New app controls your Sony mirrorless camera from your Apple Watch

There’s a new app in town for Sony-shooting Apple Watch owners. It’s called the Alpha Remote Controller (buy here), and as the name suggests, it allows you to control your camera remotely from your Apple Watch.

It isn’t a free app, and it does appear to be quite basic in features at the moment. That being said, if you already have the Apple Watch, it can be an invaluable app to help you fire your cameras remotely – and cheaper than a dedicated device.

Alpha Remote Controller

Unlike many other apps and remote control devices, which utilise both Bluetooth and WiFi, this one just uses Bluetooth. As there’s no image transfer and no live view, the high bandwidth properties of WiFi just aren’t needed.

You’re able to control just one or multiple cameras from a single Apple Watch. You get access to C1 and AF-ON buttons, shutter button – with half-press functionality – and start/stop recording video. You can even zoom in and out with Power Zoom lenses, as well as manually adjust the focus.

Here’s the complete list of features, according to the Apple App Store:

• Connect and control one or multiple cameras simultaneously.
• Easily operate the Record, C1, and AF-ON buttons by pressing, holding, or locking the hold function.
• Capture photos by pressing the shutter button or, if enabled in settings, use one finger for half-press and two fingers for full-press functionality.
• Monitor signal strength for a stable connection.
• View the current camera state, whether it is Disconnected, Connected, Recording, or Exposing.
• Stay informed about the recording/exposing time and access a countdown for the second noise reduction exposure.
• Zoom in or out with power zoom lenses. Adjust the speed of zooming according to your preference in settings.
• Manually focus with any lens by adjusting it in the positive or negative direction. Modify the speed of focusing in settings.
• Experience experimental focus stacking with any camera supported by this app.
• Enjoy the convenience of a quick access widget for the lock screen or watch face.
• Theme App with your favorite color. Theme can be synchronized with Apple Watch app.
• Use different control scheme during operating multiple cameras.
• Access all features of the iOS app on your Apple Watch.

Supports a wide range of cameras

As WiFI and Bluetooth functionality has been in cameras for a while now, the app supports a very large list of cameras. In fact, it covers pretty much everything since the release of the original Sony A9 in 2017.

Of course, it also covers all of the latest Sony camera releases, including the Sony A7c II (buy here), Sony ZV-E1 (buy here) and Sony A9III (buy here).

Here’s the complete list of compatible models:

• ZV-1F, ZV-1, DSC-RX100M7, DSC-RX0M2, ZV-E1, ZV-E10
• ILCE-1, ILCE-9, ILCE-9M2, ILCE-9M3, ILCE-7SM3, ILCE-7RM5, ILCE-7RM4A, ILCE-7RM4, ILCE-7RM3A, ILCE-7RM3, ILCE-7C, ILCE-7CM2, ILCE-7CR, ILCE-7M4, ILCE-7M3
• ILCE-6700, ILCE-6600, ILCE-6400, ILCE-6100

Price and Availability

The Alpha Remote Controller app is available to buy now for $5.99 from the Apple App Store. It looks like it could be a very handy app to buy as a backup for those times when you forget to bring your regular wireless remote trigger.

[via Sony Alpha Rumors]