I ended up doing something similar, but only as far as the extension cords.
The last fireworks we shot here, March 30th, I controlled 3 cameras remotely,
two of them at 100 metres, by using extension cords, connected at the control
end to light switches (the wall mounted kind), affixed to a piece of wood.
But at the other end (a Z1p, an MZ3 and a 645), I simply used cable switch F
ends, and a remote trigger cord end for the 645 (the same one that can be
used for a Super A / SuperProgram).
At 20 below zero, the fiddling with aluminium foil is just not an option.
Also the fact that everyone was counting on this to be the pictures of
record did not allow for a reshoot (aside from the $10,000 of fireworks).
Another advantage of using light switches instead of the regular
switches, is that when set to 'B', you don't have to hold the switches
closed for the duration of the shot, typically 5 to 20 seconds.
In the end, when reliability in adverse condition is an issue,
the manufacturer's connectors was the only way to go.
In this case, all three rolls came out fine. Even had two of them
scanned to photocd. I guess I have no excuse not submit to the
PUG ...
Michel
----- Original Message -----
From: "Bob Keefer" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: "pentax discuss" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Sent: Saturday, May 19, 2001 18:34
Subject: Cable Release F? Who needs it.....
>Suddenly needing to remotely trigger my PZ-20 from about 15 feet away
>for a series of photos this weekend, I called the local camera store
>this morning and was told the Pentax Cable Release F was a mere $50.
>For a switch?
>So here's what I did: In the absence of any plug I could find around the
>house that remotely resembled the Pentax release socket, I took a length
>of two-strand speaker wire, stripped insulation from the ends, and
>wrapped one end of each strand around a smallish piece of aluminum foil,
>so it formed a ball about the size of a matchhead on the end of each
>wire.
>Then I stuffed the foil balls into the release socket, one each next to
>the middle and top contacts on the camera. A strip of black
>electrician's tape held it all in place.
>For firing, I first wrapped the other ends of the speaker wire around
>the twin prongs of a household extension cord, and plugged an HH-PC
>flash cord into the other end. The theory was I could plug the PC end of
>the cord into my flash meter and trigger the camera by hitting the
>cord-flash-meter button.
>This Rube Goldberg solution actually worked, although intermittently; I
>suspect by the time the camera trigger voltage made its way through all
>that wire, it was able to be stymied by any contact corrosion or lack of
>alignment. Eventually I gave up on the flash meter and triggered the
>camera by shorting across the PC connector with a car key, which worked
>just fine.
>Inelegant, perhaps, but very effective. And dead cheap. I shot two rolls
>and didn't waste $50 on photo price gouging.
>(By the way, this apparently only triggers the shutter, so you need to
>set focus and exposure manually...The third contact seems to do AE and
>AF.)
-
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