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High-speed camera trigger with a fast lidar, USB camera control, GPS and voice commands.
Thank you for purchasing the ORTTA Pluto 2 Pro, an advanced camera trigger for high-speed photography, trigger traps, and automated shooting. Pluto 2 Pro has a color screen so every program can be set up and started directly on the device — no phone required — and it connects to your camera wirelessly over Bluetooth or through a classic shutter-release cable.
Pluto 2 Pro is equipped with a lidar distance sensor, laser, light, lightning, and sound sensors, and an Aux port for DIY sensors. It can also fire a flash directly for high-speed work. The unit is powered by a rechargeable Li-ion battery and has a 1/4-20 inch tripod mount.
Pluto 2 Pro goes further than Pluto 2. Its lidar is faster and reaches farther, so it can catch fast-moving subjects. A USB host port lets it talk to your camera directly: it can change camera settings and receive the photos you take. It has a separate Flash port, built-in GPS, voice commands, an infrared camera trigger, the extra programs Bracket, Focus Stack and Holy Grail, and a larger battery. Everything Pluto 2 can do, Pluto 2 Pro can do too.
1. Built-in color screen. Pluto 1 needed the phone app for everything; Pluto 2 Pro is fully standalone. Set up and start every program on the device, watch the program progress live on screen — and even review photos right after they are taken: connect your camera to the USB host port and Pluto 2 Pro reads the image from the camera directly (or pair it with an Io Pro to do the same wirelessly).
2. Wireless camera control. Pluto 1 could only fire a camera through a shutter-release cable. Pluto 2 Pro connects to cameras with Bluetooth remote support (Canon, Sony, Nikon, Fujifilm, Panasonic) directly over Bluetooth — no cable needed. For older cameras without Bluetooth, add an Io or Io Pro to make them wireless too. The phone app also connects to Pluto 2 Pro wirelessly. And the classic shutter-release cable is of course still supported. Pluto 2 Pro also keeps Pluto 1's infrared camera trigger, and adds a USB host port that connects to the camera itself (see Connecting your camera).
3. Controls more than cameras. Besides mirrorless/DSLR cameras, Pluto 2 Pro triggers action cameras (GoPro, Insta360, DJI Osmo Action) and your phone's camera (with the Ortta Camera app) — so a sound or laser trigger can now fire your phone or GoPro just as easily as a DSLR.
4. Lidar instead of PIR. Pluto 1's passive-infrared sensor is replaced by an active lidar distance sensor (range 8–20 m, 500 Hz sampling, 2 ms response). Instead of reacting to any warm body anywhere in view, Pluto 2 Pro fires only when something enters the exact distance range you set — far more precise for wildlife traps and passing subjects.
The Aux, Flash and Camera ports are 2.5 mm sockets.
Unlike Pluto 2, which shares one port for the camera and the flash, Pluto 2 Pro has a separate Flash port. A flash for high-speed photography is fired from it directly, so the camera does not need to be triggered over Bluetooth. See Flash port.
| Button | Click | Long press (hold ~0.5 s) |
|---|---|---|
| Power | Turn the screen on / off | Power off |
| Program | Start the selected program; click again to stop it | Scan for cameras and devices to connect |
| Up / Down | Move the selection; when editing a value, change it | — |
| OK | Select / confirm | — |
| Left | Go back; on the home screen, open the program menu | — |
| Right | Open Settings | Show connected devices |
Connect Pluto 2 Pro to a USB power source with the supplied cable. The orange LED lights while charging and turns off when the battery is full. Use the USB charging connector, on the side opposite the camera, flash and Aux ports (see Charging).
A full charge takes about 3 hours.
Three LEDs sit at the top right of the screen. From left to right:
| LED | Colour | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Green | Lights when Pluto 2 Pro fires the camera or a program is running |
| 2 | White | Lights while Pluto 2 Pro is on |
| 3 | Orange | Lights while charging, off when fully charged |
The brightness of the green and white LEDs can be changed in Display settings.
After start-up Pluto 2 Pro shows the home screen: the page of the selected shooting program. The example below is the Lidar program.
Status bar (top)
| Position | Shows |
|---|---|
| Left | Icon of the connected camera or remote (a small number appears when more than one device is connected). A spinning ring replaces it while Pluto 2 Pro is scanning or pairing. A camera icon is shown while a camera is connected over USB. |
| Centre | Name of the selected program |
| Right | Self-timer countdown (only when a self-timer is set), a GPS icon when GPS is on (lit when there is a position fix), a Wi-Fi icon when connected to a Wi-Fi SD card, the Ortta app icon while the app is connected, a phone icon while the Ortta Camera app is connected, and the battery |
The battery fill follows the charge level and changes from green to yellow to red. A white lightning bolt appears while charging.
Short messages slide down over the status bar, for example "Program is running" or "Select program".
Live reading (sensor programs only)
Sensor programs show the program icon, a bar and a number under the status bar. For Lidar this is the measured distance in metres. For the other sensors it is the current sensor level, 0 – 100. The reading is hidden while the program is running.
Parameter list
The rows below are the program's parameters. The row with the orange border is selected, and the scroll bar on the right shows that more rows are below.
When you press OK on a row, its choices appear one above the other. The current value is in the middle, highlighted in orange. Change it with Up / Down.
Program menu
Press Left to open the program menu. Each program has a large icon and its name; the dots on the right show your position in the list. Move with Up / Down and press OK to select a program.
While a program is running
The parameter list is replaced by a progress screen. The program name is at the top and a ring shows the progress.
Click Program to stop the program.
Note: pair Pluto 2 Pro inside the Ortta app, as described below. Do not pair it in your phone's system Bluetooth settings: the pairing will be rejected.
Turn on Pluto 2 Pro.
Open the Ortta app on your phone.
Open the Device page, either way:
The app starts scanning automatically. Pluto 2 Pro appears under Discovered devices.
Tap Pluto 2 Pro. In the dialog, tap Pair.
Pluto 2 Pro now appears under Paired devices.
Pluto 2 Pro can fire your camera several ways — pick the one that matches your gear:
| Your gear | Connection |
|---|---|
| Canon / Sony / Nikon / Fujifilm / Panasonic with Bluetooth remote | Direct Bluetooth — no cable |
| GoPro / Insta360 / DJI Osmo Action | Direct Bluetooth — no cable |
| Older camera without Bluetooth | Via an Io or Io Pro |
| Any camera with a remote port | Shutter-release cable |
| Your phone's camera | Ortta Camera app |
| Camera with a USB port (PTP) | USB cable to the USB host port |
| Camera with an infrared remote receiver | Built-in infrared trigger |
| Flash (high-speed photography) | PC sync cable to the Flash port |
Applies to Canon, Sony, Nikon, Fujifilm, Panasonic, GoPro, DJI Osmo, and Ortta devices (Io, Io Pro).
