Frequently Asked Questions

Bolt Hunter supports the vast majority of cameras out there - including models made by Canon, Nikon, Sony, Fujifilm, Panasonic, Olympus, OM System, Pentax, Leica, Hasselblad, Minolta, Sigma, Contax, Kodak, Samsung, and PowerShot.

The list of supported cameras is available above, or click here to access the drop down and search for your model.

When you make a selection, you will also notice the shutter cable in the image changes - so you can verify you’re receiving the correct cable.

If you don't see your camera listed, shoot us an email at info@bolthunter.io and we will let you know if there is a way to make Bolt Hunter work for your camera.

The first activation isn't "predictive" - Bolt Hunter fires immediately on the first detectable optical signal. Unlike many triggers that rely on larger brightness spikes, Bolt Hunter is tuned to recognize faint intracloud activity that sometimes precedes the stepped leaders.

Earlier detection means your camera begins exposure sooner, especially when combined with Bolt Hunter's shutter lag reduction tool.

"Predictive triggering" is what happens next.

While your camera is in the shutter lag, exposure, and lockout stages, Bolt Hunter is analyzing the bolt in real time. It measures return stroke timing and spacing, compares to known ranges, and calculates when your camera will be ready again. Depending on the results of these calculations, Bolt Hunter may buffer and schedule a second (or even third) exposure during the same bolt at the time it "predicts" will be most successful.

It’s not predicting when lightning will strike.

It’s predicting how to maximize success capturing the different stages of a lightning event that has already begun. This whole process happens in milliseconds (thousandths of a second).

We designed Bolt Hunter to address the complaints and shortcomings of every other trigger on the market. Instead of building a do-it-all device that's marginal at many things, we built something exceptional at one: lightning photography.

Smarter Detection & Timing
- Automatically adjusts to changes in ambient light — set sensitivity once and leave it
- Prevents shutter hammering when the sun comes out; reduces missed bolts when light levels drop
- Designed to function even pointing directly into the sun
- Measures your camera's actual shutter lag and helps you reduce it

Built for the Field
- One of the smallest lightning triggers available, with single-button setup — no menu diving
- Weather-sealed to survive even the heaviest downpours
- 48+ hour lithium battery built-in — with zero current draw when off — no more dead 9v surprises
- Auto-tightening cold shoe mount — no loose fit or slipping in the hot shoe, and no moving parts
- Sacrificial mount design protects your camera if it takes a hard fall — $15 user-replaceable cover

Workflow Features
- Built-in intervalometer runs timelapses while simultaneously triggering on lightning — designed specifically for storm photography workflows
- Night Mode uses BULB mode for long exposures to catch the photogenic early stages, then ends your exposure before repeated return strokes blow out the shot
- Built-in lightning simulation lets you test your setup and see which return strokes will be captured
- Bluetooth companion app for advanced settings, shutter lag reduction tool, and in-field firmware updates when new features and performance improvements are released

Reliability, Compatibility & Monitoring

- Nearly universal compatibility, including with Bluetooth-only cameras that have no shutter port, and the new USB-C connectors on Sony cameras
- Connection monitoring alerts you if the cable is loose or camera is off — no silent failures
- Motion alert optionally notifies you via app if the camera moves, blows over, or walks away
- Optional audible feedback from integrated speaker, for triggering confirmation and error alerts
- Standardized cables — nothing proprietary here, buy replacements from us or retailers like Amazon

Nope! Bolt Hunter was designed for rapid in-field deployment and works completely on its own. Lightning triggering & timelapse functionality does not require the app.

However, the mobile app is required for:

- Measuring and optimizing your camera’s shutter lag

- Advanced functionality such as predictive triggering for subsequent return strokes

- Firmware updates

If you just want to mount it and start shooting lightning, you can. If you want to unlock the full performance envelope, the app enables that.

If you have a 2.5mm TRS Y-splitter, it should work. However, we don't sell them since Bolt Hunter is designed to work with a single camera by measuring its specific shutter lag and predictively timing the exposure. Shutter lag can vary by camera - even of the same model, so your mileage may vary. That being said, if you're set on using one trigger for multiple cameras, you can disable the predictive timing feature.

Every trigger is going to miss some shots - even Bolt Hunter. If there's no intra-cloud flash preceding the stepped leaders, and the bolt has a single return stroke, there isn't a trigger in the world that can catch it - despite what they claim. There are some other scenarios where you might miss the shot as well, but they're more a matter of luck versus trigger tech. For example, if another exposure has just ended, all cameras have a lockout period before they can re-trigger. Even though Bolt Hunter has buffered triggering to overcome this, every now and then a pesky bolt will fall through the cracks.

Short answer: Bolt Hunter is fully compatible with pre-capture capable cameras, and together they can make the strongest lightning photography setup available. But is pre-capture alone a replacement for a dedicated trigger? Not quite.

Where pre-capture has the edge: Cameras with pre-capture may catch single-stroke daytime bolts with no preceding intracloud flash — the kind that happen too fast for even the best trigger to respond to due to shutter lag.

Where pre-capture falls short: Rolling shutter artifacts are common unless you have a global shutter camera — which are currently among the most expensive consumer cameras on the market and generally come with resolution tradeoffs

The workflow requires you to manually attend the camera, watch the sky, and press the shutter after a bolt occurs — then dig through buffered frames to find the one you want.

The process of selecting and saving frames has frustrated many photographers, and the software manufacturers require for this leaves a lot to be desired, though this will hopefully improve over time.

Pre-capture modes may also apply compressed raw output not required during normal shooting.

When in pre-capture mode, Bolt Hunter will delay triggering until after the lightning event ends, so your camera saves the images from the most photogenic stages of the bolt!

Yes! Most modern cameras support BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) triggering, and Bolt Hunter enables wireless triggering on most Sony, Canon, and Nikon cameras. We are currently working on development for other brands as well.

Some new cameras also ditch their dedicated remote shutter release ports in favor of USB-C ports (such as the Sony A7 V). Sony unofficially supports triggering through the USB-C port, but it is slower than both traditional remote shutter release ports and Bluetooth triggering. So while it’s possible, for lightning we recommend using Bluetooth to decrease shutter lag.

Note that Canon cameras with only USB-C ports (such as the R50) do not support USB-C triggering, and will require Bluetooth if they don’t have another dedicated shutter release port available.

Daytime lightning photography is a balancing act: your exposure needs to be slow enough to catch the bolt, while letting enough light in that the bolt shows up bright and distinct against the background.

Shutter Speed: Aim for 1/15 sec or slower. Higher shutter speeds increase the chance of your exposure landing between return strokes and missing the bolt entirely. If conditions require faster shutter speeds, enable Bolt Hunter’s predictive triggering to compensate.

ISO: Set it as low as your camera allows — typically ISO 50 or 100. This keeps noise low and gives you more flexibility with aperture and shutter speed.

Aperture: A good goal is to be around f/8. Avoid going higher than f/11 for two reasons: diffraction will soften your image, and the increased depth of field makes sensor dust more visible in your shots.

ND Filters: Avoid them when possible. If ambient light conditions require one, use no stronger than 3 stops. Stronger ND filters reduce the light reaching your sensor and cause bolts to appear washed out.

Nighttime lightning is a different story. Rather than triggering to start the exposure, Night Mode works in reverse by holding your shutter open in BULB mode and closing it when a bolt is detected, protecting your exposure from being blown out by repeated return strokes.

With Night Mode enabled, Bolt Hunter controls the shutter speed (usually 15-30 seconds), so your job is to dial in ISO and aperture for the scene. Keep ISO between 100 and 400 depending on ambient light, and aperture between f/5.6 and f/11. A brighter scene or closer bolts means you should lower the exposure.

Detection range depends entirely on ambient light conditions, but Bolt Hunter has successfully triggered on bolts over 30 miles away during daytime. At night the range is further.

As a rule of thumb, if a bolt is close enough to be worth photographing, even with a telephoto lens, Bolt Hunter can detect it.

We have tons of pretty cool ideas, and some will be easier to implement than others. In addition to more advanced wireless camera control, one of these is Dynamic Exposure Control. This would allow bulb-ramping when shooting timelapse with Bolt Hunter, so you get smooth daytime-to-sunset transitions all while triggering on lightning as a storm rolls through. 

There is one other pretty exciting idea... Have you ever been shocked by your tripod when shooting lightning? It's more common (and dangerous) than you might think and has happened to us quite a few times over the years. We've done some testing with a Tesla Coil to simulate the electric field that causes this, and we actually think Bolt Hunter can detect when a close-range lightning strike is imminent, and even notify you to take cover immediately. Theoretical at this point...but we are going to test it out this year and see if it works!