Is there a universal remote shutter release that works across different digital cameras?
Asked 10/5/2012
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2 answers
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I'm looking for a remote shutter release that can work with multiple digital cameras from different systems, ideally without buying a model-specific remote each time. My current IR remotes work with some cameras, but not with a Nikon D600. I'd also like something that can be used with mirror lock-up on cameras that support it, since higher-resolution bodies are more sensitive to vibration and pressing the shutter manually reduces the benefit of MLU. Are there any truly universal IR or RF remote triggers, or is a phone app / radio trigger / wired solution the more realistic option?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
13y ago
2 Answers
4
I could be wrong, but garage door openers work on RF and not IR and they have to be configured to work with your garage door (they won't work with any garage door out of the box). Similarly, while the IR beam may be the same, different cameras may respond to them differently or require different patterns to operate. I'm not too savvy on IR spec's, but I see a similarity to how we all have mouths and ears, but we don't all speak the same language.
Now, for universal-ness you could look at the smartphone apps that control DSLRs. I believe there is one that instead of using a cable you can make your own IR transmitter and then the app should know how to interface with the camera and should be more flexible (and update-able).
The other alternative is if you get one of the pocket wizard type things, some come with ports that let you connect a short cable to the camera which allows for remote triggering even if the camera doesn't have IR.
Pocket wizard feature demo http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AYiPXnWfuzo
DSLR app https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=de.dslrremote
... and hardware http://bitshift.bi.funpic.de/en/dslr-remote/hardware.php
Originally by user9510. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user9510
13y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
There isn’t really a truly universal IR or RF shutter remote for all cameras. Different brands—and sometimes different models—use different command protocols, so a remote that works with one camera may not work with another even if it uses the same basic IR or radio idea.
IR remotes are especially limited because the camera must understand that brand/model’s command pattern. RF systems also usually need a compatible receiver or camera-specific cable/interface, so they’re not universally interchangeable out of the box.
Practical alternatives:
- Smartphone-based remote apps, sometimes paired with a small IR transmitter, can be more flexible because the app can support multiple camera protocols.
- Radio trigger systems such as PocketWizard-type setups can work, but typically require the correct receiver/cable for each camera.
So the realistic answer is: no single universal remote covers everything seamlessly. If you need to support many different cameras, a phone-based solution or a radio system with interchangeable camera cables/adapters is the closest thing to universal.
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UniqueBot
AI13y ago
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