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| Night Sky Photography - Stills and Stacked - Page 1 | |
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| Posted: Thu Jan 7th, 2016 16:43 |
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1st Post |
Robert
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As you may have noticed I have taken to sitting on hill tops in the dark taking photographs of the stars. So far so good, however one of the classic images is 'star trails' where a (very) long exposure is made, preferably including Polaris, the North Star. I have a remote, the Nikon ML-3. However it has no provision to make 'bulb' exposures, I checked out the D300s User Manual before I went out, believing I had a way of making long exposures in 'bulb' without a remote, by latching the shutter release, I had misunderstood the manual. The wording is somewhat ambiguous and I read it too quickly. Net result, no images tonight, except numerous of the interior of my car, while I was trying to actuate the latching 'bulb' exposure. I now realise it doesn't latch. I have checked out the Nikon website and found theres various options: https://support.nikonusa.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/13803/~/which-remote-can-i-use-with-my-nikon-d-slr%3F I somehow suspect what I need will be very expensive, so I went looking for alternatives... http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/DC0-YP-870-Wireless-Shutter-Timer-Remote-for-Nikon-D810-D800-D700-D300-10-Pin-/161721652457?hash=item25a75c94e9:g:xi0AAOSwl8NVa8qS I am a bit torn, in the interests of reliability and simplicity I would like hard wired ten pin remote which latches the 'bulb' shutter, on or off (latching so I don't need to hold the button in for hours). On the other hand, it could be useful to have wireless (not IR because it can be more fickle) radio control, but it must be able to make latched 'bulb' exposures, or better yet, self-time much longer exposures up to say, 8 hours? Given the eBay item I have given the link for is Chinese, the description is somewhat cryptic, I am far from sure this remote will do what I want. Can anybody suggest an inexpensive way to achieve what I need please, using a soldering iron and Dremel if need be. If I knew the pinouts I could possibly make up a bit of wire with a switch to simply switch the shutter on or off. JK? I do have an old ten pin radio control remote which I took apart a long time ago to try to make a sensor switch to activate the camera by a beam but not sure where it is right now. I don't remember it having a latching release for 'bulb' though.
____________________ Robert. |
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| Posted: Thu Jan 7th, 2016 16:48 |
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2nd Post |
jk
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Robert, There are some very cheap £10-15 remote releases with intervalometers that give up to 1 hour exposures on eBay. You can also make a hard wire version yourself.  PM if you want more info. How difficult is a switch and a 10 pin connector? Set camera to B and use a switch across the fire shutter connections. Main problem I found is the ability to power the camera for long periods and the long time needed to 'process' the file to save to CF card. Processing time = shooting time! :-(
____________________ Still learning after all these years! https://nikondslr.uk/gallery_view.php?user=2&folderid=none |
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| Posted: Thu Jan 7th, 2016 16:52 |
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3rd Post |
jk
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BTW: The camera get hot when you do long exposures and also a standard battery doesnt last a full 1 hour exposure. Also dont forget that you need a polar mount that tracks, if you dont want star trails. Some do, some dont!
____________________ Still learning after all these years! https://nikondslr.uk/gallery_view.php?user=2&folderid=none |
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| Posted: Thu Jan 7th, 2016 17:21 |
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4th Post |
Robert
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Thanks JK, I knew you were the man! There is absolutely NO risk of the camera getting hot!!! There was a biting cold wind blowing and it's rarely ever anything else up there, esp. at night. I will PM you, As I said I have a ten pin plug and short bit of wire, all I need is the pinouts and to know which two pins to link to activate the shutter. I am still drinking the coffee I brewed to take with me stargazing! I should still have been up there. The internet connection isn't too bad, I was able to D/L the D300s User Manual onto my iPad to get to the bottom of why the shutter release wasn't latching.
____________________ Robert. |
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| Posted: Thu Jan 7th, 2016 17:23 |
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5th Post |
jk
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I will email you the info tomorrow when I get home after walking the dogs and having breakfast. If I forget then nag me!
____________________ Still learning after all these years! https://nikondslr.uk/gallery_view.php?user=2&folderid=none |
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| Posted: Thu Jan 7th, 2016 17:32 |
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6th Post |
Robert
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NP, thanks! If I can find my ten pin plug it will be a cheap solution. I guess with a 555 chip I could make a timer... Mmmmm walk first, then run! 
____________________ Robert. |
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| Posted: Fri Jan 8th, 2016 03:03 |
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7th Post |
jk
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Here is a PDF of the pinouts for the 10 pin connector. All you really need is a latchable on/off switch that shorts pins 1 and 6 or 7. Attachment: Nikon-10pin Connectors.pdf (Downloaded 1 time)
____________________ Still learning after all these years! https://nikondslr.uk/gallery_view.php?user=2&folderid=none |
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| Posted: Fri Jan 8th, 2016 03:15 |
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8th Post |
jk
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If you want a more fancy thing then you can use the Triggertrap solution or the Nikon wired remotes or a homemade timer that holds the shutter latched (open) for your desired times.
____________________ Still learning after all these years! https://nikondslr.uk/gallery_view.php?user=2&folderid=none |
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| Posted: Fri Jan 8th, 2016 07:41 |
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9th Post |
jk
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If you cant find your 10pin cable then the cheapest solution is to get a Triggertrap cable for Nikon and also maybe the Triggertrap mobile hardware (~£25) as well then you can remote control the unit from your iPad or iPhone, Android phone or tablet.
____________________ Still learning after all these years! https://nikondslr.uk/gallery_view.php?user=2&folderid=none |
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| Posted: Fri Jan 8th, 2016 17:59 |
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10th Post |
Robert
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You know when you are waiting for a bird, then five come along at once... Well I found my Chinese radio remote, then somewhat surprised, I found a manual remote... then I found a brace of brand new, Chinese radio remotes, so now I have five!!! The surprise remotes came from Eric, when I got his D200 IR body, he kindly 'threw them in' commenting that I might find them useful someday; well Eric, I think they will be very useful for this project, thanks again. The batteries are down but I am expecting to visit Maplin in the morning, when I am done plastering the FINAL staircase wall!  These surprise radio remotes also have a 'Bulb' long exposure release, hold the button for more than 3 seconds, then let go, the shutter should stay open until the button is momentarily pressed again. The Manual release worked initially, but the full release has stopped working unless I tug at the connecting wire. Will fix it... JK, Why isn't the 'thumbs' at the end of para 3 working? I have noticed several times that the forum software inserts the text for a smiley, but when posted, the smily doesn't appear but the text does...
____________________ Robert. |
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