User:Patrícia Durán Gimeno/Camera remote control

A càmera remote control is a small device whose main function is to remotely shoot a camera. It is ideal for long exposure photography and self-portraits. In addition, it is also used in the realization of other techniques such as HDR or bracketing.

Most DSLR and evil cameras accept remote triggers. However, not all compact cameras are compatible with remote controls. Cameras that are compatible with remote controls typically have:


 * A connector on their body, to connect a cable remote control.
 * An infrared port on their body, to use wireless remote controls.

Functionality
The basic functionality of a remote control is to be able to shoot the camera without touching the shutter button. This allows:


 * 1) Avoid vibrations that occur in the camera when pressing the shutter button, thus obtaining clearer photographs and preventing them from being shaky or blurry.
 * 2) Being able to shoot the camera from a distance.

The remote control has a button that, like the one on the camera, pressed halfway focuses, and pressed all the way, shoots. Furthermore, if the Bule mode is used (for cameras that have this mode) it is possible to open the shutter by pressing the button once and to close it again by pressing it again.

Other remote controls, on the other hand, have the Hold option, from which it is possible to lock the shutter button by sliding your finger up, so there is no need to constantly press the shutter button during the entire long exposure shot.

Aplications
In most photographs it is not necessary to use a remote control, however, in certain situations, its use will be essential to take a correct photograph.

Some of the specific applications that remote controls have are:


 * Long exposure photography: In long exposure photographs, just by pressing the shutter button it is likely that the picture will be shaky, due to the vibrations caused by pressing the button. While it is true that it is possible to program the camera's timer so that it has a delay of a few seconds when pressing the shutter button, using a remote control is much more convenient and faster, and allows us to take not only premeditated photographs for which you can foresee the use of the timer, but also photographs that pop up instantly. Furthermore, this option is only valid when it is triggered for a few specific seconds. On the other hand, if you shoot in bulb mode, you must keep the camera's shutter button pressed all the time.
 * Night photography: Although night photography could be perfectly included within the previous point, it should also be noted that a wireless remote control will be essential for the light painting technique, since the photographer who performs effects with light and illuminates certain areas of the photograph should move away from the camera. On the other hand, an intervalometer is also very useful if you intend to use the bulb mode or take a circumpolar photograph.
 * Bracketing: Bracketing is a technique that consists on taking the same photograph with different exposures, and then combining the different shots to obtain a better overall exposure. This requires the use of a tripod and a remote control, as pressing the shutter button can cause the frame to vary slightly, ruining the final montage result.
 * HDR photography: HDR photography is based on the same technique that is used for bracketing and, therefore, also requires that the frame does not move one millimeter, to later mount all the photos with different exposures.
 * Group photographs with the photographer included and self-portraits.
 * Macrophotography: One of the biggest difficulties in macrophotography is focusing, since the depth of field is usually shallow. This is why a slight vibration when pressing the shutter button on the camera could cause the main subject to be out of focus.
 * Nature photography: In this type of photography, total tranquility is often necessary so as not to scare away the fauna. However, if the photographer is glued to the camera it will break that calmness and it is likely that his presence will alter the environment. Thanks to a remote control it is possible to take photos from a certain distance, to be able to capture the fauna in all its splendor.

Types
There are 3 types of camera remote controls:

Wired remote control
It simply consists of a button that works just like the shutter button on the camera. The cable remote control offers several benefits:


 * The main advantage of the wired remote control is its accuracy. Just as the wireless remote control can fail if the remote is not properly directed towards the infrared sensor, the wired remote control will never fail (unless it is faulty or not properly connected).
 * Enables the Hold option, to be able to lock the shutter button when shooting in Bulb mode.
 * Most wired models have the option to focus by pressing the shutter button halfway.


 * Finally, among the wired remote controls we have intervalometers, which are remote controls with advanced functions. More specifically, it allows you to program it to shoot a series of photos automatically in a given interval of time. It is extremely useful for programming the camera to take circumpolar or time lapse photography. In addition, they are also optimal when shooting in Bulb mode, to see on the screen how many seconds (or minutes) the shutter has been open.

However, wired remote controls also have disadvantages. The most notable is undoubtedly the little mobility it offers. Although there are models with longer cables, the truth is that a wired control is usually not suitable for taking self-portraits, group photographs or light painting from a distance, as a wireless control allows.

Wireless remote control
It is the same as the wired remote control but works (typically) via infrared rays. The biggest advantage of the wireless remote control is that it enables longer distances between the photographer and the camera. This is ideal for self-portraits, group photos where the photographer also wants to appear, or for light painting in night photography. However, we find several disadvantages:


 * The biggest drawback of the wireless control is that it needs a direct view with the infrared sensor of the camera, so it takes away freedom when it comes to positioning and on more than one occasion it can fail when pressing the button.
 * On the other hand, if multiple cameras are being shot at the same time, a wireless control can cause not only the desired camera to fire, but others to shoot as well. This could be an advantage if you want to shoot all at once, but in a joint session it is a big problem.
 * Finally, most wireless control models do not have the option to press the button halfway to focus.

Wired remote control with an intervalometer
In addition to having the shutter button, it has a small screen where you can program the camera to automatically shoot at intervals. This increases its price, but it can be very useful for taking circumpolar photographs or for time lapses.