PLUTO TRIGGER
Versatile Smart Camera Remote System
Pluto Trigger is a high-speed smart camera trigger that is controlled through a free android of iPhone a—via Bluetooth. The Pluto Trigger it is a very practical gadget lightweight and very easy to use through the smart app design.
There are many products on the market that allow you remotely control your camera but the Pluto Trigger powerful device is equipped with advanced sensors that could help your photographic vision become reality. I was exited to accrue one of these trigger especially to test it with my photographic gear and to capture some landscapes and astrophotography with it.
THE VISION BEHIND BAICHENG INNOVATIONS :
Baicheng innovations was founded to create smarter photo & video devices in 2015.
There first product was the Pluto Trigger - a high speed, smart camera trigger for photographers of all skills. This full featured device will take your skill to a whole Different level. There aim is to continue creating innovative photo & video equipment for photographers/videographers.
There based in Shenzhen china and the founder is Jimmy Chen, his research interest include wireless sensor networks, medical robots, medical sensors and pursuing new technologies making innovative, smart, intuitive & affordable products.
ABOUT THE PLUTO TRIGGER
The Pluto Trigger is a small compact trigger that will one can attach ton the hot shoe of the camera .
The Trigger is controlled from a free app that can be downloaded form Play Store or App Store so it compatible on both android and iPhone users, It connects via bluetooth so that can be used for remote shooting. It enables your DSLR or Mirrorless camera to do high-speed photography as it has unique capabilities which enables photography triggered by sound by light or by something that brakes the leaser beam aimed to the Pluto Trigger ( the laser is included). with the built in PIR sensor the Pluto Trigger can detect animals , body heat and take photos other features that it can also wait until a person is smiling to shoot a photo or by motion, vibration.
If you fancy those fancy water droplets photos colliding in the mid-air you can do that too there’s a mode dedicated for that . (one is required to buy the droplet valve as is not included from the Pluto Trigger website).
The Pluto Trigger has Infrared remote control capability which enables it to support a wide variety of cameras and it can also works as a selfie remote for your mobile phone, other features like depth calculation, shutter speed when using an ND Filter , 500 Rule and even Sunrise / Sunset Circulator are also included in the application of the Pluto Trigger.
UNBOXING
The Trigger came with a beatifull box. After opening we can find this inside the package:
->Pluto Trigger ->Laser Pointer ->USB Cable -<USB Charger (US Standard) ->Flash PC Sync Cable
->Hot Shoe Adapter (some Sony cameras need a separate Shoe Converter).
FEATURES :
Pluto Trigger has 24 different modes and its pretty intensive and able to do the following tasks.
SOFTWARE DONWLOAD
SPECIFICATIONS
Infrared Remote Range - 3.7 meters
bluetooth Range - 10 to 20 meters
Battery Life - 20h(normal) 40h(Bluetooth disabled)
Battery Recharging Time - 1.5h
Phone Compatibility - iPhone 4s or later , iPad 3 or later , iPad mini , Android 4.3 with bluetooth 4.0LE or later
Camera Compatibility - Canon , Nikon , Sony , Minolta , Panasonic , Olympus , Pentax & more
Warranty - One Year
Camera Shutter Cable and Compatibility List :
CANON USERS : All Canon EOS cameras are equipped with a remote release port. There are two types of camera cable E3 and N3.
E3: 1000D, 1100D, 1200D, 1300D, 1500D, 2000D, 100D, 200D, 250D, 300D, 350D, 400D, 450D, 500D, 550D, 600D, 60D, 60Da, 650D, 700D, 750D, 760D, 800D, 850D, 70D, 77D, 80D, 90D, 8000D, Kiss Digital, Kiss Digital F, Kiss Digital N, Kiss Digital X, Kiss X2, Kiss X3, Kiss X4, Kiss X5, Kiss X50, Kiss X70, Kiss X6i, Kiss X7i, Kiss X8i, G1X, G1X II, G1X III, G3X, G5X, G10, G11, G12, G15, G16, SX50 HS, SX60 HS, SX70 HS, Digital Rebel, Rebel SL1, Rebel SL2, Rebel SL3, Rebel T1i, Rebel T2i, Rebel T3, Rebel T3i, Rebel T4i, Rebel T5, Rebel T5i, Rebel T6, Rebel T6i, Rebel T6s, Rebel T7, Rebel T7i, Rebel T8i, Rebel XS, Rebel XSi, Rebel XT, Rebel XTi, EOS M5, EOS M6, EOS M6 MK II, EOS R, EOS RP, EOS R6
N3: 1D, 1D C, 1D MK II, 1D MK II N, 1D MK III, 1D MK IV, 1D X, 1D X MK II, 1D X MK III, 1Ds, 1Ds ASTRO, 1Ds MK II, 1Ds MK III, 1V, 10D, 20D, 20Da, 30D, 40D, 50D, 5D, 5D MK II, 5D MK III, 5D MK IV, 5Ds, 5Ds R, 6D, 6D MK II, 7D, 7D MK II, D30, D60, EOS 3, D2000, EOS R5
Not supported: EOS M, EOS M3, EOS M50, G7, G9, Powershot N, S90, S95, S100, S110, S120, SX510 HS, XC10, 4000D
NIKON USERS : With three different types, Nikon is the leader in inventing camera cables.
