[George Lama]

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All remotes would support Bulb mode as long as they fire IR while a button is pressed.

And as others have mentioned, firing the shutter is the only supported option at this time. Is someone up to tweaking firmware?

Confused, if you have no luck getting a remote to your liking, let me know and I will certainly do you the favor or purchasing it and shipping it to you.

I would let you know actual cost of purchase and shipping, receipt/invoice included for verification. Not sure how much it would cost to ship a small box to the UK, but I guarantee you it's cheaper than any e-bay crazy S&H fee and I won't charge you $20 dollars for a padded envelope .

Send me a PM and we can exchange info.

[Confused]

Hi "Frogroast"

Many thanks for your very kind offer, but I've never used the PM facility before and will have to find out how it works before contacting you !
It's extremely frustrating to imagine that with some careful forethought at the software encoding stage, numerous functions of the K10D could well have been controllable by a multi-function r/c handset. This is a tantalising prospect, but if someone with the necessary technical abilities was clever enough to 'hack' the K10D's coding, this might of course still be possible.
Just think of all the mayhem one could cause by covertly triggering various settings on other people's digital cameras, without them realising what-the-hell was going on.......I can feel the Power coursing through my veins already !!!!............however due to damage limitation requirements and potential lawsuits, this message will shortly self-destruct in approximately 10 seconds !

Kindest regards

[pentaxographer]

I was going to buy the F remote myself but one reason I didn't buy it was precisely because of its size, another, it's absurd price. I knew I would lose it sooner or later. Yeah sure, it fits in the grip and all, but size isn't what's important to me.

Instead, I opted for a GE TV basic universal remote. Unlike those sold on e-bay, the one I bought looks stylish, has only the basic buttons, and it fits beautifully on the palm of my hand, just as an ergonomic remote should.

Here's my original post in the Accessories forum - https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/72482-post28.html

What the? You cannot afford twenty bucks. Who wants to tote around a TV remote?
Weird

[Confused]

Hi "frogroast"

After much deliberation, I have decided to order the wireless remote that "kenyee" recently mentioned.
As he stated:

That's why I also went w/ the YongNuo wireless one...bulb mode, can be fired w/o being in line of site, longer range, etc...

Due to the favourable £ vs $ exchange rate it only amounts to about £15.00 inc p&p, which is cheap enough for me ! I like the fact that it features switchable frequencies, so if any problem arises due to potential interference issues or weak signals etc, I can simply select another channel ! I would probably never have found this item without everybody's assistance on this post, so "many thanks" to all of you for your helpful suggestions. It may take up to 14 days to arrive, but I will let you know how I get on with it in due course,

Best regards
Richard

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Last edited by Confused; 08-13-2007 at 11:56 AM.

[Rolly]

...........I would probably never have found this item without everybody's assistance on this post, so "many thanks" to all of you for your helpful suggestions. ...........
Best regards
Richard

Great crowd aren't they?

[dmdctusa]

My dealer did not have the newer "F" remote in stock. The Pentax rep told him that the late model remotes for the film cameras work with the K10D ( and I presume the K100, etc.) I bought the D model and it work fine....$14.95.

One point in favor of the IR remotes...you don't lose the camera's weather sealing as you do when you use the cable linked plug-in remote. A great feature is your doing tripod mounted shots in less than perfect weather.

[George Lama]

What the? You cannot afford twenty bucks. Who wants to tote around a TV remote?
Weird

Affording it is not the issue - practicality is. I don't want to carry around a miniscule remote that I will easily lose (leaving it out on the field somewhere), or forget in my pants and end up in the laundry, or slip into the folds of my large camera bag not to be found when needed. That's why to me it's not worth $30 dollars (at my local store) to buy it. The ebay remotes are just not attractive and not comfortable (square and flat).

Instead I opted to experiment a little and ended up finding a very elegant solution, with the right colors (it does match the camera nicely, red/grey/white and all), the right size (small enough to fit in the palm of my hand but large enough to know it's in my pocket), ergonomic, and yes, inexpensive.


Confused, that looks like a great solution, RF and all! Let me know how it works out for you and I might add it to my collection. I'm sure it has a much longer range than my IR remote and would come in handy when waiting for wildlife to show up.

[Confused]

Hi David ("dmdctusa2")

re your point:

you don't lose the camera's (K10d) weather sealing as you do when you use the cable linked plug-in remote.

IMHO there is an awful lot written about the much vaunted 'weatherproof capabilities' of the K10D body. It would seem that the only glass currently sealed against moisture ingress will be the relatively expensive new Pentax DA lenses. I might possibly be interested in some of these optics when I eventually win the lottery but even if that particular miracle came-to-pass, I can assure you that I have not the slightest intention of EVER subjecting my prized photographic equipment to a severe drenching......intentional or otherwise !!

And to "frogroast" I'm in wholehearted agreement when he states that:

It's small enough to fit in the palm of my hand but large enough to know it's in my pocket, ergonomic and inexpensive.

The Japanese undoubtedly seem to have an obsession with miniaturising every object they design and manufacture, regardless of whether it consequently becomes impractical or uncomfortable for large-fingered westerners to use !! If "*Pentaxographer" is happy to pay-through-the-nose for officially branded but costly accessories, that's his privilege. However if more inventive types manage to discover cheaper but equally effective devices to remotely-control their camera, why should *he care !!! The expression 'horses-for-courses' springs to mind......but I will certainly keep you all informed how I get on with the YongNuo when it eventually arrives.

