S3 IS - Work around remote shutter release

Does anyone have or know of a decent remote shutter release lash up for the S3? I can cobble one together but would rather have something a bit more civilized out in public.

Thank you

Jim Curts

I made one for my Fuji 2600Z (ancient camera by today's standards). It consisted of a squared J-shaped bracket out of a band of sturdy aluminum. The longer part of the J going under the camera to mount to the tripod socket, and the short bit going around the side and up over the top. Threaded to accept a cable-release. People think I bought it in a store because it matches the camera so well.

You could try something similar. But consider this:

Using the self-timer set on custom-time setting, you can have it go off 2 or more seconds after hitting the shutter. In some ways I find this much nicer than a cable-release. Even a cable-release will impart some camera movement to the camera and tripod. But when keeping totally hands-free and setting the delay long enough for all shake to dampen out of your setup, you can get even clearer images than if you used a cable release.

(To determine how long to set the self-timer, I zoom in using max zoom, including digital zoom. Then I press the shutter to see how long it takes for the vibrations to dampen out, counting "one thousand one, one thousand two, ..." Then I set the self-timer custom delay for one second beyond that.)

This won't help in instances where you have to be further away from the camera, but it's half the solution. The other half would lie in making your own bracket as I did for my old Fuji.

(I also made a release mechanism to loft that Fuji camera up on a kite, including a directional wind-vane so I could point the camera in the desired direction and downward angle, as well as a spring-wire crash-frame to protect it on impacts and landings. By using a carefully balanced set of springs and trigger-string guides to trip the shutter. Sending up the kite with a kite-string and a monofilament fishing-line. The fishing-line used to trigger the shutter. It was a careful balancing act to get the tensions on the springs right, because I had to be able to pull less than the weight of the camera (or it would only lift up the camera), and strong enough to press the shutter.))

That sounds like you were quite determined to get a shot of something.

I will probably do the bend it around thing and attach a male threaded piece to it so I can use the squeeze bulb at long distance. Gotta do the family thing ya know. I use the timer quite successfully for most things though

Jim Curts