[alman]

I have the Pentax k-7 and blows away the Canon 50D in any shot with RAW. My Daughter has a 50D and she wants my Pentax badly.

Any way, my question is: will the Pentax Remote work with the k-7(see this one sold by AmazonAmazon.com: Pentax Remote Control F for Pentax Digital Cameras: Electronics

[tomwil]

Yes, the Pentax Remote Control F will work with your K-7.

They are sold here on the Photographer's Marketplace much cheaper than Amazon.

[lawsonstone]

Personally I think the Pentax IR remotes are really poor. They hardly work past 10 feet.

I have had much better success with a cheap third-party remote made by Satechi.

My model is labeled RM-E7 Remote Control.

It has nice reach for an Infrared remote and is reasonably priced.

[tomwil]

While other 3rd party remotes may work, most are larger, heavier, and do not have a recessed trip button which means the remote could be continuously on while in the camera bag unexpectedly wearing out the battery.

Additionally, most are made in China and sold by sellers located in China.

The official Pentax Remote Control F is specified and sold by Pentax for Pentax cameras, and have been designed to be reliable, small, and fit within the D-BG2 battery grip.

[apemen]

I use this with my K20D, no problem

DealExtreme: $3.94 Universal Digital SLR Remote for Pentax / Nikon / Canon / Konica Minolta

[lawsonstone]

Perhaps larger, but not that much heavier. The one I have is plenty small enough. It works flawlessly with the K10D, K20D, K2000 and K-7. It has at least double the range of the Pentax remotes that I've tried, especially the F. It also does not have to be sent back to the factory for battery replacement which is what the Remote F specifies. Many times even under 15 ft the Pentax has failed me, but not the Satechi. It seems to "find" the camera better.

I doubt the accidental tripping of the remote would actually happen. I've used them for over 2 years and never saw that happen. Possible, unlikely. If the Pentax remote battery burns out, what do you do?

I don't find the remote fitting in the battery grip very appealing. I don't want to have to dig into the grip for my remote. The Satechi remote came with a little bag that I attach to my camera strap so it's always there. Or it fits in any pocket easily enough.

The Pentax Remotes F and C are compact. If they (a) were reliable (b) had longer than about a 10-15 foot reach, and (c) had easily replaced batteries, I'd prefer them. I have two of the C remotes and one F, but I have given up on them for unreliability.

While other 3rd party remotes may work, most are larger, heavier, and do not have a recessed trip button which means the remote could be continuously on while in the camera bag unexpectedly wearing out the battery.

Additionally, most are made in China and sold by sellers located in China.

The official Pentax Remote Control F is specified and sold by Pentax for Pentax cameras, and have been designed to be reliable, small, and fit within the D-BG2 battery grip.

[lawsonstone]

Absolutely! The IR remotes require line-of-sight, but these wireless radio remotes are awesome. Economical and flexible.

I use this with my K20D, no problem

DealExtreme: $3.94 Universal Digital SLR Remote for Pentax / Nikon / Canon / Konica Minolta

[tomwil]

If the Pentax remote battery burns out, what do you do?

The Pentax Remote Control F is user serviceable for battery replacement. It requires removal of 3 screws and replacement of a commonly available button-cell battery. It is very similar to replacing batteries in a car remote control.

[tomwil]

The IR remotes require line-of-sight, but these wireless radio remotes are awesome.

That is a little misleading. All the current Pentax remotes, including the Pentax and 3rd party remotes, operate by sending an Infra-Red (IR) beam of light to the camera, which does require line-of-sight.

However, none of the remotes use radio waves, and the Pentax cameras do not have radio receivers inside them to pick up any radio waves. A car remote is an example of a radio system, but not Pentax cameras which use the IR system.

Wireless is a term that can be applied both to IR and radio systems, but in this remote case, IR only.

[lawsonstone]

Nothing is misleading here at all.

That specific comment you quoted was directed to a specific link which, when I clicked it, went to an RF (radio) remote. There are RF remotes available and they work well with Pentax cameras with a cable-release jack. Looking back at it, I think the poster meant an IR remote. But my point is the same: RF remotes exist and work well.

Your comment that the Pentax does not have a radio receiver shows an ignorance of how RF remotes work. RF remotes have two components: a small receiver that plugs into the cable release jack, and a tiny transmitter that the user holds. It works very well. I've used one for countless shots. It's nice because I can set the camera at some distance, aim it as I please (no line of sight required) and trigger the shutter from a distance. For animal shots and other more complex self-triggered shots, it's great.

