I'm thinking of buying a D800. Currently using a D7000. I have a nifty little wireless shutter release I bought from Amazon for $10.00 that works on the D7000. Apparently, Nikon wants me to pay over $200.00 and buy a bulky rig to get the same function on the D800. Is this correct or am I missing something?

dgs

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The Nikon brand and build quality.

Assuming your are referring to the ML3, does your $10.00 unit include the intruder release?

George
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I don't know what an intruder release is, so I guess it doesn't include it. It is the size of a thumb drive and fits in my pocket. Amazon's knock off is better than Nikon's Nikon ML-L3 Wireless Remote Control for $15.00(at least the one I bought which stopped working after I dropped it once). I use it for landscape photography with mirror lock-up. It allows me to trigger the shutter without touching the camera. Fast multiple shots for HDR. However, it appears it does not work on cameras with a ten pin front connector. If anyone can explain why Nikon cannot have this feature on a pro camera, I'd really appreciate it.

dgs

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Hi David,

The ML-L3 has an extremely limited range of 5m (16ft.) max. compared to the ML-3's range of 8m (26.2ft.) can be extended to 100m using an ML-2 transmitter. The Pro bodies can also be used with RF triggers with ranges up to 1600ft. (Pocket Wizards) without relays and even longer using relays.
Good Luck and Enjoy your Nikons!

Best Regards,
Marty

Hi David,

You are correct.
There are third party RF (Radio Frequency) Triggers available in a wide range of prices from about $50.00 (Cactus) to Pocket Wizard III's at about $300.00 for a pair of trancievers + about $100.00 for a cord though Flash Zebra has the cords for about $25.00 or the PW MultiMax Transcievers at almost $600.00 for a pair + the cord.
There are many options.
Good Luck and Enjoy your Nikons!

Best Regards,
Marty

Thanks Marty,

I see the distance would be a big advantage if you were shooting wildlife, for example. So many things to think about when choosing a new camera.

dgs

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The ML-L3 on the lower priced dSLRs require the camera to on with the AF and light meter running (big time battery drain), only operates on one control channel, only trips the shutter, and the receiver for the IR signal is fixed to the camera body. Multiple shooters can interfere with each other.

The ML-3 consist of transmitter and receiver. The receiver connects to the 10 pin accessory port and can be remotely located with the use of an extension cord. The receiver is also wired in parallel to the shutter control switch and does not need the camera to The system supports 2 control channels so more then one photographer at a time could use the remote an not interfere with the other. The transmitter has a 2 stage shutter release so the camera will wake up and focus just like pushing the shutter release half way down and a full depress is required to trip the shutter. There is a "shutter delay mode" that allow the mirror to swing up and a delay to allow the vibrations to stop before the shutter is released. The intruder trip allows the transmitter to constantly send an IR beam to the receiver and only trip the shutter when the beam is broken.

By buying a cheap programmable TV remote I can have an ML-L3 replacement for less then $7.00.

George
My Nikonian Galleries

Thanks George, this is very useful information. Things I never would have thought about but good to know. I particularly like you observation that you can replace the remote with one from Radio Shack if necessary. Thanks for your response.

dgs

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You are much further along than I was in anticipating what you will need. I had my D800 in hand when I noticed that my handy D7000 remote shutter release approach was not going to transfer. I only wanted remote shutter release and preferred to keep the flash triggering capability separate.

I bought an RFN-4s Wireless Remote Shutter Release for my D800 that I've been quite satisfied with. I notice there are less expensive alternatives mentioned in the very relevant topic below,

http://www.nikonians.org/forums/dcboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=430&topic_id=17348&mode=full

David

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I also bought the RFN-4s mentioned by David and am very satisfied with this.

Apart from it's reasonable price, it also has the advantage that the receiver unit is very small - the whole receiver pushes into the 10-pin socket, does not hang off a cord, and leaves the flash shoe free.

I couldn't find it in Australia, bought it from USA via an ebay seller.

Geoffrey

Western Australia
(a state nearly 4 times the area of Texas)

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I have this one and it works exceptionally well.

http://www.yongnuostore.com/product/yongnuo-wireless-timer-remote-control-shutter-release-mc-36r-mc36r/

You will want to double check for the correct model; they have several that are hard to distinguish.

The drawbacks are that the receiver has an on off switch that is very difficult to activate without using a pen or other small pointy object. Also, it's hard to know the transmitter is really off, so I remove the batteries after use and store them in a battery holder with the device.

Finally, anything deeper than remote trigger and bulb activation/hold requires tolerance of difficult instructions that are not very clear or easy to understand in their unique English dialect.

In summary this is an exceptional value.

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Nikon's miniaturized new WR-T10 remote & receiver may be out Oct 24. Buyer chooses tiny receiver that plugs directly into 10-pin or usb 3 outlet. A big $200+ price tag would not surprise.

Gator Bob Santa Fe New Mexico
*D800E *D700 *SB800 *RRS TVC-24L
Nikkors: *14-24 *70-200 VRII *T-20E III *50 f/1.8 *PC-E 85 *28-300
Tamron: * 90mm Macro *