If you plan on taking any photos requiring longer exposure times (particularly "bulb-mode" photographs in which the shutter remains open until you close it), you need this accessory for your camera.
Though the cord is shorter than would be desired, a quick trip to any electronics store should provide a simple solution in an extension: a 3/32" stereo extension cord, or a 1/8" cord with adapters to 3/32". As these can be had for well under $10, you can easily extend the reach of the shutter release beyond what Canon provided. Canon Remote Switch RS60 E3
While Canon products at times have a price markup for items that bare the label (like Harley Davidson products) there are a few gems that are good deals at the price point. The Canon backpack and the 50mm 1.8 lens are examples of good deals. This switch also belongs in the 'worth the price' category.
The switch connects into the side of the Rebel XT. The female receptor on the camera is underneath a rubber cover. The cover folds back awkwardly/protrudes when the switch is connected. This is mildly annoying, but not a big deal.
The switch is simple yet effective: half push for focus, full push to take the picture, or push the switch forward to lock the shutter open (for night shots, lightning, etc.). When pressed forward, the shutter remains open until you pull the switch back into place. You don't have to hold the switch open as it locks once it is slid forward.
The switch can activate the shutter either in the single shot mode or the time delay mode. Single shot or time delay are set on the camera, not on the switch.
In single shot the shutter is activated as soon as the button is fully pressed. In time delay, fully pressing the button starts the 10-second countdown prior to the picture being snapped (time to run in front of the camera for family or self-portraits).
For macro shots, night shots, or shots in which minimal or no camera shake is permissible this inexpensive device is quite useful.
Finally, it has little notches built in to the side of its body to help hold the cable securely against the body when the cable is wrapped up for storage. It also has a slot to plug in the male attachment (the part that plugs into the camera) built into the body for convenience in storage and to protect the connector when not in use.
I'm glad I bought it.
What would I do without my remote switch? I would cry real tears. I bought it for nighttime photography and long exposures without camera shake but I use it for almost everything. Even portraiture benefits from this nifty little tool as subjects can be fooled into relaxing their faces while one is not behind the lens. I would have given it five stars but the cord is slightly shorter than I would like.
I'll start off by saying that this item IS compatible with the Rebel XTi (I've seen conflicting information floating around).
I just recently purchased my XTi and noticed that even when using a tripod that my pictures would come out slightly blurred a lot of the time - I'm assuming this is from the vibration when pressing and releasing the shutter button. This made long-exposes such as night photography difficult for me and often left me disappointed with the results.
Fortunately I found this great item! It plugs into the side of the camera by the USB connector and features basic controls (half click, full click, and the ability to click and lock the button).
One of the first things you'll notice is the short cord - something almost every single review has mentioned but I really didn't think it would be THAT short - this is both a Pro and a Con.. A "Pro" because it doesnt leave lots of slack that can become tangled or drop loosely to the ground but also a "Con" because you still need to remain relatively close to the camera for this to function.. If you're dealing with Macro (up-close) photography with live animals it would be nice to set the camera up and sit 5-10 feet away and remotely trigger the camera without being close enough to scare them away. Another time a long cord would be nice would be for self-photography and to place a camera in a place which is otherwise not reasonable for you to get to (such as a high location, on a roof, in a tree, etc..)
Apparently you can get a little "Do it yourself" with this item and splice a longer cable onto it if you feel the need. They also sell a wireless remote which is probably even better for these needs but you have to keep a direct connection between the camera and the remote).
Back to this remote switch though:
By half-pressing the remote, the camera will autofocus (much as it does when half-pressing the shutter button on the actual camera) and fully pressing it will release the shutter and snap a picture.
The part that becomes quite nice is the "Lock" function. This lets you lock the button down (done by full-clicking and sliding the button to the side) for as long as you want while the shutter remains open - this means you can lock it for 5 minutes for pinhole photography or night shots - something you would otherwise need to keep your finger on the shutter release button for (which will almost always cause some vibration/shaky pictures).
You do this by setting the exposure time to "Bulb" mode (from what I can tell, its only available in [M] mode on the XTi).
A very excellent remote switch that is more than worth the $20-30 selling price (just don't tell canon!) - If I could make one change it would be to have the camera use a replaceable cable so that you could easily unplug the 2 foot one and replace it with a 5 or 10 foot one since it appears to just be a standard audio cable.
All-in-all, a must-buy which is also very affordable! - Canon - Photography - Long Exposure - Remote Switch'
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