MIOPS Smartphone Controllable Camera Trigger Review

The MIOPS High Speed Camera Trigger hot shoe mounted.

MIOPS High Speed Camera Trigger Review

I really like my Nero Trigger. A lot. When I discovered its creators were introducing a new unit, I thought to myself, how can they improve it?

The MIOPS answers that question pretty quickly. More than a lightning meter, it is a creative tool that turns your smartphone into a powerful sensor that triggers the MIOPS and unleashes your creativity.

Unboxing

The initial unboxing of the unit is exciting. As a designer, I am always impressed with the added value of a package design as it shows there is care and thought behind how the product is received. The MIOPS comes cradled in a well designed box loaded with product information. Inside the unit is solid. Once the rechargeable battery is installed, the unit feels substantial in the hand. Both the front control buttons and the side access ports are protected with orange silicone. All ports are on the left side of the unit and are accessed by peeling back a strip of silicone that protects from condensation and dust. And honestly, it just looks cool in dark gray and orange. Its form factor is well thought out at about the same size an old flip phone. This feature rich unit takes up so little space, there is no excuse to not have it as a constant resident of your camera bag.

The MIOPS display is easily readable, even in direct sunlight.  

The Unit

The MIOPS has the same great menu as the Nero Trigger, which I really like. Upon initial startup and Bluetooth connection, getting to your desired mode is only a few screen clicks. This is especially important while shooting weather or any other scenario where fast setup is essential. The Bluetooth connection is fast and reliable taking about a second to find and connect to the unit. The app searches and connects to the unit with on screen tap on an iOS device (the unit is also Android compatable). There is no fiddling with the Bluetooth settings on the phone, the app connects directly. The screen is bright and readable, even in sunlight. MIOPS can be mounted to a light stand or your camera via a hot shoe mount or to a tripod with sturdy brass ¼-20 threaded insert. This makes the unit extremely versatile. The MIOPS works with any camera or flash with a data port or remote trigger port and MIOPS.com makes it very easy to find the compatible cable for your camera system.

Rechargeable Li-ion Battery, Hot Shoe and Tripod 1/4-20 Mount

The App

The mobile app is as equally well designed. All functions are easily accessed via a menu on the left of the screen fast to configure. The UI and UX are pleasant and the design is solid and readable. I have never had the app freeze or crash. White icons and text on a dark blue/gray or red backgrounds make for easily reading, even in bight sunlight. What's equally nice is that the app's design isn't harsh while working in the dark, ruining one's night vision. I find this especially important while capturing lightning. I would suspect it was designed with that purpose in mind. The APP's navigation is just as fast and intuitive as the menu on the unit. There is no learning curve, it's pretty easy to start capturing jaw dropping images right out of the box. It's nice to see a unit perform as promised the first time, every time.

A well designed MIOPS app with smart GUI and color choices make for ease of use
even in bright sunlight or at nighttime without compromising your night vision. 

The other feature I really like is the rechargeable battery. One charge lasts quite a long time. I have used it for a few months on a weekly basis and have yet to recharge it. Charging is accomplished via standard USB cable and be connected to any computer or USB wall power brick. No additional battery charger is required. 

Features I Liked

• Easy to use
• Fast setup
• Reliable
• Smartphone controlled
• Firmware upgradable
• Rock solid app, no crashing or freezing
• Easy to read color screen, even in direct sunlight
• Rechargeable battery
• Long battery life 
• Small form factor
• Well designed app
• Portable between camera systems 

All ports are protected from condensation and dust. 

