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07-23-2010, 03:28 PM   #1
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A very interesting Gizmo. Wired and wireless remote.

I was looking for a solution to a growing problem. There are a ton of weekend cowboys shooting weddings and they have made it tough for everyone. Ministers and priests are getting fed up with the noise and disruptions of these inexperienced shooters that don't respect the service.

They no longer want shooters anywhere near the front of the church. It will allow me to set a camera up on a tripod to shoot on it's own, giving me a couple images I would not otherwise have. It could also go on the balcony to get that perspective. Since the camera is unattended, the composure is static but a few shots are better than none.

So I picked up this remote on Ebay:
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It's very cool and cheap ($60). You can do interval timing, Time lapse, use as a wired remote, as a wireless remote, timed photography, lock for bulb exposures. Plus as an interval timer, it will take infinite shots till the card is full unlike the not so smart 99 limit in the camera.

The remote claims 80 meters and my quick test shows that and more. It's 2.4Ghz and walls, buildings etc don't stop it. I put the camera in the back yard and when on the other side of the house. It fired every time. It has a little delay sequence, so if the camera is in AF, before it fires, it sends a signal to the camera to AF and then shoots.

You could easily set the camera up near a bird feeder and step away to get good close ups of birds etc.

I just thought I'd share this for anyone looking for a good remote solution. This unit works well.

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It's only flaw so far is the battery door on the wired remote. I found it didn't stay on as tight as I wanted and I put some tape on it. I'll tidy that up later. This part serves 2 functions. First the button on the top gives you a wired remote to simply take photos. It does not have to sit on the hot shot but has that feature for the wireless application.

The second use is wireless. It's the receiver that sends the signal to the camera from the hand remote.
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The hand unit can be used as a wireless remote and when wired to the remote socket, gives you all the extra features above.
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The thing even came with Duracell's!! not some throw away batteries. Nice touch.

Specs from the seller's listing (Ebay item: 220615765841, Seller ID: jiaxichen1985)
Timer delay:
0s to 99hrs 59min 59s in one-second increments

Exposure time:
0s to 99hrs 59min 59s in one-second increments

Interval:
1s to 99hrs 59min 59s in one-second increments

Number of shots:
1 to 399,-- (unlimited)

Power source:
Two AAA 1.5V LR03 alkaline batteries

Battery life:
Approximately two months of continuous shooting with a delay of 5min, an exposure time of 4min 56s*, and an interval of 5min. Use of the illuminator will reduce battery life.
* this is using the wireless feature to shoot in bulb mode. For longer exposures, the Pentax wired remote can go forever and would work better.

Operating temperature:
-20 -- +50? (-4 -- +122?)

Dimensions:
Approximately 155 x 40 x 18 mm (6.1 x 1.6 x 0.7 in), excluding projections

Weight:
Approximately 105g (3.7oz), excluding ferrite core

Length of cord:
Approximately 850mm (33.5in)z

Package contents:
Timer Remote x1
Receiver x 1
AAA Battery x2
CR2 Battery x 1
English Instruction Manual x1 (yes and for the most part, you can understand it)


Last edited by Peter Zack; 07-23-2010 at 03:34 PM.
07-29-2010, 08:29 PM   #2
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Peter, thanks! Ordered one, can't wait for the painted and indigo buntings to show up this winter!
07-29-2010, 09:46 PM   #3
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Do you think you'll leave the camera in AF mode and trust its judgment or prefocus with an aperture that has a decent depth of field and lock the focus so that you know what you're going to get, even if it isn't perfect?

I've seen some neat wedding shots from remote cameras with ultrawide or fisheye lenses placed right up by the ceremony or hanging from the rafters to get non-traditional perspectives. I'm pretty sure one of the weddings I was at recently had a slaved camera with a long lens set up on the balcony, though I didn't get to see any of the images from it.
07-30-2010, 04:52 AM   #4
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I think the only way to do this, whether it's a birds nest or a wedding is to put the camera on a tripod, pre focus the lens on the target and have enough DOF to cover at least 2 meters (1 in front and 1 behind) and put the camera in MF. I can't see the AF hitting the right taget when it's left alone. In close you might have to use AF though and just hope it's aimed well.

07-30-2010, 04:54 AM   #5
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Btw I'll be using it for the first time this weekend. It's an outdoor service but still offers a second shooting location up on a hill overlooking the service. So I'll have some real world comments to add to this thread.
07-30-2010, 05:54 AM   #6
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Thanks Peter !!!! Just what I was looking for. I now have one on the way !!!!
07-30-2010, 07:02 AM   #7
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Neat gizmo Peter. Looking forward to your report of how it works. May be well worth including in the gadget bag.

Btw... I like your "weekend cowboy" term... You know what I call those guys right... "fauxtographers"

Mike

07-30-2010, 07:13 AM   #8
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I've used a less elaborate version from the same company for years for groups, especially ones where I am in them. The range is great.
08-03-2010, 04:55 AM   #9
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I own a wired remote from that manufacturer, bought from DealExtreme. Nothing but praises, especially for the price. Your system sounds great. If you ever shoot in the Quebec city area and would prefer an assistant instead of a static camera, ring me
08-03-2010, 05:27 AM   #10
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I used it on Sunday at a wedding. Worked perfectly. Gave me a couple of shots I wouldn't otherwise have had but also it caught the entire wedding from start to finish to create a time lapse video about 1.5 minuts long. I set the TL to 20 seconds and that was too long. Still makes a fun "video" but next time I'll set it to around 7 seconds.
08-03-2010, 06:06 AM   #11
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Awesome Peter - might look into one of those as well ! This cowboy stays as far away from weddings as possible as I KNOW the difficulties
08-03-2010, 07:35 AM   #12
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On the wired unit, mine came with out an on/off switch. So to save the batteries while stored and not in use, I resorted to flipping one of the batteries around.

08-03-2010, 08:49 AM   #13
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Does it work on the k-x?

Also, are the frequencies varied?

Like, not saying it's ever going to happen, but what if two guys at the same event are using the same device?
08-03-2010, 10:04 AM   #14
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QuoteOriginally posted by Ira Quote
Does it work on the k-x?

Also, are the frequencies varied?

Like, not saying it's ever going to happen, but what if two guys at the same event are using the same device?
From what I see, I think you need a remote control socket port for this to work as it controls the wireless receiver that plugs to that port too..which the K-x doesn't have.
08-03-2010, 10:07 AM   #15
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Hey Peter, do you know where I can buy that "coily thing" so I can use it as an extension for a wired remote..or did that come with your wired-wireless remote?
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