Our friends at Miops, the talented team of engineers that created the multipurpose high speed camera trigger that we had fun reviewing previously, is planning a new and much improved tool that can be controlled by smartphones or tablets. To get this new and exciting product called MIOPS to the market, the company is inviting you to join them on Kickstarter and save a few bucks before it is officially released.
I used the current version of the NeroTrigger last week for a quick grab of a storm from my back deck. While this photo was just a quick snapshot and won’t win any awards, it gives you an idea of what can be done with this tool. Lightning isn’t the only mode for this trigger, it also has laser, sound, HDR, Timelapse and custom modes as well.
If you haven’t used a trigger like this before, it really does open up all kinds of photography opportunities. Plus, it is a lot of fun!
So what is so exciting about the new MIOPS device? Aside from being able to control the device remotely via Bluetooth, the device itself has been completely re-engineered. The MIOPS has a sleek, modern look with a colorful LCD screen and lots of built-in functions that will be upgrade-able via firmware updates (free life-time upgrades). No need to carry extra batteries with you anymore, because the device will have an integrated battery that you will be able to charge with any USB charger. The rechargable battery will last for days, thanks to the new energy saving features of the device.
About the size of a credit card and only less than an inch in thickness, the MIOPS is a compact, lightweight device that can easily fit in your camera bag pockets. Being a Bluetooth 4.0 compatible device, the MIOPS is energy efficient, has great coverage and is compatible with iOS, Android and Windows smartphones.
The MIOPS is compatible with most DSLRs on the market and you just need the right type of cable for your DSLR. If you have a DSLR that does not have a remote shutter release port, it can be triggered via infrared as well.
There are six different modes that can be selected:
- Lighting – for shooting lightning storms. You can set different levels of sensitivity to capture small lightning bolts or only the large and powerful ones.
- Laser – for detecting laser beams. You could set up a laser beam and if anything goes through the beam, the trigger will fire your camera. You could use this mode for photographing water drops or other fast-moving action.
- Sound – for photographing high-speed action in a controlled studio environment. You can connect the device to external flashes and when sound event is detected, the trigger will fire your flashes. This can be very useful for photographing flying bullets, breaking objects, etc.
- Timelapse – you set the parameters and the MIOPS does the rest for you. If the timelapse sequence is very long, the energy saving features of the device will turn off the LCD and the device can last for days without recharging.
- HDR – if you are in love with high dynamic range photography, you will love the built-in HDR features of the MIOPS. Again, all you have to do is set up the parameters and the MIOPS will do the rest for you.
- External Port – if the above are not enough for you, you can even connect external sensors to the MIOPS. With all kinds of temperature, pressure, humidity, motion and other sensors on the market, you will have all kinds of opportunities for photographing event-based action coming from an external sensor.
In addition to the above, you can create a custom scenario with up to five different steps that can utilize different sensors. So if you are in a storm zone and want to keep yourself out, you can set up the MIOPS for a custom scenario and have it trigger your camera based on a certain event. For example, if you know that there will be a heavy storm in your area, you could set up the MIOPS to capture a timelapse sequence of the storm build-up, then photograph each lightning strike separately – all without being present on location. And if you want to stay in your car while this happens, simply connect to the device via your smartphone and control all the settings!
So this will be one sweet device, a much better, next generation version of the NeroTrigger. As of now, the company has already reached all the major milestones, but they need your backing to deliver the product in December of 2014! There will be three versions of the MIOPS – Basic, Ultimate and Premium. While there are feature differences between the Basic and Ultimate versions, the Premium version will bear your own logo instead of MIOPS logo. You can find out more about the product and compare different versions on the MIOPS Kickstarter page.
Here are some examples of what the MIOPS can do:
We cannot wait until we get a hold of the MIOPS device for testing and review!
Here is a new one just launched on kick starter, has even more features for around the same price
www.kickstarter.com/proje…-camera-co
I want it. Where I can buy this ?
It’s still funding on Kickstarter – www.kickstarter.com/proje…-camera-tr
I’m with Sam, some of these kickstarter projects can run into production hiccups and take longer than they say like the triggertrap ada. Ubertronix has been making triggers for a long time and already makes one that does everything but BT. It’s more expensive than Nero but its already available, made in Texas, and looks way cooler.
Why not just get the current nero trigger for $150 less than the ubertronix? It does all the same things but is much less expensive and also already available.
Good idea for sure. The remaining issue is the disappointing shutter lag time of even the best cameras such as the Nikon D4S – 42ms. That is too slow for many applications such as bees in flight and require an external shutter with 6ms lag time (see for example Cognisys which I use and works well).
I was thinking at the lag too. How do you handle that?
Christian and Florin, to answer the lag question, in much of high speed photography the flash controls the exposure. The flash has less lag than the camera’s shutter so you set up the lighting/strobes and the shot you want. You then turn off the room lights and leave the shutter open for a short period of time and then when the trigger is activated by sound, laser or whatever mode is being used, it triggers the flash and not the camera. The camera’s shutter is open before, during and after the exposure which is limited by the flash. I hope that helps.
Tom, no, that is not practical for outdoor use with daylight. I use a special kit with external shutter, see Cognisys for example. It works well and I get superb images of bees in flight.
Here is the link to the insect rig. It uses flashes, laser trigger and external shutter with 6ms lag and I have had great results www.cognisys-inc.com/produ…ct_rig.php
Thank you Christian, while you are correct in your scenario of outdoor use, I stand by my original comment, “much of high speed photography”. The system you refer to is as you say an external shutter mechanism and so it is suited for what you describe. The system is also much more expensive. The Nero Trigger/MIOPS is a very affordable trigger for a variety of uses but like most products, will not cover every scenario. That said, I believe that you can also capture insects, birds, etc. outdoors with this trigger. It may not be as “elegant” as an external shutter, you may have more “misses”, but it can be done.
There is a cheap an good trigger trap, which supports bluetooth too.
and its smaller, available now and have already “killed” the bugs.
id recommend to consider that
And the secret device is?
triggertrap
triggertrap mobile does not appear to be anywhere near comparable and the fully functional ADA is way more expensive. My money is on MIOPS
Mike, you are correct in that trigger trap mobile is not comparable and furthermore, the ADA which appears more comparable isn’t on the market yet – according to their website. You can buy the Nero Trigger today, or wait for this new version, the MIOPS.
Thanks Tom, I just backed MIOPS on Kickstarter!