Tip of the Month
High Speed Shutter
April 2013
I haven't looked forward to trying out and using a new piece of gear since ... I don't know when.
Why?
Years ago, back in the good 'ol film days, Canon had a camera that was perfect for high speed action work with flash. The camera was called the 1N RS (I have 5 and would be happy to sell them to any film shooter!) and had a 1/200th sec response time, or lag time, when an electronic impulse tripped the camera. This camera allowed me to shoot flying birds, striking rattlesnakes, jumping insects, 'tonguing' chameleons, and any number of other subjects whose action occurs so quickly that traditional shooting was all but impossible. Instead, by wiring the RS camera to a camera trap, like the Shutterbeam or the Phototrap, my subject would break an infrared beam, or a laser beam, and the 'trap' would send a signal to the camera, firing the shutter almost immediately. This allowed me to catch rattlesnakes fully outstretched in a strike, or house wrens flying in to their nest boxes.
Then came digital, and with the exception of one discontinued Nikon model, the response time, or lag time, of the digital cameras was too slow to make these types of shots possible, or at least easy to do. I still did these shots with digital, but now, for flying birds, I had to 'lead' the bird by as much as 18 inches to account for the lag time. In daylight, I couldn't even do a striking rattlesnake, as the snake would strike and return to its coil before the camera fired. The only way I got this type of shot was using a long exposure and shooting almost in darkness, and this, I can tell you, is not the safest way to be photographing a striking rattlesnake!
This camera lag time was a real pain in the butt, and when I heard that the folks at Cognisys, the geniuses that made the StopShot and RangeIR, were building a High Speed Shutter I was extremely excited. Last weekend I had a chance to use one for the first time -- and it won't be my last!
The High Speed Shutter is an external shutter that mounts on the front of your camera lens, and it is the rapid response time of the shutter that allows you to capture the fast-action subjects. Unlike the normal procedure of firing a camera, where the camera's built-in shutter makes the exposure, with the high speed shutter this shutter determines the exposure. The camera's shutter merely must be open, and thus the camera is set on Bulb. By using the StopShot I could program the system so that my camera would advance to the next frame after a one minute bulb exposure, unless the hi speed shutter fired, in which case the camera would automatically advance to the next frame.
The shutter itself has an aperture of 30mm, and mounts onto the front of your camera lens by means of a step-down ring that makes your lens look as if it has been 'snooked' down to a small opening. Indeed, it is now a smaller opening, and some vignetting may occur depending upon the lens you are using and the aperture selected. If you're using a camera with a 1.6X or 1.5X crop factor you may see little if any vignetting, and I had only minimal vignetting with my Mark IV. Cognisys has a page that explains this further. I used my Canon 100mm f2.8 macro lens and a Canon 70-200mm f4 lens for my initial testing, although I also ordered the step-down rings for my 180mm macro and for my lenses with a 77mm filter thread. Using an aperture of f16 to f20, I had virtually no vignetting when my lens was zoomed to 170mm or greater with my 70-200. This really pleased me, as this would be the lens I'm most likely to use for outdoor shooting of birds.
The external shutter mounts to the front of the lens via a three ring system (a shutter adapter and clamp and the step-down ring, but this could make the lens a little front heavy. However, the whole rig can be supported by a special bracket. Although this shutter support system is sold separately as an optional item, I'd strongly recommend you order it for the system to work most conveniently. With the shutter support system you'll have the external high speed shutter securely mounted, and the control console for the shutter mounted conveniently on the same support. For ease of use, I'd also recommend adding a Really Right Stuff Mini Clamp package which will allow you to quickly mount a camera on the shutter support system and to conveniently slide the mount back or forth for the best seating and mounting to the shutter. The clamp system can be used for other dove-tail plates, too, so it will have other applications, especially in macro photography. Clamping orientation can be switched 90 degrees, so depending upon the lens or camera plate you're using you will still have total use.
For this to work, you'll also need the StopShot, which will allow you to program the shutter and camera for a number of variables. Cognisys has a small, very convenient mount for attaching the StopShot to the whole system, and, if you already have the Module 1 and Module 3 pieces from Wimberly, you'll only need to order the bracket. New StopShot units are being shipped out with multiple pre-sets already programmed in, although you can program this easily yourself. This needs some explaining, because it is a wonderful feature. With a StopShot and two Range IRs or with the Lasers that I used for my frog photography you can program the system so that the camera fires (or the shutter is tripped) when a particular set of parameters are met. For example, the shutter will fire when A&B are tripped simultaneously (A being one Range IR or Laser, and B being the other Range IR or Laser); when either A or B is broken (A/B); or when one beam is broken before the other (A>B, or B>A) so that the shutter only fires if A is broken before B is broken (A>B), which is great if you only want to capture the action one-way, like a bird flying into a nest cavity or nest hole.
A 34mm UV filter is available to protect the shutter from grit or bugs or leaf litter if you're using the shutter outdoors, and I'd recommend getting the filter, regardless. I've posted all of these links because it is fairly easy (I did it) to order some of the items without checking if I have everything required -- like the step-down ring for the front of the lens.
Ok, so that's a quick over-view of the high speed shutter and
the accessories you'll need to use it most effectively. With it, I now have the tool to photograph the subjects that I used to attempt with the Canon RS camera, using expensive film. Now, with digital, that expense is eliminated, and if you're in to any of this type of shooting, the cost of the shutter and accessories will be offset very quickly.
Interested in photographing reptiles and amphibians? Check out our Reptiles of the World Photo Workshop Brochure!
For example, years ago I shot, in studio, a sugar glider, a flying squirrel-like marsupial. I was going to use film so that I wouldn't have to deal with lag time, but after exposing five rolls of film ($60 wasted), and getting absolutely nothing on the rolls (for various reasons that could occupy minutes of reading) I switched to digital, and worked out the lag time of the digital camera. I ended up getting some nice shots, but had I had a digital version of the RS my success rate would have soared. Well, the High Speed Shutter now takes the place of the RS camera, regardless of camera model (Nikon, Canon, whatever!).
I'm tremendously excited about this equipment, and I can't wait to use the system on the birds around my yard, on chipmunks leaping across a pond that have eluded me for years, on hopping grasshoppers, flying grasshoppers, jumping geckos, tongue-flipping chameleons, ... well, I could go on.
All of these subjects (perhaps via a pet shop) are available to anyone reading this, and the opportunities are endless. Check out the links above, and stay tuned, once I get a bit more experience with this I'll be posting a step-by-step guide on the use of the shutter. Check it out!
Previous Tips, July 2009 onward
Guide to Tropical Nature Photography ebook
Hoodman Compact Loupe CH32
Essential Gear for Safaris
Take our Digital Nature Photo Course FIRST!
