5D2 Infrared remote

[images_in_light_north_west]

I am supprised no one that I have seen has talked about this, you can use the same cheap IR remote as the Rebel

on this $2700 camera, see link bottom of page, i think this is great.

 

 

 

 

http://www.dpreview.com/previews/canoneos5dmarkII/page3.asp

[lester_wareham]

Indeed, one wonders just why this is not a standard feature on all Canon SLRs, it must be a very cheap add on. If one was uncharitable then it might be assumed it has something to do with selling expensive accessories.

[mark u]

How long before Canon has an expensive IR remote for the 5D MK II that adds control for video functions?

[lester_wareham]

I think you get the cigar Mark!.

[zafar1]

Given the location of infra-red sensor, it is mostly only going to be useful for self portrait. A real photographer/director would not operate the camera while standing smack in front of it pointing the remote!

 

I had thought about and chalked it to the same useless feature set as direct print. However as opposed to the direct print button, this feature may have actual use. A lot of rich people buy this camera to take everyday family snapshots. This feature will let satisfy that market. (I know people who buy 1D/s and Nikon's Dx as well as 5Ds for family pictures).

[images_in_light_north_west]

Actually you should be able to point it down at the sensor and it should work fine, I have seen it done with the Rebel this way.

[NK Guy]

The IR remote is totally useful, and shouldn't be dismissed as a mere toy. Doing so reveals a foolish lack of imagination.

 

Let's say you want to do some long exposures at night. You put the camera on a tripod, but don't want to jar it by

pressing the shutter release. So you either use the timer and sit around for it to count down, or you fumble around in the

dark lifting up the rubber flap on the side and plugging in a wired remote. Or you grab the wireless remote that's clipped

to your camera strap and push a button.

 

Or you want to simulate the old-style T mode, which is like bulb mode. Assuming the 5D II's implementation is like

previous versions, just press the RC-1's button once to open the shutter; count down your exposure time with a

stopwatch, and press it again to close it.

 

On some earlier models and models like the 450D you can engage mirror lockup by setting the RC-1 to 2 second mode. I

don't know if that's true on the 5D mark II, but expect so. Presto! The argument that mirror lockup is fiddly to access on

Canon cameras is gone!

 

I for one am really pleased that Canon have brought support for this accessory to the new model.

[PuppyDigs]

"Given the location of infra-red sensor, it is mostly only going to be useful for self portrait. A real photographer/director

would not operate the camera while standing smack in front of it pointing the remote!"

 

Given this statement it is obvious you have never actually used the RC-1 for "real" photography! I bought a RC-1 in 1990 with my new EOS

10S

and, contrary to your statement, you can also fire the camera from above, below and slightly behind the camera at

indoors or in dim light. In the blazing sun, it only fires from above or in front of the camera. With my Elan 7NE I could

use it for mirror lockup and remote firing. I must say, I rarely bothered with a cable release when the RC-1 was so much

faster to use. I especially appreciated not having to fiddle with connecting a cable socket in the dark.

 

Sheesh, the 5D II is looking a little better every time I peek at it. If only it had ECF...

[NK Guy]

Yeah, I played with the display models at Photokina on Tuesday. You couldn't shoot your own images onto a card, as

they'd taped the cards down (they were prototype models on display), but I was very happy with just about everything I saw

about the camera.

 

My main quibble was the new battery design. I don't really see that as being a huge win. Third party batteries have already

got similar energy densities for the previous BP-511 form factor. And tracking charge level by battery serial number, while a

somewhat useful feature, to me doesn't make up for abandoning the ubiquity of the BP-511 design, which has carried

across all midrange EOS digital models since the D30. Oh well.