Came across this handy little gadget

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

Found this second-hand at a camera store nearby

Could be most useful when I want to do imaging with the Canon EOS 550D without dragging the computer along. Cheap as chips, and in perfect condition.

[happy-kat]

I used mine only last night. Very handy.

[Cornelius Varley]

Check the timer's accuracy. I have two similar to this and don't seem to be very accurate.  The timer on one of them seems to underexpose by 1 second.

[Davey-T]

5 minutes ago, happy-kat said:

I used mine only last night. Very handy.

Me too, have to take the batteries out of mine as I don't think it turns off properly.

Dave

[Spaceade]

You'll find those things invaluable, couldn't live without mine.

The lead isn't that long though, so find somewhere to secure it. I used a little rubber band on my tripod leg to secure it 

[Alien 13]

I prefer this type of gadget, never have liked plugging my camera into a laptop, good for time-lapses too. Still use something similar even though I can do it all over WiFi these days.

Alan 

[happy-kat]

I don't find the accuracy a prob;em as even if it is 1 second under they are all the same length, on mine anyway and I user rechargeable batteries so never bother popping them out.

[RichM63]

Nice, apart from timer functions I nearly always use remote releases on all my cameras when mounted on a tripod.

[Alien 13]

1 minute ago, RichM63 said:

Nice, apart from timer functions I nearly always use remote releases on all my cameras when mounted on a tripod.

I like my DIY release its so much better than the commercial ones 

Alan

[RichM63]

1 minute ago, Alien 13 said:

I like my DIY release its so much better than the commercial ones 

Alan

Do show us.

[fireballxl5]

love all three of mine?

[Dave Lloyd]

Intervalometers are great. Mine's a bit fiddly to set but works perfectly. I once did a 3 hour time-lapse of sunlight moving across a hedge. I'm a bit sad that way. 

[Alien 13]

34 minutes ago, RichM63 said:

Do show us.

I dont want to derail this thread but if you search Canon-DSLR-Remote you should find it in the DIY section..

Alan

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

Used it to good effect yesterday evening, but I did set the interval between shots too short, so it skipped shots, because the camera was still writing data when the timer pressed the shutter release again. Won't make that mistake again.

[assouptro]

I’ve had several of these, and still own 4 or more, they sometimes fail, but at the price, who’s complaining? 

[adyj1]

I started with a wired one like this, then moved on to the wireless version for ease of use (and not having something hanging off the camera body) . Invaluable if you aren't doing pc control... 

[Mognet]

I've been using one with my NIkon D3100 for a while. Very useful gadget as I can set it going while I do some visual stuff. Wouldn't be without one now for astrophotography. Pity I can't get an equivalent for the D3400.

[JamesF]

I have one I used with my 450D, too.  Excellent bit of kit for much cheapness.

James

[Stub Mandrel]

On 17/08/2018 at 18:52, michael.h.f.wilkinson said:

Found this second-hand at a camera store nearby

Could be most useful when I want to do imaging with the Canon EOS 550D without dragging the computer along. Cheap as chips, and in perfect condition.

One from the 'bay is all I use for imaging with the 450D. I had one for the 10D as well. Just replace the batteries within a month or two of the low battery symbol appearing! The manual button is great for target framing.

I use 4 seconds delay (just to give me time to place it on the tripod tray), exposures as required, and 10 seconds between subs to allow plenty of write time (4 secs min with 450D) and to let the sensor cool a little.

Only downside is you can't use mirror lock, but any mirror shake is over in a fraction of a second and doesn't materially affect subs of more than a few seconds long.

And switch that damn beeper off too!

Accuracy? On a 10-minute exposure it consistently gives 601 seconds...

My 1000D has one built into a hand grip that takes two batteries I picked up for £9!

[Alien 13]

1 hour ago, Stub Mandrel said:

Only downside is you can't use mirror lock, but any mirror shake is over in a fraction of a second and doesn't materially affect subs of more than a few seconds long.

You can incorporate mirror lock if the camera supports it. What you need to do is set the camera to mirror lockup up then set the self timer function to 10 seconds, when the intervalometer runs it it triggers the lock up only but the cameras internal timer then opens the shutter after 10 seconds, the intervalometer then stops the exposure after x seconds and the cycle repeats. You have to incorporate the extra delays though in the overall timer settings.

Alan

[Stub Mandrel]

8 hours ago, Alien 13 said:

You can incorporate mirror lock if the camera supports it. What you need to do is set the camera to mirror lockup up then set the self timer function to 10 seconds, when the intervalometer runs it it triggers the lock up only but the cameras internal timer then opens the shutter after 10 seconds, the intervalometer then stops the exposure after x seconds and the cycle repeats. You have to incorporate the extra delays though in the overall timer settings.

Alan

Oooh that's clever!