GPS and Home Security
Range IR Camera Remote
Gitzo Monopod 5561T Monopod
Easy Macro with Extension Tubes and Zoom Lenses
FotoSharp Camou Rain Covers
Canon 17mm T/S Lens
Locking Button for the Canon 7D
NIK HDR Program
Silver Efex Pro for Black and White Images
Beware the DELL Software Solution Rip Off
How and What We Pack for Trips
Canon Digital Learning Center
The Movie Mode with the Canon Mark IV
Batch Renaming in Bridge and CS5
Alternate Uses of some Bogen Products
Hoodman Products
Using High ISO and Live View for Focusing in Dim Light
Art Print Scams for Hungry Photographers
Hungry Vultures ruin vehicles in the Everglades
Use a Short Lens for Depth of Field
Get Professional Help!
Mini-Molar Bag
Access America Trip Insurance
Bogen Base for Macro Work
Archived Tips of the Month
prior to July 2009
Most of my original Tips of the Month for the last several
years are available through this link. Warning - some of the links are broken, so some are not available at this time. Also, the 'look' is from my
original web site, although if I ever have enough time I might redo these pages to match the new web site But that's not a high priority.
Check out our latest website,
mcdonaldwildlifephotos.com
where we'll be adding portfolios and eventually building up
a searchable data base for photo buyers. We've just started,
and the selection is limited, but it is still worth a visit!
Office Phone: (717) 543-6423
Or FAX us at: (717) 543-5342
Tip of the Month
High Speed Shutter
April 2013
I haven't looked forward to trying out and using a new piece of gear since ... I don't know when.
Why?
Years ago, back in the good 'ol film days, Canon had a camera that was perfect for high speed action work with flash. The camera was called the 1N RS (I have 5 and would be happy to sell them to any film shooter!) and had a 1/200th sec response time, or lag time, when an electronic impulse tripped the camera. This camera allowed me to shoot flying birds, striking rattlesnakes, jumping insects, 'tonguing' chameleons, and any number of other subjects whose action occurs so quickly that traditional shooting was all but impossible. Instead, by wiring the RS camera to a camera trap, like the Shutterbeam or the Phototrap, my subject would break an infrared beam, or a laser beam, and the 'trap' would send a signal to the camera, firing the shutter almost immediately. This allowed me to catch rattlesnakes fully outstretched in a strike, or house wrens flying in to their nest boxes.
Then came digital, and with the exception of one discontinued Nikon model, the response time, or lag time, of the digital cameras was too slow to make these types of shots possible, or at least easy to do. I still did these shots with digital, but now, for flying birds, I had to 'lead' the bird by as much as 18 inches to account for the lag time. In daylight, I couldn't even do a striking rattlesnake, as the snake would strike and return to its coil before the camera fired. The only way I got this type of shot was using a long exposure and shooting almost in darkness, and this, I can tell you, is not the safest way to be photographing a striking rattlesnake!
This camera lag time was a real pain in the butt, and when I heard that the folks at Cognisys, the geniuses that made the StopShot and RangeIR, were building a High Speed Shutter I was extremely excited. Last weekend I had a chance to use one for the first time -- and it won't be my last!
The High Speed Shutter is an external shutter that mounts on the front of your camera lens, and it is the rapid response time of the shutter that allows you to capture the fast-action subjects. Unlike the normal procedure of firing a camera, where the camera's built-in shutter makes the exposure, with the high speed shutter this shutter determines the exposure. The camera's shutter merely must be open, and thus the camera is set on Bulb. By using the StopShot I could program the system so that my camera would advance to the next frame after a one minute bulb exposure, unless the hi speed shutter fired, in which case the camera would automatically advance to the next frame.
The shutter itself has an aperture of 30mm, and mounts onto the front of your camera lens by means of a step-down ring that makes your lens look as if it has been 'snooked' down to a small opening. Indeed, it is now a smaller opening, and some vignetting may occur depending upon the lens you are using and the aperture selected. If you're using a camera with a 1.6X or 1.5X crop factor you may see little if any vignetting, and I had only minimal vignetting with my Mark IV. Cognisys has a page that explains this further. I used my Canon 100mm f2.8 macro lens and a Canon 70-200mm f4 lens for my initial testing, although I also ordered the step-down rings for my 180mm macro and for my lenses with a 77mm filter thread. Using an aperture of f16 to f20, I had virtually no vignetting when my lens was zoomed to 170mm or greater with my 70-200. This really pleased me, as this would be the lens I'm most likely to use for outdoor shooting of birds.
The external shutter mounts to the front of the lens via a three ring system (a shutter adapter and clamp and the step-down ring, but this could make the lens a little front heavy. However, the whole rig can be supported by a special bracket. Although this shutter support system is sold separately as an optional item, I'd strongly recommend you order it for the system to work most conveniently. With the shutter support system you'll have the external high speed shutter securely mounted, and the control console for the shutter mounted conveniently on the same support. For ease of use, I'd also recommend adding a Really Right Stuff Mini Clamp package which will allow you to quickly mount a camera on the shutter support system and to conveniently slide the mount back or forth for the best seating and mounting to the shutter. The clamp system can be used for other dove-tail plates, too, so it will have other applications, especially in macro photography. Clamping orientation can be switched 90 degrees, so depending upon the lens or camera plate you're using you will still have total use.
For this to work, you'll also need the StopShot, which will allow you to program the shutter and camera for a number of variables. Cognisys has a small, very convenient mount for attaching the StopShot to the whole system, and, if you already have the Module 1 and Module 3 pieces from Wimberly, you'll only need to order the bracket. New StopShot units are being shipped out with multiple pre-sets already programmed in, although you can program this easily yourself. This needs some explaining, because it is a wonderful feature. With a StopShot and two Range IRs or with the Lasers that I used for my frog photography you can program the system so that the camera fires (or the shutter is tripped) when a particular set of parameters are met. For example, the shutter will fire when A&B are tripped simultaneously (A being one Range IR or Laser, and B being the other Range IR or Laser); when either A or B is broken (A/B); or when one beam is broken before the other (A>B, or B>A) so that the shutter only fires if A is broken before B is broken (A>B), which is great if you only want to capture the action one-way, like a bird flying into a nest cavity or nest hole.
A 34mm UV filter is available to protect the shutter from grit or bugs or leaf litter if you're using the shutter outdoors, and I'd recommend getting the filter, regardless. I've posted all of these links because it is fairly easy (I did it) to order some of the items without checking if I have everything required -- like the step-down ring for the front of the lens.
Ok, so that's a quick over-view of the high speed shutter and
the accessories you'll need to use it most effectively. With it, I now have the tool to photograph the subjects that I used to attempt with the Canon RS camera, using expensive film. Now, with digital, that expense is eliminated, and if you're in to any of this type of shooting, the cost of the shutter and accessories will be offset very quickly.
Interested in photographing reptiles and amphibians? Check out our Reptiles of the World Photo Workshop Brochure!