DC0: D1, D100(w/MB-D100 grip), D1H, D1X, D2, D200, D2H, D2HS, D2X, D2XH, D2XS, D3, D300, D300S, D3s, D3X, D4, D4S, D5, D500, D700, D800, D800 E, D810, D810 A, D850, F5, F6, F90, F100
DC1: D70S, D80
DC2: Z6, Z7, D750, D780, D3100, D3200, D3300, D5000, D5100, D5200, D5300, D5350, D5500, D5600, D600, D610, D7000, D7100, D7200, D7500, D90, Df, Coolpix P7700, Coolpix P7800, Coolpix A, Coolpix P950, Coolpix P1000
Not supported: 1 AW1, 1 J1, 1 J2, 1J3, 1 S1, 1 V1, D40, D40X, D50, D60, D70, D100, D3000, D3400, D3500, L840, P610, P900, Z50
SONY USERS : Sony has currently two types of connectors: S1 and S2.
S1: A100, A200, A300, A33, A35, A350, A37, A400, A450, A500, A55, A550, A550V, A560, A57, A580, A65, A65V, A700, A77, A77 II, A77V, A850, A900, A99, A99 II
S2: A3000, A3500, A5000, A5000L, A5100, A6000, A6300, A6400, A6500, A6600, A7, A7 II, A7 III, A7S, A7S II, A7S III, A7R, A7R II, A7R III, A7R IV, A9, A9 II, HX300, HX400, HX50V, HX60, HX80, HX90, HX90V, NEX 3N, A58, A68, RX10, RX10 II, RX10 III, RX10 IV, RX100 II, RX100 III, RX100 IV, RX100 V, RX100 VI, RX100 VII, RX100 Platinum, NEX-3NL
Not supported: A230, A290, A330, A330TT, A380, A390, A3000, NEX-3, NEX-3C, NEX-5, NEX-5T, NEX-5R, NEX-5N, NEX-5C, NEX-6, NEX-7, NEX-C3, NEX-F3, QX 10, QX 100, RX1, RX1R
PENTAX USERS :
E3: 645D, 645Z, ist D, ist DL, ist DL2, ist DS, ist DS2, K1, K1 II, K-3, K3 II, K-30, K-5, K-5 II, K-5 IIs, K-5 IIt, K-50, K-500, K-7, K10 Grand Prix, K100D, K100D Super, K10D, K110D, K200D, K20D, MZ-6, MZ-L, ZX-L
P1: K-70
Not supported: K-m, K-r, K-S2, K-x, MX-1, Q, Q-S1
PANASONIC USERS :
L1: Ft2, FZ100, FZ1000, FZ2000, FZ2500, FZ15, FZ150, FZ20, FZ20K, FZ20S, FZ200, FZ30, FZ30K, FZ30S, FZ300, FZ50, FZ50K, FZ50S, G1, G2, G3, G5, G6, G7, G9, G10, G70, G80, G85, GF1, GH1, GH2, GH3, GH4, GH5, GX1, GX7, GX8, L1, L10, LC1, S1, S1H, S1R, TS2, DIGILUX 2, DIGILUX 3
Not supported: FZ35, FZ45, FZ70, FZ72, FZ80, GF2, GF3, GF5, GM1, LX5, LX7, GX80, GX85, GX9
Pluto Trigger - User Manual
The User Manual is available as a PDF download in 5 languages: English, German, French, Italian and Spanish. The Pluto Trigger App has an English Manual included. Click here to download the PDF User Manual.
INTERFACE :
1-> Aux port , 2-> USB charging port , 3->Camera/flash port , 4->Status LED ,
5->Sound sensor , 6->Charging LED , 7->Shutter button , 8->Light/laser sensor ,
9->Infrared sensor , 10->Infrared remote
APPLICATION & PLUTO TRIGGER MODES IN DETAIL
INTERVELOMETER MODES
Shutter Release -
Release your camera shutter wirelessly from your phone. Seven release modes are available: Single, Focus, Hold, Lock, Bulb, Burst and Timed.
