canon setup

1 - compatibility

check this list to confirm that your camera supports CCAPI:

need a camera? these are some of our favorites:

canon r5

canon r7

canon rp

canon m6 ii

canon g7x

canon m200

need a phone? try the latest pro model with standard, wide and zoom lenses.

apple iphone 15 pro (128GB)

2 - firmware

check the canon site to confirm your camera has the latest firmware.

do not continue without current firmware.

3 - activate CCAPI

download the "CCAPI activation tool for mac v1.3.0a" to your computer.

open the zip file and the dmg file inside.

turn on your camera and plug it into your computer with a usb cable.

now run the CCAPI activation tool on your computer:

click the execute activation button:

click the accept checkbox and press next:

your computer is now activating CCAPI on your camera:

click ok to finish activation:

nice work!  that's the hardest part.

now power cycle your camera and set your camera dial to program (P)  mode.

automatic (A+) mode may hide menu items that you need to connect your phone later.

4 -  enable wifi

let's enable the wifi network on your camera.
‍
the steps below may differ from camera to camera so look carefully.

older cameras
‍

example:  canon m6 mark ii
released summer 2019
firmware version 1.1.1

select the purple "connectivity" tab.

select "wifi settings" and press ok.

scroll down and select "camera control api" and press ok.
‍
select "add connection" if you're enabling wifi for the first time  and follow this sequence:

add with wizard > camera access point > easy connection

otherwise simply select "connect" and press ok.

this will display the wifi network (SSID) created by your camera.

select it and press ok.

your camera wifi is now running and waiting for devices to connect.

note your unique network name (SSID)  and password.

leave this screen open until you're ready to connect your phone.‍

newer cameras
‍

example:  canon r8
released spring 2023
firmware version 1.0.0

select the purple "connectivity" tab.

select "advanced connection" and press ok.

select "camera control api" and press ok.

scroll down to disable the "https" setting.

"https" is a newer feature that might prevent connections to your phone.‍

select "add connection" if you're enabling wifi for the first time  and follow this sequence:

add with wizard > camera access point > easy connection

otherwise simply select "connect" and press ok.

this will display the wifi network (SSID) created by your camera.

select it and press ok.
‍
your camera wifi is now running and waiting for devices to connect.

note your unique network name (SSID)  and password.

leave this screen open until you're ready to connect your phone.‍

5 -  connect iphone

now let's connect your phone to your camera.

open iphone settings > wifi and select your camera network.

enter the network password displayed on your camera when prompted:

‍a blue check should confirm your network selection after a few seconds.

you might also see "no internet connection" appear under your network name.

this is normal and just means that while your phone is connected to your camera, it's been disconnected from the internet.

6 -  connect internet

let's reconnect your phone to the internet.

tap the blue "info" icon next to your camera wifi network.

scroll down to "IPv4" and make sure "configure IP" is set to automatic.

copy the unique IP address (192.168.1.XX) and subnet mask (255.255.255.X) displayed on your phone.

now change "configure IP" from automatic to manual and enter the unique values you copied earlier, then tap save.

do not copy the numbers from our screenshot — yours may be different.

7 -  launch hypno

it's time to capture photos using your canon.

make sure your camera has an SD  card inside or your connection will not work.

launch the app and open an event.

tap the camera window and press the "camera" icon at the bottom left.

your phone should quickly find your camera and display its name (ex:  canon r5).

remember, this will only work inside events created by studio and brand subscribers.

now press the shutter on your camera.

photos should transfer instantly to your phone, ready for review and upload.

remember that smaller photos (S1/S2)  will transfer faster than medium and large photos.

8  - camera settings

experiment with image quality and aspect ratio for optimal results.

use the smallest “image quality” possible to speed up transfer and upload times.

lower settings (S1/S2) transfer the fastest and are great for social.

your originals will always save to your SD card  — including your RAW files.

set image aspect ratio directly on your camera.

for example, select 1:1 to send square images to your phone.

if your camera powers off, the  connection to your phone will drop.

we recommend disabling power-saving features to avoid this.

also avoid:

separating your camera and phone with thick walls or large distances

shooting near other electronics that may cause wifi interference (ex:  dj booth)

attempting to connect multiple phones to the same camera
‍
if you experience repeated disconnects unrelated to these issues, please report them in our discord.

we recommend enabling “auto connect” for the wifi network on your camera.

this will launch your network every time your camera powers on, making it fast and easy for your phone to connect automatically.

you may need to "disconnect" your camera connection to enable this menu setting.

9 -  graphics

hypno makes it easy to add custom branding to your images.

‍when prepping graphics, remember to make a version for each aspect ratio you plan to capture.

if shooting directly on your phone, you can apply 9:16 and 16:9 graphics only.

if shooting on your canon, you can apply graphics for each aspect ratio supported by your camera.

custom graphics are only available to creator, studio and brand subscribers.