Put the camera in Bluetooth pairing mode. The menu name differs by brand, so check your camera's manual (look for "Bluetooth remote" or "smartphone pairing").
On Pluto 2 Pro, press Right to open Settings, then choose Devices › Add.
Pluto 2 Pro starts scanning. Nearby devices appear in the Discovered list with an icon and the name the device advertises. A sound plays and the selection jumps to each new device. The scan runs until you leave this page.
Select your camera and press OK.
Pluto 2 Pro shows Paired and a confirmation sound plays. The camera now appears under Devices.
Brand notes:
If you see Pairing Failed, bring the camera closer, make sure it is still in pairing mode, and try again. Already Paired means this device is already in your list, and Max 10 Paired means you must remove one first.
Pluto 2 Pro can hold up to 10 paired devices, 6 of them enabled at once. A trigger is sent to all connected Bluetooth cameras, so you can fire several cameras together. The first device you pair becomes the master.
To manage a device, open Settings › Devices › Devices, select it and choose Enable, Disable, Set Master or Remove.
Install the Ortta Camera app on the phone you want to use as a camera and pair the phone with the Ortta app as described in Pairing with the Ortta App. The phone does not appear in Pluto 2 Pro's Devices list. While it is connected, a phone icon is shown in the status bar.
Pluto 2 Pro can take photos and record video with the phone's camera. Each photo you take is shown on the Pluto 2 Pro screen according to the Review settings. While a video is recording nothing is shown on the screen, but the green LED (LED 1) flashes (see Status LEDs).
Connect the cable to the Camera port. There is nothing to pair or set up: Pluto 2 Pro drives the port on every trigger. Use a cable made for your camera.
Connect a flash with a PC sync cable to the Flash port. The Flash port is separate from the Camera port, so you can use a flash and a camera cable at the same time. See Flash port for how the flash is fired.
Connect the camera to the USB host port with a USB cable. Pluto 2 Pro talks to the camera over PTP, the standard USB protocol for cameras. This is a wired link, so it needs no pairing and does not depend on Bluetooth.
While a camera is connected over USB, Pluto 2 Pro can:
Pluto 2 Pro supports Canon, Nikon, Sony, Fujifilm, Panasonic and Olympus OM-D cameras. Which functions are available depends on the camera model. See the camera compatibility list for the supported models.
Note: turn off the camera's auto power-off, or it may go to sleep during a long sequence.
Pluto 2 Pro has an infrared LED like Pluto 1's, for cameras that have an infrared remote receiver and no Bluetooth. Point the LED at the camera's infrared receiver with a clear line of sight.
The infrared trigger is Off by default. When Mode is not Off, Pluto 2 Pro sends the infrared command every time it fires the camera, in addition to the camera's other connections. Set Mode back to Off if you do not use it.
Pluto 2 Pro includes the following built-in shooting programs, each with its own adjustable parameters. Programs run entirely on the device — once started, Pluto 2 Pro works standalone.
| Program | What it does for the photographer |
|---|---|
| Shutter Release | Wireless trigger with single / hold / lock / bulb / burst / timed modes |
| Time-lapse | Automated time-lapse, with optional bulb-ramp |
| HDR | Auto exposure bracketing (bulb) |
| Star Trail | Continuous long-exposure sequence for star-trail stacking |
| ND | ND-filter long-exposure calculator + shooting |
| Starscape | Astro exposure calculator (500-rule) + shooting |
| Video | Timed recording, overcomes the 30-minute limit |
| Timer | Scheduled shooting with a start/end clock time |
| Boltlapse | Lightning-triggered time-lapse |
| Speech | Take a picture or record video with a spoken wake word (see Speech) |
| Bracket | Exposure bracketing by changing the camera's own settings over USB (see Bracket) |
| Focus Stack | Step the focus through the scene for focus stacking (see Focus Stack) |
| Holy Grail | Day-to-night time-lapse that adjusts shutter speed, aperture and ISO (see Holy Grail) |
Use this program to take a single picture manually. Depending on the release mode, Pluto 2 Pro either instructs the camera to release the shutter with the current in-camera settings, or times an arbitrary exposure using the camera's Bulb mode.
Release modes:
For Hold, Lock, and Bulb modes, set your camera to Bulb. For the others, any exposure mode works, including fully automatic modes. Use manual focus, or see PreFocus if you want the camera to autofocus before each shot.
Time-lapse takes a series of photos at a fixed interval; the frames are played back as video to compress minutes or hours into seconds. Use it for sunsets, clouds, traffic, crowds, construction, or the night sky.
How to use
| Setting | What it means | Tips |
|---|---|---|
| Shots | Total number of frames to capture | 240 frames ≈ 8–10 s of final video at 24–30 fps |
| Interval | Time between each frame | Fast subjects (traffic) 1–2 s · clouds 3–5 s · stars/sunset 15–30 s |
| Duration | Total shoot time = Shots × Interval | Enter a Duration and Pluto 2 Pro back-solves Shots for you |
| Start Delay | Wait time before the first frame | Use to walk away / avoid touching the rig |
Note: your camera may not be able to shoot as fast as the interval you set. The maximum frame rate depends on image size, memory-card speed, and other factors. If the camera cannot keep up, some frames will be skipped.
Avoiding flicker: set exposure, white balance, and focus to manual. If you still see "aperture flicker" (the lens cannot close the aperture blades exactly the same amount every time), use the lens-twist trick: hold the DOF-preview button, press the lens-release button, and twist the lens a tiny amount until the aperture display shows "00". Take a few test shots to make sure there is no error.
Your camera battery may not survive a long time-lapse. Enable the automatic meter-off timeout in your camera so it sleeps between shots; Pluto 2 Pro wakes it up before each frame (see PreFocus). For sequences longer than a day, power Pluto 2 Pro from a USB charger.
Smoothly ramp the exposure across the sequence so a sunset-to-night time-lapse stays evenly exposed. Set your camera to Bulb mode; Pluto 2 Pro times each exposure and gradually changes it from the first to the last value.
Tips:
Bulb Ramp only changes how long Pluto 2 Pro holds the shutter open. To ramp the camera's shutter speed, aperture and ISO instead, with the camera in a normal exposure mode, use Holy Grail.
High dynamic range imaging captures a greater range of light by shooting multiple photos with exposure bracketing, which you merge into a single HDR image afterwards.
Pluto 2 Pro shoots the bracket using the camera's Bulb mode:
Because Bulb mode is used, exposures faster than ~1/20 s may not trigger reliably. For bright scenes, add an ND filter to push all exposures longer.
Star Trail takes a continuous sequence of long exposures of the night sky, which you stack afterwards into a single star-trail image.