HDR -
Most cameras can do High Dynamic Range (HDR) photography quite well, but Pluto Trigger makes the majority of cameras more capable than what their own built-in tools can provide.
A standard DSLR does somewhere in the range of 3 to 5 images for the lower end models, and in the 5 to 9 images for higher end cameras.
Pluto Trigger will capture up to 19 images with auto-exposure bracketing. These images are later merged into a single, perfect HDR image. (Note: The fastest shutter speed is limited to 1/20).
Video -
Video mode on the Pluto Trigger enables your camera to record video without a 30 minute limit. The video recording will be restarted when the 30 minute limit is reached.
Time Lapse -
Use the Time-Lapse mode to take a number of pictures separated by a preset time interval. Set the duration, number of shots, interval, and optional start delay before starting the sequence. Press the start button and hundreds of images will be taken automatically. Use computer software to create a fast motion video with the resulting images.
StarTrail -
Set the number of shots, exposure time, interval and start delay. Take multiple long-exposure images to create a beautiful star trail image.
Timer -
Use the Timer mode to set the start time and end time to take photos or record video each day. This mode is useful for taking time-lapse images of building and construction projects, or the growth of plants. Both the camera and Pluto Trigger will need a source of power for extended periods usually required for time-lapse and use of the timer.
You have the option to set the interval to take photos, when recording video, you can set the retrigger time to 30 mins and 3 secs to overcome the 30 mins recording limit.
Shot with Pluto Trigger intervalometer mode
PLUTO SENSORS
Laser -
When in laser mode, Pluto Trigger uses its light sensor to detect the laser beam. Whenever the light beam is broken, Pluto fires the camera. The response time is about tens of micro-seconds.
Set your camera to go off when something breaks the laser beam aimed at the Pluto Trigger. (This doesn't work in daylight).
Light -
Take photos only when it is bright or dark!
Sound -
Using the microphone on your smartphone, Pluto Trigger allows your camera to do high-speed photography triggered by sound. The sound mode is used for high-speed photography where your regular DSLR camera is too slow to take pictures of popping balloons, breaking glasses, exploding items, etc.
The idea behind using a sound trigger is that instead of triggering your camera, you trigger the flash unit. Your camera will be in bulb mode in a completely dark room. Whenever the flash is triggered, you will capture a single frame. Instead of taking a lot of images with a high-speed camera, you'll capture a single frame with your regular DSLR camera. In this setup, the speed of the flash unit is very important. The faster the flash unit, the sharper the image will be.
The Sound mode has two parameters which are Sensitivity and Delay. Sensitivity can be set to a value between 1 and 100 using the dial. Setting the sensitivity to a high value will let you to capture more sound events. If you want to capture only high level sound events, you need to set the sensitivity to a lower value. You can test to see which sensitivity level best fits your needs.
If the sound event is captured too early, you'll need to add some delay. Specify a delay so the flash unit is triggered to capture the picture at the exact moment required.
Pluto Trigger Advertising Photo
Lightning -
As lightning strikes happen in such a short period of time, humans generally aren't fast enough to capture great lightning photos manually. You'll often end up with a lot of wasted photos to capture one lightning strike.
With the Pluto Trigger, it can be set to detect lightning strikes and will trigger your shutter instantly, every time.
Infrared -
When set to Infrared mode, Pluto Trigger will detect a human or animals' body heat and take photos. This is great for night-time wildlife photography, and ideal for security footage and photography purposes.
Aux -
This mode is great for the DIY-ers who like to make your own sensors to trigger the camera in creative ways such as smoke detectors and sensors, ultra-sonic or temperature sensors. You will need a 2.5 audio cable to connect to your DIY sensor to connect to you AUX port. This limited only by your own imagination!
Water Droplet Valve
Fusion -
Combine multiple sensors for specific scenarios (e.g. triggering your camera by sound when it is bright enough). Cross-beam laser sensors can be made using this mode.
Water Droplet Collision -
Water droplet collision photos need to be taken in a darkened room. To capture water droplet collision photos with the Pluto Trigger, you'll need some additional photography accessories. As well as the Droplet Valve and your camera, you'll also need a speedlite flash, a tripod and a magic arm to hold up the Droplet Valve.
Camera Cables
Pluto Trigger Advertising Photo
SMART SENSORS
Sound -
Using the microphone on your smartphone, Pluto Trigger allows your camera to do high-speed photography triggered by sound. The sound mode is used for high-speed photography where your regular DSLR camera is too slow to take pictures of popping balloons, breaking glasses, exploding items, etc.
