Does the B stand for bulb?

[kiwi]

+1 on the phottix

The other option, is pocket wizards or their chineese clone yongnou triggers that can not onky trigger remote speedlights but also cameras

[Tannin]

^ oh bugger!

Just as I had decided to buy the Photix! I really can't imagine wanting to do anything too fancy by way of remote shutter triggering .... but remote flash .... that just might be another story.

I better go and look at Pocket Wizards, I suppose. If this winds up costimng me another small fortune, Kiwi, it's all your fault!

Seriously now, thanks heaps to all in this thread. It has been a fantastic response and I've learned a lot.

[DAdeGroot]

Thanks Dave.

Ouch!

Not only do I not have a remote - the 10-second timer has always done everything I need - you mean I'm supposed to count seconds aloud or something? I don't wear a watch and in any case the reason I want more than 30 seconds is because it's dark, so how am I supposed to read it!

Well you hit the light button for the LCD on the top, which will show you how long the shutter has been open. Of course, that means touching the camera.

How extraordinarily primitive! Why on earth don't cameras have a way to say "45 seconds"?

Guess I'll just have to get used to it. And I imagine remotes cost a lot - I'll go and find out.

Some Nikons have an in-built intervalometer which will do just that.

However, in the Canon world, what you want is a timer remote. The Canon one is hellishly expensive, but I use a Micnova brand one (cheap chinese knockoff - about $70), and it works a treat.

Yes, you do need to plug it into the remote port on the side of the body, but that port is relatively well sealed from the inside of the camera so dust/moisture shouldn't be a problem.

With batteries in the remote (2xAAA), you can program in the length of exposure and number of exposures to take. Without batteries, it works as a normal corded remote with a locking switch.

The other option if your camera supports IR ((400D-550D), 20D-50D, 5DII), you can use either the $35 Canon RC-5 or a $5 chinese IR remote. With the IR remotes, the first press opens the shutter, the second closes it, but neither have a built in timer so you need to use a watch or phone with a stopwatch to time your exposures (or sing songs of known lengths) ;-)

[Tannin]

I just spammed the thread with thanks to everyone ... I don't usually do that, but I couldn't possibly just thank one of you.

[kiwi]

^ oh bugger!

Just as I had decided to buy the Photix! I really can't imagine wanting to do anything too fancy by way of remote shutter triggering .... but remote flash .... that just might be another story.

I better go and look at Pocket Wizards, I suppose. If this winds up costimng me another small fortune, Kiwi, it's all your fault!

Seriously now, thanks heaps to all in this thread. It has been a fantastic response and I've learned a lot.

Lol, the yongnuo triggers are actually very good, and you get a transmitter and three receivers for < $100 . I have these but haven't yet used to trigger the camera, there's an extra step to do this, but it's possible I understand

[kiwi]

I can't possibly understand either how anyone can possibly fail to count to say 100s in their head very accuratly and why you'd therefore need a timer of any kind

[Tannin]

^ I'd be OK in summer, but in winter I max out at counting to 10. After that I'd have to take my shoes and socks off and it's too cold.

[arthurking83]

once you get past 1 minute exposures, the actual time in between each minute is academic anyhow(in terms of actual exposure).

Time how long it takes to roll a cigarette(25sec with cold numb fingies! ) or smoke the actual cigarette(2:29.. in the same freezing cold conditions with a now very wet dribbly nose!).

exposure lengths in between those two upper and lower values usually mean only subtle differences in highlight and shadow details.. which you can recover in PP anyhow!
More importantly, the omnipresent nature of the resulting cigarette smoke wafting gently in front of the lens usually acts as a pseudo GND filter with funky effects.

[old dog]

pardon my ignorance chaps but I have the ml-l3 remote and the only problem would be that if I was required to be behind the camera, it would not work. True......solution?

[arthurking83]

solution is to attach something reflective(even partially reflective) to the camera so that you can bounce the IR beam back at the IR sensor on the camera.

easy solution. get a piece of aluminium foil and fold it so that it can sit somewhere both out of the also in line with the IR sensor. I made up a large piece and shaped it to curve around the lens and stick up in a flag like manner so that it shielded the IR sensor from the front of the camera. I used a rubber band around the curved part of the foil and secured it to the lens. IR beam used to work from a distance of at least 2-3meters behind the camera.
(I used to have photos of a very old(hence small) CPU heatsink that I also once used. I tried to polish the aluminium flat surface but it wasn't as good as the shiny side of household foil. The heat sink being what it is, had perfectly formed fins where the rubberband would easily hold it against the lens.. even tho it wasn't curved correctly.
(Needless to say that those images, being fun images, have been deleted)

you know what they say: Where there's a willingness, there's a waywardness

[maccaroneski]

Arthur you should really change your username from "Arthurking" to ArthurMcGyver"

[arthurking83]

Oi!

Y'know!?.. if I search hard enough, I suddenly realise that I'm sillier than I originally thought I was.

Of course I have the images still saved on my PC. They weren't captured with a DSLSR, but with (camera)phone . ie. saved to a different directory

heatsink reflector (1).jpg

heatsink reflector (2).jpg

heatsink reflector (4).jpg

heatsink reflector.jpg

the heat sink came off a 386(I think) PC CPU. The foil was just pressed onto the heatsink back.
On a zoom lens.. pick your focal length carefully!

Also.. did you know that almost all multifunction remotes can probably operate your cameras shutter remotely(if the camera is wireless IR capable).
I purchased a cheapo($5) replacement remote(for a TV), and just pressed every button until I heard the shutter operate. On that remote, it turned out that the Vol Up button does the trick!

[Tannin]

^ Very poor quality kit there. Oh, the camera's allright, but those cheap and nasty PC Chips motherboards are nothing but trouble.

[arthurking83]

ROFL: ya'know!?.. lucky for me that the BIOS fried itself, and a replacement chip was too much trouble to get, install, etc..
Started my quest on building my own systems from that point onwards.

[Tannin]

I'm serious Arthur! http://www.redhill.net.au/b/b-bad.html - same scumbags, older scam.

[old dog]

thanks Arthur. I`ll destroy my computer to get one of those chips..... Then I`ll be able to fire backwards..

[old dog]

thanks Arthur. I`ll make one of these. I`ll have to destroy this computer to get the necessary parts......double post...gremlins again.....

[Boo53]

FYI http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bulb_%28photography%29
The bulb comes from an old style rubber air blower that was squeezed to operate the shutter pneumatically.
The shutter stayed open until the bulb was released.

.

I've wondered where the term came from, makes sense now