Trigger Photography with an M

[Lindolfi]

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Lately I have been experimenting with trigger photography with sound and light, using an Arduino Mega board. (bursting balloon for instance: 365 PhotoBlog Lindolfi )

 

Triggering a flash is easy, but for some events (like lightning) I like to trigger the camera shutter.

 

For that I used a Canon 5DII since I can trigger the shutter electronically through the shutter cable. However I would rather use a Leica M for this. Apart from the obvious advantages of the Leica for the image, it also has a shorter shutter lag (0.1 sec versus 0.22 sec for the Canon).

 

The Leica M (typ 240) can not be released electronically as far as I know, so I have to do it with a solenoid pressing on a cable release. I was thinking of this solenoid: Intertec ITS-LZ 2560-D-6VDC, 0.78 N - 22 N electromagnet, 6 Vdc 10 W M3 from Conrad.com

 

It produces a pressing force of 0.78 - 22 N. I measured the force needed to release the shutter of the Leica M and it appeared to be about 10 N, The solenoid has a working range of 18 mm, so that should also suffice.

 

Anyone has experience in building such a mechanical cable release or suggestions for other solutions? Thanks in advance.

[M Kenya]

REMOTE ALL Wireless Remote for ALL cameras! - byMaC Inventions

[marknorton]

I think the problem with anything mechanical - such as a cable release solenoid - is going to be the lag before the shutter is released. All you'll get is a picture of a rather deflated balloon.

 

Nikon supply a cable which allowed electronic release with minimum lag (those still about 50 mS) but there is no equivalent for Leica unfortunately.

 

Triggering a flash is likely to give you the best repeatability for shots where timing is critical, but a solenoid may still work for situations such as animals interrupting a light beam. Really though, the Leica is not the best camera to use for this sort of work.

[Lindolfi]

Thanks M Kenya. Looking at the youtube video (

), "Remote All" adds a very long lag ( almost 1 second) to the nice shutter lag of the Leica M.

 

Mark, thanks, yes I know I will add some lag with a solenoid, but the Leica is 0.12 sec faster than the Canon, so perhaps I can beat that time.

[theno23]

Won't help you right now, but I think the multifunction grip has a USB port, hopefully that can be used with the PTP protocol to trigger the shutter.

 

I'd be slightly worried about the trade off between minimising latency and being too violent with the shutter release, but I can't see any reason why the solenoid shouldn't work.

 

 

A minor variation would be to use the solenoid to compress a bulb and an air threaded release to trip the shutter. Will add more latency though.

[kdriceman]

Bert,

 

I have not experimented with these, but a piezo actuator should have faster response and may help control vibration better than a solenoid.

 

KDR

 

http://www.mide.com/products/qp/qp_catalog.php

 

http://youtu.be/GFvf7FZosE4

[pico]

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Wireless remote here:

Handya - Arduino, Processing, And Kinect Hacks • Wireless Remote for Fuji X100 Camera (or Leica)