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
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
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.
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