Conclusion

I am really happy with the way MIOPS has coupled a great product with the ease and power of a smartphone allowing you to capture lighting and other high speed subjects in ways that were impossible before. I love the mobile app and how it allows me to monitor the progress of the trigger without actually touching the camera, which is important while using the rock solid time lapse and lightning modes. I am still finding new ways to use the MIOPS weekly. As a cycling photographer, the laser trigger feature is great for shooting downhill or other fast moving sports. The time lapse feature is a must have, and the sound trigger is great for shooting high speed studio images. But for people who get excited when there is a storm warning issued and want to capture of the raw beauty of weather, the MIOPS is essential. It's fast and reliable and with the range of the bluetooth connection, it provides additional safety while capturing lightning, which is huge. You can change settings and monitor progress from the safety of a car or structure. The unit is worth it for that alone. But the other features are just as powerful and will allow you to create in ways you never imagined.

Get more information on MIOPS at www.miops.com

Sample Images

Flickr Photostream at: www.flickr.com/photos/johnbulmer

© 2015 John Bulmer Photography : www.bulmerphotography.com

All Rights Reserved

Nero Trigger Review

[Above] Nero Trigger, Orange

[Above] Nero Trigger, Hot Shoe Mounted

[Above] Nero Trigger Photo Sensor

[Above] Nero Trigger Side View

[Above] Nero Trigger and Pelican i1010

The sensation of standing in front of an approaching severe storm is hard to describe. It's one of those rare instances in life that changes the perception of time. It seems to slow the planet's rotation if only for a brief few seconds. As a storm approaches, the air temperature changes as the wind signals the front's arrival. Birds become quiet. The sky darkens and what follows is truly dramatic. I spend the entire storm season chasing severe weather in hopes of accumulating more of these moments. At the end of the year, they can't total more than 20 minutes combined, but all the effort is worth it.

After my first storm, I couldn't wait for the next. Now, I spend much of the storm season looking at radar loops and road maps. Much of that time spent trying to determine the path and speed of storms cells in order capture the most dramatic images possible.

Last year, I started seeing friends commenting on the Nero Trigger on Facebook. One of my favorite photoblogs, PetaPixel ( http://bulmer.info/peta_nero ), ran a profile of the Nero Trigger's most current product offerings and I was hooked. It's two year warranty, all digital display, and myriad of features were hard to pass up. I also really like the fact that the unit runs on common AAA batteries. I have enough gear to charge or buy expensive proprietary batteries for.

I placed my order directly from Nero Trigger and received free shipping. My package was delivered quickly and accurately by DHL.

My Nero Trigger arrived packaged neatly in foam. The attention to detail was evident. The actual trigger unit is about as large as a deck of playing cards and comes in a variety of colors (black, blue, green, orange, purple and red). The unit sports a bright all digital display with easy navigation. Compatible with all major camera manufactures, the trigger is hot shoe mounted and comes with a free firing cord. This is a great feature if you own multiple camera systems from different manufacturers. All you need to do is swap out the cord, which is about $20. These triggers are not camera brand specific. That's a huge plus.

The function navigation is intuitive and there are no nested options to have to remember. Everything you need to set up the shot you want is within reach with a few clicks. The instruction manual is well written and explains functions in ways that even non-professionals could get up and running without much trouble. You can check out the manual here: http://bulmer.info/nero_manual

The fact that the display is clear and backlit comes in handy while out along some random farm road trying to set up the camera and tripod as a storm approaches in the darkness.

Sometimes in the summer in the Northeastern United States, the weather can go flat. It would be weeks before I had the opportunity to test out the Nero Trigger. In the interim, I tested the Trigger's sensitivity to sound and motion and was impressed with its responsiveness. While other lightning triggers have only one use, the Nero Trigger allows photographers to unlock their creativity in ways that were almost impossible before.

One of my favorite feature sets of the Nero Trigger is the laser triggering option. While most pro level DSLR's have the ability to be fired via IR remote control, the communication response time between a small handheld remote unit and the camera is less than ideal for shooting anything that is going fast. I've been shooting all forms of bicycle racing for years. Downhill racing is my favorite by far. The Nero Trigger's laser sensitivity allows for a camera to be placed in the ideal location for an extreme perspective. Place a laser pointer across the trail and when the beam is broken, the Nero Trigger's speed is more than adequate to capture the action in the number of frames the user designates. Combine this triggering method with off-camera lightning, and you can achieve shots that will truly astound the viewer and leave them asking, “how did they do that?”

