Seascapes tend to cry for long exposures. When I spend a week-long vacation on a small island, it’s definitely something I do a lot. And for this I need three things: a good tripod, a neutral density filter and some kind of remote release. The tripod (especially one suitable for travel) was a subject of my previous post. For ND filters I use LEE products for a very long time (I may write about them). But let’s concentrate on the remote release for now.

EOS R + EF 35 f/2 IS + LEE ProGlass IRND (15 stop if memory serves)

Exposure time for the above image was 80 seconds in bulb mode. Fortunately the R has a built-in bulb timer (although its user interface leaves me wanting), so you don’t have to time the shot manually (or use a TC-80N3 or equivalent controller). But triggering the exposure (long or short) is way more convenient, and less prone to camera shake, with a remote.

I have a Canon TC-80N3 for as long as I can remember. Unfortunately the R has an E3 socket, and getting an N3 to E3 adapter seems to be harder than flying to the Moon. Since I already got a BR-E1 bluetooth remote for the M50 (haven’t really used that camera before selling it and haven’t used the BR-E1 once with the M50), I thought that I would be able to use it with the R.

Technically yes, you can. But the Canon bluetooth (as well as the infrared) remote control user interface is so ill designed that you don’t really want to use it. The issue is that you are forced to set the 2s self timer/remote drive mode, otherwise the remote will not work. It is a royal pain to change it every time I switch between tripod mounted and handheld shooting (which happens a lot on vacation-type trips). Plus there’s no half-press on the remote’s button, which I use to exit image preview after a shot has been taken. It should work exactly like the normal cable release, and there’s no excuse why it isn’t.

So this led me to the good old Canon RS-60E3. It’s tiny, inexpensive, weighs nothing, needs no battery, doesn’t generate electrosmog, and works exactly as you would expect it to work. What a relief after struggling with the bluetooth remote for a week! As an added bonus, the RS-60E3’s plug does not protrude from my Kirk L bracket. I highly recommend it (and also recommend to stay away from the BR-E1, unless you absolutely need to go wireless for triggering the camera from a longer distance).

Of course you can use a proper tethering app, like Kuuvik Capture. That is what I normally do, but no one wants to lug around an extra notebook on a vacation. Then there is the Canon Camera Connect app, which I don’t use because I don’t agree to Canon’s privacy policy, and because no Canon app lives up to my expectations (that’s why Kuuvik Capture was born).

I’m currently very happy with the RS-60E3. I’m sure it won’t last a decade, but it’s cheap enough so that I don’t care. Will just buy another if this one breaks.

  ☕ ☕ ☕

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