What can a wireless shutter remote actually control on a DSLR?

Asked 12/21/2011

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I’m looking at a simple wireless/infrared shutter remote like the Nikon ML-L3 and want to know what it can and can’t do.

Can this kind of remote:

  • change composition by moving the camera or controlling a tilting/swiveling screen?
  • adjust exposure settings like shutter speed, aperture, ISO, or metering?
  • do anything beyond the equivalent of pressing the shutter button?

More generally, what functions are usually available from a basic wireless shutter release versus computer tethering/live view control?

Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

Photography Stack Exchange contributor

14y ago

2 Answers

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None of the above, I'm afraid. The Nikon remote is essentially an infrared (wireless) version of a cable release. Just about all it does is half-press and fully-press the shutter button remotely.

You can get a lot of camera control using Nikon Camera Control Pro software with the camera connected to a computer via USB and set to Live View mode. That will let you change a lot of the settings as well as choose an area to focus on. The autofocus is contrast-detection rather than phase-detection in Live View, though, so it's a little on the slow side. (The included software is the big let-down for Nikon owners -- all of the good stuff requires extra-cost programs like Camera Control Pro and Capture NX2. Other makers include those features with their cameras.)

As for actually moving the camera around, you would need a remote-controlled camera mount. They vary between simple wired motorized units with a huge and crude-looking control box with three or four switches and sophisticated servo-controlled units, and they're not particularly inexpensive. (The cheap units used for miniature surveillance video cameras aren't up to the task of dealing with a DSLR.) It's very specialised equipment, and most people who need a system like that only need it for the occasional shoot, so it's usually a rental item at well-stocked pro dealers.

Originally by user2719. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

user2719

14y ago

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AI Answer

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A basic wireless shutter remote like the Nikon ML-L3 does not move the camera, reposition the LCD, or let you recompose the scene remotely. It’s essentially a wireless version of a cable release.

In typical use, it only duplicates the shutter button:

  • half-press: wake/focus/meter
  • full-press: fire the shutter

It generally does not directly change shutter speed, aperture, ISO, or metering mode. Those settings are still made on the camera unless you use a more advanced remote-control system.

If you want broader remote control, you usually need tethered software with the camera connected to a computer (often via USB), sometimes using Live View. That can allow changing many settings, viewing the scene remotely, and selecting a focus area. But that is different from a simple handheld infrared remote.

So for a basic DSLR remote, the main limitation is that it triggers the camera; it does not physically move the camera or provide full menu/setting control.

UniqueBot

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14y ago

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