Setting Up a Camera Remote: The Video
Remote cameras open up a lot of possibilities for photographers. Whether you want to capture a moment from two different angles, or with two focal lengths, remotes can provide us with images that otherwise wouldn’t be possible for us. But, for the most part, remotes are thought of as a difficult task, and so we think remotes are only for magazines like Sports Illustrated or ESPN the Magazine. They’re not.
While covering a game between the Phoenix Mercury and Detroit Shock, I did a video segment on remote setup basics. It’s easier than you think, so read on, and check out the video. Before you know it, you’ll be able to set up your own remotes.
First things first, let’s look at a checklist of what you need to do a remote, and then onto the video:
- Safety. This involves using the right cables, asking permission, and being insured. You need all of this before you even attempt to do a remote of any sort. If you can’t meet these requirements, don’t bother.
- A spare camera and lens. Remotes are usually manually prefocused, and lenses are set to higher apertures, so you don’t need an expensive setup. The main image above was with a 20D and 17-40. Combined, you can get them used for less than the price of a new 40D. Lighter lenses are preferred for easier balance. This is why I use a 17-40 rather than a 16-35.
- A wireless transmitter and receiver setup. Pocket Wizard units are the gold standard, but there are other options.
- A pre-trigger cable. This connects your wireless receiver to the camera and keeps it ready, akin to holding down the shutter halfway. Good pre-triggers come with a switch to turn this on and off. When it’s on, you cannot access the menu features of the camera, since it’s in a ready to shoot state.
- A camera stand. There are all sorts. You need one that will support the weight of your lens and camera, and permits movement of the setup so you can adjust the angle. For basketball, I made my own. Total cost: under a buck. Wanna know more? Check the video.
- Gaffer tape. If you don’t already carry a small roll, make your own. I use it to bind my stand to my camera, and also to mark my spot, so if I need to move my remote, I can put it back down in the same general spot, no guesswork. You also need it for your lens, to tape down the settings.
- An angle finder. It’s like a little periscope for the viewfinder on your cameras. If you need to put your remote on a floor, or field, or in an awkward place, the angle finder will really help. Or, if you have a newer camera, you may have some live view feature on the camera. That’s good too.
- Large capacity CF card. I drop an 8 or 16gb card in my setups, so I don’t have to go changing cameras in the middle of an event. If your remote is also in an awkward place to get to during the event, a large card makes sense. They’re cheap now too, and I’ve written about where to get them.
- Fresh batteries. AA’s for Pocket Wizards, and freshly charged Li-Ion’s for my camera. That way you don’t have to worry about changing those out mid-event. And if you don’t notice your batteries dying, then you may keep on shooting without knowing that the remote is not functioning.
- Time. Show up early to do all of this. It’s easy once you get the hang of it. Pressed, I could prop one up in a few minutes. But the first time, it took me a while. And when I shot the video, the chaos that was all around, plus the video segment itself, made it a lengthy process. Had I not shown up two hours early, I might not have pulled it all off. Better to be done early, and relax, than rush to get it all set up.
Lengthy list huh? This is why I did the video. It does a fine job of showing how the above list of items all comes together to produce a remote, but I’m sure there will be more questions, so feel free to email me and ask me anything about the video, the list, or any specifics. I’ll be glad to answer them.
I’ve embedded the video, but you can also download it, just do a save as.
Great video! I’ve setup a few remote cameras myself, but I learned three tricks for basketball I never thought of — battery stand, marking floor and the angled viewfinder.
Excellent job explaining the whole process.
Max - Really helpful. Thanks! This is great!
How about firing a remote separate from your main camera? Shooting MLB, my old reflexes aren’t quick enough to cover plays in the infield with my 400 and then swing up the WA to catch the play as it finishes at first base. However, the frequency of plays at first is low compared to the rest of the game, so I wouldn’t need to fire the remote for every play.
