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3rd party cable release

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ngiovas

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I stopped by a local camera shop yesterday to pick up the Canon cable release for the 5D and was shocked when I found out they wanted $69 for it. I called around and one other shop carries them for $60. Has anyone tried a 3rd party release? Are they the same quality (doesn't seem to be much to them)? Can anyone recommend a place to buy one for less?

Thanks,
NG
 
I bought one on ebay, its brand new and doesn't work. It only focuses the camera, the second click doesn't release the shutter. the connector plug doesn't feel like it sits in very tight either. I took it apart, but the problem is in the molded connector so I can't fix it.
 
I bought an off brand cable release from bhphoto.com for $40

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=productlist&A=details&Q=&sku=408499&is=REG&addedTroughType=search
If that link doesn't work, just do a search for "5d release" and you'll find it.

I used it for the first time on the fourth of July for fireworks, and I was happy with it. Please note, I have no experience with other cable releases, including Canon's, so I don't have any comparison to make.

The cable is rather short, so I plan on cutting the cable and adding an 1/8" stereo jack and plug. That way I can use a normal 1/8" stereo extension cable to make it as long as I want (assuming it doesn't cause to much electrical resistance).

With this release, you can still use the half-shutter for focus only, and trigger the shutter. It also has a lock (you slide the key up) and the shutter button will stay on. This is for bulb mode for very long shutter times.

End result: I'm happy I got it. It's definitely overpriced, but what can you do?

-Porter
 
Thanks for the info Porter. Does anyone know if the Canon version of the release includes the ability to lock the shutter open?
 
I bought one from eBay - a cheapo one that actually was sent from China (cool stamps). It works fine, only cost me about $20 CDN, and doesn't even look shoddy.

It doesn't hold the shutter open on it's own (no lock, I have to hold it for bulb operation), but I have rarely (well, never) needed that feature yet for my type of work - so it's no loss.

If it busts or stops working, I'll get a real Canon one - but for now, I'm happy to have saved nearly $50.

B

--

From the begining, I found photography simple: Point the camera, then push the button. Then, after several weeks of practice, I discovered I get even better results when I turn the camera on and remove the lens cap.

 
I can't really imagine a cable release that doesn't allow you to lock the shutter open. You couldn't be expected to hold your finger on it for an extended time could you?

I have no idea why they are so expensive when it's only a wire with two position switch.

Rich
 
I don't understand why someone who can afford thousands of dollars of camera gear would spend so much energy trying to save a few dollars on an important accessory. How much is your time worth? Speaking for myself, if saving $30 cost even 30 minutes of my time (calling and/or driving to other stores, shopping online, posting to a forum, and so on), it wouldn't be worth it.

And that assumes I'd even end up with something as good as the original. I use my cable release every time I shoot, have submerged it in freezing water, slammed it in a car door (the release itself, not just the cable), and dragged it on a highway for 10 miles ("What's that sound?") and it's never given me a problem. I'd have no problem buying a cheaper aftermarket release if there was a well-know, consensus alternative, but it would have to be so well know that I wouldn't need to do too much research to identify it. Otherwise, I'll just let others do the field testing.

Gary Hart
http://www.eloquentimages.com
http://www.photographyosemite.com


ngiovas said:
I stopped by a local camera shop yesterday to pick up the Canon
cable release for the 5D and was shocked when I found out they
wanted $69 for it. I called around and one other shop carries them
for $60. Has anyone tried a 3rd party release? Are they the same
quality (doesn't seem to be much to them)? Can anyone recommend a
place to buy one for less?

Thanks,
NG
Click to expand...
 
My post probably sounded a bit more antagonistic than I intended. My point isn't that it's foolish to try to save money, but rather that people should factor the value of their time into their money saving endeavors.

Gary Hart
http://www.eloquentimages.com
http://www.photographyosemite.com


Gary Hart said:
And that assumes I'd even end up with something as good as the
original. I use my cable release every time I shoot, have
submerged it in freezing water, slammed it in a car door (the
release itself, not just the cable), and dragged it on a highway
for 10 miles ("What's that sound?") and it's never given me a
problem. I'd have no problem buying a cheaper aftermarket release
if there was a well-know, consensus alternative, but it would have
to be so well know that I wouldn't need to do too much research to
identify it. Otherwise, I'll just let others do the field testing.

Gary Hart
http://www.eloquentimages.com
http://www.photographyosemite.com


ngiovas said:
I stopped by a local camera shop yesterday to pick up the Canon
cable release for the 5D and was shocked when I found out they
wanted $69 for it. I called around and one other shop carries them
for $60. Has anyone tried a 3rd party release? Are they the same
quality (doesn't seem to be much to them)? Can anyone recommend a
place to buy one for less?