On the Remotes F and C the "user replaceable" battery requires a very tiny phillips-head screw-driver and these three little screws are installed extremely tightly at the factory. One often sees them on Marketplace ads with the note "one screw hole is stripped…" I doubt very seriously if Pentax intended the user to change the battery.

to summarize:

1. Very nice third party IR remotes exist that work well with Pentax DSLRs and have a longe range, and more easily replaced batteries, than the Pentax models, and at reasonable prices.

2. RF based remotes, requiring no line of sight and having a long range, may be purchased for a reasonable price and are not hard to use with DSLRs that have a cable-release port (K10D, K20D, K-7, not K2000)

That is a little misleading. All the current Pentax remotes, including the Pentax and 3rd party remotes, operate by sending an Infra-Red (IR) beam of light to the camera, which does require line-of-sight.

However, none of the remotes use radio waves, and the Pentax cameras do not have radio receivers inside them to pick up any radio waves. A car remote is an example of a radio system, but not Pentax cameras which use the IR system.

Wireless is a term that can be applied both to IR and radio systems, but in this remote case, IR only.

[kittykat46]

My experience has been with the Pentax Remote F. The range is about 13 feet from the front, 7 feet from the rear. Its reliable, just have to keep within its range.

I must have used it hundreds of times, no sign of the battery wearing out. Just keep it in a cool place when not in use.

The K-7 has a Custom function which allows the remote to function like a cable release lock in bulb mode - click once to open the shutter, click once to close the shutter.
I really like this feature.

[ezechiel]

Absolutely! The IR remotes require line-of-sight, but these wireless radio remotes are awesome. Economical and flexible.

you are completely right!!
I first wanted to buy the pentax wireless remote together with my k7 two WR lens kit (only 1300€ at fotokonijnenberg.nl) (finally bought it, but not received yet).

I did a little research and found this topic and lawston spoke about RF remotes.
I said, wait a minute, RF is great, especially if you want to take nature pictures, and covers greater distances..

and i found this great product for only 47€ (same site).

On this site, you can see the specs. It is for a Canon DSLR, but compatible with Pentax. And if later, you switch brand (nikon for ex.), you can change the connector!

Here is a link on another shop with most of the specs:
Hahnel HW 433 C80 Pro Wireless Remote Control - Best Price at Bristol Cameras

• Ultra long distance wireless remote control.
• Suitable for all Canon digital SLR cameras with an E3 or N3 type remote switch socket.
• Suitable for all Canon digital SLR cameras with an E3 or N3 type remote switch socket.
• Interchangeable camera connectors.
• Range of 80 metres using ultra high frequency 433MHz.
• Transmission through obstacles such as walls is possible.
• 4 digit code selector switch built into the transmittor and receiver. This allows for individual codes to be set, protecting against interference.
• Allows for auto focus before shutter release.
• Lock in function for continuous shutter release and bulb exposure.
• Includes 1x 23A and 1x CR2 batteries.

And of course, compatible with Pentax (not K2000).

I think this is a reasonable price compared to other several-hundred-dollar products with same (or more functionalities).

Did I bought a good thing, or not?

[Russell-Evans]

Personally I think the Pentax IR remotes are really poor. They hardly work past 10 feet.

Interesting post that made me actually see how far my Remote F and C would work indoors. Previously I had used them around my house in which the furthermost away I could get, do to the size of the house, was 8 paces.

In a long hallway, probably 10-15 feet wide, I can get 15 paces away with the Remote F and 18 paces away with the Remote C. That is somewhere around 40 to 50 feet given the rough measure. I don't have a large enough indoor open space to try this, so this may be the best case where the signal can bounce around in propagating down the hallway.

I'll try it outside at night and in daylight when I get a chance, to see what kind of range I get there.

Thank you
Russell

[Russell-Evans]

Anyway, I first wanted to buy the Petnax IR remote, but then saw this topic. RF remote, hey! This is interesting, especially for taking nature pictures.
So I found one on the same site as mentioned above and took a look at the specs.. So here they are (specs copied from another site):
Hahnel HW 433 C80 Pro Wireless Remote Control - Best Price at Bristol Cameras

Have you looked at the new RF-602 Wireless Flash Triggers? You get dual use out of them, one being the ability to remotely fire a flash off the camera, and second as a remote for the shutter.

Thank you
Russell

[ezechiel]

this seems interesting
But I didn't found any info about bulb mode. Apparently it supports AF, that's a good start!

Anyone got any info about bulb mode with RF-602. (will google some more.. )