Canon EOS mag

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Technique Remote accessories

LC Wireless Controllers There are two parts to a Canon wireless controller. The receiver is connected to the camera’s remote socket. The second part is the transmitter, which is a hand-held unit. You aim the transmitter at the receiver and press a button to fire the camera shutter. The advantages over the Remote Control RC-6 (see page 68) are a much greater range (up to 100 metres) and the fact that the transmitter can be used from any angle. There have been five wireless controllers in the Canon range, from the LC-1 to the LC-5. All use infrared beams. Only the LC-5 is current.

Auto-sensing

Auto-sensing allows the subject to fire the shutter. A transmitter is positioned to send a continuous infrared beam to a receiver. The receiver is connected to the remote control socket of the camera. When the infrared beam is interrupted, the camera shutter fires. The distance between the two units for auto-sensing can be around 5 metres (varies with ambient light conditions). One obvious use for auto-sensing is wildlife photography. Many animals are creatures of habit and follow similar paths at similar times of the day. The advantage of auto-sensing is that you can set the camera quite close to where you expect the subject to be and then move away so that the subject is not scared by your presence.

Alternative choices The extra features of the Canon Wireless Controller LC-5 come at a price. If all you want is to fire the shutter from a distance, there are third-party alternatives.

Wireless Controller LC-1 This long-discontinued accessory was designed for the old Canon A and F series cameras, such as the A-1 and F-1. Although it can be used with some EOS cameras by using a cable adaptor, it is not recommended. Wireless Controller LC-2 One of the attractions of the LC-2 is its auto sensing mode. Here, the transmitter sends a continuous infrared beam to the receiver. When this beam is interrupted the receiver fires the camera shutter. The receiver can be positioned away from the camera, connected to it by an extension cable. No other LC unit offers auto sensing. The LC-2 can also act as a conventional wireless remote, but has a line-of-sight range of only about 5 metres, compared to around 60 metres for the LC-1. Requires adapter RA-N3 for N3 socket. the range to offer a delay setting – 3.5 seconds. It has a range of 100 metres which can be extended by using additional LC-3 sets as relay stations. The LC-3 was also designed for the remote firing of Speedlites – this was before the Speedlite wireless flash system was introduced. Requires adapter RA-N3 for N3 socket. Wireless controller LC-4 The features of the LC-4 are the same as those of the LC-3, but the unit is fitted with the N3 plug for direct connection to many EOS cameras. Wireless Controller LC-3 The LC-3 is the first of Left Remote wireless controllers are good for wildlife photography of shy subjects. You can set up the camera, place bait and retire some distance to sit and wait. When the subject arrives, press the remote button to fire the camera shutter. EOS 5D Mark II, 1/60 second at f7, ISO 200.

Compatibility The Hama IR Remote Trigger is part of their DCC Remote System. The receiver needs a connection cable to suit your camera. You can also add 5 metre extension cables. The connection and extension cable are also compatible with a remote switch, wireless remote and timer remote.

Auto-sensing was a feature of the Canon Wireless Controller LC-2, but was then forgotten. No Canon remote currently offers auto-sensing. However, accessory supplier Hama has filled this gap with the IR Remote Trigger.

Below Using the Hama IR Remote Trigger allows the subject to fire the shutter.

The Hähnel Combi TF consists of a receiver and transmitter (above) . Connect the receiver to the remote control socket of the camera. The receiver can be attached to the camera accessory shoe for convenience, but this is not essential. Press the button on the transmitter to fire the camera shutter. Autofocus before shutter release is possible, along with continuous shooting, bulb mode and a 4-second delay. The system operates over a range of up to 100 metres. Combi TF is supplied with adaptors for N3 and E3 remote sockets, so is compatible with all EOS digital cameras.

Wireless Controller LC-5 The LC-5 was introduced in 2005 and remains current. It uses the N3 plug for connecting to the camera remote socket (see RS-80N3 on page 67 for camera compatibility). The range is around 100 metres. The LC-5 has four firing modes. Single shot fires the shutter once each time the transmitter button is pressed. Continuous mode keeps the shutter firing until the button is pressed again. Test mode illuminates a red LED on the receiver so that you can see that the system is ready for use. Delay mode fires the shutter around 3.5 seconds after the transmitter button is pressed. The LC-5 is equipped with three channel settings (A, B and C) so that you can work with more than one camera and control which fires. Another feature is the improved one- shot release mode. This allows you to pre- focus the camera and then lie in wait for the subject to come into range (below) .

Remote viewing and panning

One of the problems with remote shooting is that you need to be in view of the subject and there is the chance that the subject, while present, might not be in the field-of- view of the camera. Two new accessories overcome these difficulties. The Hähnel Inspire is a remote viewing screen with transmitter. Set up your EOS close to where you expect the subject to appear and plug the Inspire transmitter into the camera’s AV output and remote sockets, then move way with the Inspire preview unit. The 3.5 inch colour LCD screen displays the Live View image from your camera. A built-in shutter button on the preview unit lets you fire the camera when you want to capture the screen image. If your camera does not have AV output/Live View, a tiny camera built into the transmitter sends a view to the screen of the preview unit, but this will not match the actual view recorded by the camera. The system works over a distance of 60 metres using radio signals. Images can be saved to the preview screen for playback. Live View operates for up to 30 minutes before you need to reset the camera – this is an EOS camera limitation.

The Hähnel Inspire gives a camera view of the subject when you are some distance away, but it does not give any control over the camera position. For that you need a power panner. This is a motorised base, which sits between a tripod and the camera. It allows you to pan and tilt the camera remotely using a cable connection or wireless control. Used together with a remote viewing device, such as the Hähnel Inspire, you can move the camera and see the new view instantly. The panner motor is fairly quiet so this and the camera movement should not distract the subject you are photographing. We have used the MP-101 Power Panner and it works well. With this unit, the head is controlled by cables. These come in 6 metre lengths and several can be linked together to create a longer cable. The movement is controlled by a hand unit. A four-way rocker switch provides the pan and tilt action, while a slider switch adjusts the speed of the movement. The panner head also provides smooth movements for movie shooting. Camera compatibility The Hähnel Inspire and MP-101 Power Panner are compatible with all EOS digital cameras.

Above Hähnel transmitter and preview screen.

The Hama Wireless Remote Release Base Unit offers much the same features as the Combi TF, but with a range of up to 150 metres and a 10-second delay. It is part of the Hama DCC Remote System – you need to buy an N3 or E3 adaptor separately, but these adaptors can be used with other devices in the system.

JOHN LINWOOD

Some of the accessories featured on these pages are available from the EOS magazine Shop – phone 01869 331741 for details or visit the website at: www.eos-magazine.com/shop

Above MP-101 panner.

38 Reproduced from EOS magazine October-December 2011

Reproduced from EOS magazine October-December 2011 39