Dec
Since the birth of the Phase One XF, many powerful tools and features have been implemented. Three notable features are the HDR, Time Lapse, and Focus Stacking sequence tools. Normally you use the back button of the XF, rather than the shutter release, to trigger these functions. This is because Phase One’s UI team thought that the highest priority in a camera design is that when you push the shutter release it should take a picture (rather than sometimes taking a picture and sometimes starting a 4-hour timelapse sequence). In other words no matter where you are in the menus, if you push the shutter release the camera behaves like a normal camera and takes a picture.
So What About using the External Release with a sequence?
Because the “shutter release” does not initiate an HDR Capture, Time Lapse Sequence, or Focus Stack, neither (by default) does the external cable release or BOB adapter, which is, in essence, a duplicate of the shutter release button.
If you want to use the external cable release to trigger these functions (e.g. to avoid introducing vibration to a focus stack) you need only make a simple UI/Control customization. On the XF in UI Setup, go to Control Setup and set External to MUP-Exp. With this setting the external cable release will trigger the sequence capture if one is selected.
Alternative Triggering Options
You can also trigger these functions with Capture One software or Capture Pilot App on your iOS devices if you don’t have a hand trigger. Or use the vibration-mode self-timer mode which delays the start of the sequence until the vibration-meter in the camera indicates the camera is completely stable.
Note to the Future
When this article was written the latest XF firmware was Feature Update #3 version 3.02.4. If you’re reading this in the future the exact menu naming or functionality may have been tweaked. Don’t hesitate to contact us with questions. In fact, if you’re reading this from the future please contact us here in the past.We’d love to know what great features were added in XF Feature Update 4, 5, 6… it would make it a lot easier than inventing them from scratch. Not to mention we want to know how Game of Thrones ends!