Enable Live View on your camera to avoid vibration from the mirror.
The ND program calculates the correct exposure when using neutral-density filters. Set the filter strength and the metered shutter speed without the filter; Pluto 2 Pro computes the new shutter time and takes the long exposure for you (camera in Bulb mode).
When shooting sharp (non-trailing) stars, the exposure time is limited by the "Rule of 500". Select your camera model and the actual focal length; Pluto 2 Pro calculates the slowest usable shutter speed with the crop factor already accounted for, and takes the exposure. Choose the Rule of 400 for faster-moving stars near the celestial equator.
Video mode works around the 30-minute recording limit of many cameras: when the camera stops recording, Pluto 2 Pro restarts it immediately.
Only cameras that can start/stop video recording via the shutter-release cable or over a wireless connection are supported.
Timer mode shoots during a set period of each day — useful for long-term time-lapses of construction sites or growing plants. Set the Start Time and End Time, plus the photo interval (or video retrigger time). Power both the camera and Pluto 2 Pro from AC adapters for multi-day use.
Boltlapse is a time-lapse that also watches for lightning. It takes a picture at every interval like a normal time-lapse, and takes an extra picture whenever the lightning sensor fires between two intervals — so you get a steady sequence plus every strike that happens while you wait.
| Parameter | Default | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Shots | 240 | Number of time-lapse frames before the program stops. Lightning pictures do not count towards this number. |
| Interval | 1" | Time between time-lapse frames. |
| Delay | 0 | Wait before the program starts. Pluto 2 Pro always waits at least 2" so the sensor can settle. |
| Sensitivity | 30% | Lightning sensor sensitivity. Higher values react to fainter flashes. |
| Pre-Focus | Off | Holds the camera's focus (half-press) while waiting, so a lightning picture has no autofocus delay. |
| Drive | See Drive Settings. Reset Time is the pause after each picture before the sensor is armed again. |
Exposure time for each picture comes from Settings › Camera. Use manual exposure on the camera. If a long exposure covers several intervals, Pluto 2 Pro takes just one extra frame instead of catching up.
See Lightning for aiming and sensitivity tips.
Bracket takes a series of photos at different exposures, one setting at a time, for HDR or exposure blending. Unlike HDR, which holds the shutter open in Bulb mode, Bracket changes the camera's own shutter speed, aperture or ISO over the USB cable and then fires the camera. It works at any shutter speed and does not need Bulb mode.
It needs a camera connected over USB. Without one, Pluto 2 Pro shows No Camera. Set the camera to Manual (M) exposure, otherwise it may not accept the new values.
| Setting | Options | Default | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mode | S.S., Aperture, ISO | S.S. | The setting that is changed from shot to shot. |
| Order | Mid First, Increase, Decrease | Mid First | Mid First — the middle exposure, then the others. Increase and Decrease walk through the range in one direction. |
| S.S. / Aperture / ISO | the camera's list | — | The middle value of the bracket. Only the item for the chosen Mode is shown. Pluto 2 Pro uses the closest value your camera offers. |
| Shots | 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15, 17, 19 | 3 | Number of photos. |
| Bracket | 1/3, 2/3, 1, 2, 3 | 1/3 | Distance between two photos, in stops. |
| Gap | Time list | 1000 ms | Shortest wait after a photo is saved before the next setting is changed. |
| Delay | Time list | 0 | Wait before the first photo. Pluto 2 Pro always waits at least 2". |
After each photo Pluto 2 Pro shows the value it is using. When the series is finished it puts the camera's original setting back.
If something goes wrong, Pluto 2 Pro stops and shows one of these messages:
| Message | Cause |
|---|---|
| No Camera | No USB camera is connected. |
| Bad bracket | Shots or Bracket is zero. |
| Bad mid exp | The middle value is empty or the camera does not offer it. Choose it again. |
| Focus Failed | The camera could not focus (for example, a Nikon out of focus). |
| Capture Timeout | The camera did not report a finished photo in time. |
| Camera Busy | The camera refused the new setting for 10 seconds. |
Focus Stack takes a series of photos while moving the focus from the near end of the subject to the far end (or back), so you can blend them afterwards into one photo that is sharp everywhere. It is made for macro and product photography.
Pluto 2 Pro moves the focus by itself over the USB cable, with the camera's own focus-drive command. There is no motor and no extra hardware. It needs a camera connected over USB; Live View is started automatically and stopped again at the end.
There are two modes.
Setting the range (Near/Far mode)
The limits are counted from where the lens was when you started. If you turn the focus ring by hand, or restart the program, set them again.
| Setting | Options | Default | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mode | Near/Far, Steps | Near/Far | See above. |
| Step Size | Small, Medium, Large | Medium | How far the lens moves for one step. |
| Homing Steps | 0 – 80 | 5 | Steps mode only. How many big steps toward near to take before shooting, so the stack starts from the near end. 0 starts from the current focus. |
| Far, Near | Near/Far mode only. The two ends of the range. | ||
| Shots | 1 – 250 | 10 | Number of photos. At least 2. |
| Steps | 1 – 250 | 5 | Steps mode only. How far the focus moves between two photos. |
| Order | Near>>Far, Far>>Near | Near>>Far | Near/Far mode only. Steps mode always goes from near to far. |
| Post Time | Time list | 100 ms | Pause after each focus move, so the lens can settle. |
| Interval | Time list | 1000 ms | Extra wait after a focus move before the next photo. |
| Delay | Time list | 0 | Wait before the first photo. Pluto 2 Pro always waits at least 2". |
Each frame is taken, then Pluto 2 Pro waits until the camera has finished saving it, moves the focus and waits for the lens before the next one. While it moves to the start, the screen shows Homing.
| Message | Cause |
|---|---|
| No Camera | No USB camera is connected. |
| Set limits | Near/Far mode, but Far and Near are the same. |
| Bad shots / Bad steps | Shots is 1 or less, or Steps is 0. |
| Capture Timeout | The camera did not report a finished photo in time. |
| Set lens to AF | Nikon: the lens must be in autofocus for the camera to accept focus commands. |
| MF LV failed | Nikon: the camera could not switch to manual focus in Live View. |
| Set to MF | Sony: set the camera's focus mode to Manual or DMF. |
Note: focus stacking moves the focus through the camera, so the lens must support focus-by-wire. Use manual exposure and turn image stabilisation off. Pluto 2 does not change the aperture.
The "holy grail" of time-lapse is a shot that starts in daylight and ends in the night sky, or the other way round, with no visible jump in brightness. Holy Grail does this by changing the camera's shutter speed, aperture and ISO in small steps while it shoots, so the picture stays evenly exposed as the light changes. It uses the sun's position, so it needs to know where you are.
