klausesser wrote:

Christian Stüben wrote:

Hello all,
some weeks ago i bought a panogear. It included several trigger cables for some cameras.

Using my canon 5dm2 i have seen, that the camera triggers focus just in the moment i insert the trigger cable into the camera ... and the camera behaves as if the trigger is always on. At this moment there is no connection to papywizard.

A situation specific focus trigger cannot be done, i must switch to manual focus or focus servo (which gives other problems in some situations).

Is that a normal behaviour, or is something defective with the panogear or trigger cable?

Papywizard has setup for two pulses, Aren´t they for focus / shutter? If not, what exactly do the two pulses?

greetings from germany
Chris

You´re talking of the connection Merlin/camera i guess and not about the TC/camera!?

There´s two ways:
1) changing the polarity.
2) using a cable like the one i bought from Calumet: a short cable with a 3,5mm jack on one side, a Canon conection on the other side - and in between a switch which changes the polarity.
Costs 20.-€.

I guess re-soldering the polarity is the easiest way.

best, Klaus

Hello Klaus,
yes, it is the connection between Panogear and camera i am talking about.

I don´t understand what "polarity switching" in the cable can change...

The camera gives the voltage, and inside the Panogear are two simple switches / relays for focussing pulse and shutter release pulse. Changing the polarity for a switch changes, ehm yes, nothing.


When i connect the trigger cable to my camera (ONLY to the camera), everything is ok. As soon as the trigger cable is connected to camera AND Panogear, the camera reacts as if the focus switch is always pressed. This happens with Panogear switched on AND off. So i guess there must be something wrong with the Panogear.

greetings from germany
Chris

a a gruntpuddock wrote:

The plugs must be 'stereo' types, that is with the the tip and two separate bands.

If a 'mono' cable is used which just has the tip separate from the rest of the plug then that would give the behaviour you describe.

it is the standard trigger cord delivered with the panogear, and yes, it has three contacts, tip plus two rings.

greetings from germany

Last edited by Christian Stüben (2012-11-04 10:44:35)

Hi Christian,
with my Canon EOS 40d (N3 camera connector)I have the same issue.
The camera seems to be locked if head and camera are connected. The solution is to cut the focus wire.

http://www.panowerkstatt.de/art2.html
Abb. 6 and Abb.7

Maybe you can start a short test if your camera fires without the focus wire: Simply connect GND (Sleeve/Masse) and Shutter (Tip/Auslösen) on the 2,5mm stereo plug
more info about Canon N3 here: http://martybugs.net/blog/blog.cgi/gear … ector.html

Best regards
Volker

Last edited by viktorhotel (2012-11-05 19:51:27)

Hi Christian,
panowerkstatt.de is not my site and I don't use "Bohrschrauberakkus".
I use two LM160 Li-ion 7,4V 1800maH, a shutter cable(with focus wire cutted) and a modified crown+rail: http://www.autopano.net/wiki-en/action/ … iktorhotel

Best regards
Volker

BS wrote:

Good hint, to cut the focus wire. Hmm, better i solder a small adapter that does it.

So, Du nutzt also Bohrschrauber-Akkus als Stromversorgung. Ja läßt sich die Kamera dann noch mit der Prismenschiene montieren, oder mußt jetzt Du ein Bohrfutter benutzen?


Hallo Chris,

Der Trick, das Fokussier-Kabel zu durchtrennen, funktioniert wirklich problemlos: Man muss nur die richtige Litze treffen. Bei mir war's die gelbe. Das Kabel hatte ich mir von Traumflieger besorgt.
Die Bohrschrauber-Akkus (14,4 Volt) für den Merlin-Kopf waren mal so eine Idee, die auch funtioniert, denn bis 16 Volt kann man den Kopf betreiben, ohne dass etwas abraucht. Ich benutze inzwischen einen kleinen Panasonic-Bleiakku (12 Volt), der unter der Mittelsäule des Stativs baumelt und mit dem Kopf verkabelt ist. Ich aktualisiere das demnächst auf meiner Seite.

Gruß, Bernd

Oh, up to 16V gives a bigger choice for the batteries. Thanks for the hint. I am planning to buy 10 nimh, low self discharge accumulators in Mono / D-cell format, there are models up to 5 AH. Together with a stabilization for 8.1 V it will give a perfect current source for both panogear / merlin and my camera, for looooong time shooting sessions.

Greetings from Wuppertal to somewhere in germany
Chris

Did you solve the problem?

If not, as suggested, try to cut the focus wire. Or try to reverse common and trigger wires. Inside Orion, the trigger contact is done through an opto-coupler, which acts like a diode. So, if the camera is using a DC voltage, it will only work in one direction...

Hi
Can I connect together shutter and focus? Is it safe for head and camera?
If answers are 2x yes I have 3rd question -> There are 4 possible connections. Which choose? Does it matter?

I tried to connect focus and shutter together but papywizard/camera take no shot (no focus, no shutter). So just do 'pre trigger' cable with cut focus. Now I am able to control camera when is connected to head and can use single autofocus. But camera can't take focus in every situation and then papywizard?/camera? can't take also shoot. Is it possible to force the camera/papywizard to take shoot even focus is incorrect?

fma38 wrote:

If the camera does not trigger because it is out-of-focus, just switch it to manual focus mode.

I found better solution - swich to AIServo in autofocus mode (canon):
- when camera take focus -> take shoot
- when camera don't take focus -> still can take shoot.

Last edited by Mateusz Malinowski (2012-12-03 08:27:31)

I found that sometimes my camera could not focus because of the background (dull, lots of sky, leaves and so forth).

This is ok if you are shooting manually but disastrous with an automated mount which just keeps chundering on, blissfully unaware that it is missing shots.

If you are in any doubt it is safer to focus on the nearest point if they are all roughly the same distance away.

Alternatively, check the focal range for your aperture and pick an intermediate focus point to keep it all reasonably sharp.