I presume you’d only need to handhold the PW and press the “Test” button to fire the remote?
Dennis,
Since the setup I show is wireless, the matter isn’t how, but if you wish the remote to be separate from you. I could have shot from across the court, or from up top, and fired shots.
Baseball is a great sports for remote work. there are specific points of interest that lend themselves to remoting. Home plate, second base (for double plays), etc.
You can hit the Test button if you wish, but you can also get a small trigger button, and tape it to the side of the camera, or a big lens, and use your left hand to fire that. I have one, but honestly, for basketball it’s just easier for me to fire with the hotshoe. There is no shot at the basket I don’t want covered in both wide and tight crop.
I’m considering a second remote segment going with a little higher end stuff, like magic arms, the remote button, and in the field rather than on the court.
David,
I learned remoting from watching some of the best in the biz. The team shooter for the Suns, and some of the SI guys, were great resources.
In fact, the AA battery trick was something I learned from the SI guys. Here I am, thinking I need some expensive OverXposed plate, and he tells me that not only is that thing too pricey, but the fact that the AA’s are so low makes it an even better wide angle remote stand. You can’t get lower than that stand.
And yes, in a bind, when I’ve forgotten my stands, I’ll tear the AA’s out of a spare Pocket Wizard, and gaffer em up to make a quickie stand. It doesn’t get better than that.
Max
Great Video! I’ve set up a couple really basic remotes a while back with my 20D and a little crappy remote trigger I bought. I’ve been looking into PW’s for a while and I think you’ve sold me on them.
Max,
Thanks for the quick lesson. Many times, I’ll see technical things discussed online, but without a camera coach, I am often left wondering how to accomplish something like this. Your tutorial was easy to follow and helpful. Thanks for taking the time to create and post this video.
Tim G
Matt, if this hasn’t sold you, wait til I do the Pocket Wizard video. TBD on the to do list though, as I’ve got a bunch of other ideas that have to see the light of day first. But if you have any specific questions, let me know.
Tim, thanks. I’ve seen some videos on remotes, and they lacked the “in the field” aspect. I wanted to write it up, but then also do the video to reinforce the process of remoting. If you have any questions, I’m here for ya.
[...] Setting up a remote camera is old hat to seasoned PocketWizard shooters, but newcomers often have a lot of questions. Like, how do you get the correct angle? What about turning on the camera so it stays ready? And, what happens if a player is about to fall crashing down on your $8,000 digital camera as he’s being shoved out of bounds? Well, bunkies, fear no more. Max Simbron comes to our rescue, complete with an excellent explanatory blog and even a video he produced on the same subject! Way to go, Max! Link [...]
How long will the dual batteries in a 20d grip last when in awake mode? I assume that not having the AI servo focusing all the time, the camera is really not using much power, but some of the applications I’d like to set up a remote for may last more than 4 hours before I could have access to the remote camera. Thanks for the great lesson Max, well done!
I buy the higher capacity batteries, and they have lasted more than one game on a charge. While not using the AF may save some battery power, it still uses up some juice keeping awake. A simple way to test the battery power you could expect would be to do a test run. I wouldn’t worry too much. Depending on the event, there may be opportunities to change out batteries at the halftime break. But I still like fresh batts and a large CF card just to be safe.
Max,
thanks for sharing your techniques with us!
Thanks for the video & blogg it is has some great idea’s and informative .
Regarding setting up remotes outdoors , how would you go about metering or setting up your camera to meter the light in very changeable conditions ?
Seems like if your remote is just sitting at your feet for BBall do you really need the pocket wizards? Isn’t there some way to do it just hard-wired? Seems like that would be much cheaper if you didn’t have the PWs lying around already.
You can hard-wire, but there are caveats to that.
1) it’s not always right at my feet. Sometimes it’s far away, sometimes not. It’s more versatile to have this setup.
2) I don’t know of any motor drive to PC sync/hotshoe/motor drive cables. You can make it, but I sure can’t.