This is different from Bulb Ramp in Time-lapse, which only changes how long Pluto 2 Pro holds the shutter. With Holy Grail the camera stays in a normal exposure mode and Pluto 2 Pro sets the exposure over USB.
Before you start
How it works. Pluto 2 Pro takes a photo every Interval. Before each photo it looks at the previous picture and, at most once every few shots, moves the exposure by 1/3 stop. At sunset it makes the picture darker step by step, at sunrise brighter, always staying inside the limits you set. Sunrise and sunset times come from your position and the date.
Main page
| Setting | Default | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Shots | 240 | Number of photos. |
| Interval | 5" | Time between photos. |
| Duration | Shown only: the total time, from Shots and Interval. | |
| Playback | 10" | Shown only: the length of the finished video. |
| Delay | 0 | Wait before the first photo. Pluto 2 Pro always waits at least 2". |
The page has two submenus.
Holygrail (Auto Ramp)
| Setting | Options | Default | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|
| Method | Histogram, ETTR | Histogram | How Pluto 2 Pro measures each picture. Histogram follows the overall brightness. ETTR (expose to the right) keeps the highlights just below clipping. |
| Type | Sunset, Sunrise, Auto | Sunset | The direction of the ramp. Auto decides from the time of day. |
| Min S.S., Min f/, Max ISO | Sunset: the slowest shutter, widest aperture and highest ISO the ramp may reach. | ||
| Max S.S., Max f/, Min ISO | Sunrise: the limits for the other direction. Auto shows all six. | ||
| ShotsBet | 1 and up | 3 | Smallest number of photos between two exposure changes. |
The ETTR submenu has Highlights Lo and Highlights Hi (the range of highlight pixels to aim for, 0.10% and 0.50%), Clipped Limit (0.30%) and Night FB (6 frames), the number of dark frames after which Pluto 2 Pro switches to brightness-based control.
Night Ramp
| Setting | Default | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Step Down | 3 EV | How much darker the picture is at night than in daylight. |
| Now, Sunset St, Sunset End, Sunrise St, Sunrise End | Shown only: the time now, and when the sunset and sunrise ramps start and end. |
Opening Night Ramp recalculates these times from your position.
If the camera stops answering or does not report a finished photo, Pluto 2 Pro keeps trying for 60 seconds and then stops with Camera Stuck or Capture Timeout.
Pluto 2 Pro's sensors react quickly: Sound, Light, Lightning and Aux respond within 1 ms and Laser within tens of microseconds. Lidar responds within 2 ms, so it suits subjects at high speed, though Laser and Sound still react faster. Sound, Light, Lightning, Aux and Laser are ideal for high-speed photography and trigger traps.
The goal is to catch an object in motion: detect an event, wait a precise delay, and fire. There are two methods:
Shutter method — Pluto 2 Pro triggers the camera. It works in daylight, but the camera's shutter lag (often 100 ms or more, and slightly variable) limits timing accuracy, and the mechanical shutter limits effective speed.
Flash method — the camera sits on a long exposure (~2 s) in a dark room, and Pluto 2 Pro triggers the flash instead. The flash duration (1/10,000 s or faster at low power) becomes the real exposure time, with virtually no lag. Use this whenever timing accuracy matters: connect the flash to Pluto 2 Pro's Flash port with the PC sync cable, open the camera shutter, then let the sensor fire the flash.
Pluto 2 Pro has a Flash port of its own, separate from the Camera port. Use it for the flash method:
With Laser the trigger signal reaches the Flash port in hardware, tens of microseconds after the beam is broken. The trigger delay you set is counted in microseconds. The flash is fired with a pulse of about 0.1 s, which is enough for any hot-shoe flash or studio unit with a PC sync input.
Ortta sells a 2.5 mm to PC sync flash cable. It is a standard flash sync cable.
The lidar sensor continuously measures the distance in front of Pluto 2 Pro (range 8–20 m, sampled 500 times per second) and fires when something enters the distance range you set.
It replaces the passive-infrared wildlife mode of Pluto 1 with something far more precise: instead of reacting to any warm body anywhere in view, Pluto 2 Pro triggers only when the subject is at the exact distance you choose — a bird landing on a branch, an animal on a trail, a cyclist crossing a line. It works day and night, and unlike PIR it also detects subjects that are not warm-blooded.
Pluto 2 Pro's lidar is built for fast subjects: it samples 500 times per second and responds within 2 ms, so it can catch a moving bird, a cyclist or a ball that a slower lidar would see only after it has passed.
Lidar has two detection modes, chosen with Mode:
| Setting | Shown in | Options | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mode | Both | Auto, Manual | Auto | Detection mode (see above). |
| Threshold | Auto | 10%, 20% … 90%, 95% | 90% | Fire when the distance falls below the reference × Threshold. A higher value is more sensitive: at 90% a 10 % closer reading fires, at 50% the subject must be half as far away. |
| Filter | Auto | 1" – 10" | 2" | How often the reference distance is refreshed. Slow changes (wind, a car parking) are absorbed into the reference; fast changes still fire. |
| Min Dist | Manual | 0 m, 0.1 – 0.9 m, 1 – 20 m, 25 m, 30 m | 5 m | Near edge of the trigger window. |
| Max Dist | Manual | 0 m, 0.1 – 0.9 m, 1 – 20 m, 25 m, 30 m | 12 m | Far edge of the trigger window. |
| Sensitivity | Both | 1, 10, 100, 1000 | 1 | Number of consecutive qualifying readings required before firing. Raise it to ignore single stray readings (rain, insects, leaves). |
| Misc | Both | submenu | — | Trigger mode, capture mode and shot limits (below). |
| Drive | Both | submenu | — | Still/Video, shutter pulse, burst and trigger reset time. See Drive Settings. |
Readings are taken 500 times per second, so Sensitivity 10 needs about 0.02 s of continuous detection, 100 about 0.2 s and 1000 about 2 s.
