Impulse Hardware setup guide
In this guide we'll walk through how to connect your camera to a phone to take advantage of the real-time photo upload with the Impulse Photographer app or brand specific apps.
If you're already wired up, try one of these:
Overview
This guide will help you hard-wire your camera to your phone which will then be able to upload the photos you take as soon as they're taken.
To make it work you need 3 ingredients:
A phone with one of the apps mentioned above
A cable to connect your phone to your camera
A (somewhat stable) internet connection on-site
Camera compatibility
Before we get started, you'll have to make sure your camera is compatible with the app you chose to use.
Impulse photographer app: compatible with all modern DLSRs
Canon Content Transfer Professional compatibility list: https://app.ssw.imaging-saas.canon/app/en/ctp.html
Nikon NX MobileAir compatibility list: https://nikonimglib.com/nxmoba/support/en.html
If your camera is not compatible don't worry! You can always upload your picture from our SFTP server, web interface or setup a Google Drive or Dropbox folder. Contact your Impulse point of contact to know more.
Hardware list
Now that we know the app will work we need to make sure you have the right cable to connect your camera to your phone. If you are using one of the Impulse kit we provide, you can skip this section.
For Android
On Android any cable will work, you can use any cable that fits both your camera and your phone. Here is a few options that worked for us, depending on your camera's port:
For iPhones with a USB-C port
If your iPhone has a USB type C port, you can use any cable that fits both your camera and your phone. Here is a few options that worked for us, depending on your camera's port:
For iPhones with a Lightning port
Older generation iPhones with a Lightning port are still compatible but need more specific hardware: regular Lightning cables are "1 way only", even though they fit the camera port and the phone port, data is not allowed to flow between them.
The Lightning cable that comes with your iPhone will not work for connecting a camera. This is the same for most Lightning cable you can find.
Fortunately there is a few options:
Some purpose built cables do work: RØDE SC21 USB-C to Lightning Cable
Adapters like this one can bridge the gap and let you use a regular USB-C cable: iPhone OTG Adapter USB-C
Phone mounting options
If you get a long enough cable you can simply carry your phone in your pocket, but we've also seen some photographer like to have it mounted to the camera directly. Here are a few options we've seen work:
Cold shoe for the phone + Dual TTL Bracket to use a flash
App guides
Now that you're properly wired up, checkout one of these guides depending on which camera/app you're using