Canon 350d Bulb setting information help

[Mick UK]

Ive just purchased a 350D and it now seems that, for me to take an exposure of more than 30 seconeds i have to use the "Bulb" setting, but my problem is this, to use the bulb setting you have to keep the shutter button pressed for as long as you want to keep the shutter open, so how do you do this?

I have read that you can use software to control it through your laptop, but how do you do it manually?

[Cornelius Varley]

You use an electronic cable release to fire the shutter. When the camera is set on the B setting you can hold down the button on the cable release to keep the shutter open. More sophisticated versions of the electronic cable release also include an interval timer to allow you to shoot a series of exposures together with preset intervals between each exposure.

Peter

[LukeSkywatcher]

For "Bulb" setting without a shutter release cable you DO have to keep your finger on the button. Not practical for long exposures. If you do not have a shutter release cable you will have to set the camera to "M" and again dial in the length of exposure you want to take. The camera will then take that exposure and also the same length exposure of "dark" frame....but you do not need to keep your finger on the button.

A shutter release for the Canon is about £30. There is a cheaper infra red remote control but it does not work with the Bulb setting. I have both but have only used the infra red control once.....

[jgs001]

Or you can pick up an ebay cheapy timer remote for about the same price as the canon remote shutter cable.

[LukeSkywatcher]

Yep a timer cable shutter is better. You can tell it how many exposures to take of any given length and the interval between exposures.

Then you sit back and let the timer control do the work.

[Mick UK]

Thanks for the advice, greatly appreciated:)

I have been using a Panasonic FZ28 but that only had a maximum 1 min exposure time, what i did tho was to set it to 1min exposure, set the burst mode to unlimited, then put a contraption i made over the shutter button which kept the shutter button pressed down, then this took an unlimited amount of 1 minute pics! I suppose i could make one for the 350d, it is only made from a knitting needle and small piece of flexible pipe!

[Merlin66]

The canon TC80 remote control ( or a clone) is the way to go.

Ken

[mark skelton]

I've got a 350d with electronic cable release, when I use the 'b' seting I push down the button then slide the button forward to lock the button down thus a hands free exposure untill you push the button back to release the button and close the shutter.