The lidar measures about 8–20 m, depending on the target and the light: a light-coloured subject in overcast weather is detected farther away, a dark subject in bright sun closer. Min Dist and Max Dist can be set up to 30 m, but a distance beyond what the lidar can measure on your subject will never trigger.
| Setting | Options | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mode (trigger mode) | Enter, Exit, Enter/Exit, Continuous | Enter | Manual mode only: when to fire relative to the window. Enter — when the subject moves into it. Exit — when it leaves. Enter/Exit — on both. Continuous — keeps shooting as long as the subject stays inside the window, one picture per capture cycle, and stops when it leaves. |
| Capture | Normal, Dual, Bulb | Normal | Normal — one picture or video per trigger, as set in Drive. Dual — sound opens the camera, lidar fires the flash (high-speed photography, see below). Bulb — Pluto 2 Pro opens the camera shutter by itself and holds it (Drive Bulb Time, default 1'; Bulb Gap, default 0.2", is the pause before it reopens); the lidar trigger fires the flash and releases the shutter. Use it with the flash method in a dark room. Continuous trigger mode always uses Normal. |
| Bulb Time / Bulb Gap | see Drive Settings | 1' / 0.2" | Shown only when Capture is Bulb. |
| Shots | Unlimited, 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200, 500, 1000, 2000, 5000 | Unlimited | Maximum number of triggers allowed in each Window. |
| Window | 1", 2", 5", 10", 20", 30", 50", 1', 2', 5', 10', 20', 30', 60' | — | Length of the counting window for Shots. |
| Gap | 1", 2", 5", 10", 20", 30", 50", 1', 2', 5', 10', 20', 30', 60' | — | Extra cool-down after the Shots limit has been reached, once the window ends. |
| Focus Hold | On / Off | Off | Keep the shutter button half-pressed while waiting, so the camera is already focused and metered when the trigger arrives. Keep Alive pulses are not sent while Focus Hold is on. |
Shots limit. The limit protects your card and battery when a subject lingers or a busy scene triggers constantly. For example, Shots 10, Window 1', Gap 30" allows at most 10 pictures per minute; once the 10th is taken, Lidar pauses until the minute is over, plus another 30 seconds. Setting Shots to Unlimited (or Window to 0) turns the limit off.
Dual capture is for high-speed photography with the flash method. A camera's shutter lag is too long to catch a fast event, so the work is split in two:
The sound threshold is the Sensitivity of the Sound program (1–100, higher catches quieter sounds); Lidar has no separate setting for it, so set it there first.
Use it in a dark room with the camera in manual exposure, so the flash alone makes the exposure. Dual capture waits for the sound first, so it cannot be combined with Continuous trigger mode.
⚠️ Caution: laser beams are dangerous. Avoid eye contact.
Laser works with the Pluto 2 Pro Laser, a laser emitter with its own battery. It is a separate product, sold separately and not included in the box. Aim the beam at Pluto 2 Pro's laser sensor (the laser / light / lightning sensor on the front). While the beam hits the sensor Pluto 2 Pro stays idle; the moment something blocks the beam it fires. The response is handled in hardware and takes only tens of microseconds, far less than the camera's own shutter lag.
Optional cable. You do not need to connect the laser to Pluto 2 Pro: it works on its own battery and stays on. If you connect it to the Aux port and turn the laser's own power switch off, Pluto 2 Pro powers and switches it for you: on when the program is running, off the moment the beam is blocked, and on again when Pluto 2 Pro is re-armed after the Reset Time. This keeps the laser dot out of your photo when the beam crosses the scene. When you stop the program the laser is not switched off: unplug the cable.
| Setting | Options | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Capture | Normal, Dual, Bulb | Normal | How the beam break is turned into a picture (see below). |
| Drive | submenu | — | Still/Video, shutter pulse, burst and trigger reset time. See Drive Settings. |
Normal — one picture (or video) per beam break, as set in Drive. After each trigger Pluto 2 Pro waits for the Reset Time before it is armed again.
Dual — for high-speed photography with the flash method, in a dark room. A sound opens the camera shutter first (Bulb), keeping it open; then the laser beam break fires the flash and releases the shutter. This avoids the camera's shutter lag. After the sound, Pluto 2 Pro waits up to about 4 seconds for the beam break; if it does not come, that attempt is silently abandoned. The sound threshold is the Sensitivity of the Sound program. In Dual mode the Reset Time is at least 1 second, so the buzzer cannot re-trigger the sound sensor.
Bulb — Pluto 2 Pro opens the camera shutter by itself and holds it open (Drive Bulb Time, default 1'; the pause before it reopens is Bulb Gap, default 0.2"). When the beam is broken the flash fires and the shutter is released. Use it with the flash method in a dark room.
Typical use: falling drops, balloon pops, pets or wildlife crossing a line.
Fires on a sound event — a popping balloon, breaking glass, a clap. Use the flash method for sharp results: the sound reaches Pluto 2 Pro almost instantly, far faster than any camera shutter.
| Setting | Options | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sensitivity | Off, 1%, 5%, 10%, 20% … 100% | 30% | Higher catches quieter sounds. Off never triggers. |
| Capture | Normal, Dual, Bulb | Normal | How the sound is turned into a picture (see below). |
| Drive | submenu | — | Still/Video, shutter pulse, burst and trigger reset time. See Drive Settings. |
Normal — one picture (or video) per sound, as set in Drive. After each trigger Pluto 2 Pro waits for the Reset Time before it is armed again.
Dual — for high-speed photography with the flash method, in a dark room. It uses two sounds, so the camera's shutter lag is out of the picture. The first sound opens the camera shutter (Bulb) and keeps it open; for the next 0.5" Pluto 2 Pro ignores sound, so the camera's own noise cannot cause a false trigger; the second sound fires the flash and releases the shutter. In Dual mode the Reset Time is at least 1 second.
Bulb — Pluto 2 Pro opens the camera shutter by itself and holds it open (Drive Bulb Time, default 1'; the pause before it reopens is Bulb Gap, default 0.2"). When the sound is heard the flash fires and the shutter is released. Use it with the flash method in a dark room.
The camera's own shutter sound can re-trigger the sensor. Increase the Reset Time to ignore it.
Like Sound, but uses ambient light as the signal: a camera flash, a lamp switching on or off, a headlight sweeping past, or a beam of light you break. The light sensor is the laser / light / lightning sensor on the front.
| Setting | Options | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sensitivity | Off, 1%, 5%, 10%, 20% … 100% | 50% | Higher moves the threshold marker so that less light change is needed to trigger. Off never triggers. |
| Mode | High, Low, Toggle | High | High fires while the light level is above the threshold. Low fires while it is below. Toggle fires once each time the level crosses the threshold, in either direction. |
| Drive | submenu | — | Still/Video, shutter pulse, burst and trigger reset time. See Drive Settings. |
After each trigger Pluto 2 Pro waits for the Reset Time before it is armed again. With High or Low, a level that stays on the wrong side of the threshold triggers again as soon as the Reset Time is over, so use Toggle when you want one picture per change.
A lightning flash is over in a fraction of a second, far too fast to react to by hand. Pluto 2 Pro reads the light sensor at high speed and fires the camera the moment a sudden brightening appears, day or night.
| Setting | Options | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sensitivity | Off, 1%, 5%, 10%, 20% … 100% | 30% | Higher reacts to fainter flashes. Off never triggers. If the sensor fires on lamps or distant flicker, lower it. |
| Pre-Focus | On / Off | Off | On: Pluto 2 Pro holds the camera's focus (like half-pressing the shutter button) while it waits, and again after each Reset Time, so the shutter reacts sooner. It uses more power in both the camera and Pluto 2 Pro. |
| Drive | submenu | — | Still/Video, shutter pulse, burst and trigger reset time. See Drive Settings. |
After each trigger Pluto 2 Pro waits for the Reset Time before it is armed again, so one flash does not take several pictures.
