I stumbled across Cascable accidentally. While attempting to figure out a way to view photos on my Nikon D750 wirelessly using an ancient iPad 2 as a monitor, I found Cascable. It’s an app that can do what I was looking for on my iPhone … and much more.

Why is this useful for me?

Being able to control your camera is useful for a variety of reasons. Self-portraits or family photos suddenly become considerably easier, not requiring running back and forth. But being able to see what the camera sees and make adjustments quickens the pace and makes the whole experience considerably more spontaneous. For me, I envision being able to focus while the camera is at odd, low angles to be invaluable.

Hooking it up

I activated the Wi-Fi in my D750’s Setup Menu. After that, using my iPhone, I searched for the Wi-Fi signal and selected that.

In the process of connecting with the camera.

I opened the Cascable app. It was already searching for a network connection, which it did after a short while. Easy. When it found the signal, I simply selected that.

Remote Control

Focusing on the eye. The smaller circle on the left just below Live View triggers autofocus. The larger circle on the right triggers the shutter to take the photo.

After acquiring the signal, I pressed Remote Control. I was excited to see what the app could do. Immediately, I noticed that I could adjust the parameters of the camera easily. The bottom icons allowed me to adjust aperture, shutter speed, ISO, EV and the Shutter Robot (a little more on that later).

Using the Zoom feature, I was able to zoom in on the details of the eye quite effectively and easily without moving the camera, much like you might focus using a smartphone.

Pressing on the upward arrow revealed more. I could also deactivate Live View, zoom in, view the histogram, determine what kind of autofocus and even change the exposure mode. In fact, I could even change from RAW to JPEG, alter the white balance, focus peaking and more. 

Focusing

I am writing about the focusing section separately because I want to emphasize it more. When Cascable’s Live View function is enabled, you can touch the screen to control where the camera focuses! This allows you to control the focus area intuitively, much like you might do with a camera phone.

Considering that you cannot do this in Live View mode with the D750 alone, this is already a fantastic feature.

Zooming

I also wanted to emphasize zooming. This is fantastic for people like me who are really particular about where the camera focuses. Above, I have zoomed in and have focused on George’s watermelon seed eye.

The zoom appears to be 100% zoom, which is adequate for most people’s purposes, but doesn’t offer variability in the amount of zoom. It’s either zoomed in or not.

Shutter Robot

The self-timer offers a lot of parameters. The other features require an upgrade to the Pro version.

The Shutter Robot allows you to control the self-timer. If you opt to upgrade to the Pro version, you may also use this for more advanced controls, such as a bulb timer, intervalometer, exposure bracketing and creating your own custom recipes. You can easily engage these parameters or disengage them with a single touch. As a bonus, the app remembers your settings.

The intervalometer allows you to control the interval, number of shots and when to stop. Through this, you can create star trails or time-lapse.

Calculations

Under the Calculations menu, Cascable offers figuring out the exposure length required for a specific neutral density filter and how to get sharp stars based on focal length and sensor size, which it automatically determines for the camera that is already engaged with the app.

Storage

Using the in-app storage function, you may also view photos on the camera or load them on to your phone, among other features.

Geotagging

Cascable allows you to tag manually or automatically, and even gives you a map for you to begin tagging if you wish. You can automatically begin tracking locations if you wish as well.

Conclusion

The Cascable app gives you a surprising amount of parameters to control, and does so effectively. Adding a few basic calculations, storage, and other features rounds out the free version. The Pro version looks enticing, as it adds a bulb timer, intervalometer and more, essential items for a night photographer.

I tested this app on an iPhone SE 2020. As of this writing, it requires iOS 11.0 or later for iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch. A one-time purchase to upgrade to Pro costs $29.99 on an iPhone.