Remote trigger for Rollei LCS

[cunim]

Has anyone figured out a way to trigger the LCS remotely? Yesterday I needed the camera 10' up so I tried to use the DF instead of the view camera. With the DF I should be able to trigger the shutter and live view from the keyboard.

No such luck. Tethered with C1 only to find that USB3 does not work at all with live view, and that I could not even make firewire work properly with it. This after loading all the most recent fw and software, and with my savvy dealer on the phone.

Anyway, two hours of that (love MF!) I went back to the view camera. At least that works with firewire because I only need to control the back, not the DF. Now the LCS is 10' in the air and I am running up and down a ladder in the dark to push the release button. Almost as bad, touching any studio stand with a lever that long on the camera requires waiting for movement to damp back down. Much better to have a remote trigger.

Last I heard, you can't get there from here but maybe someone has done something creative?

 

[dougpeterson]

Depending on the specifics of the shoot a Df may be a better option for what you describe.

Don't know what your dealer missed (or specifically what wasn't working for that matter), but that should be easy to set up - I've done it myself many times. Figuring out what was missed with that setup would be my recommendation.

Also FireWire would be better than USB for a remote setup like this since it can charge the back and reduce or eliminate battery changes.

 

[cunim]

Depending on the specifics of the shoot a Df may be a better option for what you describe.

Don't know what your dealer missed (or specifically what wasn't working for that matter), but that should be easy to set up - I've done it myself many times. Figuring out what was missed with that setup would be my recommendation.

Also FireWire would be better than USB for a remote setup like this since it can charge the back and reduce or eliminate battery changes.

Doug, very kind of you to reply. Yes, it should be easy. I've done a lot of it before but almost always with the Monolith and always firewire. Can't remember tethering with the DF before, but I have a vague feeling I found it painful and gave up a couple of years ago.

With the USB3 I keep an external battery into the firewire port. Only way to get enough power over a number of shots. Maybe that messed it up, but why should it? The cable only carries signal on the power leads.

I am confused by the DF tether procedures given on the Phase support site. Three years ago I was opening and closing my Blad shutter, remotely focusing its lens, and all with ease - on those occasions when Phocus worked. Mind you, that was pretty intermittent.

With the Monolith, C1 has been good and recently, even stable. I run the shutter from the LCS or using a Copal shutter in some lenses. C1 is triggered by the LCS and runs the back. No problem if you are able to be right by the LCS.

Asking the DF to be part of it all is what caused the problem. Do I really need to manually set the shutter to time mode to engage LV? If the camera is up at ceiling level I can't get to it. I need C1 to handle the shutter automatically as I engage and kill LV. Yesterday, I could get it to start and stop the back, but no way it was talking to the shutter. This can't be right but I have no idea what went on.

Oh well, my dealer says he has a case in and we will see. Again, thanks for your interest.

Peter

 

[yaya]

Opening & closing the shutter through Live View is only available on the DF+, not the DF...

Yair

 

[cunim]

Opening & closing the shutter through Live View is only available on the DF+, not the DF...

Yair

So I understand, Yair. Why? This is an absolutely basic part of live view. If it is a firmware thing, Phase should modify it. If it has to do with the Jurassic electronics in the DF, I guess there is nothing to be done until the new camera arrives. The DF+ is not worth trading up to, at least not for me.