Cable release on Nikon D2X
 

At the time I bought the X I ordered the MC30 remote release thinking stocks must arrive in the UK fairly soon. No such luck so far. Finally being hassled by Stevie for a moon shot I decided to cobble something up to take a cable release.

This is the Mk1 as it uses the short Nikon AR-2 release from the Nikkormat, FM and F2 days. I will need to devise a Mk2 to take a standard cable release. The AR-2 was used for this version as it has a far wider tip than the standard release. I have even glued a piece of felt to the tip face for a softer contact with the camera shutter release button. For a standard release I will need to think up a solution to give the same soft touch on the camera shutter button.

The base is steel covered in rubber to give a non slip surface, with a plain spigot attached to take an old Photax Interfit flash & brollie adaptor ( flash shoe removed ). This is used so the release section can be swivelled to one side or removed to allow access to the camera on / off switch.

The base is drilled and tapped 1/4" British Standard Whitworth for mounting a tripod Q/R plate. I have also incorporated an anti twist pin hole as the camera is not now on the tripod head centre line, and this will prevent any possibility of twist when the camera is at odd angles.

Don

Nice bit of engineering, Don.
I bought one of those £8 MC-30 Chinese clones 18 months ago, use it a lot and never had a problem... but there's just something about a plunger cable-release ;)

Don: Many months ago I placed orders for numerous Nikon items, none of which were in stock. Several months later I got bored waiting and so I rang Grays of Westminster, and they had all three items in stock, and they even gave a price reduction on one item. However, they're not cheap so be prepared to sell a few vital organs. In any case, you paid, cough cough, a few pounds for your D2x, so surely ~£60 for a cable release is not so much.

Psst: When is the Hoey-Release (TM, Patent Pending) going into production?

Leif

Super piece of engineering Don, it certainly looks the part.

I'd have to agree with the others Don, and I have to admire your skills in the design and build field. Surely though this is simply a case of trying to beat the manufacturers at their own game. It has to be said however that it appears to me to be a totally impractical piece of kit, efficient though it may be at actually pressing the shutter. Does it not get in the way of the front control wheel, and as for quickly fitting it on the camera, it wouldn't win any prizes for speed ;) I think I'd sooner stick to my cheapo copy release from China as Andy mentioned. They are freely available on Ebay :)

Thanks for the comments guys. I will stick with my dealer for the MC30 as I got a good deal with the X.

Stephen, this is the Mk1 version and is a tidy up of my cobbled together job used for a moon shot. The front control wheel is not in use as it is for Macro shots with my AIS manual lens.

MK2 is under way and will use a standard cable release to trigger the lower shutter button.

Why am I doing it ...... its a challenge. :D

Don

MK2 Version
 

With guests departed and a Steam rally attended it was time to return to the cable release project. Completed today but I ran out of paint, hence only the milled sections are black.

The Mk2 overcomes a number of deficiencies in the Mk1. Operating the lower shutter button on the vertical grip gives total access to all controls.

The base is made from two pieces of 6 x 50mm steel, silver soldered, with sections milled out to reduce weight. Recessing the camera mounting screw allows the tripod mounting to be closer to the camera centre line. A capsule had to be made to contain a spring loaded shutter actuating plunger that would return to a standing position when not activated. The only really soft spring I could find was from an old ballpen, and the spring length determined the length of the capsule. Apart from the screws and soft tip all the materials are scrap. The plunger soft tip is a kitchen drawer buffer. The end of the capsule is turned to 10mm to fit the retaining block. This allows the Nikon AR-2 release to be used if a timed exposure is required, as that has a built in lock. The vertical retaining block is shaped, as is the baseplate to allow comfortable normal hand holding of the camera with the assembly attatched.

Total weight is 350 grams. I could reduce that futher by milling out more from the base. The D2X with this attached is still 300grams lighter than my F2/MD2.

If I find a shorter soft spring I may remake the capsule to reduce the overhang, but other than that I am quite happy and will probably cancel the MC30.

Don

That's neat. I used to do a lot of machining when I was a student, and found it very relaxing. It looks like you have your own little workshop. I am currently a nice shade of green.

I have the MC30, and I have to admit that it is rather fiddly to attach, even though I have small fingers.

Leif

Don, once again I am impressed with your skills in producing such a lovely and ingenious bit of kit. This MkII version looks much more practical. Using the vertical grip shutter release was definately a good plan.

Stephen,

Your comments on the Mk1 were a great inspiration to going that bit further with the design. It will certainly be a bit neater when I can find a shorter soft spring for the capsule. On the first one I made the spring was a bit too strong for that nice touch even though the capsule was 1/2 as long.

So I owe you a thank you. :) :) :)

Don