For example, years ago I shot, in studio, a sugar glider, a flying squirrel-like marsupial. I was going to use film so that I wouldn't have to deal with lag time, but after exposing five rolls of film ($60 wasted), and getting absolutely nothing on the rolls (for various reasons that could occupy minutes of reading) I switched to digital, and worked out the lag time of the digital camera. I ended up getting some nice shots, but had I had a digital version of the RS my success rate would have soared. Well, the High Speed Shutter now takes the place of the RS camera, regardless of camera model (Nikon, Canon, whatever!).
I'm tremendously excited about this equipment, and I can't wait to use the system on the birds around my yard, on chipmunks leaping across a pond that have eluded me for years, on hopping grasshoppers, flying grasshoppers, jumping geckos, tongue-flipping chameleons, ... well, I could go on.
All of these subjects (perhaps via a pet shop) are available to anyone reading this, and the opportunities are endless. Check out the links above, and stay tuned, once I get a bit more experience with this I'll be posting a step-by-step guide on the use of the shutter. Check it out!
Previous Tips, July 2009 onward
Guide to Tropical Nature Photography ebook
Hoodman Compact Loupe CH32
Essential Gear for Safaris
Take our Digital Nature Photo Course FIRST!
GPS and Home Security
Range IR Camera Remote
Gitzo Monopod 5561T Monopod
Easy Macro with Extension Tubes and Zoom Lenses
FotoSharp Camou Rain Covers
Canon 17mm T/S Lens
Locking Button for the Canon 7D
NIK HDR Program
Silver Efex Pro for Black and White Images
Beware the DELL Software Solution Rip Off
How and What We Pack for Trips
Canon Digital Learning Center
The Movie Mode with the Canon Mark IV
Batch Renaming in Bridge and CS5
Alternate Uses of some Bogen Products
Hoodman Products
Using High ISO and Live View for Focusing in Dim Light
Art Print Scams for Hungry Photographers
Hungry Vultures ruin vehicles in the Everglades
Use a Short Lens for Depth of Field
Get Professional Help!
Mini-Molar Bag
Access America Trip Insurance
Bogen Base for Macro Work
Archived Tips of the Month
prior to July 2009
Most of my original Tips of the Month for the last several
years are available through this link. Warning - some of the links are broken, so some are not available at this time. Also, the 'look' is from my
original web site, although if I ever have enough time I might redo these pages to match the new web site But that's not a high priority.
Check out our latest website,
mcdonaldwildlifephotos.com
where we'll be adding portfolios and eventually building up
a searchable data base for photo buyers. We've just started,
and the selection is limited, but it is still worth a visit!
Office Phone: (717) 543-6423
Or FAX us at: (717) 543-5342
Tip of the Month
High Speed Shutter
April 2013
I haven't looked forward to trying out and using a new piece of gear since ... I don't know when.
Why?
Years ago, back in the good 'ol film days, Canon had a camera that was perfect for high speed action work with flash. The camera was called the 1N RS (I have 5 and would be happy to sell them to any film shooter!) and had a 1/200th sec response time, or lag time, when an electronic impulse tripped the camera. This camera allowed me to shoot flying birds, striking rattlesnakes, jumping insects, 'tonguing' chameleons, and any number of other subjects whose action occurs so quickly that traditional shooting was all but impossible. Instead, by wiring the RS camera to a camera trap, like the Shutterbeam or the Phototrap, my subject would break an infrared beam, or a laser beam, and the 'trap' would send a signal to the camera, firing the shutter almost immediately. This allowed me to catch rattlesnakes fully outstretched in a strike, or house wrens flying in to their nest boxes.
Then came digital, and with the exception of one discontinued Nikon model, the response time, or lag time, of the digital cameras was too slow to make these types of shots possible, or at least easy to do. I still did these shots with digital, but now, for flying birds, I had to 'lead' the bird by as much as 18 inches to account for the lag time. In daylight, I couldn't even do a striking rattlesnake, as the snake would strike and return to its coil before the camera fired. The only way I got this type of shot was using a long exposure and shooting almost in darkness, and this, I can tell you, is not the safest way to be photographing a striking rattlesnake!
This camera lag time was a real pain in the butt, and when I heard that the folks at Cognisys, the geniuses that made the StopShot and RangeIR, were building a High Speed Shutter I was extremely excited. Last weekend I had a chance to use one for the first time -- and it won't be my last!
The High Speed Shutter is an external shutter that mounts on the front of your camera lens, and it is the rapid response time of the shutter that allows you to capture the fast-action subjects. Unlike the normal procedure of firing a camera, where the camera's built-in shutter makes the exposure, with the high speed shutter this shutter determines the exposure. The camera's shutter merely must be open, and thus the camera is set on Bulb. By using the StopShot I could program the system so that my camera would advance to the next frame after a one minute bulb exposure, unless the hi speed shutter fired, in which case the camera would automatically advance to the next frame.
The shutter itself has an aperture of 30mm, and mounts onto the front of your camera lens by means of a step-down ring that makes your lens look as if it has been 'snooked' down to a small opening. Indeed, it is now a smaller opening, and some vignetting may occur depending upon the lens you are using and the aperture selected. If you're using a camera with a 1.6X or 1.5X crop factor you may see little if any vignetting, and I had only minimal vignetting with my Mark IV. Cognisys has a page that explains this further. I used my Canon 100mm f2.8 macro lens and a Canon 70-200mm f4 lens for my initial testing, although I also ordered the step-down rings for my 180mm macro and for my lenses with a 77mm filter thread. Using an aperture of f16 to f20, I had virtually no vignetting when my lens was zoomed to 170mm or greater with my 70-200. This really pleased me, as this would be the lens I'm most likely to use for outdoor shooting of birds.
The external shutter mounts to the front of the lens via a three ring system (a shutter adapter and clamp and the step-down ring, but this could make the lens a little front heavy. However, the whole rig can be supported by a special bracket. Although this shutter support system is sold separately as an optional item, I'd strongly recommend you order it for the system to work most conveniently. With the shutter support system you'll have the external high speed shutter securely mounted, and the control console for the shutter mounted conveniently on the same support. For ease of use, I'd also recommend adding a Really Right Stuff Mini Clamp package which will allow you to quickly mount a camera on the shutter support system and to conveniently slide the mount back or forth for the best seating and mounting to the shutter. The clamp system can be used for other dove-tail plates, too, so it will have other applications, especially in macro photography. Clamping orientation can be switched 90 degrees, so depending upon the lens or camera plate you're using you will still have total use.
For this to work, you'll also need the StopShot, which will allow you to program the shutter and camera for a number of variables. Cognisys has a small, very convenient mount for attaching the StopShot to the whole system, and, if you already have the Module 1 and Module 3 pieces from Wimberly, you'll only need to order the bracket. New StopShot units are being shipped out with multiple pre-sets already programmed in, although you can program this easily yourself. This needs some explaining, because it is a wonderful feature. With a StopShot and two Range IRs or with the Lasers that I used for my frog photography you can program the system so that the camera fires (or the shutter is tripped) when a particular set of parameters are met. For example, the shutter will fire when A&B are tripped simultaneously (A being one Range IR or Laser, and B being the other Range IR or Laser); when either A or B is broken (A/B); or when one beam is broken before the other (A>B, or B>A) so that the shutter only fires if A is broken before B is broken (A>B), which is great if you only want to capture the action one-way, like a bird flying into a nest cavity or nest hole.
