I have Blogged previously about the Nikon options for remote control of Nikon cameras. See some Nikon remote control Blogs here.

I have tried some of the third party radio remotes, some of these radio remotes are very cheap around $50, but I always find that they are not always reliable enough for my usage. Nikon have a Radio remote which is very expensive.

In order to give myself ultra reliability in firing my camera remotely I decided to build a long remote control cable.

To facilitate this I used a standard Nikon MC-21A 10′ remote extension cable, since this was not long enough I essentially butchered the cable by cutting it in half and then rejoining it with a pair of standard XLR line connectors. These connectors are very robust and come in various pin arrangements, they are normally used in the audio industry for microphone connectors but are very suitable for remote control applications. I used the three pin variant as the control cable requires three conductors.

Nikon MC-21A Remote Extension Cord with modified connector

After breaking the cable I needed to maintain continuity of the cable by keeping continuity of the following coloured conductors in the cable.

• The yellow conductor is common to both the camera wake-up function and the shutter activation function.
• The white conductor is the conductor for the camera wake up function.
• The purple conductor is the conductor for the camera shutter release.

After connecting these two connectors together the MC-21A remote cable can be used at its normal length.
I also obtained another two lengths of cable one of around 20 metres and the other of around 40 metres and connected a pair of XLR connectors at each end, these cables combined with the MC-21A cable give a total length of around 63 metres as required.

Extension Cable

I use these cables mostly with the Nikon Nikon MC-30A Remote Trigger Release, but it can also be used with the Nikon MC-36 Multi-Function Remote.

Nikon Nikon MC-30A Remote Trigger Release & Nikon MC-36 Multi-Function Remote

Why do I need such a long remote cable you may ask, well we regularly have birds coming to specific areas in our garden and I often set up a camera on tripod and take the images remotely. I have included an example below.

Yellow Winged Honeyeater

This technique is generally very good for nature images and birds in particular.

The equipment I use for my photography is mainly as follows:

Nikon D810A Digital SLR

The Nikon D810A is Nikon’s first FX format Digital SLR which has been designed exclusively for astro-photography. It should be noted that this camera is not recommended for general photography.

The camera is very similar to the previous Nikon D810 camera with an impressive 36.3 megapixel image sensor to shoot in ultra high definition. The camera features capabilities to capture nebulae that emit H-alpha wavelength in red. The camera is also enhanced with additional functions designed for astro-photography, such as the long exposure, Manual, M mode and live view preview function to better capture the beauty of the night sky.

Some of the features of this camera are as follows:

• Captures H-alpha wavelength nebulae.
• Equipped with an FX format CMOS image sensor without an optical low-pass filter.
• It comes with an optical IR cutoff filter with characteristics in which the transmission of H-alpha spectral line has been increased by approximately four times from a typical DSLR.
• The camera reproduces vivid reds of nebulae and constellations. This allows you to take remarkably detailed images of nebulae and other celestial objects in rich vibrant colours with a high signal-to-noise ratio that are true to the eye.
• The camera is built specifically for astrophotography.
• The ISO range is 200 to 12,800 (expandable from 100 to 51,200).
• The D810A is optimised with astrophotography functions that require minimal post processing configuration.
• The long exposure M mode allows for additional shutter speeds from 30 seconds up to 900 seconds.
• The live view preview function displays a brighter, clearer preview image. Take a closer look at the stars with the ability to enlarge live view images up to approximately 23 times to help you better compose and focus your shots.
• The electronic front curtain shutter feature available under the Mirror-up shooting function reduces vibration of internal mechanics and mirror movement, retaining pixel precise sharpness in long exposure shots.
• The limit for continuous shooting in CH or CL release mode with a shutter speed of 4 seconds or slower has also been infinitely extended. This allows you to fully capture beautiful star and light trails for as long as your memory card capacity and battery permit.
• The D810A comes in a robust, weather resistant body, complete with a comprehensive seal against dust and water droplets, and a grip that sits comfortably in your hand.
• The shutter is newly designed for accuracy and durability, and tested for 200,000 shutter cycles, ensuring improved camera longevity and years of trouble-free astro-photography.
• Nebulae that emit with an H-alpha wavelength can be captured beautifully with the enhanced transmission characteristics of the optical filter.

The equipment I use for my photography is mainly as follows: