Remote Shutter Release?

[MickeyWanaBe]

I am starting to think about what items I need for our trip in Septemeber.
I got the Canon XTi for my birthday and I am still learning the ropes! I am reading as much as I can on what others have taken and feel necessary. One thing I keep reading about is a remote shutter release. I will most likely need one (unless I use the timer) since I love night photography.

My question is what remote whould you recommend? Will any remote work? And will it work well? What are your experiences with remotes?

BTW, I already have my gorillapod and I have my eye on the nifty fifty.
TIA

 

[11290]

I just ordered one about 4 days ago from ebay for about $9 shipped.

I got the cabled one but might later get an infared one also. Haven't received it yet but the pic look just like the $30 Canon product.

 

[WillCAD]

I have the Canon RC1 for my Digital Rebel 300D.

I use it any time I set my camera on a tripod. I figure that if you're using a tripod for steadiness, there's no sense in ruining the steadiness with a button push vibration.

The RC1 works great. It's small and light, and has long battery life (I've had mine for about 2 years and it's still on the original battery). One thing to note is that the cameras tend to have a very limited field of reception for these remotes - the remote has to be pretty much in front of the camera for it to work.

It's well worth the $20 it would cost to get one.

I have not tried any after-market version of the remote, but there are many on the market that are cheaper than the RC1 and supposedly do the same job.

 

[DueyDooDah]

I picked up the remote switch and a 30' extension cord. Can't live without them, although I don't use the extension much, it is handy when doing tethered shooting. I can't move the camera far from the PC with my current configuration but I've got 30' to play with to take the shot.

One problem I've run into with the remote is the button - it sticks if I don't press the button straight down. Not a big thing but for a $80 button, it shouldn't.

 

[DVC Jen]

you can get a remote (unwired) shutter release for the xti from ritz/wolf camera for around 20.00 and it works great.

 

[MarkBarbieri]

You probably want the Canon RS-60E3 Remote Switch. It's a 2 foot cable release. You can also go Groucho style and make your own. A wireless remote is great when you want to be in the picture (use the 2 second timer so the remote isn't in the shot), but it's not good for fireworks or other situations where you want to use "bulb" mode.

Note that Canon has two different model lines of remotes. The Rebel series uses the remote listed above. The x0D and xD series cameras use remotes like the RS-80N3 and the TC-80N3. The latter is cool because you can set a delay before it takes a picture (from 1 second to 99 hours, 59 minutes, and 59 seconds), a number of pictures to take (0-99 or continuous), a delay between pictures, and a shutter speed.

 

[Disney2XS]

but it's not good for fireworks or other situations where you want to use "bulb" mode.


Why is a remote not good for when you're using "bulb"?

 

[MickeyWanaBe]

Wow! Thanks for all the information!

I am checking out the links on Amazon and B&H right now!

 

[MarkBarbieri]

but it's not good for fireworks or other situations where you want to use "bulb" mode.


Why is a remote not good for when you're using "bulb"?

"Bulb" mode is when the shutter stays open as long as you keep the shutter button pressed. You definitely want to use a remote because otherwise you would shake the camera. With the Canon RC-1 wireless remote, you press the shutter twice for bulb mode (once to open the shutter and once to close it). With a wired remote, you hold the button down to keep the shutter open. For really long exposures, you can lock the shutter button down so that you don't have to hold it.

 

[Disney2XS]

Thanks Mark.

That makes sense. I'll have to do that.

 

[MarkBarbieri]

I was incorrect on how Canon's RC-1 handles bulb mode shots. Instead of holding the button down (or locking it down like on a wired remote), you use a two click process. The first click opens the shutter and the second closes it. I guess that makes it more useable in bulb mode.

 

[Groucho]

Like Mark says, you can roll your own, Canon and Pentax use exactly the same remotes so the process is the same. You need two buttons, a 3/8" plug (like for cell phone headsets), and some cable. I used regular phone cable. You'll also want something to mount the buttons in.

The only problem is that 1) you have to be able to solder halfway decently and 2) the plugs that Radio Shack sells don't have good strain relief, so you may find a wire pulling free (as happened to me on the last trip.) You may do better finding an existing unloved cell phone headset and cutting the cable and using that.

Here's what mine looks like. I've since added a sliding switch for long exposures, and it has a Mickey sticker now, too.

The main point, though, is that these are extremely simple devices, I wouldn't pay top dollar for one.

 

[Mr._The_King]

Groucho,
That is (as my middle school students would say) off the chain I know your busy taking and posting (and processing and explaining and.....) your excellent photos but is there any chance you could give us a step by step for that contraption. It looks like just the kind of thing I could maybe actually do Maybe(big maybe). If you have time. Thanks
MRTK

 

[WillCAD]

I have a wired shutter release for my Canon Rebel G 35mm, and I much prefer the simplicity of the wireless IR remote I have for my Digital Rebel.

The wire itself can sometimes cause the camera to shake if you're not careful, but mostly I just didn't like dealing with the wire - folding and unfolding any time I used it - and I hated being tethered to the camera the whole time I was setting up a shot.

On the other hand, the wireless IR remote is easy to use and small enough to carry in your pocket, or on your camera strap.

 

[crazydadguy]

Something to remember about wireless IR remotes, it will set off your camera, and anyone else's camera of the same Make and Model around you. On crowded days at DL and WDW, that might cause a few problems.

 

[WillCAD]

Something to remember about wireless IR remotes, it will set off your camera, and anyone else's camera of the same Make and Model around you. On crowded days at DL and WDW, that might cause a few problems.

It's a potential problem, certainly, but not too much, at least for Canon owners. Canon cameras actually have to be put in countdown-timer mode for the remote to work, so only those who are using the countdown timer or setting up to do remote shots of their own would be affected. The angle of view of the remote receiver is also rather narrow, further limiting the possibility for interference.

I can only see it as a real problem during fireworks shots on tripods in crowded areas. Just have a look behind you to be sure there are no other Canon users setting up whose cameras could be triggered by your remote, and in front of you to be sure there are no other Canon users setting up in a position where their remote might trigger your camera.

I don't know about Nikon SLRs and their remotes, and Sony SLRs are few enough and far enough between for this to be a non-issue.

I also doubt that a Canon remote could trigger a Nikon camera, or a Nikon remote could trigger a Canon camera. But it's worth investigating.

 

[Groucho]

Groucho,
That is (as my middle school students would say) off the chain I know your busy taking and posting (and processing and explaining and.....) your excellent photos but is there any chance you could give us a step by step for that contraption. It looks like just the kind of thing I could maybe actually do Maybe(big maybe). If you have time. Thanks
MRTK

Well, it's really pretty simple. The plug that will go into the camera is the basic 3/8" cell phone plug - make sure if you buy a blank one that it is "stereo" or has two rings on the shaft that goes into the jack. Inside, you'll find a ground then two other connections. If you short one wire to the ground, it will be like a half-press of the shutter (ie, it will meter and focus and so on), and if you short the other wire, it will trip the shutter. So you take some cable, connect to those three spots in the plug, then on the other end, take two buttons and connect the ground to one terminal of each, and each button will get one of the other wires on its terminal. If you want a long exposure slider switch, that will get the same wires as you used on the one for the shutter.

Obviously it makes sense to have different color buttons to help you remember which does what!

I just remembered that I do have a broken cell phone headset so I may redo mine with that cable, that should keep the plug side sturdy. On the other side, I did tie a knot in the cable (you can see it inside the Tic-Tac container in the photo if you look closely) to act as basic strain relief. In other words, if you pull on the cable from the outside, it'll pull on the knot rather than pull the wires out of the buttons.

Good luck! Let us know if you decide to give it a try, and what you end up mounting the buttons in. (Get creative with that choice! )

 

[Mr._The_King]

Thanks for the detailed instructions. Summer vacation is starting soon so I may have a chance to fiddle around and try to build one. Now we'll see if my soldering skills are any better than my photograohy skills otherwise I'll be ordering from BandH before too long Either way it looks like a fun project I'll let you know how it turns out Thanks again
-MR.TK

 

[MickeyWanaBe]

Like Mark says, you can roll your own, Canon and Pentax use exactly the same remotes so the process is the same. You need two buttons, a 3/8" plug (like for cell phone headsets), and some cable. I used regular phone cable. You'll also want something to mount the buttons in.

The only problem is that 1) you have to be able to solder halfway decently and 2) the plugs that Radio Shack sells don't have good strain relief, so you may find a wire pulling free (as happened to me on the last trip.) You may do better finding an existing unloved cell phone headset and cutting the cable and using that.

Here's what mine looks like. I've since added a sliding switch for long exposures, and it has a Mickey sticker now, too.

The main point, though, is that these are extremely simple devices, I wouldn't pay top dollar for one.

Just as a follow up, DH made me a remote shutter release. It's not a cool Tic Tac one... It's just black, but it works great! I tested it out this weekend with some fireworks at the lake. I will have to post some pictures.

Thanks for all your suggestions and help. Someday I want the TC-80N3 Mark mentioned...

Thanks again!

 

[WillCAD]

I recently purchased a no-name brand remote for my Digital Rebel, and it works like a charm. I got it from DealExtreme:
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.5577

It was only $4.37, and I got free shipping. DealExtreme also sells a tethered remote:
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.8231