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I have been aware for some time of the
deficiencies of remote cable releases for cameras. I have used a cable
release with a homemade extension for decades. Back in the 70s and 80s
a cable release was often a Squeeze bulb forcing air through a plastic
or copper tube to an air cylinder mounted on the shutter release. Later
as cameras became electric rather than mechanical the cable release became
an electrical cable with a pushbutton. While wired cable releases work
reliably they present a tripping hazard, were seldom available in long
lengths unless home made and I always found seventy feet of cable
awkward to carry, hard to unravel, and use in the field, as well as
adding considerable weight to your kit. I often use a remote release in
a hay field photographing Meadow Larks and other unapproachable grassland
birds. There is a constant danger of the cable pulling the tripod and camera
over and it is awkward to set up. In the past remote radio controls were
expensive, fairly large and often unreliable. Recently I had noticed small
Chinese (no brand name) made remotes that seemed to be based on automotive
chipsets used for keyless entry. I purchased a unit listed on Ebay for
the grand sum of $21.99 USD with free shipping to Canada. I was suspicious
that such a low cost unit would not work well in the field if at all. When
it arrived I did a quick test to see if it would function. This was a
challenge as there were no instructions as such with the unit other than
a few notes on the box. After I puzzled out how to make it work I then
decided to open it up and see what components it used. It appeared to be
reasonably well made though not sealed for moisture. I measured the current
draw of both the receiver and transmitter to see how long I could expect
it to last in the field (estimates below) and also to see how many spare
batteries I should purchase.
I tested indoors and it would work through
walls in my home. I then tested it outdoors and found it seemed to
be reliable up to about 80 feet or so provided there was a
clear line of site from receiver to transmitter. It is important
to try to align the receiver so it faces you so that you can see the LEDs
and know whether the camera is firing. Provided the receiver was aimed
at me I could make out the LEDs in sunlight - provided the sun was
not directly on the LEDs. It is not always possible to hear the camera
shutter trip at an 80 foot distance particularly on a windy day so the
LED confirmation is a good idea. It may be nessessary to shade the LEDs
with a hood to make them more visible depending on lighting.
One vulnerable part of both the receiver
and transmitter is the DIP switches. These switches are used to set each
unit to one of sixteen possible channels. This is useful if you are shooting
in a group as it allows each photograher to trip their own camera and not
their neighbors! The problem though is DIP switches are rather sensitive
to dirt and moisture. An easy solution is to cover the DIP switch with
a small bit of vinyl electrical tape to seal it. The tape can be easily
removed if necessary.
An additional test was to place the reciever and transmitter in the freezer for 2 hours then try them again. Cold can have adverse effects on electronics and I wanted to be sure it was capable of operating in mild winter temperatures at least - no problem the unit worked fine .
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