Best regards
Richard

[Heathglen]

I originally bought the Pentax remote to use with a Pentax Optio 440. I chose the version that also zoomed the lens. Of course, with any of the Pentax DSLRs, the zoom function doesn't work. No big loss.

I stopped carrying it with the *ist D when I downloaded some freeware to my Palm PDA. This programming turns the touch-screen into a remote button. Since I would almost always carry my PDA to take notes at any hardcore shoot, the actual remote became redundant.

When I upgraded to the K10D and its battery grip, I resumed carrying the Pentax remote - in the grip.

It's small and it's cheap. Why go for a third party?

Larry in Dallas

[Confused]

In reply to "Heathglen"

Why go for a third party?

My answer is quite simply why on earth not ? There was a very similar type of post recently which revolved around the suitability of using either Pentax-badged DL-150 LiON batteries or alternative 3rd party suppliers. I believe that the current RRP for one of these batteries in the U.S. is around $49.99 (and an outrageous RRP of £49.99 in the U.K.), yet this is the self-same Minolta-equivalent battery which can be obtained for as little as £6.95 online in the U.K. The simple logic to this equation is that the money saved can subsequently be spent elsewhere on other photographic equipment.
Let's suppose for one moment that it's a beautiful day and you decide to go for a long drive in the countryside. A while later your gas tank starts to run low, so you badly need to fill-up somewhere. However because you only use an 'exclusive brand' of fuel, you choose to continue past the first no-name petrol-station. The low warning-light comes on, but you keep going straight past the second no-name garage. A few miles down the road your vehicle eventually comes to grinding halt before you are able to reach the station which sells your 'exclusive brand' of fuel. So what precisely was wrong with the two previous filling-stations ??
I'm sorry, but I simply fail to comprehend this kind of blind 'brand' mentality ! If I followed your example, then perhaps I ought to start disposing of my 'third-party' Tamron and Sigma lenses and exclusively purchase Pentax one's instead ?? Oops, that's slightly inconvenient, because these Pentax products don't appear to have made it to the dealerships shelves YET........but that's another story entirely !!
Life in general comes down to a matter of CHOICE. If you choose to buy everything Pentax (or C****n or N****n for that matter), then bully-for-you. Simply bear in mind that not everyone on this planet has unlimited funds to draw upon and if other manufacturer's can produce items of equal quality at bargain prices, I for one am going to thank my lucky stars !

Best regards
Richard

[LeoTaylor]

I'm glad to hear about these RF remotes on this thread, I was unaware of that choice. The IR remote is not an option for me, I am usually behind the lens. I would not have bought two Radio Shack extension cords for my Pentax switch remote with it's silly 18 in cord if I knew about this option. The 'Shack does not sell the right plug/socket to make my own longer cord.

[Confused]

Hi there Leo,

Re your point:

The IR remote is not an option for me, I am usually behind the lens.

The brilliantly inspired inclusion of the secondary infra-red sensor (situated on the rear of the K10D body) by the Pentax design team would indeed provide that very option for you ! I have a Panasonic video camcorder that came supplied with a full-function infra-red remote and when this camera is attached to my tripod, it somehow feels slightly unnatural to have to reach around the front of the camera in order to operate the r/c functions ! However the YongNuo device would appear to be an excellent alternative to the optional CS-205 lead that Pentax sell ! As mentioned previously, I will let you know how it performs in due course when I receive it,

Best regards
Richard

[kenyee]

Got the YongNuo and had a quick play with it.
Do *not* get this if you are using the GadgetInfinity triggers (4-Channel Wireless Flash Trigger V2s for Vivitar 285HV - (item 170137670897 end time Aug-13-07 09:18:00 PDT))
They broadcast over the same frequencies, so the best I can do with them is get the flashes to fire half the time when I use the wireless shutter release. Putting them on the same frequency is a dumb design IMHO, so it looks like I have to get an IR remote :-P

If you're using regular P-TTL flashes, this is not a problem...

[Confused]

Hi "Leo" and "kenyee" and to any others following this thread.........

My 'YongNuo' Wireless Remote Control arrived safely amongst this morning's postal delivery, having taken only 10 days to travel from China. It works flawlessly and if the printed 'specs' are to be believed, will operate up to approximately 320' (100 metres) away from the camera......ideal for bird watchers or nature photographers ?

'Bulb Mode' is ingeniously incorporated - Quote:

"Set the camera to Bulb Mode and press the button of the Transmitter for about 3 seconds and the monitor light will turn off and release the button and the camera is working on Bulb Mode. To release Bulb Mode, just press the button of Transmitter (again)"

It's surprisingly well constructed taking into account the remarkably affordable price tag and I have to say that I'm quietly impressed overall. A single-sheet of instructions in English & Chinese is supplied and here are some pictures, which I hope will be of some interest to you. Incidentally, I placed a £1.00 coin at the side of each image in this sequence of photos, in order to give you some idea of scale.....apologies for the poor quality images, but I've had to compress the hell-out-of-them as I'm getting very near to exceeding my allocated download limit !!!

Best regards
Richard

[Confused]

.....and here are two further photographs of a rather more 'revealing' nature......so would those of a slightly 'delicate nature' kindly avert your gaze forthwith !!!!!

Best regards
Richard