Thanks,
NG
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
 
ngiovas said:
I stopped by a local camera shop yesterday to pick up the Canon
cable release for the 5D and was shocked when I found out they
wanted $69 for it. I called around and one other shop carries them
for $60. Has anyone tried a 3rd party release? Are they the same
quality (doesn't seem to be much to them)? Can anyone recommend a
place to buy one for less?

Thanks,
NG
Click to expand...
ebay sells third-party clones of the Canon RS-80N3 remote:

http://cgi.ebay.com/Adidt-Remote-Cord-fit-Canon-1Ds-Mark-II-30D-as-RS-80N3_W0QQitemZ190005210964QQihZ009QQcategoryZ64345QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

They are made by a Chinese company called Adidt:

http://www.adidt.com/English/Products/M1.htm

Personally, I think the third-party clone remote is a no-brainer. The clone of the RS-80N3 does the exact same thing as the Canon version, but at a fraction of the cost. I have one of the Adidt remotes. As somone who has gone through the expensive pain of losing two (!) Canon RS-80N3 remotes, I can tell you that it's simply not worth it to buy the Canon remote. Just get the clone for a lot less money. Heck, buy two of them. The remote's simple task is to offer a shutter release at the end of an electronic cable, and there's really no need to spend more to accomplish such a simple task.
 
Gary Hart said:
My post probably sounded a bit more antagonistic than I intended.
My point isn't that it's foolish to try to save money, but rather
that people should factor the value of their time into their money
saving endeavors.
Click to expand...
The day you lose one of those $50 Canon remotes out in the field, you'll realize the benefit of cheaper third-party remotes. Losing an RS-80N3 is like losing a $50 bill. I've had the mis-fortune of losing two of them. Now I use the Adidt remote, which I bought for around $10 on ebay. It does the exact same thing as the Canon $50 remote. I wish the Adidt remotes were available when I bought my first two RS-80N3 remotes. If they were available then, I would have never bought the Canon remotes; I would have bought the Adidt remotes from the beginning. The only thing foolish is to toss away money needlessly.
 
And the day your cheap knock-off fails in the field, you'll realize $50 is really not that much money. Actually, your logic could be used for just about any purchase: Why spend more for anything of known quality when you might just lose it? As I said earlier, when enough of you people have tested that remote that I'm confident it will withstand my abuse or won't fail me at a critical time, I'll buy it. But when I'm shooting hundreds of miles and several days' hike from the nearest replacement, I'll spend a few extra dollars for a tried and true product. But that's just me--we each make our own decision regrarding the value of our time and peace of mind.

Gary Hart
http://www.eloquentimages.com
http://www.photographyosemite.com


T3 said:
The day you lose one of those $50 Canon remotes out in the field,
you'll realize the benefit of cheaper third-party remotes. Losing
an RS-80N3 is like losing a $50 bill. I've had the mis-fortune of
losing two of them. Now I use the Adidt remote, which I bought for
around $10 on ebay. It does the exact same thing as the Canon $50
remote. I wish the Adidt remotes were available when I bought my
first two RS-80N3 remotes. If they were available then, I would
have never bought the Canon remotes; I would have bought the Adidt
remotes from the beginning. The only thing foolish is to toss away
money needlessly.
Click to expand...
 
Gary Hart said:
My post probably sounded a bit more antagonistic than I intended.
My point isn't that it's foolish to try to save money, but rather
that people should factor the value of their time into their money
saving endeavors.
Click to expand...
Okay, but it's also human nature to feel indignation about simple gadgets that are way overpriced.

I need a wired release for my new 5D too, and it's just insane, what they're charging for it. It's a wire with a contact switch, fer cryin' out loud.

I'll probably get the Canon brand remote anyway, just to be "safe," but that doesn't mean I'm not outraged about the pricing. They're just taking advantage of the fact that you're locked into the system. Same deal with the speedlights... those are WAY overpriced, for what you're getting.

This game has been going on for years, and I didn't feel any better about it when I was using Nikon gear. They do the same thing.
 
Yeah, I completely agree with you about pricing and the manufacturers' captive audience--there's a good chance an off-brand will be just fine, but I don't want to be the one to find out otherwise because suddenly my "great deal" has become a net loss. Not just the replacement cost, but also the inconvenience its failure caused. This is my livelihood, and while a cable release may seem like a minor thing to most people, it's part of virtually every shot I take.

