Promote Control Gets Significant Update with Firmware 3.0 Release

From Promote Systems:

Major Firmware Update 3.0 for Promote Control Brings Video Control, Improvements in Time-Lapse and Bulb Ramping Support

HOUSTON, Texas — February 3, 2014 — Promote Systems, designer and manufacturer of electronic accessories for DSLR cameras, announced today a major firmware upgrade for the company’s flagship DSLR remote control, the Promote Control. The Promote Control has long enriched photographers’ creative arsenal with advanced techniques including high-speed HDR bracketing, Focus Stacking, Time-Lapse, high-precision Bulb Ramping with ISO control. Firmware Version 3.0 now adds an exciting video mode, support for Sigma SD1/SD1 Merrill cameras and significant improvements in Time-Lapse and Bulb Ramping modes, making a great device even better.

The new firmware upgrade is available as a free download at http://promote-control.com/support.

OVERVIEW OF KEY NEW FEATURES

Video mode
The Promote Control’s new Video mode allows you to remotely control Canon digital SLR cameras capable of Live View video recording. You can remotely control aperture, ISO, shutter speed and even perform a rack focus while recording.

Repeated Time-Lapse
You can now automatically repeat a Time-Lapse sequence at pre-defined intervals. This highly requested feature is an invaluable addition to the Promote Control’s Time-Lapse mode allowing easy set-up of long-term projects such as capturing the construction of a building or showing the changing season. The Promote Control gives you the flexibility to set intervals as long as several hours or as short as 1/10 of a second, take an unlimited number of frames and create HDR Time Lapses. In addition, for exceptional results, the device can also be paired with most third-party dollies and motion control heads.

FULL LIST OF NEW FEATURES

Video (NEW!)

• Perform a rack focus.
• Remotely start, stop and change exposure (aperture, speed and ISO) both before and while recording.
• Supported cameras: Canon digital SLR cameras capable of Live View and video recording.

HDR

• Automatic switch to Bulb exposure in HDR mode - now with more cameras (Canon 5D Mark II, 7D, 1Dx and more).
• Reverse order for HDR bracketing - take bracketed frames from highlights to shadows (longer to shorter exposures respectively), or vise-versa.
• Optional HDR bracket shifts (e.g. shoot an HDR sequence not around your Mid exposure, but shifted up or down).

Time-Lapse

• Repeated Time-Lapse - automatically repeat a Time-Lapse sequence e.g. every 24 hours, ad infinitum.
• Time-Lapse intervals as short as 1/10 of a second.
• "Time-Lapse exposure setting mode" Setup Setting - elect to set exposure on camera or with Promote Control.

Bulb Ramping

• ND filters can now be specified up to 10EV and with 0.1EV precision.
• Enhanced precision of interval timer.
• Curve shifting - begin the ramping portion sooner or later than originally programmed
• Pause ramping - pictures will continue to be taken, but exposures will remain the same while ramping is paused.
• Intervals can be measured from end of previous exposure to the start of next one. This prevents interval overruns, but may have an effect of your video speeding up or slowing down due to changing the effective interval (when ramping into longer or shorter exposures respectively). Due to this side effect, this interval measuring mode can also be used intentionally for interval ramping.

Other

• "Save/restore camera settings" Setup Setting. If enabled, exposure will be restored to settings from before sequence began.
• Mode switching shortcuts - assign keyboard shortcuts for your favorite Promote Control modes.
• Battery status indicator.
• Nikon/Canon silent / quiet shutter modes are now supported.

SUPPORTED CAMERAS

All modern Nikon and Canon DSLRs, as well as select Sigma and Sony cameras. For a full list, go to http://www.promote-control.com/compatibility.

B&H carries the Promote Control DSLR Remote Controller.