The idea behind using a sound trigger is that instead of triggering your camera, you trigger the flash unit. Your camera will be in bulb mode in a completely dark room. Whenever the flash is triggered, you will capture a single frame. Instead of taking a lot of images with a high-speed camera, you'll capture a single frame with your regular DSLR camera. In this setup, the speed of the flash unit is very important. The faster the flash unit, the sharper the image will be.
The Sound mode has two parameters which are Sensitivity and Delay. Sensitivity can be set to a value between 1 and 100 using the dial. Setting the sensitivity to a high value will let you to capture more sound events. If you want to capture only high level sound events, you need to set the sensitivity to a lower value. You can test to see which sensitivity level best fits your needs.
If the sound event is captured too early, you'll need to add some delay. Specify a delay so the flash unit is triggered to capture the picture at the exact moment required.
Light -
Take photos only when it is bright or dark!
Motion Photography -
Motion photography can be used to create special effects photography. Any moving object captured by your phone camera will trigger your DSLR camera.
Vibrate -
Vibration or shaking your phone can trigger your camera wirelessly!
Voice
-
You can voice activate the trigger simply by saying the word “Pluto” to fire off your camera.
Distance -
Trigger your camera based on the distance you have travelled by using the GPS on your phone.
PLUTO TOOLS
DoF -
Depth of Field (DOF) is the range of distance in a photo that appears to be in sharp focus. Depth of field is a creative decision and one of your most important choices when composing photographs in nature. This feature allows you to take sharper landscape photos.
Based on the focal length, aperture and camera type you have entered, DOF calculator calculates the hyper focal distance. This is the focus distance where everything from half the hyper focal distance to infinity is within the depth of field. This is useful when deciding where to focus such that you maximize the sharpness within your scene,
Use the actual focal length of the lens for depth of field calculations. The calculator will automatically adjust for any "crop factor" for the selected camera.
Solar Calculator / Sun Position -
Sunrise and sunset times are calculated based on your local coordinates and time. You'll never miss the golden hour for photography!
Nd Filter Calculator -
Simple calculator for DSLR photographers taking long exposure shots using Neutral Density ND filters.
Select the shutter speed applicable without the filter, then select the filter you intend on using and the shutter speed you will then need to use will be displayed.
Rule 500 -
Starscape Rule
If you want crisp clear photo of night stars, you need the right exposure settings, and the slowest shutter speed possible to avoid star trails (star movements). If the shutter is open for too long, the camera detects the movement of the stars and the images will come out blurry.
The Rule 500 mode on Pluto Trigger calculates the slowest shutter speed possible to avoid star movements. The stars near the equator move much faster than at galactic central poles.
Sharper photos will be taken at galactic central poles. To easily locate galactic central, download the free App called 'Planets'.
PRICE & PERFORMANCE
At 115€ with one cable at Pluto Web site. Pluto is compact, easy to set up gadget provide users with the opportunity to accomplish a wide variety of new photography projects. If you are in the market for a device of this type but you are not willing to spend a fortune, the Pluto Trigger is one good choice in this respect as it offers a lot of useful features at a relatively low price.
In the Pluto site the items are shipped worldwide from Hong Kong. Shipping costs vary from between 6€ - 10€ depending on the type of shipping you select. Pluto Trigger is shipped worldwide from Hong Kong. Orders are processed and scheduled for shipment in 1 to 3 business days, (excluding holidays) after being received. All orders are shipped using DHL Express or Standard Post. DHL Express takes 4 to 7 days to arrive and Standard Post takes between 8 to16 days to arrive.
FINAL THOUGHTS
The Pluto Trigger does work great as a wired remote and im really looking forward to test it on actual lightning but I have to wait for a couple more months .
As a Landscape & Astro-Photographer I really found it helpful that I can control my camera setting remotely on my phone as intervalometer.
Although I didn’t really dive into some of the other aspects of the trigger sensors that allows the user to dial in such unique Features that can be found in the Pluto Trigger.
I really like the applications well designed and easy to use and the water drop valve make water drop photography much easier.
I would recommend the Pluto Trigger to every one who wants to step up the game into high speed or water drop photography.
I also like the versatility that the trigger has and to be used as a remote shutter release along with an android or iPhone mobile phone of the same task.
Im looking forward to test more of the capabilities that the Pluto Trigger offers , but till now it proves that its a high standard quality piece of equipment that Excelled in all tasks that i tested the Pluto Trigger.