As all photographers do, I have my locations that I love to shoot weather from. Mine is at the end of a cornfield with a long run up to the western horizon. It's the idea place to shoot shelf clouds and motherships as the break the horizon in the summer months. The first time I really had the opportunity to put my Nero Trigger to the test was in early August 2013. As I watched the National Weather Service's radar on my iPhone, I was in the right place at (just before) the right time.

The time it takes to deploy the trigger is far less that the time it takes to set up a tripod. With the storm approaching and daylight fading, the backlit display was easy to see and navigate, especially under the ever changing conditions of an approaching severe storm cell. With focus set to infinity and a 12mm lens, the Nero Trigger allows the camera to be set up left to capture the action. For the first time in my photography career, I was allowed to shoot a severe storm from the static location of a tripod and with a handheld camera. This doubled my shots and allowed me to capture wide landscape and detail images.

[Above] Using the Nero Trigger to Shoot Severe Weather

www.outflowresearch.com

From a safety standpoint, the Nero Trigger allows the photographer to be situationally aware instead of seeing potentially dangerous conditions through the detached reality of the viewfinder. As the shelf cloud approached, I was truly taken with the Nero Trigger's sensitivity. This was the first time I had deployed the trigger in actual weather. There was still enough daylight to obscure minor lightning strikes to the naked eye. All the while, I could hear the shutter firing at the faintest of flashes on the horizon. Later, back in the office, I was shocked to see what the Nero Trigger had actually detected. As I started posting my new lightning photos on social media and my blogs, they were some of the most well received photos of my career.

Along with compliments, I would also get comments from people asking why I would need a separate piece of equipment. Why not use a long exposure of 30 seconds? For me, as a weather photojournalist, this is the most important advantage of the Nero Trigger. When shooting severe weather, the sky is in a constant state of motion. As the temperatures of the summer month's climb, storms become stronger. The winds associated with severe storm cells can easily approach 70 miles per hour or greater. The Nero Trigger allows the photographer to accurately capture the storm with hundreds of images, freezing cloud movement and lightning strikes. This is impossible with an open shutter and 30 second exposures. Never before did I have the amount of images to choose from as I did with the Nero Trigger. It's ease of use and sensitivity allowed me to take my weather photography to the next level. Let me state that again in a different way, I had hundreds of images to choose from. Before, with the long exposure, I would typically have 30-40 images. With a severe weather event, 30 second intervals go quickly.

The Nero Trigger has 5 modes:

Lightning: Fires the Nero Trigger upon the detection of a flash of light

Sound: Fires the Nero Trigger upon the detection of sound, like a gunshot, clap, or snap.

Time Lapse: This allows the Nero Trigger to act as an intervalometer firing the camera at a user defined interval.

HDR: Allows the user to bracket shots for HDR composites.

DIY: This allows for the use of an assortment of sensors like pressure and tilt sensors to fire the Nero Trigger.

Each of these modes allows photographers to unlock their creativity new and exciting ways. The Nero Trigger has become a fixture in my camera bag. It fits neatly inside the Pelican i1010 case ( http://bulmer.info/pelicani1010 )

The Nero Trigger is not only a joy to use, it has taken my photography to the next level. One of the greatest compliments a photographer can receive is the question “how did you do that?” It means more when it comes from fellow pro shooters. With the Nero Trigger, you will be getting those questions more and more.

Get your's today at: www.nerotrigger.com

[Below] Images Captured with the Nero Trigger.

John Bulmer is an internationally published environmental, sports and weather photographer based in Saratoga, New York. Learn more at www.bulmerphotography.com

Purchase at: www.shopbulmerphoto.com
Flickr Photostream at: www.flickr.com/photos/johnbulmer
© 2014 John Bulmer Photography : www.bulmerphotography.com

All Rights Reserved