Photography News issue 21

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Be your own director From awkward angles to one-man bands, Digital Director fromManfrotto gets you the shot you want MANFROTTO DIGITAL DIRECTOR

and tweak the image if it’s you on camera, as well as behind it, or a high-level view, for example. Digital Director displays a dynamic histogram to aid exposure on the iPad Air and for video shooters, there’s an audio level display. Selecting focus points for stills and video is easy with Interactive Focus, just touch the spot on screen and your camera will focus exactly where you want it to. Simply use the app’s digital zoom to check it’s focused. With everything connected, secure your DSLR to a tripod and shoot to your heart’s content using the tethered iPad Air and in comfort from your director’s chair. You can even use a boom to hold your iPad Air, leaving you free to star in your video or shot. For the more adventurous, a mounting device can safely position your camera anywhere you like – from a branch, on a rock, whatever gets you the shot. In post-production Digital Director’s role doesn’t end once you’ve bagged your shot. You can download and check the high-resolution files on the iPad Air and use standard iPad gestures to navigate them. Digital Director also offers management of post-production; you can crop and rotate images, modify exposure, contrast and brightness, check the histogram and EXIF data, rate and save images. It lets you organise files and albums, as well as share them directly to FTP, email or on social networks. Digital Director puts you in complete control from setting up your shot to editing high-res files. Opening aworld of shooting opportunities, the innovative device doesn’t cost the earth. On sale now, this kind of freedom and camera control can be yours for £399.95.

Ever missed out on a shot simply because you couldn’t get the camera and you in the right position? Or perhaps, you’re a one-man videographer, and there were simply too many things to juggle? Maybe if you’d had an extra pair of hands, you might have got it. Or maybe you missed out, because checking exposure on a small screen was tricky or the Wi-Fi connection was flaky? Well, prepare to never regret those kinds of missed opportunities again. Manfrotto’s Digital Director will let you shoot from the most awkward and difficult to reach positions – it’s like having that extra pair of super-steady hands – plus you can check focus and exposure on a large, crisp screen. And it’s all quick and easy. Digital Director comprises hardware, software and firmware to let your Canon or Nikon DSLR work with an iPad Air and Air 2. A simple looking device, it features an embedded CPU that communicates with the iPad Air, which runs the Digital Director app. The iPad Air mounts onto the device and a fast USB cable connects it to your DSLR. Effectively, the iPad Air becomes a reliable remote control and an external monitor – an excellent monitor at that, thanks to the high-definition Retina display. Directing the shot Because Digital Director’s been through the Mfi (Made for iPad) certification, camera protocols are fully understood, providing intuitive and reliable control. The app offers control of settings such as exposure, ISO, shutter speed, aperture, white-balance, manual focus and drive mode – everything you need to get the shot, or video, spot on. A real time live view is displayed on the Retina screen, so you can monitor

π To find out more about Digital Director, go to www.manfrotto.co.uk.

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Issue 21 | Photography News

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