external long exposure timers for bulb mode?

[wildestseas]

<p>Have any of you ever heard of a device that attaches to a cable release and allows the timing of long exposures - that is - several hour exposures? I am going to be working on a little astrophotography project over the next few months and was wondering if something exists that could trip the shutter closed on an all-mechanical camera after a specified period of time. In other words, I don't want to have to wake up before sunrise to close the shutter. I'm lazy, and furthermore, I don't want to condition my s.o. to associate me and my camping trips with alarm clocks going off in the middle of the night - there's got to be a solution. A shutter trigger/timer is such a simple idea - I'd be surprised if nobody has made such an apparatus, but my internet searches haven't turned up anything.</p>

[phule]

<p>The term you're probably looking for is Intervalometer<br>

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intervalometer</p>

 

[cametacamera]

<p>Many manufacturers have something like this ready to "plug and play" with your camera body. Also, some motor-drives have this feature built into their hardware.<br>

What kind of body are you using? I could probably point you to something specific if I knew that bit of info.<br>

Another option would be to stay up during the entire exposure, that way you could could explain and see for yourself, any anomolies that occur in your photographs. Lots of things can happen in a few hours of exposure.</p>

[bobatkins]

<p>Actually intervalometers are really used to take sequences of images at specific time intervals, though some may incorporate long exposure capability too.</p>

<p>I don't know of any long exposure device for cameras with a screw in all-mechanical shutter release. They do exist for Cameras with electrically operated shutter releases though. See, for example, the Canon TC-80N which is both an intervalometer and a long exposure timer.</p>

<p>I'm sure you can buy a mechanical film camera body with an electronic shutter release for a few dollars on eBay these days. Building some sort of mechanical rig to physically push and release the shutter sounds like it would be the more complex, difficult, time consuming and expensive way to go. A circuit to make and break and electrical contact after a few hours would be simple. You could even buy one of those timers that turn lights on and off and modify it a bit! In the Canon lineup, an old Canon EOS 630 body would be ideal. The shutter can be opened and closed with an electrical contact and it draws no battery power to keep the shutter open (it's held open magnetically).</p>

[steven_f1]

<p>Just a note that the <a href="http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?ci=0&shs=Canon+TC-80N3&sb=ps&pn=1&sq=desc&InitialSearch=yes&O=jsp%2FRootPage.jsp&A=search&Q=*&bhs=t">TC-80N3</a> only plugs into Canon cameras with the N3 electrical connector. All Rebel cameras and most of the film cameras Canon made don't use this connector. The Canon 1V film body is the only film camera I am aware of with a N3 connector. </p>

<p>If you search the web you will find information on how to remove the N3 electrical connector on the TC-80N3 and attach the appropriate electrical connector for older film cameras (Canon and Nikon and I believe it can be done for Pentax).</p>

<p>As Bob mentioned the EOS 630 doesn't use battery power. Bob wrote an <a href="http://www.bobatkins.com/photography/eosfaq/drain.html">article</a> listing how long the shutter could be left open on various Canon film cameras. If you cannot find a EOS 600 series your next best choice would be a EOS 1 series. The EOS 1V also has N3 connector so you wouldn't need to modify the TC-80N3. Unfortunately the EOS 1V costs about $800 used. Also according to the B&H used equipment web site, apparently some early production <a href="http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/800625529-USE/Canon__EOS_630_35mm_SLR.html#specifications">EOS630's</a> did not have a port for a cable release. You might have to get GR-20 grip with the camera to have the remote release port (see the self timer section of the specifications page in the earlier link). </p>

<p> </p>

[phule]

<p>[[Actually intervalometers are really used to take sequences of images at specific time intervals, though some may incorporate long exposure capability too.]]</p>

<p>Bob,</p>

<p>If you use an intervalometer to take a single photo, are you claiming it's no longer called an intervalometer?</p>

 

[tim_mulholland]

<p>Look for the ZigView remotes/intervalometers. I used to have one and it was pretty good. I now use the built-in intervalometer with my newer digital camera...</p>

<p>Tim!</p>