The Aux port is for DIYers: connect your own sensor (ultrasonic, smoke, temperature, …) with a 2.5 mm audio cable. The tip of the connector supplies 3.3 V, the base sleeve is ground, and Pluto 2 Pro samples the signal on the middle sleeve. The input signal must stay within 0–3.3 V.
The Aux program reads that signal as an analog level and compares it with a threshold, in the same way as Light. The live level runs from 0 (0 V) to 100 (3.3 V).
| Setting | Options | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sensitivity | Off, 1%, 5%, 10%, 20% … 100% | 50% | Higher moves the threshold marker so that a smaller signal triggers. Off never triggers. |
| Mode | High, Low, Toggle | High | High fires while the input is above the threshold. Low fires while it is below. Toggle fires once each time the input crosses the threshold, in either direction. |
| Drive | submenu | — | Still/Video, shutter pulse, burst and trigger reset time. See Drive Settings. |
After each trigger Pluto 2 Pro waits for the Reset Time before it is armed again. With High or Low, an input that stays on the wrong side of the threshold triggers again as soon as the Reset Time is over, so use Toggle when you want one picture per change.
Fusion combines several sensors in one program and only shoots during a time window you choose. Use it for jobs such as "take a picture when there is a sound and the light changes, but only at night".
| Setting | Options | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fusion (method) | Or, And | Or | Or fires when any selected sensor triggers. And fires only when all selected sensors trigger at the same moment. |
| Start time | 0:00:00 – 23:59:59 | 0:00:00 | Time of day when Fusion starts to react. |
| End time | 0:00:00 – 23:59:59 | 0:00:00 | Time of day when Fusion stops reacting. |
| Laser | On / Off | Off | Include the laser sensor. It triggers when the beam is blocked. |
| Sound | On / Off | Off | Include the sound sensor. |
| Light | On / Off | Off | Include the light sensor. |
| Aux | On / Off | Off | Include the signal on the Aux port. |
| Drive | submenu | — | Still/Video, shutter pulse, burst and trigger reset time. See Drive Settings. |
Time window. The window is always applied. With Start and End both at 0:00:00 it covers the whole day. If End is earlier than Start, the window runs through midnight, for example 22:00 to 06:00. It uses Pluto 2 Pro's clock, which the Ortta app sets every time it connects.
Nothing selected. If no sensor is switched on, Fusion never triggers.
Speech takes a picture when you say a command word, so you can trigger the camera without touching anything, for group photos, selfies or when you are in front of the lens. Pluto 2 Pro listens with its built-in microphone, so nothing has to be connected to your phone.
There are two command words, both in English: Jarvis and Alexa.
Pluto 2 Pro plays a short sound when it hears a command. After each command it waits one second before it listens again.
| Setting | Options | Default | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|
| Command | Jarvis, Alexa | Jarvis | The word that takes a picture. |
| Drive | submenu | Still/Video, shutter pulse, burst and bulb. See Drive Settings. |
On the running screen, Pluto 2 Pro shows the picture word, and whether it is Waiting, Triggered or in Cooldown.
Tips
Pluto 2 Pro pairs with the Ortta app over Bluetooth — see Pairing with the Ortta App.
Once connected, the Ortta app can:
Programs. Tap the menu icon at the top left to open the program list. It is grouped into Intervalometer (Shutter, Timelapse, HDR, Startrail, ND Filter, Starscape, Video, Timer, Boltlapse), Ortta Sensors (Lidar, Laser, Sound and more below), Smart Sensors (see 5.1) and Tools. Tap a program to open its page.
Tools holds two calculators: DOF (depth of field and hyperfocal distance from the aperture, focal length and sensor size) and Solar (sunrise and sunset times for your location, so you never miss the golden hour). The ND Filter and Rule of 500 calculators are now part of the Intervalometer programs.
A page lists the same parameters as the program on Pluto 2 Pro. For example, Timelapse has Duration, Shots, Interval and Delay, plus Presets (Custom or Standard). Tap the large round button to start the program.
Live sensor readings. Sensor pages show the reading from Pluto 2 Pro at the top. On the Lidar page this is the measured distance, here 1.59 m, with Mode, Threshold, Filter and Sensitivity below.
Pluto 2 Pro's own screen has no Delay setting for sensor programs, but the Ortta app (and, for Sound, the watch) does. Pluto 2 Pro honours it for Laser, Sound, Light and Aux: after the sensor triggers, it waits for the Delay before it fires the camera. Lidar, Lightning and Fusion ignore any Delay.
To update Pluto 2 Pro's firmware, see Firmware Updates.
Smart Sensors use the sensors of your phone to trigger the camera through Pluto 2 Pro — complementing the hardware sensors built into the device:
| Mode | How it triggers |
|---|---|
| Sound | Uses the phone's microphone — like the device Sound trigger, but handy when the phone is closer to the subject |
| Vibrate | Uses the phone's accelerometer; fires when vibration exceeds the set threshold |
| Motion | Uses the phone's camera to detect motion; zoom in/out to define the watched area, adjust sensitivity to subject size |
| Distance | Fires every set distance traveled — great for road-trip time-lapses, no wasted frames while stopped |
| Voice | Recognizes a spoken command and fires; other noise is filtered out no matter how loud. Say "jarvis", "photo", "cheese" or "shoot" to take a picture, or "video" to start or stop recording. English only |
| Smile | Detects a smile (or, in Blink mode, a blink) and fires 1.5 s after a notification sound — perfect for selfies; use zoom to stand farther away |
The Voice mode runs in the app, so it needs the phone nearby. Pluto 2 Pro can also listen for a wake word by itself, with no phone: see Speech.
The example below is the app's Sound page. A dial and a level histogram show the sound picked up by the phone, and the Delay slider sets the wait before the camera fires.
The other pages work the same way:
 Vibrate |
 Motion |
 Distance |
 Voice |
 Smile |
Droplet photographs water drops colliding in mid-air. It is available only in the Ortta app, not on Pluto 2 Pro's screen. It needs a Pluto Valve, a flash and a dark room.
Pluto 2 Pro runs the whole sequence by itself, in this order:
Each tap of start takes one picture. The flash is the real exposure, so the room must be dark and the camera in manual exposure.
