Remote trigger for Canon 550D

[DonTX]

Hello,

I am in the market for a remote trigger for my Canon 550D (Rebel T2i). I don't really need anything fancy, but want to know what there is out there. Cabled remote is ok. If I went wireless, would I want Infared, or RF? Any info would be greatly appreciated.

Don in TX

[Geoff F]

Search around on a few internet sites which do camera gear. There are quite a few options to choose from.

I just purchased a replacement for my 7D. Cost around £8 (UK money) plus postage; compared with £40 from Canon. Looks just as good and probably just as strong as the Canon unit which developed wiring problems. Could actually have bought one for half what I spent; but I thought that might be too cheap!

Do check that whatever you purchase is suitable for your camera though; some are quite specific to just a few models.

Like you, I just wanted a basic cable operation. Definitely nothing complicated.

[DonTX]

Thank Geoff! Who was the manufacturer of the one you got?

Don

[Geoff F]

OK, I have found the box. Produced by Pixel Enterprise; obviously made in China.

Suitable for 10D to 7D. But I think you probably need something different in the way of connection plug. Hence the need to carefully check for compatibility.

[DonTX]

Great, thanks for the info. I'll have to check compatibility for sure.

Don

[inkista]

With wireless you want infrared or radio depends on your usage, but I personally would prefer radio. Infrared generally only works well and easily if a) you're in front of the camera (the sensor is typically either on the front of the grip or in that valley between the grip and the lens); b) if your'e not in bright sunshine, and c) if you're not outdoors. Infrared requires "line-of-sight" and can be overpowered by bright sunlight. I have a Canon RC-1 (now discontinued) IR remote that I use with my cameras, and it can be frustrating if I have to use it from behind the lens.

Radio doesn't typically have line-of-sight restrictions, and the range and reliability is better. But it's less convenient because it'll come in two parts, rather than just an IR transmitter (since you have the receiver built into the camera). You need a receiver to plug into the shutter release port, and you need a transmitter in hand as a remote. Also, be careful about what shutter release cable comes with the remote to plug into the port--Canon actually uses two different types of ports that are incompatible. The XXXD and XXXXD dRebels and Powershot Gs use a stereo 2.5mm miniphone jack (slightly smaller than regular 3.5mm headphone jacks); the XXD and higher-tiered models use a proprietary 3-pin connector.

My recommendation would actually be to get a pair of cheap manual flash radio triggers, like the Yongnuo RF-603II (with their C1 cable, not their C3 cable). They can be used as a remote shutter release (with half-press function), but when you decide you want to go Strobist, they'll also work to remotely fire a flash.

If you're going to go for a wired remote, consider what function you want it to have. In addition to simple wired releases that can release the shutter with/without a delay, and allow you to use bulb without having to hold the shutter button on the remote down, there are also releases that have timers and intervalometers so you can set and forget, or do timelapses.

I once purchased a very cheap simple cable release for my Panasonic G3 that was Pixel-branded. It didn't work out of the box when I got it. I'm sure a lot of them were good, but there is more of a risk with copy variance with the very-low-cost gear. Make sure the dealer you purchase from has a return policy, just in case.