Syrp Genie Micro at a glance:
- £139
- Mounts via camera hot shoe
- 30 feet (10m) working range
- Lightweight design (29g)
- 7-hour battery life
- www.syrp.co/uk-en
Syrp has gained a strong reputation for its motion control devices, which allow users to take precise control of camera movement wirelessly using the free and intuitive Syrp app. The company’s latest release is different in that it has no influence on camera movement. Instead, it’s aimed at those looking for advanced time-lapse functionality, as well as live control of key exposure settings when shooting stills or video.
Syrp Genie Micro key features:
- In Use: Once you begin a time-lapse or video recording you can leave the Syrp app without disruption to shooting.
- Multiple Control: It’s possible to control multiple cameras by using more than one Genie Micro.
- Charging: An orange light indicates the device is charging and a green light illuminates when it is fully charged.
- Firmware: The Syrp app alerts users when a new firmware update becomes available.
The small black disc slides onto your camera’s hot shoe with the power button facing the rear. It lacks a lock, but shouldn’t slip off unless it receives a knock. To take advanced remote control, which includes firing the shutter, start/stopping video, adjusting ISO, aperture and shutter speed as well as programming time-lapse sequences, you’re required to plug in the supplied USB-C to USB-A adapter cable and then connect it using the USB cable that came with your camera. If you only intend to use it for remote shutter triggering, it can be linked directly to your camera’s remote port via a 2.5mm Link cable that’s sold separately for £10.
Turning the Genie Micro on and connecting it to the app is very straightforward. In Live Control mode exposure settings change quickly on the camera provided you work within its wireless range of 30 feet. Entering the Time Lapse mode presents six ready-made presets, or you can specify the record time (total time you want to shoot for), play time (how long the final compiled time-lapse will play for) and interval (time between each triggered shot) yourself. The app even allows you to resume your last time-lapse setup.
As well as allowing users to control their camera remotely whilst maintaining a safe distance from their subject, which is particularly useful for stop motion photography, the Genie Micro comes into its own for day-to-night time-lapse where users may need to tweak the exposure as the lighting conditions change, but don’t want to risk touching the camera for fear of accidentally knocking their setup. The built-in lithium-ion battery is good for 7 hours use and takes a couple of hours to recharge.
Syrp Genie Micro: Our Verdict
If you’d like to shoot flawless time-lapse sequences, stop motion videos, or take remote control of key exposure settings from an intuitive app, the Syrp Genie Micro is an accessory worth having. The only things that let it down slightly are its fairly limited camera compatibility and its lack of a hot-shoe lock.