The Arsenal 2 Pro is a smart camera assistant designed to simplify photography by helping automate settings on your DSLR or mirrorless camera. Its developers claim it can outperform the camera’s built-in auto mode, but the device offers much more, especially in stacking and AI-powered adjustments. In this review, we’ll look into my experience using the Arsenal 2 Pro with my Canon System R camera, discussing its performance across different features, quirks, and functionalities.
Mounting and Connectivity – Arsenal Camera Review
The Arsenal 2 Pro mounts onto your camera’s hot shoe, where you’d typically attach a flash. Unlike the standard Arsenal 2, which uses a micro USB, the Pro uses a USB-C connection. The coiled USB tethering cable supplied by the manufacturers works well enough, though it does stick out a bit awkwardly from the side of the camera.
The developers recommend using a tripod, especially for long exposure shots or stacking features, but there is a handheld mode. I tend to use my camera’s viewfinder rather than the back screen or a companion app for shooting, so adjusting to using the Arsenal app to control the camera was a significant shift. It felt a bit clunky, especially since I prefer composing through the viewfinder.
Initial Setup and Common Pitfalls – Arsenal Camera Review
Before using the Arsenal 2 Pro, it’s important to ensure your camera is set to single-shot mode. The device sometimes struggles with settings like HDR and multi-shot modes, as I found out when I had HDR enabled. It confused the Arsenal, and extra images were flagged as “Failed.” The camera processed the HDR images, but Arsenal didn’t know how to handle them.
Similarly, if your camera is in Servo AF mode, which is ideal for wildlife photography, the Arsenal 2 Pro may not be able to adjust the focus properly. Servo AF continuously refocuses on moving subjects, causing conflicts with Arsenal’s focus mechanism. Switching to single-shot autofocus resolved this issue for me.
Unfortunately, Arsenal’s error messages are vague, and it took some time and trial-and-error before figuring out what was causing problems. This could be improved with clearer documentation or error reporting.
Feature Breakdown
1. Smart Mode
Smart Mode is the bread and butter of Arsenal 2, allowing the device’s AI to determine optimal settings for your shot. Your camera should be in aperture priority (AV) mode for this feature. I was initially surprised by this, as manual mode seemed like it would give Arsenal more control, but aperture priority allows the camera to adjust shutter speed based on the depth of field you want.
For landscape shots, Smart Mode performed adequately, producing sharp, well-exposed photos. However, this feature isn’t suitable for wildlife photography, where shutter speed is more important than aperture.
2. Manual Mode
Manual mode lets you control your camera settings while using Arsenal’s interface. While you have control over exposure, ISO, and shutter speed, Arsenal doesn’t provide AI-based adjustments in this mode. In my experience, it didn’t offer any real advantage over using manual settings directly on the camera itself. My Canon System R has customizable features that allow me to control these parameters more efficiently than through Arsenal’s app.
3. Focusing and Focus Stacking
The Arsenal 2 Pro app lets you select focus points on your camera, but if the camera is in Servo AF mode, focusing often fails. After switching to single-shot AF, focus selection worked correctly. Focus stacking, one of Arsenal’s more advanced features, lets you combine multiple images to achieve a deep depth of field throughout the photo. This feature theoretically allows for sharp focus across the entire image, but it has its drawbacks.
For example, you don’t get much control over what parts of the image are in focus. You’re limited to selecting the number of shots and the focus step size, but the app doesn’t tell you much about how those focus steps translate into the final image. After testing, I found it hard to judge the results on a small screen and only got a better idea of the results after transferring the images to my computer.
4. Exposure Bracketing
Exposure bracketing is similar to HDR processing, but Arsenal 2 adds AI-driven decision-making to the process. In Smart Mode, Arsenal selects the ISO, aperture, and shutter speed. In Manual Mode, you take full control. While the feature works as intended, I didn’t see much-added value over my camera’s built-in HDR mode. However, it’s worth comparing both approaches if you want to fully evaluate how Arsenal stacks up against your camera’s native processing.
5. Long Exposure Stack
The Long Exposure Stack feature is intended for creating smooth, extended exposures without using filters. By taking a series of shots and combining them, Arsenal smooths out water, blurs clouds, or produces light trails. It works, but like most stacking options, it requires a tripod for best results. It could be useful for specific situations like shooting traffic at night or capturing water movements, but it’s not something I’d use frequently.
6. Crowd Control
Crowd Control is one of Arsenal’s more unique features. It’s designed to remove moving objects or people from a scene by taking a series of images and combining them. I tested this with walkers near a pond, and it worked well—none of the people showed up in the final image. However, it requires a time interval between shots, and the app doesn’t stop until you manually decide to finish. This feature is interesting but situational. For my style of photography, I don’t often find myself needing to eliminate crowds.
7. Timelapse
Timelapse allows you to create a sequence of photos that Arsenal will merge into a video. It’s essentially a way to create a movie out of static images taken over a set period. While I don’t typically shoot videos, I could see how this would be useful for capturing events over time, like the movement of clouds or changing light conditions.
8. Night Assist Mode
Night photography can be tricky, especially without proper equipment like star trackers or specialized software. Arsenal’s Night Assist mode helps by simplifying the process. When I tried it for some star shots, it initially struggled due to my camera’s spot metering setting, but once I switched to evaluative metering, it worked fine.
However, Night Assist is not designed to replace proper star-tracking techniques. While it offers convenience for general night photography, it doesn’t compare to more advanced astrophotography setups.
9. Deep Colour
Deep Colour is an AI-powered post-processing feature aimed at enhancing the colors in your images. It operates as a slider in the Arsenal app, allowing you to increase the intensity of colors after taking the photo. While it works, I found editing images on a small screen unsatisfying. For serious editing, I prefer using desktop software like Lightroom or Photoshop, where you have more control over specific adjustments.
Image Saving and Storage
One of the confusing aspects of the Arsenal 2 is how it handles image storage. You can choose to save images on a microSD card, your phone, or both. However, the app’s settings could be more intuitive, and I found myself experimenting to figure out what I really wanted. For instance, it would be easier if Arsenal saved processed images directly to the camera’s memory card. Having to manage two storage locations can become cumbersome, especially when backing up photos.
Arsenal Camera Review | Final Thoughts
The Arsenal 2 Pro offers useful automation for photographers, particularly for stacking images and AI-driven adjustments. However, it’s not without limitations. It doesn’t replace manual controls, and it may not work perfectly with all camera modes, such as HDR or Servo AF. Additionally, some features, like Deep Colour and Focus Stacking, feel underdeveloped compared to professional editing software.
If you’re looking for a device to enhance your landscape photography or improve long-exposure shots, the Arsenal 2 Pro is worth considering. But for more dynamic photography, like wildlife or sports, the benefits are limited. You should also be prepared for some trial and error as you learn its quirks. It’s a solid assistant for certain types of photography, but it won’t fully automate your process or replace manual expertise.