A 34mm UV filter is available to protect the shutter from grit or bugs or leaf litter if you're using the shutter outdoors, and I'd recommend getting the filter, regardless. I've posted all of these links because it is fairly easy (I did it) to order some of the items without checking if I have everything required -- like the step-down ring for the front of the lens.
Ok, so that's a quick over-view of the high speed shutter and
the accessories you'll need to use it most effectively. With it, I now have the tool to photograph the subjects that I used to attempt with the Canon RS camera, using expensive film. Now, with digital, that expense is eliminated, and if you're in to any of this type of shooting, the cost of the shutter and accessories will be offset very quickly.
Interested in photographing reptiles and amphibians? Check out our Reptiles of the World Photo Workshop Brochure!
For example, years ago I shot, in studio, a sugar glider, a flying squirrel-like marsupial. I was going to use film so that I wouldn't have to deal with lag time, but after exposing five rolls of film ($60 wasted), and getting absolutely nothing on the rolls (for various reasons that could occupy minutes of reading) I switched to digital, and worked out the lag time of the digital camera. I ended up getting some nice shots, but had I had a digital version of the RS my success rate would have soared. Well, the High Speed Shutter now takes the place of the RS camera, regardless of camera model (Nikon, Canon, whatever!).
I'm tremendously excited about this equipment, and I can't wait to use the system on the birds around my yard, on chipmunks leaping across a pond that have eluded me for years, on hopping grasshoppers, flying grasshoppers, jumping geckos, tongue-flipping chameleons, ... well, I could go on.
All of these subjects (perhaps via a pet shop) are available to anyone reading this, and the opportunities are endless. Check out the links above, and stay tuned, once I get a bit more experience with this I'll be posting a step-by-step guide on the use of the shutter. Check it out!
Previous Tips, July 2009 onward
Guide to Tropical Nature Photography ebook
Hoodman Compact Loupe CH32
Essential Gear for Safaris
Take our Digital Nature Photo Course FIRST!
GPS and Home Security
Range IR Camera Remote
Gitzo Monopod 5561T Monopod
Easy Macro with Extension Tubes and Zoom Lenses
FotoSharp Camou Rain Covers
Canon 17mm T/S Lens
Locking Button for the Canon 7D
NIK HDR Program
Silver Efex Pro for Black and White Images
Beware the DELL Software Solution Rip Off
How and What We Pack for Trips
Canon Digital Learning Center
The Movie Mode with the Canon Mark IV
Batch Renaming in Bridge and CS5
Alternate Uses of some Bogen Products
Hoodman Products
Using High ISO and Live View for Focusing in Dim Light
Art Print Scams for Hungry Photographers
Hungry Vultures ruin vehicles in the Everglades
Use a Short Lens for Depth of Field
Get Professional Help!
Mini-Molar Bag
Access America Trip Insurance
Bogen Base for Macro Work
Archived Tips of the Month
prior to July 2009
Most of my original Tips of the Month for the last several
years are available through this link. Warning - some of the links are broken, so some are not available at this time. Also, the 'look' is from my
original web site, although if I ever have enough time I might redo these pages to match the new web site But that's not a high priority.
Check out our latest website,
mcdonaldwildlifephotos.com
where we'll be adding portfolios and eventually building up
a searchable data base for photo buyers. We've just started,
and the selection is limited, but it is still worth a visit!
Office Phone: (717) 543-6423
Or FAX us at: (717) 543-5342
Tip of the Month
High Speed Shutter
April 2013
I haven't looked forward to trying out and using a new piece of gear since ... I don't know when.
Why?
Years ago, back in the good 'ol film days, Canon had a camera that was perfect for high speed action work with flash. The camera was called the 1N RS (I have 5 and would be happy to sell them to any film shooter!) and had a 1/200th sec response time, or lag time, when an electronic impulse tripped the camera. This camera allowed me to shoot flying birds, striking rattlesnakes, jumping insects, 'tonguing' chameleons, and any number of other subjects whose action occurs so quickly that traditional shooting was all but impossible. Instead, by wiring the RS camera to a camera trap, like the Shutterbeam or the Phototrap, my subject would break an infrared beam, or a laser beam, and the 'trap' would send a signal to the camera, firing the shutter almost immediately. This allowed me to catch rattlesnakes fully outstretched in a strike, or house wrens flying in to their nest boxes.
Then came digital, and with the exception of one discontinued Nikon model, the response time, or lag time, of the digital cameras was too slow to make these types of shots possible, or at least easy to do. I still did these shots with digital, but now, for flying birds, I had to 'lead' the bird by as much as 18 inches to account for the lag time. In daylight, I couldn't even do a striking rattlesnake, as the snake would strike and return to its coil before the camera fired. The only way I got this type of shot was using a long exposure and shooting almost in darkness, and this, I can tell you, is not the safest way to be photographing a striking rattlesnake!
This camera lag time was a real pain in the butt, and when I heard that the folks at Cognisys, the geniuses that made the StopShot and RangeIR, were building a High Speed Shutter I was extremely excited. Last weekend I had a chance to use one for the first time -- and it won't be my last!
The High Speed Shutter is an external shutter that mounts on the front of your camera lens, and it is the rapid response time of the shutter that allows you to capture the fast-action subjects. Unlike the normal procedure of firing a camera, where the camera's built-in shutter makes the exposure, with the high speed shutter this shutter determines the exposure. The camera's shutter merely must be open, and thus the camera is set on Bulb. By using the StopShot I could program the system so that my camera would advance to the next frame after a one minute bulb exposure, unless the hi speed shutter fired, in which case the camera would automatically advance to the next frame.
The shutter itself has an aperture of 30mm, and mounts onto the front of your camera lens by means of a step-down ring that makes your lens look as if it has been 'snooked' down to a small opening. Indeed, it is now a smaller opening, and some vignetting may occur depending upon the lens you are using and the aperture selected. If you're using a camera with a 1.6X or 1.5X crop factor you may see little if any vignetting, and I had only minimal vignetting with my Mark IV. Cognisys has a page that explains this further. I used my Canon 100mm f2.8 macro lens and a Canon 70-200mm f4 lens for my initial testing, although I also ordered the step-down rings for my 180mm macro and for my lenses with a 77mm filter thread. Using an aperture of f16 to f20, I had virtually no vignetting when my lens was zoomed to 170mm or greater with my 70-200. This really pleased me, as this would be the lens I'm most likely to use for outdoor shooting of birds.