On the other hand, I did buy an off-brand backup battery for my 1DSII, but only after I'd heard enough about it to be confident it wouldn't be a problem. So far I haven't been disappointed.

Gary Hart
http://www.eloquentimages.com
http://www.photographyosemite.com


foldedpath said:
Okay, but it's also human nature to feel indignation about simple
gadgets that are way overpriced.

I need a wired release for my new 5D too, and it's just insane,
what they're charging for it. It's a wire with a contact switch,
fer cryin' out loud.

I'll probably get the Canon brand remote anyway, just to be "safe,"
but that doesn't mean I'm not outraged about the pricing. They're
just taking advantage of the fact that you're locked into the
system. Same deal with the speedlights... those are WAY overpriced,
for what you're getting.

This game has been going on for years, and I didn't feel any better
about it when I was using Nikon gear. They do the same thing.
Click to expand...
 
Gary Hart said:
And the day your cheap knock-off fails in the field, you'll realize
$50 is really not that much money. Actually, your logic could be
used for just about any purchase: Why spend more for anything of
known quality when you might just lose it? As I said earlier, when
enough of you people have tested that remote that I'm confident it
will withstand my abuse or won't fail me at a critical time, I'll
buy it. But when I'm shooting hundreds of miles and several days'
hike from the nearest replacement, I'll spend a few extra dollars
for a tried and true product. But that's just me--we each make our
own decision regrarding the value of our time and peace of mind.
Click to expand...
LOL. You forget that I've had two RS-80N3's. And now I have the Adidt $10 "knock-off". Frankly, I don't know what kind of "abuse" you put your remote through, but I can tell you that the "knock-off" withstands all I put it through just as well as the two RS-80N3 remotes that came before it. Maybe you use a hammer to press the remote's button! Me, I just use my thumb to press the remote's button. And by the way, I'm sure that is you used a hammer to press the shutter button on either the OEM unit or the "knock-off" unit, you'll get the same level of damage.

No, I don't see the point in spending an extra $50 just to get the OEM unit when a simple $10 "knock-off" does just as well. Remember, I paid for the OEM remote twice already. We're not talking about lenses here (where differences in quality have greater ramifications). We're just talking about a simple wired remote. I could care less if it had the Canon logo on it or not, just as long as it did the job! With the money I saved, I'd much rather buy myself a nice dinner, or maybe four more "knock-off" remotes!
 
It is a cable release and wireless remote in one (actually 2 parts). They are sold on eBay for $80 or so.

--
jerryk.smugmug.com
 
Mr. T, apparently you weren't paying attention when I detailed the abuse I put my cable release through, but the bigger question is, why does what I think matter so much to you? I'm just a guy with an opinion, no need to get so worked up about it. Obviously, $50 is a lot of money to you, so I'm happy you've found a solution that works for you.

Gary Hart
http://www.eloquentimages.com
http://www.photographyosemite.com


T3 said:
Gary Hart said:
And the day your cheap knock-off fails in the field, you'll realize
$50 is really not that much money. Actually, your logic could be
used for just about any purchase: Why spend more for anything of
known quality when you might just lose it? As I said earlier, when
enough of you people have tested that remote that I'm confident it
will withstand my abuse or won't fail me at a critical time, I'll
buy it. But when I'm shooting hundreds of miles and several days'
hike from the nearest replacement, I'll spend a few extra dollars
for a tried and true product. But that's just me--we each make our
own decision regrarding the value of our time and peace of mind.
Click to expand...
LOL. You forget that I've had two RS-80N3's. And now I have the
Adidt $10 "knock-off". Frankly, I don't know what kind of "abuse"
you put your remote through, but I can tell you that the
"knock-off" withstands all I put it through just as well as the two
RS-80N3 remotes that came before it. Maybe you use a hammer to
press the remote's button! Me, I just use my thumb to press the
remote's button. And by the way, I'm sure that is you used a
hammer to press the shutter button on either the OEM unit or the
"knock-off" unit, you'll get the same level of damage.

No, I don't see the point in spending an extra $50 just to get the
OEM unit when a simple $10 "knock-off" does just as well.
Remember, I paid for the OEM remote twice already. We're not
talking about lenses here (where differences in quality have
greater ramifications). We're just talking about a simple wired
remote. I could care less if it had the Canon logo on it or not,
just as long as it did the job! With the money I saved, I'd much
rather buy myself a nice dinner, or maybe four more "knock-off"
remotes!
Click to expand...
 
Hello!

I have the same problem with two (2) third-party remotes, (different brands). They can't all be bad.

What's the deal?

Does anyone know if this is a known problem with Canon cameras?
 
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