Orion 5303 instruction manual Mouting the SteadyPix on a Photo Tripod, Camera Apps

Mouting the SteadyPix on a Photo Tripod

The SteadyPix also allows you to mount your iPhone directly on a standard photo tripod as shown in Figure 12, for taking scenic panoramas and for holding the camera while taking self-portraits or group photos (when you’re part of the group). The SteadyPix bracket can be mounted in either portrait or landscape orientation. The only requirement is that the tripod have a 1/4"-20 threaded post.

1.To attach the SteadyPix to the tripod, first remove the eyepiece clamp from the L-bracket by completely removing the clamp height thumbscrew. Put the thumbscrew in a safe place as it will not be needed for tripod mounting of the SteadyPix.

Figure 12. The SteadyPix can mount directly on a photo tripod for steady wide- field shots and self-portraits.

2.Adjust the L-bracket for the orientation you want (portrait or landscape). Make sure the bottom of the L-bracket clears the lower edge of the cradle bracket. Then tighten the traingular lock knob.

3.Assuming that the tripod has a removeable mounting shoe, remove it from the tripod. Place the 1/4"-20 threaded bolt on the shoe through the slot in the short arm of the L-bracket, then place the empty eyepiece clamp onto the threaded bolt.

4.Now thread the 1/4"-20 bolt into the eyepiece clamp by turning the bolt itself until tight. The SteadyPix and iPhone assembly should look like Figure 12 (shown in landscape orientation).

Camera Apps

The camera app that comes pre-installed on the iPhone is adequate, but not terribly versa- tile. There are other, 3rd party camera apps available in the App Store that offer additional features and settings that you may find useful, such as shutter delay (or self-timer), burst mode, and the ability to take “long exposures” (really probably just multiple exposures digi- tally stacked).

Exposure delay is nice to have. With the native camera app, when you tap the camera icon on the screen to take the picture, the exposure commences immediately. The vibration from the tap is enough to cause blurring of the image in many instances. Having a delay of

a few seconds between the screen tap and the onset of exposure eliminates the problem by allowing any vibration to dissipate prior to image capture.

Two camera apps that offer exposure delay are Camera Plus (by Global Delight Technologies) and Slow Shutter (by Tomoki Kobayashi). For more 3rd party camera apps, type “camera apps” in the search field on the iTunes App Store.

Have fun!

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