EOS REMOTE CONTROL ... any ideas?

[Jorgo]

I'm planning on using an EOS digital SLR via remote control, up to a range of about 500 feet. It would have to have a battery life of at least two hours.

Does anyone have any knowledge of the latest forms of radio control suitable for Canon cameras? Is there anything available commercially, or will I have to hack into a model aircraft type of radio?

Would a double shutter action (for focussing) be possible?

Thankyou in advance for your ideas...

[Bruce Hamilton]

... or will I have to hack into a model aircraft type of radio?
To get that kind of range, you probably will.

[figment]

I think a pocket wizard will work out to over a thousand feet.

[Ferdinand]

I am using my CLIE Sony PDA but its only a foot at most but sufficient if all you want is to avoid shakes during triggering.

My Digital Rebel is IR triggered, so I am not sure if you can do it with a regular RF aircraft remote.

Regards,
Ferdinand.

[Jorgo]

Well I have the required info about Remote Control, but I need to know if there is a simple way of activating the shuuter via an electrical pulse.

I think the EOS3 film camera can do this, but how about the DSLR's or even the advanced P&S cameras?

IR is too short ranged for my needs..

[karusel]

Jorgo: A quick suggestion: get a model aircraft receiver and transmitter, then couple the receiver with IR remote control. A uhm.. moderate knowledge of electronics would however be recommended. :wink:

Might I ask what you're up to with that?

[Jorgo]

I want to mount the camera on a remote moving platform, and trigger it with my magical powers (or Radio Control) whilst standing up to 1000ft away.

[arthurb]

I want to mount the camera on a remote moving platform, and trigger it with my magical powers (or Radio Control) whilst standing up to 1000ft away.

Maybe if you told us what type of result (Picture) you are trying to get, someone here would have a simpler solution.

Being 1000 feet from the camera it is going to be hard to compose the shot(s). but there are several other ways to do remote triggering that may result in a well composed shot.

As someone else mentioned the triggering is a fairly simple job for someone with electronics knowledge. The schematics for the wired remote are available on line, and simply replacing the buttons with relays operated by standard radio control equipment, would work just fine. And allowi auto focus to work..

But, there may be a simpler solution depending on your application.

The quartz back on some Canon film cameras actually allowed timed exposures, with user defined times between the shots.

There are some folks that use balloon tethered cameras and use various triggering devices. The advanced ones use a wireless video camera with a similar field of view, to help compose the shots.

Some wildlife folks use infrared beams to determine when a subject is within the field of view, I can't remember the model number for this but it was fairly inexpensive and worked with my T90 .

[Jorgo]

Thankyou for the tips. It will be mounted on a large model aircraft. I want to use a Digital SLR or advanced P&S for the large photo capacity available on the cards. Changing film is a bother in this case.

Composure isn't exactly a problem, as my DSR and wideangle lens will be fixed into place, and a live video feedback will show me what's wandered into the viewfinder.

I was just curious if there was any commercial products out there, before bothering my electro-wizard friends and asking them to wave their soldering iron wands.

[kfong]

I'm planning on using an EOS digital SLR via remote control, up to a range of about 500 feet. It would have to have a battery life of at least two hours.

Does anyone have any knowledge of the latest forms of radio control suitable for Canon cameras? Is there anything available commercially, or will I have to hack into a model aircraft type of radio?

Would a double shutter action (for focussing) be possible?


Did just that with a $10 remote control for those thumbnail size toy cars. Although in my case the range is 10 ft, but the idea is the same.
In the camera the remote shutter consists of 3 wires. One is common (ground) and the other two are inputs internally pulled high by a high impedance source at about 3V. When grounded, one activates the AF and the other activates the shutter. Any 2 channel remote control receiver with open collector outputs should do the job.

Ken

[Jesper]

Thankyou for the tips. It will be mounted on a large model aircraft. I want to use a Digital SLR or advanced P&S for the large photo capacity available on the cards. Changing film is a bother in this case.


Hmmmm..... yes, it would be difficult to change film while the thing is in the air.... :roll: I hope the plane doesn't crash with your expensive equipment on it! :?

[karusel]

If it does however, he will still be able to retreive data from the 'black box', perhaps even with exciting shots of the crash... :mrgreen:

[SnJPhoto]

It would seem the most practical way to do this would be a PS type camera. Its lighter, most have some rudimentary automated modes, some zoom potential. The way I would do it is add 2 channels to your radio and use one for a servo actuator to control the zoom, and another for depressing the shutter release.