3) I already had the pocket wizards.
4) If you get the pocket wizards, you’ll have the versatility to put this anywhere you need to within the range of the PW. My example was only that, one example. Not the end all be all.
Still, if I was on a shoestring budget, a hard-wire setup could work.
Hey, dude -
Great tutorial! I would like to link to it from Strobist.com, but I thought I would ask you about bandwidth first, as your file is 28 megs, and you would likely get at least 5,000 downloads.
If my math is correct, that’s about 130 gigs of BW. If that’s a tad much, I could use a MediaFire account to host it and spare you that bandwidth. Still link to your page, so you are gonna get some DL’s. But not nearly as much.
Lemme know — shoot me an email!
THanks,
David Hobby
This is a brilliant video. Thanks for sharing the technique. I love it when photographers share their knowledge.
Thanks for this video-lesson! Could you explain what is pre-trigger cable?
Jin,
A pre-trigger cable has a switch, that when enabled can keep a camera “awake”, which is a lot like holding the shutter halfway down on the camera, making the camera ready to fire immediately. It’s good to have the camera in this state, because the delay between the trigger and the camera firing is both faster, and much more consistent.
The switch is important because, at times, you may want to turn the pre-trigger off so you can view the cameras menus. In the “awake” mode, this is not possible.
Here is a list of pre-trigger cables, on the PocketWizard site, and you can find them in any major camera store
http://www.pocketwizard.com/HTML/accessories.asp
Thanks for the tutorial vid Max! Way to give back!
Daniel
Thanks.
Great tutorial.
Nice work
He max, that was great just what I needed. Some great advice and information there. Keep up the good work
John
[...] Setting up a remote camera (w/video) [...]
My personal suggestion is when using either a little tripod, or in my case a mini clamp for camera suspension is loose the battery grip. I find the grips give a little more leaverage to gravity and if you get more slipage. I move the ball part of the head closer to the cameras center of gravity. Very nice and thank you for all the tips.
Great tutorial! Thanks a lot for doing the video…
Thanks for the tutorial.
This is a must see for everyone attempting remote.
It’s simple and have it all. Loved the AA tips. And by the way what lens hood are you using it seems a lot more portable than the 70-200 one.
Thanks for sharing and I will mention it soon on my blog.
Best regards,
Rui
Max, great tutorial.
I almost always use a second camera for baseball and softball. If the second camera is near my location, I use a foot switch (the one I use is a sustain foot switch for electronic keyboards you can pick up in almost any music store, although you may need to get an adapter for the PW mini jack) plugged in to the camera pre-trigger cable (I built my own for 10-pin Nikon). If the second camera is more than 6′ away I use PW’s with the foot switch plugged in to the PW transmitter.
This season, I shot a HS district championship softball game on a field that is well-known for not having much in the way of decent vantage points due to the layout. I positioned my remote camera just past the fence to the right of center field focused on home plate (I got permission from the umpires to do so). This way I could capture the batters, catcher and any tight plays at the plate while I shot other action from the first base side of the field.
I simply put the PW transmitter in my shirt pocket with the foot switch on the ground and used my left toe to trigger. The remote that was about 300′ from my position. It worked great. I can keep track of the pitcher’s delivery in peripheral vision, tap the foot switch for the batter’s swing, while the camera I’m holding is keyed on a base runner or infielder elsewhere. Offers more opportunities.
I’ve tried holding the PW transmitter in my left hand and even a micro switch in a velcro/elastic band on the lens barrel but much prefer the foot switch for baseball and softball. Seated on the baseline for hoops, the foot switch may not be so helpful.
Butch
Hi,
I just wanted to ask whether you any problems shootings bursts of shots and triggering the remote camera to shoot the same. I read that there may be problems with doing that when using the PW Plus IIs (but not when using the PW Multimax). I’m gonna get a pair of Plus IIs tommorow and am wondering whether I should get a PLUS II and a Multimax instead.