Connections
Setup
Settings
| Setting | Description |
|---|---|
| Drop1 Size | How long the valve stays open for the first drop, in ms. Default 10. |
| Drop2 Delay, Drop2 Size | Pause after drop 1 and open time of drop 2. Defaults 60 and 10. |
| Drop3 Delay, Drop3 Size, Drop4 Delay, Drop4 Size | The same for drops 3 and 4. Both default to 0, which turns the drop off. |
| Flash Delay | Time from the first drop opening until the flash fires, in ms. Default 200. |
Calibration. Set Drop1 Size to 10 ms and Drop2 Size to 0, so only one drop falls. The flash should fire when the first drop has bounced off the water and reached its highest point. Tap the auto-calibrate button next to Flash Delay, set Step to 5 ms and Interval to 5 s, then start the calibration. Pluto 2 Pro takes a picture every 5 s and raises the Flash Delay by 5 ms each time. Watch the camera screen and stop when the drop is at its highest point. Then set Drop2 Size to 10 ms and calibrate Drop2 Delay the same way.
Now you can try different water colours and lighting.
When a camera is connected to the USB host port, every photo you take is sent to the Ortta app. There are two ways:
For the full-size JPEG, Pluto 2 Pro can use one of two kinds of Wi-Fi.
Turn JPG Download on in the Ortta app. Pluto 2 Pro then tries the router or hotspot first. If it cannot connect (after about 15 seconds), it starts its own network instead. Once Wi-Fi is up, Pluto 2 Pro tells the Ortta app, and the app connects to it by itself. Wi-Fi only runs while the Ortta app is connected. This works with both the iOS and the Android app.
Note: RAW files are not transferred; only the JPEG is. The camera must save JPEG, or RAW + JPEG. Sony cameras need Pluto 2 Pro's Wi-Fi to be on before the JPEG can be streamed.
The Ortta Watch app puts Pluto 2 Pro on your wrist: your Apple Watch connects to Pluto 2 Pro directly over Bluetooth — no phone needed in the field.
The watch remembers the last device and reconnects to it the next time you open the app. To switch to another device, open Devices and tap it.
The watch menu has these entries:
| Entry | What it does |
|---|---|
| Camera | Shows the exposure mode, shutter speed, aperture and ISO of the connected camera, lets you change them, and fires the shutter. Also has buttons for live view and video. |
| Shutter | Fires the camera with the selected release mode (Tap, Focus, Hold, Lock, Bulb and so on). |
| Timelapse | Duration, Shots, Interval and Delay. |
| Startrail | Shots, Exposure, Gap and Delay. |
| HDR | Middle Exposure, Bracket, Shots and Delay. |
| ND Filter | Base shutter speed and ND filter strength. |
| Sound | Sound trigger with Sensitivity, Delay and a live level plot. |
| Lightning | Lightning trigger with Sensitivity and a live level plot. |
| Devices | Connect to Pluto 2 Pro (see above). |
| Settings | Image review time, reset to defaults, About. |
Tap the start button on a program page to start it. While it runs, a progress view is shown on the watch.
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| Menu | Devices | Camera |
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| Timelapse | Timelapse running | Sound | Sound running |
The watch can show the photo you just took when the camera is connected to Pluto 2 Pro with a USB cable (see USB camera (PTP)), or through an Io Pro. Both read the image from the camera over PTP. With a Bluetooth camera or a shutter-release cable, the watch shows no photos.
Open Settings on the watch and tap Image review to choose how long the photo stays up: Off, 2", 4", 8" or Always on. With Always on the photo stays until the next one arrives; swipe down to close it.
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| Photo review | Settings |
Press Right on the home screen to open Settings. It has six pages: Devices, Camera, Review, Display, Geotag and System. Use Up/Down to move, OK to open a page or change a value, and Left to go back.
Settings that belong to a single program (burst, shutter pulse, trigger reset time, and so on) are not here — they are in that program's Drive row, see 7.6 Drive Settings.
| Setting | Default | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| PreFocus | 0" | Time the shutter button is half-pressed (autofocus) before each exposure. |
| Exposure | 0.3" | How long the shutter is held for each exposure. |
Both use the same list of times: 0", 30 ms, 50 ms, 100 ms, 150 ms, 0.2"–0.9", 1"–10", 15"–55", 1'–8'.
The page also has an Infrared Remote group, for cameras that you fire with an infrared remote:
| Setting | Options | Default | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brand | Canon, Nikon, Sony, Olympus, Pentax, PowerShot | Canon | The infrared code to send. |
| Mode | Off, Single, 2S, Video | Off | Single — fire at once. 2S — fire after a 2-second delay. Video — start and stop recording. Off — send nothing. |
Controls how photos from the camera appear on Pluto 2 Pro after each shot.
| Setting | Options | Default |
|---|---|---|
| Image review | Off, 2", 4", 8" | 2" |
| ProgTime | Time list | 2" |
| Scale | Fit, Fill | Fill |
| Quality | Max, High, Medium, Low | High |
The page also has a Preview group with its own Scale and Quality options, and a Download toggle (On by default) that turns the transfer of a thumbnail of each new photo on or off.
Pluto 2 Pro reads each photo from the camera over USB by itself, so it needs no Io Pro. With a Bluetooth camera, a shutter-release cable or the infrared trigger there is nothing to review, and these settings have no effect. Photos taken with the phone's camera (Ortta Camera app) are shown too, with the same settings. The Io Pro still works if you use one.
| Setting | Options | Default |
|---|---|---|
| Backlight | Screen brightness: Off, 1%, 5%, 10%, 20%, 30%, 40%, 50%, 60%, 70%, 80%, 90%, 100% | 50% |
| Led | Brightness of the green program LED and the white power LED. Same options as Backlight | 50% |
| DispOff | Time without button presses before the screen turns off: Stay On, 30", 1', 2', 5', 10', 20', 30', 60', 2h | 5' |
| PowerOff | Time before Pluto 2 Pro powers off. Same options as DispOff | 30' |
| Dark Mode | Default, Dark, Light | Default |
Press any button to wake the screen.
| Setting | Options | Default |
|---|---|---|
| Language | English, 简体中文 | English |
| Sound | On, Off — turns the buzzer on or off | On |
| USB Host | On, Off — powers the USB host port and talks to the camera. See USB camera (PTP) | On |
The Misc group contains:
Every sensor program (Laser, Sound, Light, Lightning, Aux, Fusion, Lidar) and Boltlapse has a Drive row at the bottom of its parameter list. It opens the page below. The settings are shared by all programs.
