How to use
There are only three things to do. Create an album, connect, shoot. Frames arrive the moment you take them.
Getting started
- Create an album. One per job keeps hundreds of frames from mixing together.
- Pick a connection and press the button. The app never connects to a device on its own. Nothing starts until you choose and press.
- Shoot. Frames line up as they arrive.
After you disconnect, you pick again next time. The app does not remember the method and reconnect by itself —— so you never end up connected to someone else's camera when identical bodies are on the same set.
Four ways to connect
These are the steps that are the same for every camera. For what the camera menu calls each setting, switch makes under “Menu names by make” below. Some cameras need extra steps on the camera — for the bodies we have verified, see Connecting by camera.
Wi-Fi (the camera's access point) — included in Free
- Turn on the camera's access point.
- Pick “Wi-Fi connection” in the app and either scan the camera's QR code or type the SSID and password.
- Press connect.
⚠️ While you're connected, that device has no internet. The camera's access point has no route to the outside — this is expected, not a malfunction.
USB-C — fastest and most stable
- Set the camera's USB mode to computer / tethered shooting.
- Connect the camera and your device with a USB-C cable.
- Pick “USB connection” in the app and press connect.
iPhone and iPad have a single USB-C port, so you cannot stay plugged into a computer while shooting.
Wi-Fi (FTP) — keeps your internet
- Put the camera and your device on the same network.
- Pick “FTP connection” and the app shows an address and a port.
- Enter those in the camera's FTP transfer settings and start transferring.
The app listens only while you have “Run the FTP server” turned on. Opening an album does not start it.
LAN — keeps your internet, up to 3 cameras at once
- Put the camera and your device on the same network.
- On the camera, start waiting for a computer to connect.
- Pick “LAN connection” in the app and the cameras on the same network appear in a list. Choose the one you want. The last 6 characters on each row are the end of the camera's MAC address, so you can tell identical bodies apart.
- If the camera is not listed, you can look for it by its IP address.
⚠️ What you do on the camera depends on the model. The steps for each verified body are on Connecting by camera.
To add a second camera, use “+ Add another camera”.
Menu names by make
Only makes we have verified on real hardware are listed. For the rest the steps are the same, but the names may differ —— check your camera's manual.
When it does not work
| What you see | What to check |
|---|---|
| The camera is not found | Did you press connect? The app never connects on its own. Over USB, check the camera is set up to connect to a computer (see Connecting by camera) |
| Connected but no frames | Check the camera's transfer setting is on — the transfer destination for FTP, or Send to Smartphone for Wi-Fi. A green dot means the camera is connected |
| The camera is not in the LAN list | Check that the camera and your device are on the same network, and that the camera has started waiting for a computer to connect. If it still is not listed, look for it by its IP address |
| “This device isn't registered on the camera yet” | See “First time on this device (once per device)” on Connecting by camera |
| Bursts slow down | On Free, bursts settle to one frame every 2 seconds. Everything you shot still arrives (how it works) |
| No internet | You are on the camera's access point. USB-C, Wi-Fi (FTP) or LAN keeps your internet |
A record is kept. When something goes wrong, the app logs what happened. On Mac that's in Library / Logs / Frameleap; on iPhone and iPad it's in the FrameLeap folder in the Files app.