Swiss lighting manufacturer Elinchrom have announced an application for Apple iOS devices (iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch) allowing users to remotely control RX-series studio lights via the 2.4GHz EL-Skyport system. Photographers will be able to adjust flash power, modelling lamp intensity, test firing and other features from their mobile devices, claim Elinchrom. An announcement and demonstration will be made at Photokina this year.
While the company don’t go into specifics of how the system will work, the basic principle seems to be porting the Skyport 3.0 software (which normally relies on USB dongles) to iOS format and making use of the devices’ integral Wi-Fi aerials to send and receive the signal.
Rival lighting makers such as Profoto and Rime Lite also have USB dongles to remotely control their lights from desktop and laptop computers via 2.4GHz, so it is possible we will see a mobile app offering from these companies in the future.
Where to buy
This software has no fixed release date but a rough estimate of late 2010 or 2011. It will be “affordable” and available from Apple’s App Store.