using camera remotely

LCPete

LCPete

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Morning all
I want to take photos of the birds in our garden using the camera remotely
Can anyone recommend a good wireless system for doing this?
550D and 70 200 on a tripod set up 5 feet from perch and I'll be sat 15 metres away
I've thought about using a hide but our garden is quite small
I have tried this in the past using a 10 metre cable and it works well
have tried wireless remotes but never got them to work reliably and I wrap the camera body in a towel to dampen the shutter sound so this blocks the signal
Is there wireless remotes that you can get now that will do the job without the faf of a long cable?
Am having trouble finding a 15 metre cable, my 10 metre one isn't quite long enough
 
This might not be appropriate to your camera body BUT there is a smart phone app which lets you remotely control some Canon bodies. Whether your body is one I am not sure but a quick look on either the android or Apple app stores should find it.

I have used it with my 5D mk3 and 6D and it offers a lot more than just shutter release. I have never tried it at the distances you need but it is worth exploring.

Good luck
 
I use a Yonghnuo wireless remote with my Nikon and it works well for not much money. I always take the battery out for storage as I ended up with a flat bettery after it switched itself on in my camera bag. Many cameras can be controlled by phone or tablet but I prefer to use the remote.
 
Thanks very much Martin Derek and Mark really appreciated
the wireless remote with sensor on the flash mount does look like just what I'm looking for
I did try one a few years ago that I bought from ebay but I couldn't get it to work reliably but I guess that they are better now than they used to be
 
I use a High Speed USB 2.0 Extension Repeater Cable Booster connected to my laptop. I think the one I have is 10M but I have seen 15M and 20M ones on a well known auction site. Using Canon's EOS utility means you can adjust focus as well as exposure settings For instance, if the light levels change you can change the ISO setting remotely.
 
MickG said:
I use a High Speed USB 2.0 Extension Repeater Cable Booster connected to my laptop. I think the one I have is 10M but I have seen 15M and 20M ones on a well known auction site. Using Canon's EOS utility means you can adjust focus as well as exposure settings For instance, if the light levels change you can change the ISO setting remotely.
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Thanks Mick sounds good does is react quickly say if a bird lands on a perch could you fire off a quick few shots before it flies off ?
 
It's worked for me in the past but you would have to try it for yourself to see if it is quick enough for you. Just use the USB cable that came with your camera to try it out. I usually use a mains adaptor for the camera as it is working in Live View and it can be a bit of a drain on batteries.
 
MickG said:
It's worked for me in the past but you would have to try it for yourself to see if it is quick enough for you. Just use the USB cable that came with your camera to try it out. I usually use a mains adaptor for the camera as it is working in Live View and it can be a bit of a drain on batteries.
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Thanks Mick that's a good idea I'll try it with the camera usb cable to see how it works
 
LCPete said:
Thanks Mick that's a good idea I'll try it with the camera usb cable to see how it works
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Just tried the remote shooting with canon utilities works a treat with the cable that comes with the camera have ordered a 20 metre long one from the bay
Thanks Mick for the help much appreciated :)
 
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Thanks everyone for the help much appreciated:):)
I'm going with the remote control of the camera with canon utilities :)
 
That's great the cable connection works for you. Another cable connection would be triggertrap, uses the same cable but needs the app and triggering box. I often use it for timed landscape images. It works ok and is quite fast. For remote wildlife shooting I now use the Yongnuo RF-603 triggers, they work very well, work over a good distance and a are fast to response. I would highly recommend the Yongnuo triggers if you do want you go cable-less in the future, they are much easier to use than running a cable. I did try wifi triggers like Weye-Feye (Camranger alternative) but found the trigging wifi range to be poor. I havent yet tried the wifi connection and app on my camera (not that it would be help to you anyway).
 
Thanks Rob Ive just had a look at the Yongnuo RF-603 trigger it does look good
I'll see how I get on with the cable remote shooting with canon utilities if it doesnt work out I'll try the Yongnuo trigger
 
Any basic radio trigger will do this, no matter how many towels are wrapped around the camera ;) Yongnuo RF-603 or 602 are flash triggers, though they work fine as shutter triggers too, with the right cable. Make sure the cable has the right connector/plug for your camera model (Canon uses two different types).
 
HoppyUK said:
Any basic radio trigger will do this, no matter how many towels are wrapped around the camera ;) Yongnuo RF-603 or 602 are flash triggers, though they work fine as shutter triggers too, with the right cable. Make sure the cable has the right connector/plug for your camera model (Canon uses two different types).
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Thanks Richard :)
It was a few years ago when I tried a radio trigger with my 40D I couldn't get it to work reliably I missed too many shots so went with a long shutter release cable
It was an eBay cheapy tho and it sounds like the ones that are available now are good
Hopefully the long usb cable will work as well as the short one did it would be great to be able to see straight away if I've got the shot/ exposure etc sorted without having to take the card out of the camera and load up to the laptop
Think that I'll still have a look at radio triggers tho sometimes I won't be able to use a cable easily
 
With my old 40D I've used both the RF-602 as a wireless trigger and used 30m+ of USB repeater cables (you can't use standard USB cable they must be repeaters) for tethered shooting with the camera at the bottom of the garden and a laptop in the house.

For long-distance tethered shooting you must use the right cables.
 
Alastair said:
With my old 40D I've used both the RF-602 as a wireless trigger and used 30m+ of USB repeater cables (you can't use standard USB cable they must be repeaters) for tethered shooting with the camera at the bottom of the garden and a laptop in the house.

For long-distance tethered shooting you must use the right cables.
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Thanks Alistair I have ordered a 20 metre Repeater Cable so should be ok I'll post back when it arrives and I've tried them out:)
 
There is a system called tethertools that look pretty good has a usb booster as well.
Also i have Trigger Trap that is very good if you want to use a mobile device.
 
seme said:
There is a system called tethertools that look pretty good has a usb booster as well.
Also i have Trigger Trap that is very good if you want to use a mobile device.
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Thanks Darren just had a look at the tethertools site looks like some good gear and the cables look good quality too
 
Just an update the 20 metre USB cable arrived and I set the camera up with the Canon image capture program on my macbook
It works a treat no delay when I press the shutter icon on the program and the files save straight away to my external hard drive
I've just got to set up some perches around the feeder and find time to have a go
Thanks everyone for the help:)
ill post again if and when I get some decent shots:D
 
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