Dual camera shutter release

[billvon 2,991]

So now I have two potential still camera shutter releases to deal with - the standard 3/32" one for the Canon XSi and the Hypoxic one on my HC5. Right now I rewire when I want to use one or the other.

Is there a better way to do this? So far I can think of:

-just commoning them (probably very bad)
-using a DPDT relay and a 9V battery, then using two contacts on the relay (complex)

Anyone have any better ideas?

[pilotdave 0]

I upgraded to a 50D but still have my XTi as a backup, so my camera helmet is now styling dual tongue switches. Very fancy. All I need now is a second tongue.

I think you should just come up with a fancy electronic solution and then post the pics so the rest of us can be jealous. I'd personally forget the HC5 for stills, but I'd like to see what you come up with anyway. I expect both cameras to be activated by bluetooth or something. Just don't drop your wireless tongue switch.

Dave

Dave

[PharmerPhil 0]

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All I need now is a second tongue.

I have always wanted that.

Seriously though, why would you want to take stills with a video camera if you have a DSLR on your head?

Assuming you have your reasons, the DPDT really doesn't sound too hard, but here's another thought. if you used blow switches, couldn't you just "Y" off of the blow tube itself into two separate switches?

P.S. Paralleling the leads sounds dangerous. I wouldn't do it...not with my own gear at least.

[LouDiamond 1]

Bill, here is an idea for you to kick around as a solution to your issue. On my Rawa camera helmet it came with what amounts to basically a female phone jack receptacle attached at the top and along the jaw of the helmet. The actual camera tounge switch and plug into the camera have a male phone type jack on thier ends. If you can determine how each camera switch needs to be wired, you could create a cable/bite switch for each of the 2 cameras that could be quickly switched out as needed.

Pictures of this set up can be seen in my review of the RAWA here

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[PharmerPhil 0]

I must have misread your original post (I thought you wanted to use both stills at the same time). Lou's solution is the way to go. I am doing the same thing on my new helmet so that I can switch out various still cameras (see image). I just have a separate jumper for each camera that goes to the jack on my helmet.

[vdschoor 0]

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I must have misread your original post (I thought you wanted to use both stills at the same time). Lou's solution is the way to go. I am doing the same thing on my new helmet so that I can switch out various still cameras (see image). I just have a separate jumper for each camera that goes to the jack on my helmet.

That's exactly the way I have mine setup as well..

[pilotdave 0]

Are you using a blow switch under that? I'd love a setup like that, but for me it'd mean modifying tongue switches all the time when they break to attach to the female receptacle on the helmet. I'm planning to get a new helmet soon. Looking for ideas. Got any pics of the inside of your helmet?

Dave

[billvon 2,991]

>Seriously though, why would you want to take stills with a video camera if
>you have a DSLR on your head?

Flexibility! One combination I want to try is a DSLR plus my HC5. Can fire stills on both, record video on one. If it was just a matter of switching over, I could just stick a DPDT switch on the helmet and switch over from one to the other.

The end goal is to have a helmet that's pretty standard and has three interfaces - Cameye, Hypoxic and Canon 2.5mm shutter release. Then I just swap plates for the appropriate task (i.e. competition, regular training, tandem video.)

[PharmerPhil 0]

Quote

Are you using a blow switch under that? I'd love a setup like that, but for me it'd mean modifying tongue switches all the time when they break to attach to the female receptacle on the helmet. I'm planning to get a new helmet soon. Looking for ideas. Got any pics of the inside of your helmet?

Yes, I'm using a blow switch inside the helmet. (One nice thing about blow switches is they don't break all the time.) Although underneath, I have a female 3/32-inch jack so you could just plug in any pre-made mouth switch if you wanted. I'll be posting pictures of the whole helmet as soon as it is done (soon?). But I had the identical wiring set up on my previous helmet.

[bomb420 1]

Yeah splicing them together would not be super good. I did not put that strong of isolation on the camera switch input, so probably not such a good idea.

I would make a new shutter release switch with dual contacts in it or a momentary DPST switch. If that is out of the question... hmm let me think about a solid state solution.

HYPOXIC

[tunnelfly 0]

Quote

Yeah splicing them together would not be super good. I did not put that strong of isolation on the camera switch input, so probably not such a good idea.

Just thinking, but if the switch connects to ground on both cams, they could be spliced together with decoupling diodes. This would be very simple and small, probably not even noticeable.
I did this once for a test with two modified Kodaks (V570 and V705). Worked perfectly for those cams...

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[billvon 2,991]

>Just thinking, but if the switch connects to ground on both cams, they could be
>spliced together with decoupling diodes.

If the switch connects to ground on both cameras _and_ both sense a negative transition to start filming (i.e. other line goes from high to low) that might work. I'll have to dig out the scope.