Reza,
Great question. I don’t have plus II units, but I read about the problem before. Here is the link. Michael Bass, who creates his own PW accessories, has a post on the problem, and a workaround (in which he mods a PW Plus II). The cost is cheaper than a Multimax, so it’s up to you as to whether getting a Multimax is worth it. Personally, I love the Multimax units, but they are expensive, so I see the point in getting the Plus II units. Here’s the link:
http://michaelbass.blogspot.com/2007/07/design-glitch-with-pocket-wizard-plus.html
Great tutorial, thanks!
I beleive you need to have the camera set to flash in order to trigger the PW on the hotshoe? Because of this are you limited to a shutter speed of 300 (or whatever your cameras max sync rate is)?
If so, is that OK because you are also triggering remote stobes. Or am I not understanding something.
Thanks again for taking the time to put the video together.
RIck,
If you are only triggering a camera, then the shutter speed is not important. The camera ALWAYS sends an impulse to the hotshoe, even if not using a flash.
Since the handheld and the remote camera do NOT sync, there is no issues with shutter speeds on either camera.
However, if you wished both cameras to work with strobes, then they would have to respect the normal sync speeds of the camera with flash, and perhaps even a third or more stop slower, because of the difference in lag times between cameras.
Basically, no problems when you just trigger another camera. But yes, flash must be respected when triggering a strobe, and even more complication when trying to get 2 cameras onto one set of strobes.
Thanks for stopping by, If you have further questions, feel free to email me.
Max,
Thanks for posting this tutorial and video. I especially liked the option of being able to download your video to my hard drive for later review. Hope you have time to make some more tutorials as you keep shooting.
Thank you for the video!!! I have no idea what I am doing wrong. I have two pocket wizards PLUS II (maybe this is the problem) I connected them to both a 20D and a 5D with a pre trigger cable.. I tried every combination on the pocket wizard - Local, Both and remote- and nothing worked - I tried combinations of (camera/flash) and (flash). I am on the same channel and I trigger the test button and this does not trigger the camera to shoot. Is anyone else having this issue?
I figured it out! I have the wrong cord - I was using a PC cord for the pocket wizard and a separate tc-80N3 -timer remote controller. I must buy a 804-511 or a 804-501.
Rosemary,
Glad you found a solution. If you have any other questions, feel free to post them or email me.
Max,
Like I said on FM, I really enjoyed the video and all the discussion on doing remotes. I had ordered a set of PW Plus II transceivers earlier this week so I’m so fired up to try this. I also ordered a pre-trigger cord. I want to try it with baseball in two weeks. I’ll let you all know how it goes.
Mark
[...] Simbron from pshizzy.com has a post about how to setup a camera to be triggered remotely. He is using a couple Pocket Wizards and a [...]
[...] este vídeo (en inglés) el fotógrafo deportivo Max Simbron nos explica detalladamente como utilizar una segunda cámara esclava comandada por la cámara [...]
[...] ???? ???? ????? ? ????? ? ???? ?????, ? ??? ?????????? ???????? ???? ??????? ????????????, ??? ?? ?????????? ? ????? ?????? [...]
Excellent stuff. You’ve come a looong way, Shizzy.
Now I only have to save up some money to buy that sort of equipment!
[...] Max Simbron an amazing sports photographer posted up this on his blog: Setting Up a Camera Remote [...]
You use the 17-40 f4 for indoor sports, do you think it does a good job and is fast enough? It’s obviously far cheaper then 16-35 f2.8 but does it perform well inside and outside?
Jeff, good conversation. To recap for the people reading, Jeff basically asked me his question using the MeeboMe plugin on my site (look top right).
