Olympus RM-CB1 Remote Cable Release for E-10
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(5 out of 5)A nice accessory to have for C- or E-system cameras...
While this can be a bit expensive (depending on place of purchase) the cable release is a great option to have with your olympus digital camera (E-10, E-20, E-1, E-300 via grip, E-330, C-5050, C-2020, C-7070, C-8080,...)
The cable provides for proper use of bulb mode (up to 8 minutes on the E-1 and E-300)and is great when taking portraits (especially if camera is controlled remotely via Olympus Studio). An advantage of using the cable of the IR remote to trigger the shutter is that there is no delay in tripping the shutter whereas there is a delay when using the IR remote trigger- sometimes that is just enough to miss the shot.
(5 out of 5)Reasons for the RM-CB1 / insides / cautions
The RM-CB1 is used on multiple Olympus cameras. I'll break the review into a tecnical review first and a fun stuff section you can omit. DSLR cameras have some unique advantages in the scientific and research fields which the RM-CB1 opens up to you such as bulb exposures without vibration, long term sequenced shooting, multiple camera syncing, and event syncronized timing. Lab geeks will have a blast.
Technical summary:
The RM-CB1 is relatively simple - a copy of the shutter release on your camera, plus a mechanical lock that holds it down for bulb exposures (on a tripod), a one meter high quality cable, and a 3 pin screw-down plug for the camera. The jack/plug are nonstandard so you won't find them at the local electronics store, however, the back of the handle can be removed with one screw, and you can solder wires there where the cable comes in to attach your own trigger systems (I have one that captures lightning strike photos - the camera is preset, the shutter button is halfway pressed with a toggle switch, and when the moment arrives, my preset manual exposure and infinity focus settings are used to capture the event)
How it works:
There are two stranded wires in the cable plus a shield for a total of 3 conductors. The brown conductor is the "half press" equivalent when connected to the ground / shield. After this has happened, the camera will focus, so I put a toggle switch on it to hold the camera ready for the shot (have dual batteries or an AC adapter if you plan to wait a long time). Connecting the red lead to ground takes the exposure.
Depending on the model, you can take multiple exposures by multiple closures between red and ground without opening the brown to ground circuit - you need to test the "half press" logic in your camera.
CAUTIONS / MISC applications
After the E300 the remote cable release became a usb device and has a different part number. I don't own one of these backs because I didn't know how the USB version worked, but my friends do and have engineered similar interfaces, so you're not left out in the cold if that's what you have.
As of the olympus E3 they switched back to the RM-CB1 plug again, which was one of the reasons I bought an E3.
Making your own exposure control means you need to know the various delays - I use an Agilent frequency counter that can be set to count 1/10,000,000ths of a second from start to stop (one ten millionth of a second - way more than you need). Don't pay attention to more than the first 1000's of a second thogh - there are delays in relays between two poles when you run a clock that fast and the camera will vary depending on its temperature. The E300 has different delays depending on what you want it to do - if you PRESET exposure, focus, and just trigger it you can expose it in under 0.09 seconds (9/100's or 90/1000's of a second) on an E300 which is fast enough for lightning. I use a fast shutter speed and photograph the agilent timer to see when the exposure was taken.
E300's go for $187 now on ebay so you can buy several and use sequential timers between them for mini-high-speed photography. If you know when an event will happen - you start the first camera at -0.090 seconds on the first timer (omron makes these and can be found at grainger's industrial section) - timer output two is triggered by the first then fires the second camera at +0.020 seconds while timer three and camera three fire at +.040 seconds giving you 3 exposures only 2 hundredths of a second apart which can capture rapid motion inexpensively. Most of the hardware can be found on ebay to wire this up except the RM-CB1! The omron timers can be accurate down to 1/1000 second.
The Bullet and the Apple - can you shoot that? In theory, yes. If your camera takes .094 seconds from the red circuit closing until it opens the shutter, then you need to know how far behind the apple to put a detector for the bullet about .1 second before it hits the apple and use it to trigger the camera (don't forget the time needed to detect the bullet). I haven't done this but I'd recommend very slow bullets or else long ranges to shoot! You could even condense this somewhat because it takes time for a gun to fire from the time the hammer falls which is to your advantage and another way to accomplish this. Moving the apple gives you some help too. Other options are a nightime bulb exposure and just syncing a flash on the apple based on how fast it fires which can be measured again with an Agilent frequency counter.
The RM-CM1 is your entry into electronic, time lapse, high speed, automatic exposure, astronomic shots and a whole lot of fun beyond "normal" picture taking. Because I use my E300's in a lab I've done alot with this part. I like the fact that olympus cameras can be acquired inexpensively and take 8MP+ scientific photos under $1000 and still be used for "normal" portraits or bulb photos stabilized on a tripod with the remote release.
Fortunately the digital format gives you the result immediately and you can adjust if you just miss a shot to get it the next time. Be sure to bring a bushel of apples!
(4 out of 5)Olympus RM-CB1 Remote Cable for E-3
This is the standard electronic cable release for the E-3 body (as well as some older models). It attaches very securely to the dedicated socket on the side of the E-3 body. Like the old fashioned style, it features a lock mechanism for bulb exposures. Otherwise, it is a duplicate of the on-camera shutter button.
My main gripe with this well built device is the length of the cable: too long. The whole thing is some 50 inches! To took mine apart and shortened the cable to a more manageable 12 inches or so. This is not for the faint of heart, as the moulded stress reliever end is bonded to the wire. After cutting it to length, I drilled down through the stress reliever and then pushed the wire back through it. This, of course, requires opening up the body of the remote and doing some soldering. But it works fine!
I am happy to finally have an Olympus body with a wired remote, even if the RM-CB1 is a tad long...
(4 out of 5)Works as Advertised
Overpriced by a factor of two, but it's the only game in town. I use it for getting a certain kind of shot. I put the E-3 at the end of my monopod, point the live view screen down, and hoist the whole thing high over my head. This way I get shots from the perspective of a 12 foot tall person... helpful in some situations like parades, crowds and riots.
I have never seen anything poorly made from Olympus. But I have seen them take advantage of us by charging way too much for proprietary bits and pieces. Oh well... you know if you need a cable release, and if you do, this is the only thing that will work for the E-1 or E-3.
(3 out of 5)Olympus Remote Cable Release
I really needed a remote cable release I use for my E-1 and this is a well-made device. It's total length is 4'2"... It's only a momentary switch for crying-out-loud. If I could find the cable end that would fit in the camera I would make one myself. Unfortunately you have to pay the price since you can't find these specialty items at a WalMart. If you want a really sharp triggering device, consider a Pclix. I us it for timelapse and remote triggering. Google it.