| Setting | Options | Default |
|---|---|---|
| Drive (mode) | Still, Video | Still |
Still (shown when Drive is Still)
| Setting | Default | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| PreFocus | 0" | Time the camera autofocuses before each shot. Keep 0" for the fastest response. |
| ShutPulse | 200 ms | How long the shutter signal is held. A short pulse is enough for a flash. Choose a longer pulse if your camera does not fire reliably, for example with Live View on. |
| Burst | Off | Number of pictures per trigger: Off, 1–10, 12, 15, 20, 50, 60, 70. |
| BurstInt | 0.2" | Time between the pictures in a burst. |
Video (shown when Drive is Video)
| Setting | Default | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Duration | 1' | How long each recording runs: Manual (start and stop with separate triggers), 1"–10", 15", 20", 30", 45", 1'–3', 5', 10', 15', 20', 30'. |
Bulb (shown only when the program's capture mode is Bulb Flash)
| Setting | Default | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Bulb Time | 1' | How long the shutter stays open. |
| Bulb Gap | 0.2" | Pause between exposures. |
Trigger
| Setting | Default | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Reset Time | 3" | Minimum time between two triggers. After a trigger fires, further events are ignored for this period. Use it to skip unwanted events (such as the camera's own shutter sound) and to set a minimum trigger interval. |
| Trigger Phone | Off | Also tells the connected Ortta app to take a picture with the phone when the program triggers. |
| Keep Alive | Off | While the program waits for a trigger, half-presses the shutter at this interval so the camera does not go to sleep. Off, 5"–60", 1'–60'. |
Pluto 2 Pro has a built-in GPS receiver. It gives Pluto 2 Pro your position and the exact time, which Holy Grail needs for sunrise and sunset, and it can write your position into the photos you take. The Geotag settings page has four items.
| Setting | Options | Default | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|
| GPS | Off, DevFirst, Phone First, Device Only, Phone Only | Where the position comes from. DevFirst (Device First) uses the built-in GPS and falls back to the phone. Phone First is the reverse. Device Only and Phone Only use one source. The built-in receiver is switched off with Off and Phone Only, to save power. | |
| GPS Info | Opens a screen with the fix status, the signal strength, and the date and time. It refreshes every second. | ||
| Geotag | Off, 1", 2", 5", 10", 15", 30", 1', 2', 5' | Off | How often Pluto 2 Pro sends the position to the camera. |
| Timezone | UTC-12 … UTC+12 | Used for the clock when there is no GPS fix. The Ortta app sets it every time it connects. |
The GPS icon on the home screen shows when GPS is on, and lights up when there is a position fix, from the built-in receiver or the phone. A first fix outdoors can take about a minute and a half after a cold start. Keep Pluto 2 Pro where it can see the sky.
Which cameras get the position. Set Geotag to anything other than Off, and Pluto 2 Pro sends the position, at that rate, to every Bluetooth connection that supports geotagging: Sony, Fujifilm, Panasonic, Canon, GoPro and Osmo, and to Canon cameras over USB.
Nikon. Nikon cameras get the position through the Ortta Io for Nikon, a dedicated Io with a 10-pin or GPS terminal connector. The 10-pin version is for high-end Nikon cameras that use the DC0 cable; the GPS terminal version is for cameras that use the DC2 cable. Pair it with Pluto 2 Pro the same way as an Io (see Connecting your camera) and plug it into the camera. With Geotag on, Pluto 2 Pro sends the GPS data to it. The standard Io only releases the shutter, and the Io Pro cannot geotag Nikon cameras.
New firmware adds features and fixes bugs. You update Pluto 2 Pro from the Ortta app over Bluetooth; no computer or cable is needed.
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| Ready to upgrade | Upgrading in the app | Upgrading on Pluto 2 Pro |
While the update runs, Pluto 2 Pro does not turn off by itself and its screen stays on. If the update stops or fails, these timers go back to your settings and you can start it again.
Note: after an update, leave Pluto 2 Pro on and let the Ortta app connect to it once. This confirms that the new firmware works. If the new firmware does not start properly, Pluto 2 Pro goes back to the previous version by itself, and the app offers the update again.
Does my phone have to stay on during a program? No. Once a program is running, Pluto 2 Pro works on its own and you can walk away with your phone. The exception is the Smart Sensors, which run on the phone. Sound and Voice also work with the app in the background or the screen off. Vibrate, Motion, Distance and Smile need the app in the foreground with the screen on.
Can I use autofocus? Yes. Set a PreFocus time in Drive Settings so the camera focuses before the shutter is released. Autofocus does not guarantee a sharp picture every time. If the camera does not release with autofocus on, turn off Back Button Focus on the camera.
How do I put my camera in Bulb mode? On some cameras, turn the mode dial to "B". On others, choose manual exposure and set the slowest shutter speed: the display then shows "B".
Can I use Pluto 2 Pro in the cold? Yes, but the battery drains much faster in the cold. You can power Pluto 2 Pro from any 5 V USB battery pack.
Lightning keeps shooting but there is no lightning. The sensitivity is too high. Lightning reacts to a change in light, not to the light level, so with steady light the reading must stay low. To test it, cover the light sensor with your hand and lower the Sensitivity until the reading is below the threshold marker. Then move your hand away quickly: the reading should jump above the marker. Start the program only when it behaves like this. See Lightning.
A sensor program fires too late for fast action. See High-speed photography basics and Flash port: use the flash method in a dark room, with the flash in the Flash port, instead of firing the camera shutter.
Can Pluto 2 Pro control my camera without Bluetooth? Yes. Connect it to the USB host port (see USB camera (PTP)), or use the Camera port or the infrared trigger. Only USB lets it change the camera's settings and receive photos.
Do I need an Io Pro with Pluto 2 Pro? No. Pluto 2 Pro reads photos over USB itself.
Which Pro programs need a USB camera? Bracket, Focus Stack and Holy Grail. They show No Camera without one.
The app cannot find Pluto 2 Pro.
Pluto 2 Pro does not fire the camera.
A sensor program never triggers, or triggers all the time. Watch the live bar at the top of the program page. Adjust the Sensitivity so the reading stays below the threshold marker at rest and goes above it when the event happens. See the page of your sensor in Sensor Triggers.
The Droplet valve does not work. Check that the valve is on and charged and its cable is in the Aux port, and that the tube has water above the bottom of the small tube. See Droplet.
Pluto 2 Pro does not find my USB camera.
See USB camera (PTP).
Bracket, Focus Stack or Holy Grail shows "No Camera". These programs need a USB camera. Connect it as described above. Bluetooth cameras, cable and infrared triggers cannot be used for them.
The GPS has no fix. Take Pluto 2 Pro outdoors with a clear view of the sky, and wait a minute or two. Check GPS in Settings › Geotag is not Off or Phone Only, and open GPS Info to see the status.
Speech does not react. Start the Speech program: Pluto 2 Pro listens only while it is running. Say "Jarvis" or "Alexa" clearly and wait one second between commands. Reduce background noise and move closer.
