Self Portraits, on the run.

First off, I'm quite an obsessive cyclist. In May of this year, I will be biking across Canada. West coast Vancouver island to my home on the East Coast in New Brunswick.

I will be carrying my 40d, 10-22, 24-105, 580exII, and a tripod.

My question is about self portraits, and a device/technique to make them easier.

My current technique is: Set 10 second timer, run to position, repeat until I have something ideal. I find shooting at wide apertures difficult due to the narrow DOF. Also, 10 seconds isn't always enough time to get where I need to be.

A remote timer would somewhat help, giving me control of the the delay timer.

A wireless timer would be more ideal, allowing me to trigger the shot from a distance.

Any suggestions on a device that might be ideal for the task? Also, if anyone has any tips on self portraits, I'm all ears.

thanks for reading.

Put your camera lens on Manual focus. Prefocus at the spot that you expect to be. Then start the timer and get in position (or use a radio remote trigger).

Shallow DOF: If 100mm lens at f/4 and focused at 30', viewfinder sees about 7' x 5' and the DOF zone is 3.5' deep...not so shallow to worry about DOF not masking focus error!

i have a yongnuo wireless that work well. they are not the best, but they are great for the price.

http://www.amazon.com …TF8&qid=1327717​042&sr=8-2

disregard the 'pw killer' headings :P
http://www.youtube.com​/watch?v=s5shvFGUf3g

Wilt wrote in post #13780929
Put your camera lens on Manual focus. Prefocus at the spot that you expect to be. Then start the timer and get in position (or use a radio remote trigger).

Shallow DOF: If 100mm lens at f/4 and focused at 30', viewfinder sees about 7' x 5' and the DOF zone is 3.5' deep...not so shallow to worry about DOF not masking focus error!

Thanks for the reply.

Thats pretty much what I do now. I usually use live view to focus (since it shows the actual DOF), focus, and run.

Can you recommend a decent trigger for the 40d?

DTBaan wrote in post #13780933
i have a yongnuo wireless that work well. they are not the best, but they are great for the price.

http://www.amazon.com …TF8&qid=1327717​042&sr=8-2

disregard the 'pw killer' headings :P
http://www.youtube.com​/watch?v=s5shvFGUf3g

Thanks!

Hmm, a flash/shutter trigger, pretty handy!

I currently have a set of cybersync triggers, any way they can be used to trigger the shutter?

Here's what I have used with my 40D.
http://www.ebay.com …motes&hash=item​1c1802fb9a

Crazy Horse,

First off, sounds like you have planned an awesome trip! I'm an avid cyclist too, so your post makes me smile and daydream at the same time. I hope it's a wonderful journey!

I agree with baan. A cheap trigger would do the trick. The price is hard to beat.

Have fun!
Bryan

Yup, go get a yong nuo / phottix wireless shutter release!

This one from the POTN Support Shop is inexpensive and has been very reliable for me. The purchase also helps support the forums here.

I'd use a wireless to trigger the camera. Nice bike, watch out for cars.

Thanks for the help and suggestions

Awesome!!! when I grow up I wanna bicycle tour across US

Crazy Horse wrote in post #13780959
Thats pretty much what I do now. I usually use live view to focus (since it shows the actual DOF), focus, and run.

Got to thinking about your above response, and what it truly could mean...

1) I assess the full image area on the LCD
2) I assess a magnified view area on the LCD

One needs to keep in mind that DOF is, by definition, the ability/inability for a person with less-than-20/20 visual acuity to distinguish out of focus objects as seen at a distance of about 12" while viewing a 8x10" (a.k.a. 8x print of 24mm x 36mm frame). Change the magnification or the viewing distance, or view with 20/20 vision, and the DOF parameters no longer apply, based upon the assumptions built into most DOF calculators!

Therefore #1 does NOT accurately present DOF.
#2 might or might not...at 5x it would be pretty close to 8x10 final print but still too large (10x15" depending upon size of your LCD), but 10x would be more like viewing a 20x30" print from 12"!

First of all, that's a beautiful velocipede

I designed the Shutterbug Remote (http://www.shutterbugr​emote.com) and my initial goal was for wireless self portraits. It has since grown to do other things like long exposures, HDR brackets, time lapse, etc.

Why it would be perfect for you (assuming you have an iPhone or iPod touch) ? No extra weight to cycle with. It weighs less than 1 ounce. Also, no extra controller to carry. I assume you're cycling with a phone for safety and maybe an iPod for music.

http://www.amazon.com …ripod-Black/dp/B0000YD2JC

The table top tripod with a 10 second timer is the lightest way to go.