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Will Helicon Remote ever support Sony A7 cameras?

Posted: 05.07.2015 18:02
by KBStudio
As I, and many others, are losing patient with Canon. I have purchased a Sony A7r and will likely update it to the A7r. I have used Helicon Remote and Helicon Focus for years with my Canon 5D MII and MIII. But file quality of the Sony is so much better, I would really like to use Helicon Remote on them. So the question. Will Helicon Remote ever support Sony A7 cameras?

Re: Will Helicon Remote ever support Sony A7 cameras?

Posted: 06.07.2015 12:13
by Stas Yatsenko
Only Canon and Nikon cameras are supported, and it's not going to change any time soon:
http://www.heliconsoft.com/supported-cameras/

Re: Will Helicon Remote ever support Sony A7 cameras?

Posted: 16.07.2015 03:19
by BradP
Hi - Same question about the Sony Platform. I saw a different answer from someone else on another post in this forum. There, someone pointed out that Sony has an app called "Smart Remote Control" that has some primative focus stacking capabilities (I think three shots only though), and the Helicon moderator promised to check into it to see if there was a way to understand that program to see whether Helicon Remote could be modified to work with Sony. There was no further update. Is that effort still underway?

I'm an A7R user using your leading competitors software now (Z) but would switch in a heartbeat to Helicon Focus (and even pay more than twice what Helicon charges) if I could get Helicon Remote to work on the A7R. You might be missing a meaningful sales/revenue opportunity if Helicon isn't looking at this closely, because Sony's premium camera platform over the last few years is really starting to blow past Canon and Nikon in IQ, and they are increasing market share dramatically and making big corporate investments. Never mind they manufacture sensors for Nikon's and Canon's top end cameras now...

Re: Will Helicon Remote ever support Sony A7 cameras?

Posted: 16.07.2015 14:00
by Stas Yatsenko
Support for the new generation Sony cameras is something we keep in mind, but haven't started working on it yet, and don't have a set plan either. It will take huge amount of time and money to implement because of how different Sony protocol is from Canon and Nikon. We will likely have an internal discussion on the subject in the near future.

Re: Will Helicon Remote ever support Sony A7 cameras?

Posted: 10.09.2015 19:33
by dennishh
Hi Stas,
You guys should consider doing a kickstarter project for the Sony A7r2 I bet there would be a huge community support for this. Your product is so good why not?
Best Dennis

Re: Will Helicon Remote ever support Sony A7 cameras?

Posted: 11.09.2015 12:56
by Stas Yatsenko
Our developer has looked at the Sony A7R remote control protocol, and there is no possibility to adjust focus manually as required for focus stacking. So we can't support this camera. Same for A7R2. You can see for yourself: here's a table on the official Sony site describing which cameras support which features in remote control mode. Manual / step-by-step focus adjustment is not even on the list: https://developer.sony.com/develop/cameras/

So we're not supporting Sony cameras unless they add focus adjustment in the future.

Re: Will Helicon Remote ever support Sony A7 cameras?

Posted: 24.10.2015 16:07
by dennishh
Thank You Stas! I will forward this to Sony, see what they say.
Best,Dennis

Re: Will Helicon Remote ever support Sony A7 cameras?

Posted: 31.07.2017 20:50
by msnyder
What about those of us who happen to have a Canon lens adapter for their Sony a7ii. There are times I use the 24mm and 90mm Tilt/Shift lens with my Sony(since they dont have their own yet)

Re: Will Helicon Remote ever support Sony A7 cameras?

Posted: 02.08.2017 10:18
by Stas Yatsenko
Our software doesn't care about the lens, only the body. It is the Sony body we have to labor to support.

Re: Will Helicon Remote ever support Sony A7 cameras?

Posted: 03.12.2017 18:06
by nearby
Would it be easier for your Helicon Remote to use the interface that sonys "imaging edge" software uses on the new A7rIII?
There you can adjust focus manual or automatic by remote.

Or can a Sony A7rIII mounted on a cognisys stackshot be triggered by Helicon remote?
sorry for my worse english. I hope you understand me

Re: Will Helicon Remote ever support Sony A7 cameras?

Posted: 04.12.2017 21:34
by Stas Yatsenko
It most likely can be triggered by Stackshot. Contact Cognysys to find out if the correct remote control adapter is bundled.

Re: Will Helicon Remote ever support Sony A7 cameras?

Posted: 08.12.2017 20:31
by Olivier
Dear Forum users, am industry photographer for more that 15 years. Helicon Remote can newer come to a product for Sony ! That is a problem with sony ! And it always will be ! But the user that want to use helicon fb tube... there is a solution for Sony,.., if you are interested I can tell the forum people :-)

Re: Will Helicon Remote ever support Sony A7 cameras?

Posted: 11.12.2017 10:36
by Stas Yatsenko
We are planning support for modern Sony cameras (e. g. A7R II), but this work has not begun yet. We have no immediate plans to support any other camera brands. That may change in the future, but right now the only certainty is that we will keep supporting new Canon and Nikon DSLR cameras as they are released.
Here's the complete list: http://www.heliconsoft.com/supported-cameras/

Re: Will Helicon Remote ever support Sony A7 cameras?

Posted: 11.12.2017 12:26
by mrose
Yes Olivier I understand Sony macro users are fitting adapters like the Fotodiox EF adapter and using the FB Tube with Canon lenses on a Sony body, so that is a possible work-round for Sony users unless you had something else in mind?

Re: Will Helicon Remote ever support Sony A7 cameras?

Posted: 27.12.2017 19:29
by jhinkey
That is really too bad. Really like your software with my D800, but I'm transitioning away from Nikon DSLRs and fully towards the Sony A7 series.
Beginning to see other solutions out there for remotely controlling the A7 series and I think it's a mistake for you guys to not support these cameras.