The external shutter mounts to the front of the lens via a three ring system (a shutter adapter and clamp and the step-down ring, but this could make the lens a little front heavy. However, the whole rig can be supported by a special bracket. Although this shutter support system is sold separately as an optional item, I'd strongly recommend you order it for the system to work most conveniently. With the shutter support system you'll have the external high speed shutter securely mounted, and the control console for the shutter mounted conveniently on the same support. For ease of use, I'd also recommend adding a Really Right Stuff Mini Clamp package which will allow you to quickly mount a camera on the shutter support system and to conveniently slide the mount back or forth for the best seating and mounting to the shutter. The clamp system can be used for other dove-tail plates, too, so it will have other applications, especially in macro photography. Clamping orientation can be switched 90 degrees, so depending upon the lens or camera plate you're using you will still have total use.
For this to work, you'll also need the StopShot, which will allow you to program the shutter and camera for a number of variables. Cognisys has a small, very convenient mount for attaching the StopShot to the whole system, and, if you already have the Module 1 and Module 3 pieces from Wimberly, you'll only need to order the bracket. New StopShot units are being shipped out with multiple pre-sets already programmed in, although you can program this easily yourself. This needs some explaining, because it is a wonderful feature. With a StopShot and two Range IRs or with the Lasers that I used for my frog photography you can program the system so that the camera fires (or the shutter is tripped) when a particular set of parameters are met. For example, the shutter will fire when A&B are tripped simultaneously (A being one Range IR or Laser, and B being the other Range IR or Laser); when either A or B is broken (A/B); or when one beam is broken before the other (A>B, or B>A) so that the shutter only fires if A is broken before B is broken (A>B), which is great if you only want to capture the action one-way, like a bird flying into a nest cavity or nest hole.
A 34mm UV filter is available to protect the shutter from grit or bugs or leaf litter if you're using the shutter outdoors, and I'd recommend getting the filter, regardless. I've posted all of these links because it is fairly easy (I did it) to order some of the items without checking if I have everything required -- like the step-down ring for the front of the lens.
Ok, so that's a quick over-view of the high speed shutter and
the accessories you'll need to use it most effectively. With it, I now have the tool to photograph the subjects that I used to attempt with the Canon RS camera, using expensive film. Now, with digital, that expense is eliminated, and if you're in to any of this type of shooting, the cost of the shutter and accessories will be offset very quickly.
Interested in photographing reptiles and amphibians? Check out our Reptiles of the World Photo Workshop Brochure!
For example, years ago I shot, in studio, a sugar glider, a flying squirrel-like marsupial. I was going to use film so that I wouldn't have to deal with lag time, but after exposing five rolls of film ($60 wasted), and getting absolutely nothing on the rolls (for various reasons that could occupy minutes of reading) I switched to digital, and worked out the lag time of the digital camera. I ended up getting some nice shots, but had I had a digital version of the RS my success rate would have soared. Well, the High Speed Shutter now takes the place of the RS camera, regardless of camera model (Nikon, Canon, whatever!).
I'm tremendously excited about this equipment, and I can't wait to use the system on the birds around my yard, on chipmunks leaping across a pond that have eluded me for years, on hopping grasshoppers, flying grasshoppers, jumping geckos, tongue-flipping chameleons, ... well, I could go on.
All of these subjects (perhaps via a pet shop) are available to anyone reading this, and the opportunities are endless. Check out the links above, and stay tuned, once I get a bit more experience with this I'll be posting a step-by-step guide on the use of the shutter. Check it out!
Previous Tips, July 2009 onward
Guide to Tropical Nature Photography ebook
Hoodman Compact Loupe CH32
Essential Gear for Safaris
Take our Digital Nature Photo Course FIRST!
GPS and Home Security
Range IR Camera Remote
Gitzo Monopod 5561T Monopod
Easy Macro with Extension Tubes and Zoom Lenses
FotoSharp Camou Rain Covers
Canon 17mm T/S Lens
Locking Button for the Canon 7D
NIK HDR Program
Silver Efex Pro for Black and White Images
Beware the DELL Software Solution Rip Off
How and What We Pack for Trips
Canon Digital Learning Center
The Movie Mode with the Canon Mark IV
Batch Renaming in Bridge and CS5
Alternate Uses of some Bogen Products
Hoodman Products
Using High ISO and Live View for Focusing in Dim Light
Art Print Scams for Hungry Photographers
Hungry Vultures ruin vehicles in the Everglades
Use a Short Lens for Depth of Field
Get Professional Help!
Mini-Molar Bag
Access America Trip Insurance
Bogen Base for Macro Work
Archived Tips of the Month
prior to July 2009
Most of my original Tips of the Month for the last several
years are available through this link. Warning - some of the links are broken, so some are not available at this time. Also, the 'look' is from my
original web site, although if I ever have enough time I might redo these pages to match the new web site But that's not a high priority.
Check out our latest website,
mcdonaldwildlifephotos.com
where we'll be adding portfolios and eventually building up
a searchable data base for photo buyers. We've just started,
and the selection is limited, but it is still worth a visit!
Office Phone: (717) 543-6423
Or FAX us at: (717) 543-5342
Tip of the Month
High Speed Shutter
April 2013
I haven't looked forward to trying out and using a new piece of gear since ... I don't know when.
Why?
Years ago, back in the good 'ol film days, Canon had a camera that was perfect for high speed action work with flash. The camera was called the 1N RS (I have 5 and would be happy to sell them to any film shooter!) and had a 1/200th sec response time, or lag time, when an electronic impulse tripped the camera. This camera allowed me to shoot flying birds, striking rattlesnakes, jumping insects, 'tonguing' chameleons, and any number of other subjects whose action occurs so quickly that traditional shooting was all but impossible. Instead, by wiring the RS camera to a camera trap, like the Shutterbeam or the Phototrap, my subject would break an infrared beam, or a laser beam, and the 'trap' would send a signal to the camera, firing the shutter almost immediately. This allowed me to catch rattlesnakes fully outstretched in a strike, or house wrens flying in to their nest boxes.
Then came digital, and with the exception of one discontinued Nikon model, the response time, or lag time, of the digital cameras was too slow to make these types of shots possible, or at least easy to do. I still did these shots with digital, but now, for flying birds, I had to 'lead' the bird by as much as 18 inches to account for the lag time. In daylight, I couldn't even do a striking rattlesnake, as the snake would strike and return to its coil before the camera fired. The only way I got this type of shot was using a long exposure and shooting almost in darkness, and this, I can tell you, is not the safest way to be photographing a striking rattlesnake!
This camera lag time was a real pain in the butt, and when I heard that the folks at Cognisys, the geniuses that made the StopShot and RangeIR, were building a High Speed Shutter I was extremely excited. Last weekend I had a chance to use one for the first time -- and it won't be my last!
The High Speed Shutter is an external shutter that mounts on the front of your camera lens, and it is the rapid response time of the shutter that allows you to capture the fast-action subjects. Unlike the normal procedure of firing a camera, where the camera's built-in shutter makes the exposure, with the high speed shutter this shutter determines the exposure. The camera's shutter merely must be open, and thus the camera is set on Bulb. By using the StopShot I could program the system so that my camera would advance to the next frame after a one minute bulb exposure, unless the hi speed shutter fired, in which case the camera would automatically advance to the next frame.
The shutter itself has an aperture of 30mm, and mounts onto the front of your camera lens by means of a step-down ring that makes your lens look as if it has been 'snooked' down to a small opening. Indeed, it is now a smaller opening, and some vignetting may occur depending upon the lens you are using and the aperture selected. If you're using a camera with a 1.6X or 1.5X crop factor you may see little if any vignetting, and I had only minimal vignetting with my Mark IV. Cognisys has a page that explains this further. I used my Canon 100mm f2.8 macro lens and a Canon 70-200mm f4 lens for my initial testing, although I also ordered the step-down rings for my 180mm macro and for my lenses with a 77mm filter thread. Using an aperture of f16 to f20, I had virtually no vignetting when my lens was zoomed to 170mm or greater with my 70-200. This really pleased me, as this would be the lens I'm most likely to use for outdoor shooting of birds.
The external shutter mounts to the front of the lens via a three ring system (a shutter adapter and clamp and the step-down ring, but this could make the lens a little front heavy. However, the whole rig can be supported by a special bracket. Although this shutter support system is sold separately as an optional item, I'd strongly recommend you order it for the system to work most conveniently. With the shutter support system you'll have the external high speed shutter securely mounted, and the control console for the shutter mounted conveniently on the same support. For ease of use, I'd also recommend adding a Really Right Stuff Mini Clamp package which will allow you to quickly mount a camera on the shutter support system and to conveniently slide the mount back or forth for the best seating and mounting to the shutter. The clamp system can be used for other dove-tail plates, too, so it will have other applications, especially in macro photography. Clamping orientation can be switched 90 degrees, so depending upon the lens or camera plate you're using you will still have total use.
For this to work, you'll also need the StopShot, which will allow you to program the shutter and camera for a number of variables. Cognisys has a small, very convenient mount for attaching the StopShot to the whole system, and, if you already have the Module 1 and Module 3 pieces from Wimberly, you'll only need to order the bracket. New StopShot units are being shipped out with multiple pre-sets already programmed in, although you can program this easily yourself. This needs some explaining, because it is a wonderful feature. With a StopShot and two Range IRs or with the Lasers that I used for my frog photography you can program the system so that the camera fires (or the shutter is tripped) when a particular set of parameters are met. For example, the shutter will fire when A&B are tripped simultaneously (A being one Range IR or Laser, and B being the other Range IR or Laser); when either A or B is broken (A/B); or when one beam is broken before the other (A>B, or B>A) so that the shutter only fires if A is broken before B is broken (A>B), which is great if you only want to capture the action one-way, like a bird flying into a nest cavity or nest hole.
A 34mm UV filter is available to protect the shutter from grit or bugs or leaf litter if you're using the shutter outdoors, and I'd recommend getting the filter, regardless. I've posted all of these links because it is fairly easy (I did it) to order some of the items without checking if I have everything required -- like the step-down ring for the front of the lens.
Ok, so that's a quick over-view of the high speed shutter and
the accessories you'll need to use it most effectively. With it, I now have the tool to photograph the subjects that I used to attempt with the Canon RS camera, using expensive film. Now, with digital, that expense is eliminated, and if you're in to any of this type of shooting, the cost of the shutter and accessories will be offset very quickly.
Interested in photographing reptiles and amphibians? Check out our Reptiles of the World Photo Workshop Brochure!
For example, years ago I shot, in studio, a sugar glider, a flying squirrel-like marsupial. I was going to use film so that I wouldn't have to deal with lag time, but after exposing five rolls of film ($60 wasted), and getting absolutely nothing on the rolls (for various reasons that could occupy minutes of reading) I switched to digital, and worked out the lag time of the digital camera. I ended up getting some nice shots, but had I had a digital version of the RS my success rate would have soared. Well, the High Speed Shutter now takes the place of the RS camera, regardless of camera model (Nikon, Canon, whatever!).
I'm tremendously excited about this equipment, and I can't wait to use the system on the birds around my yard, on chipmunks leaping across a pond that have eluded me for years, on hopping grasshoppers, flying grasshoppers, jumping geckos, tongue-flipping chameleons, ... well, I could go on.
All of these subjects (perhaps via a pet shop) are available to anyone reading this, and the opportunities are endless. Check out the links above, and stay tuned, once I get a bit more experience with this I'll be posting a step-by-step guide on the use of the shutter. Check it out!
Previous Tips, July 2009 onward
Guide to Tropical Nature Photography ebook
Hoodman Compact Loupe CH32
Essential Gear for Safaris
Take our Digital Nature Photo Course FIRST!
GPS and Home Security
Range IR Camera Remote
Gitzo Monopod 5561T Monopod
Easy Macro with Extension Tubes and Zoom Lenses
FotoSharp Camou Rain Covers
Canon 17mm T/S Lens
Locking Button for the Canon 7D
NIK HDR Program
Silver Efex Pro for Black and White Images
Beware the DELL Software Solution Rip Off
How and What We Pack for Trips
Canon Digital Learning Center
The Movie Mode with the Canon Mark IV
Batch Renaming in Bridge and CS5
Alternate Uses of some Bogen Products
Hoodman Products
Using High ISO and Live View for Focusing in Dim Light
Art Print Scams for Hungry Photographers
Hungry Vultures ruin vehicles in the Everglades
Use a Short Lens for Depth of Field
Get Professional Help!
Mini-Molar Bag
Access America Trip Insurance
Bogen Base for Macro Work
Archived Tips of the Month
prior to July 2009
Most of my original Tips of the Month for the last several
years are available through this link. Warning - some of the links are broken, so some are not available at this time. Also, the 'look' is from my
original web site, although if I ever have enough time I might redo these pages to match the new web site But that's not a high priority.
Check out our latest website,
mcdonaldwildlifephotos.com
where we'll be adding portfolios and eventually building up
a searchable data base for photo buyers. We've just started,
and the selection is limited, but it is still worth a visit!
Office Phone: (717) 543-6423
Or FAX us at: (717) 543-5342
Tip of the Month
High Speed Shutter
April 2013
I haven't looked forward to trying out and using a new piece of gear since ... I don't know when.
Why?
Years ago, back in the good 'ol film days, Canon had a camera that was perfect for high speed action work with flash. The camera was called the 1N RS (I have 5 and would be happy to sell them to any film shooter!) and had a 1/200th sec response time, or lag time, when an electronic impulse tripped the camera. This camera allowed me to shoot flying birds, striking rattlesnakes, jumping insects, 'tonguing' chameleons, and any number of other subjects whose action occurs so quickly that traditional shooting was all but impossible. Instead, by wiring the RS camera to a camera trap, like the Shutterbeam or the Phototrap, my subject would break an infrared beam, or a laser beam, and the 'trap' would send a signal to the camera, firing the shutter almost immediately. This allowed me to catch rattlesnakes fully outstretched in a strike, or house wrens flying in to their nest boxes.