I love my 17-40, it’s a sharp lens. But I only use it because the lighting is good enough to support 1/500th at 3200 ISO and f/4. If the lighting could not support that, then I’d consider a 16-35 2.8. The problem with that lens is that it’s not optically that great, at 2.8 it’s a little shallow DOF-wise, and heavy enough to unbalance the camera, meaning you either need a plate, or have to really tape down the camera.
The 15 2.8 fisheye is a good choice as well and I like it. If you like the fisheye look, it’s a fairly inexpensive choice.
Lastly, the 17-40 is a great lens for the price and what it can do. I like it indoors and outdoors, but the light has to support f4. Otherwise sharpness is a moot point due to underexposing images in bad lighting.
Hi Max
How do you avoid triggering other photographers cameras or flashes when using pocket wizards? How do you know which channel another photographer is using? Is there some way to use a custom channel or something? If so, can the Pocket Wizard Plus II do this or do you need the MultiMax version?
Cheers!
Dave,
sorry I missed your IM. I’m glad you decided to comment. Basically, when using pocket wizards, you have a lot of channels to choose from. If it’s a huge event, there may be a sign up sheet where you write your name and channel. Often, people with Multimax units will avoid channels 1-4, leaving them for the people using Plus units. Also, you can simply press TEST on your multimax to scope out what’s firing. And, for channels 17-32, the Quad Zones actually also have different icons to show what is and isn’t active, which you can use to scope out what’s in play. Finally, if the event is insanely large, such as the Olympics, there are exclusive channels. You can pay PW to add a digital code to any one channel of your Multimax units. The code can be added to as many PW as you like, and only you can get Multmax’s implanted with that code. It’s expensive, but the only way to secure your remote from being interfered with. Generally speaking though, it’s pretty easy to avoid stepping on each others toes when it comes to using PW. Feel free to email me or comment again with any more questions.
hi max,
thanks for this! so… i am trying to sync a 5D and a 5DMK2 and a set of profoto strobes. im using multimaxes. im hand holding the MK2 and have the 5D on tripod. it’s not going so well. the hand held is syncing to the strobes and the remote camera is lagging. any tips on tweaking the pocketwizards to get the cameras to joint sync to the strobes?
thanks!!
Arno,
Any cameras that use the same set of flashes must be fired simultaneously. In your example, the Mk2 is firing a strobe as well as a camera, hence the mk2 and 5D are NOT firing simultaneous, but in seriation. The mk2 will get the flash, but the 5D will not. Similiarly, if the 5D were to relay to the flash, firing the mk2 triggering the 5D would mean the mk2 would NOT receive the flash, but the 5D would. What you need is to make the mk2 AND the 5D remotes, with the mk2 being a handheld remote. Then you use a separate trigger (usually a plunger button) on a PW. It would then trigger the mk2 and 5D simultaneously, with one of them (whichever has the most consistent lag from shot to shot) relaying to the flash, so both would get the flash most of the time (I say most because with differing and inconsistent lag times, it is a crapshoot at best). Sound complicated? It’s not. But if you need more info, why not email me (link on the sidebar) and we can discuss your specific situation further.
Max
hey max,
thanks for your advice. might as well answer here. maybe others can get something out of my questions.
ive done some basic sync testing with a canon 550ex. config is 5D and 5DMK2 hooked with (seperate) pre trigger cables to pocketwizard plus’s (1s). ive got the 550ex hooked to a multimax (set to .1601 delay).
im firing all three remotes (5D, 5DMK2, and 550ex) from another mulitmax.
still early days in my testing. monday i go nuts on profotos. for now the 5D and the 5DMK2 seem to be getting a good flash sync with the 550ex and the multimax set to .1601 delay.
Thanks for posting this. Here’s another thing: If you download or read the Multimax manual, remember that it specifies that you should choose the most consistent camera for the relay and equalize appropriate. You can also check out the article “How To: Five Angles of One Play on a Single Set of Strobes” By Robert Beck. I hope between that any anything I’ve offered, that you could put together a working solution. Feel free to post your findings or email me with any more questions
Max