Arsenal 2 Camera Assistant Review
Dawson Abbe
Arsenal’s second iteration of their intelligent camera assistant streamlines complex photography processes by delivering impressive technology in a one-of-a-kind device, but is not completely without occasional hiccups. The most highly-funded camera accessory in Kickstarter history is available for preorder at $319 before it hits the retail market at $499. While it is a relatively expense non-lens camera accessory, it is far more than just a fancy remote shutter. Arsenal 2 come packed with features such as automatic focus and exposure stacking, easy timelapse control, live panorama, crowd control, and much more, all controlled from its accompanying smartphone app.
Arsenal 2 is available with a variety of adapter cables, allowing it to plug into nearly any DSLR or mirrorless camera. It conveniently slides on to the top of the camera, letting the photographer use any lens accessory or tripod at full range. Once plugged into the camera and the Arsenal app is downloaded, pairing and setting up the device is made easy from within the software. From there, you are instantly able to change camera settings, see a live preview, and test out any of the device’s many features.
Arsenal 2 app running on Apple iPhone 14 Pro
The Arsenal 2 app is the central control hub for the device and has a very minimal learning curve, making each feature easy to use and accessible. My personal favorite of its extensive list of automated camera functions is its exposure bracketing. Using the live view on your phone or tablet provided in the app, you can choose how many exposures it will take and how many steps up each exposure will be. Once that is selected, it will automatically take all the photos and combine them in-app in real time. This process applies to all of Arsenal 2’s automated feature, making previously tedious processes such as crowd control quick and easy. Another extremely useful in-app feature is focus control. In addition to automating focus stacking in a similar way to exposure bracketing, it allows you to use the live view of your phone or tablet and tap on a spot to focus, which is much more convenient than attempting to use the built-in display on your camera. This is a great feature for astrophotographers such as myself, as obtaining a crystal-clear and sharp focus on stars and other objects in the sky is both easy achievable on every single shot.
Exposure bracketing in-app
While I like to have full control over an image’s color when I post-process, Arsenal’s Deep Color is truly impressive. Deep Color is the device’s built in automatic color correction, which I was initially skeptical about. I would not recommend using this feature if you are shooting for a specific look or have a set of favorite Lightroom presets, but as demonstrated on the official company website, the software is capable of taking a previously dull RAW image and turning it into something vibrant and visually stunning, all from your mobile device in real-time.
While the device is overall an amazing tool for photography, it does suffer from some early-adoption quirks. For example, when Arsenal’s software automatically combines exposures, it does not let you export the final photo in RAW format. This is certainly an annoyance, as RAW files allow a much wider range of flexibility while editing as opposed to JPEG. It is extremely useful that each exposure is taken automatically, but I still often manually blend them myself in Photoshop in order to not sacrifice the flexibility of editing in RAW. There is also an occasional connection issue, which can be irritating when it happens in the middle of a shoot.
In conclusion, small early-adoption annoyances do not hold Arsenal 2 back from being a great tool for both experienced and beginner photographers alike. I have been shooting with Arsenal for around a month and am still discovering impressive new features and capabilities on every shoot. The device makes complex shots quick and easy, allowing the photographer to give details such as composition and lens choice the full attention that it deserves. Because the already impressive software is continuing to improve, Arsenal 2 is a worthwhile investment for photographers of any experience level.
@dawsonabbephotos