Then came digital, and with the exception of one discontinued Nikon model, the response time, or lag time, of the digital cameras was too slow to make these types of shots possible, or at least easy to do. I still did these shots with digital, but now, for flying birds, I had to 'lead' the bird by as much as 18 inches to account for the lag time. In daylight, I couldn't even do a striking rattlesnake, as the snake would strike and return to its coil before the camera fired. The only way I got this type of shot was using a long exposure and shooting almost in darkness, and this, I can tell you, is not the safest way to be photographing a striking rattlesnake!
This camera lag time was a real pain in the butt, and when I heard that the folks at Cognisys, the geniuses that made the StopShot and RangeIR, were building a High Speed Shutter I was extremely excited. Last weekend I had a chance to use one for the first time -- and it won't be my last!
The High Speed Shutter is an external shutter that mounts on the front of your camera lens, and it is the rapid response time of the shutter that allows you to capture the fast-action subjects. Unlike the normal procedure of firing a camera, where the camera's built-in shutter makes the exposure, with the high speed shutter this shutter determines the exposure. The camera's shutter merely must be open, and thus the camera is set on Bulb. By using the StopShot I could program the system so that my camera would advance to the next frame after a one minute bulb exposure, unless the hi speed shutter fired, in which case the camera would automatically advance to the next frame.
The shutter itself has an aperture of 30mm, and mounts onto the front of your camera lens by means of a step-down ring that makes your lens look as if it has been 'snooked' down to a small opening. Indeed, it is now a smaller opening, and some vignetting may occur depending upon the lens you are using and the aperture selected. If you're using a camera with a 1.6X or 1.5X crop factor you may see little if any vignetting, and I had only minimal vignetting with my Mark IV. Cognisys has a page that explains this further. I used my Canon 100mm f2.8 macro lens and a Canon 70-200mm f4 lens for my initial testing, although I also ordered the step-down rings for my 180mm macro and for my lenses with a 77mm filter thread. Using an aperture of f16 to f20, I had virtually no vignetting when my lens was zoomed to 170mm or greater with my 70-200. This really pleased me, as this would be the lens I'm most likely to use for outdoor shooting of birds.
The external shutter mounts to the front of the lens via a three ring system (a shutter adapter and clamp and the step-down ring, but this could make the lens a little front heavy. However, the whole rig can be supported by a special bracket. Although this shutter support system is sold separately as an optional item, I'd strongly recommend you order it for the system to work most conveniently. With the shutter support system you'll have the external high speed shutter securely mounted, and the control console for the shutter mounted conveniently on the same support. For ease of use, I'd also recommend adding a Really Right Stuff Mini Clamp package which will allow you to quickly mount a camera on the shutter support system and to conveniently slide the mount back or forth for the best seating and mounting to the shutter. The clamp system can be used for other dove-tail plates, too, so it will have other applications, especially in macro photography. Clamping orientation can be switched 90 degrees, so depending upon the lens or camera plate you're using you will still have total use.
For this to work, you'll also need the StopShot, which will allow you to program the shutter and camera for a number of variables. Cognisys has a small, very convenient mount for attaching the StopShot to the whole system, and, if you already have the Module 1 and Module 3 pieces from Wimberly, you'll only need to order the bracket. New StopShot units are being shipped out with multiple pre-sets already programmed in, although you can program this easily yourself. This needs some explaining, because it is a wonderful feature. With a StopShot and two Range IRs or with the Lasers that I used for my frog photography you can program the system so that the camera fires (or the shutter is tripped) when a particular set of parameters are met. For example, the shutter will fire when A&B are tripped simultaneously (A being one Range IR or Laser, and B being the other Range IR or Laser); when either A or B is broken (A/B); or when one beam is broken before the other (A>B, or B>A) so that the shutter only fires if A is broken before B is broken (A>B), which is great if you only want to capture the action one-way, like a bird flying into a nest cavity or nest hole.
A 34mm UV filter is available to protect the shutter from grit or bugs or leaf litter if you're using the shutter outdoors, and I'd recommend getting the filter, regardless. I've posted all of these links because it is fairly easy (I did it) to order some of the items without checking if I have everything required -- like the step-down ring for the front of the lens.
Ok, so that's a quick over-view of the high speed shutter and
the accessories you'll need to use it most effectively. With it, I now have the tool to photograph the subjects that I used to attempt with the Canon RS camera, using expensive film. Now, with digital, that expense is eliminated, and if you're in to any of this type of shooting, the cost of the shutter and accessories will be offset very quickly.
Interested in photographing reptiles and amphibians? Check out our Reptiles of the World Photo Workshop Brochure!
For example, years ago I shot, in studio, a sugar glider, a flying squirrel-like marsupial. I was going to use film so that I wouldn't have to deal with lag time, but after exposing five rolls of film ($60 wasted), and getting absolutely nothing on the rolls (for various reasons that could occupy minutes of reading) I switched to digital, and worked out the lag time of the digital camera. I ended up getting some nice shots, but had I had a digital version of the RS my success rate would have soared. Well, the High Speed Shutter now takes the place of the RS camera, regardless of camera model (Nikon, Canon, whatever!).
I'm tremendously excited about this equipment, and I can't wait to use the system on the birds around my yard, on chipmunks leaping across a pond that have eluded me for years, on hopping grasshoppers, flying grasshoppers, jumping geckos, tongue-flipping chameleons, ... well, I could go on.
All of these subjects (perhaps via a pet shop) are available to anyone reading this, and the opportunities are endless. Check out the links above, and stay tuned, once I get a bit more experience with this I'll be posting a step-by-step guide on the use of the shutter. Check it out!
Tip of the Month
High Speed Shutter
April 2013
I haven't looked forward to trying out and using a new piece of gear since ... I don't know when.
Why?
Years ago, back in the good 'ol film days, Canon had a camera that was perfect for high speed action work with flash. The camera was called the 1N RS (I have 5 and would be happy to sell them to any film shooter!) and had a 1/200th sec response time, or lag time, when an electronic impulse tripped the camera. This camera allowed me to shoot flying birds, striking rattlesnakes, jumping insects, 'tonguing' chameleons, and any number of other subjects whose action occurs so quickly that traditional shooting was all but impossible. Instead, by wiring the RS camera to a camera trap, like the Shutterbeam or the Phototrap, my subject would break an infrared beam, or a laser beam, and the 'trap' would send a signal to the camera, firing the shutter almost immediately. This allowed me to catch rattlesnakes fully outstretched in a strike, or house wrens flying in to their nest boxes.
Then came digital, and with the exception of one discontinued Nikon model, the response time, or lag time, of the digital cameras was too slow to make these types of shots possible, or at least easy to do. I still did these shots with digital, but now, for flying birds, I had to 'lead' the bird by as much as 18 inches to account for the lag time. In daylight, I couldn't even do a striking rattlesnake, as the snake would strike and return to its coil before the camera fired. The only way I got this type of shot was using a long exposure and shooting almost in darkness, and this, I can tell you, is not the safest way to be photographing a striking rattlesnake!
