Sony has announced a new app that turns compatible smartphones and tablets into wireless video monitors for its cameras. The Monitor and Control app lets creators wirelessly monitor exposure, control focus, adjust color settings, and more from a connected cinema camera.
The app is available for download from the Google and Apple App Stores and provides professional video control capabilities for Sony camera users.
In addition to the remote control function, the application also allows the smartphone to be used as an external monitor attached to the top of the camera.
This feature is similar to how Sony uses some Xperia smartphones as viewfinders and 4K displays for compatible cameras, but this feature requires a wired connection.
Whether you're using the app from a device connected to the camera or controlling the camera remotely, it's useful to control focus and settings (such as autofocus sensitivity) directly from your mobile device. “You can adjust focus intuitively using the control bar on the side of the screen,” Sony explains.
Most smartphone screens are much larger than professional camera screens, typically around three inches, while tablet screens are also becoming larger, with larger screens providing the clearest view of the image.
Video monitoring is particularly useful for running and photography, but it is also useful for monitoring exposure and concentration levels. If your monitor is wireless, you don't need to connect it to a smart camera.
The app allows the cinematographer or director to stand remotely and monitor what the camera sees via a smartphone, with exposure monitoring including histograms, false colors and waveforms, as well as more intuitive focus controls.
The application is compatible with the Sony FX30, Sony FX3, and Sony FX6 cinema cameras, in addition to the Sony Burano CineAlta 8K camera, which is expected to be available next year at prices starting at $30,000.
The Monitor and Control app is another addition to the Sony Creator Cloud app that turns Sony cameras into remote controls.
Many Sony mirrorless models do not offer exposure monitoring controls. The app's functionality is therefore limited to things like starting and stopping recording, color profile adjustments, and white balance.