable (as the one pictured in attachment) work?
  • I would like to activate the Mirror Lockup feature to limit shaking of the microscope stand. If I do, to capture an image does it suffice for me to click the Smart Shooter 4 capture icon twice, as I would do with a physical remote (first click: raise mirror, second click: shoot)??

Many thanks and all the best to everyone!

Cavo USB fotocamera
Cavo USB fotocamera997×1136 387 KB

#2

I now have the camera and checked - using this cable, tethering works perfectly with Canon EOS Utility. I suppose that Smart Shooter 4 doesn’t need a different cable.

#3

You just need a regular USB cable. Canon usually supply one in the box with the camera, so you can use that one.

Regarding mirror-lockup mode; as you know, when mirror-lockup is enabled, you normally need to press the camera’s shutter button twice - first to raise the mirror, and then to activated the shutter.

The “Shoot” button in Smart Shooter is NOT able to control that sequence. So when mirror-lockup is enabled, the app will disable the “Shoot” button.

Luckily for Canon cameras, the app allows you to directly control the shutter button. You can do this in the “Trigger Controls” window. To make this visible, click “Display -> Trigger Controls”. This window has some dedicated buttons that are mapped directly to control the camera’s shutter button. So here you can click the “Press” button to raise the mirror, and then click the “Press” button again to activate the shutter.

#4

Many thanks for your insightful comments, Francis!