This camera lag time was a real pain in the butt, and when I heard that the folks at Cognisys, the geniuses that made the StopShot and RangeIR, were building a High Speed Shutter I was extremely excited. Last weekend I had a chance to use one for the first time -- and it won't be my last!
The High Speed Shutter is an external shutter that mounts on the front of your camera lens, and it is the rapid response time of the shutter that allows you to capture the fast-action subjects. Unlike the normal procedure of firing a camera, where the camera's built-in shutter makes the exposure, with the high speed shutter this shutter determines the exposure. The camera's shutter merely must be open, and thus the camera is set on Bulb. By using the StopShot I could program the system so that my camera would advance to the next frame after a one minute bulb exposure, unless the hi speed shutter fired, in which case the camera would automatically advance to the next frame.
The shutter itself has an aperture of 30mm, and mounts onto the front of your camera lens by means of a step-down ring that makes your lens look as if it has been 'snooked' down to a small opening. Indeed, it is now a smaller opening, and some vignetting may occur depending upon the lens you are using and the aperture selected. If you're using a camera with a 1.6X or 1.5X crop factor you may see little if any vignetting, and I had only minimal vignetting with my Mark IV. Cognisys has a page that explains this further. I used my Canon 100mm f2.8 macro lens and a Canon 70-200mm f4 lens for my initial testing, although I also ordered the step-down rings for my 180mm macro and for my lenses with a 77mm filter thread. Using an aperture of f16 to f20, I had virtually no vignetting when my lens was zoomed to 170mm or greater with my 70-200. This really pleased me, as this would be the lens I'm most likely to use for outdoor shooting of birds.
The external shutter mounts to the front of the lens via a three ring system (a shutter adapter and clamp and the step-down ring, but this could make the lens a little front heavy. However, the whole rig can be supported by a special bracket. Although this shutter support system is sold separately as an optional item, I'd strongly recommend you order it for the system to work most conveniently. With the shutter support system you'll have the external high speed shutter securely mounted, and the control console for the shutter mounted conveniently on the same support. For ease of use, I'd also recommend adding a Really Right Stuff Mini Clamp package which will allow you to quickly mount a camera on the shutter support system and to conveniently slide the mount back or forth for the best seating and mounting to the shutter. The clamp system can be used for other dove-tail plates, too, so it will have other applications, especially in macro photography. Clamping orientation can be switched 90 degrees, so depending upon the lens or camera plate you're using you will still have total use.
For this to work, you'll also need the StopShot, which will allow you to program the shutter and camera for a number of variables. Cognisys has a small, very convenient mount for attaching the StopShot to the whole system, and, if you already have the Module 1 and Module 3 pieces from Wimberly, you'll only need to order the bracket. New StopShot units are being shipped out with multiple pre-sets already programmed in, although you can program this easily yourself. This needs some explaining, because it is a wonderful feature. With a StopShot and two Range IRs or with the Lasers that I used for my frog photography you can program the system so that the camera fires (or the shutter is tripped) when a particular set of parameters are met. For example, the shutter will fire when A&B are tripped simultaneously (A being one Range IR or Laser, and B being the other Range IR or Laser); when either A or B is broken (A/B); or when one beam is broken before the other (A>B, or B>A) so that the shutter only fires if A is broken before B is broken (A>B), which is great if you only want to capture the action one-way, like a bird flying into a nest cavity or nest hole.
A 34mm UV filter is available to protect the shutter from grit or bugs or leaf litter if you're using the shutter outdoors, and I'd recommend getting the filter, regardless. I've posted all of these links because it is fairly easy (I did it) to order some of the items without checking if I have everything required -- like the step-down ring for the front of the lens.
Ok, so that's a quick over-view of the high speed shutter and
the accessories you'll need to use it most effectively. With it, I now have the tool to photograph the subjects that I used to attempt with the Canon RS camera, using expensive film. Now, with digital, that expense is eliminated, and if you're in to any of this type of shooting, the cost of the shutter and accessories will be offset very quickly.
Interested in photographing reptiles and amphibians? Check out our Reptiles of the World Photo Workshop Brochure!
For example, years ago I shot, in studio, a sugar glider, a flying squirrel-like marsupial. I was going to use film so that I wouldn't have to deal with lag time, but after exposing five rolls of film ($60 wasted), and getting absolutely nothing on the rolls (for various reasons that could occupy minutes of reading) I switched to digital, and worked out the lag time of the digital camera. I ended up getting some nice shots, but had I had a digital version of the RS my success rate would have soared. Well, the High Speed Shutter now takes the place of the RS camera, regardless of camera model (Nikon, Canon, whatever!).
I'm tremendously excited about this equipment, and I can't wait to use the system on the birds around my yard, on chipmunks leaping across a pond that have eluded me for years, on hopping grasshoppers, flying grasshoppers, jumping geckos, tongue-flipping chameleons, ... well, I could go on.
All of these subjects (perhaps via a pet shop) are available to anyone reading this, and the opportunities are endless. Check out the links above, and stay tuned, once I get a bit more experience with this I'll be posting a step-by-step guide on the use of the shutter. Check it out!
Previous Tips, July 2009 onward
Guide to Tropical Nature Photography ebook
Hoodman Compact Loupe CH32
Essential Gear for Safaris
Take our Digital Nature Photo Course FIRST!
GPS and Home Security
Range IR Camera Remote
Gitzo Monopod 5561T Monopod
Easy Macro with Extension Tubes and Zoom Lenses
FotoSharp Camou Rain Covers
Canon 17mm T/S Lens
Locking Button for the Canon 7D
NIK HDR Program
Silver Efex Pro for Black and White Images
Beware the DELL Software Solution Rip Off
How and What We Pack for Trips
Canon Digital Learning Center
The Movie Mode with the Canon Mark IV
Batch Renaming in Bridge and CS5
Alternate Uses of some Bogen Products
Hoodman Products
Using High ISO and Live View for Focusing in Dim Light
Art Print Scams for Hungry Photographers
Hungry Vultures ruin vehicles in the Everglades
Use a Short Lens for Depth of Field
Get Professional Help!
Mini-Molar Bag
Access America Trip Insurance
Bogen Base for Macro Work
Archived Tips of the Month
prior to July 2009
Most of my original Tips of the Month for the last several
years are available through this link. Warning - some of the links are broken, so some are not available at this time. Also, the 'look' is from my
original web site, although if I ever have enough time I might redo these pages to match the new web site But that's not a high priority.
Check out our latest website,
mcdonaldwildlifephotos.com
where we'll be adding portfolios and eventually building up
a searchable data base for photo buyers. We've just started,
and the selection is limited, but it is still worth a visit!
Office Phone: (717) 543-6423
Or FAX us at: (717) 543-5342
