Remote shooting / Cable Release. Thoughts

[EricM]

I have the R6. I bought the BR-E1 to shoot with out. It connects via Bluetooth. I was shooting Badgers (in natural light) and wanted to keep camera steadier than it would with holding. Although the BR-E1 worked I did find it too involved. You have to switch on the Bluetooth which will increase the drain on the batteries and set the camera to one of the two remote (self timer settings). Should you wish to also use this remote for video it is slightly different. On occasion I forgot to use the BR-E1 and took self-timed pictures of the Badgers. All too fiddly I found.
I then bought the simpler RS-60E3 which just overrides the finger so I prefer it. I think that the BR-E1 may have a use for me but not when mixing still and video. Incidentally the BR-E1 seems to have a Wide/Telephoto facility to alter a zoom. Has anyone tried this?
Eric

 

[TMac99]

The zoom capability of the BR-E1 is only works if you have a Power Zoom Adapter PZ-E1 fitted to your lens, and that zoom adapter only works on one or two EF lenses, so it is not applicable for Rf lenses.

P.S. I agree with you on the fiddly factor for the BR-E1. It would be great if you didn't need to go into Self Timer mode to use the shutter release. I did put the Airplane Mode selection on one of the custom menus, so that made turning the bluetooth on and off pretty quick and easy (as long as you remember to do it).

 

[Robbie_B]

Have you investigated using the Canon Camera Connect app on a smartphone? Wont get around the battery drain but avoids cables or the delay with setting to the Self Timer modes

 

[JayAy]

I use the cable releases on my R and R5 which, of course, means having two release cables as they use different connectors. They are quick to set up with no pairing or waiting for connection to an app or other device or suffering dropped connections. They are simple to use, have no battery drain and are flexible than using the self timer approach.

 

[Ted M]

Thanks for all the thoughts and comments here everyone. I've just bought a BR-E1 remote controller and have been struggling to get it to pair with the R6. I now know I need to also set the camera to one of the remote modes too. I've searched the menu system and still not managed to find how to do that but I'll just have to persevere. Meanwhile, I've used the advice above to buy a cable remote for quicker, easier use when I don't need to be away from the camera. All very helpful stuff indeed. Many thanks. Ted

 

[denver.mike]

Can someone tell me why you feel you need a cable release?

1. The IS with RF lenses is amazing
2. Tripod with 2sec delay seems good enough to me.
3. Built in interval timer for time lapse

Why would I need a cable release anymore?

 

[Philwright5454]

Can someone tell me why you feel you need a cable release?

1. The IS with RF lenses is amazing
2. Tripod with 2sec delay seems good enough to me.
3. Built in interval timer for time lapse

Why would I need a cable release anymore?

try holding camera steady for long exposures for eg 30sec IBIS isn’t that good yet

 

[Ted M]

Can someone tell me why you feel you need a cable release?

1. The IS with RF lenses is amazing
2. Tripod with 2sec delay seems good enough to me.
3. Built in interval timer for time lapse

Why would I need a cable release anymore?

Yes, the IS is amazing, with or without RF lenses, yes a 2 second delay eliminates camera shake as you trigger the shutter, and yes the time lapse has the same effect, but, especially if I'm shooting models using a tripod, I'd rather not have the 2 second delay as expressions, poses, even lighting can change in that time so I prefer an instant image as I see it every time. Even the Canon cable release isn't that expensive and I'm sure plenty of generic ones are even cheaper, so a small investment reaps big rewards for the likes of me. Not everyone finds them necessary of course but with my restricted eyesight I rather rely on them.

 

[Robbie_B]

I am a bit long in the tooth now and holding a 100-400 lens for long periods is a no no. tripod is fine but if I am photographing small birds or little furry creatures they don't seem to want to hold the pose for two seconds for self timer and I want no camera shake. So a remote cable works fine for me.

 

[Copterdoc]

Yes, the IS is amazing, with or without RF lenses, yes a 2 second delay eliminates camera shake as you trigger the shutter, and yes the time lapse has the same effect, but, especially if I'm shooting models using a tripod, I'd rather not have the 2 second delay as expressions, poses, even lighting can change in that time so I prefer an instant image as I see it every time. Even the Canon cable release isn't that expensive and I'm sure plenty of generic ones are even cheaper, so a small investment reaps big rewards for the likes of me. Not everyone finds them necessary of course but with my restricted eyesight I rather rely on them.

I shoot long exposures for water smoothing and low light night shots and light painting. Many of these can include shutter speeds slower than 30 seconds or more. A tripod is a minimum requirement and the remote trigger is very helpful. I like the Canon Connect App (available for both Apple and Android phones) because it works and it's FREE.

 

[EricM]

2 seconds? Badgers don't wait that long!

 

[Kathryn Milner]

I have the R6. I bought the BR-E1 to shoot with out. It connects via Bluetooth. I was shooting Badgers (in natural light) and wanted to keep camera steadier than it would with holding. Although the BR-E1 worked I did find it too involved. You have to switch on the Bluetooth which will increase the drain on the batteries and set the camera to one of the two remote (self timer settings). Should you wish to also use this remote for video it is slightly different. On occasion I forgot to use the BR-E1 and took self-timed pictures of the Badgers. All too fiddly I found.
I then bought the simpler RS-60E3 which just overrides the finger so I prefer it. I think that the BR-E1 may have a use for me but not when mixing still and video. Incidentally the BR-E1 seems to have a Wide/Telephoto facility to alter a zoom. Has anyone tried this?
Eric

I like my cable release for night photography. I like the instant control.

 

[slclick]

Wired is solid, simple and straightforward. It may not be sexy but it works.

If I do wireless I do flash triggers for shutter release. You might have a set on hand already and haven't thought to use it for that purpose. Either way, it's a great double duty piece of gear.

 

[Don Bauer]

2 seconds? Badgers don't wait that long!

I'm hoping to find some of your badger photos!

 

[EricM]

See https://www.wildscot.co.uk/badgerwatch.html
Should be more but I haven't got around to processing them.
Eric

 

[Don Bauer]

See https://www.wildscot.co.uk/badgerwatch.html
Should be more but I haven't got around to processing them.
Eric

Wow! These are really cool. What great looking animals. Thanks for sharing some of your photos

 

[EricM]

Thank you for your kind words.
Eric