If you really wanted to get tricky, you could disassemble the camera and find the contact surfaces and use those to electronically trip the controls/zoom.

[mvrekum]

Maybe this site can help you with an interface to the camera:
http://csgrs6k1.uwaterloo.ca/users/dmg/photo/eos-computer-shutter.html

Maybe you can get the data input from your aircraft remote.

Martin

[SWPhotoImaging]

I'd be interested in any link to the info on how to wire a remote to the EOS connector, and where one would find the connector to enable them to build this.

[mjordan]

The way I've seen it used in the past was to have the camera mounted on a slide arrangment up against a spring. When in level flight or climbing the spring held the camera away from a finger. If the plane was put in a nose down angle it would slide against the spring and the finger would push the shutter button. With the auto wind cameras, as long as it was pressed forward it took pictures... until it ran out of film.

The Pocket Wizard idea is probably the best one. They have an ad where they show a camera mounted on the wing tip of a glider and the Pocket Wiard is used to fire it as the glider does loops. And the Pocket Wizards do have a long line of sight range. We use to also do stuff like this with 2 meter ham radio signals, but you have to be licensed to do that.

Probably the multiple channel radio control can be made to work very well. If you put a cam shaft on one of the servo motors you can set it to rotate and each time the cam nub comes around it pushes the shutter release.

This must be a big plane since you are talking about a bunch of weight from the camera and video equipment. So, who's swimming pool are you flying over? :lol:


Mike

[kfong]

I'd be interested in any link to the info on how to wire a remote to the EOS connector, and where one would find the connector to enable them to build this.

For the EOS connector, I've used the Remote Switch RS-80N3, cut the cable near the switch end and joined them again with a pair of in-line connectors. This way I can either use the manual switch or the remote switch.

If you don't want the manual switch then you can used the Extension Cord ET-1000N3.

Ken

[SWPhotoImaging]

I have the TC-80N3 timer remote, but would hesitate to cut off the plug on a $150 remote in order to put a connector in-line. Is there a cheap extension cable made that one might be less worried about cutting apart?

Where would I find the pin configuration for the connector? I'd need to find out which of the three pins should short to which other for focus, shutter. The link in the message above only goes to a parallel port linkage schematic, and the other links are dead on that site.

[kfong]

I have the TC-80N3 timer remote, but would hesitate to cut off the plug on a $150 remote in order to put a connector in-line. Is there a cheap extension cable made that one might be less worried about cutting apart?


The Extension Cord ET-1000N3 is a whole lot cheaper. At about $10, it's cheaper than what you'll pay for an aftermarket connector, if you can find one.


Where would I find the pin configuration for the connector? I'd need to find out which of the three pins should short to which other for focus, shutter. The link in the message above only goes to a parallel port linkage schematic, and the other links are dead on that site.

On the manual remote, the shield is the ground, the white is the AF and the red is the shutter. I would suspect that for all other cables the shield is always the ground, and you can easily test the functions of the other wires by shorting them to the shield.

Ken

[EDad]

The Extension Cord ET-1000N3 is a whole lot cheaper. At about $10, it's cheaper than what you'll pay for an aftermarket connector, if you can find one.

Perhaps there's another cord; the one referenced is selling for $70+. See http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?ci=1&sb=ps&pn=1&sq=desc&InitialSearch=yes&O=S earchBar&A=search&Q=*&shs=ET-1000N3

I only point it out 'cause I'm curious for myself.

[kfong]

Perhaps there's another cord; the one referenced is selling for $70+. See http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?ci=1&sb=ps&pn=1&sq=desc&InitialSearch=yes&O=S earchBar&A=search&Q=*&shs=ET-1000N3

I only point it out 'cause I'm curious for myself.

http://www.interprophoto.com/ listed the ET-1000N3 as $9.80

Ken

[Jorgo]

The Pocket Wizard looks like the device for my needs. Thankyou all for your input, it's very much appreciated.

[Mark Kemp]

Obvious if rather 'agricultual' ways.

Use a servo on a spare channel from the RC plane. Connect this to a bowden cable (or a modified universal type mechanical shutter release) and have that press on the normal shutter button.

Or - as I think already suggested use a switch channel if your RC has them and modify an RS80n3 or similar cable to close 2 of the 3 contacts and fire the shutter that way (check the cable to see which 2 contacts close when you press the button before you cut it by the way)

Middle ground - use a servo to close a switch which then connects via an RS80n3.