Skip to main content

Photographer embeds Raspberry Pi computer in DSLR battery grip

Photographer embeds Raspberry Pi computer in DSLR battery grip

Share this story

Raspberry Pi in camera grip
Raspberry Pi in camera grip

Irish photographer David Hunt has managed to fit a Raspberry Pi — the card-sized device designed to promote computer science in schools — inside a standard Canon 5D Mark II battery grip, using the tiny Linux-based computer to transfer photos to his iPad. According to an explanatory blog post, the Pi runs a Perl script which constantly queries the camera for images — when it finds new shots, it grabs them and transfers them to the iPad's Shuttersnitch app over the internet.

In the video demonstration below, Hunt's creation relies on an Ethernet connection for internet access, but attaching a Wi-Fi dongle shouldn't present any problems. Other possible uses for the device include backing up photos to a USB stick or an external hard drive and full remote control. In an update to his post yesterday, Hunt explains that he's managed to enable triggering via the shutter release port, allowing him to take photos and wake the camera from sleep.