I'd like to purchase an Intervalometer to use with my 5D and 7D.

I know Canon sells one - TC80N3 ($146.99 on Amazon). Obviously it's expensive. But I read it will only capture up to 99 images?

There's also this one - The JJC Timer Remote Control
JJC - Multi-Function Timer Remote Control (http://www.cnjjc.cc/products/tm_series.htm)

And then there's this one from Ebay (From Honk Kong)
TIMER REMOTE SHUTTER FOR CANON EOS 50D 40D 30D 7D 5D II - eBay (item 250593082424 end time Apr-07-10 04:04:42 PDT) (http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/ebayisapi.dll?viewitem&item=250593082424&sspagename=adme:l:ou:us:1123#ht_3748wt_913)

And finally this one from China (itself)
Timer Remote for Canon 1D 20D 30D 40D 5D TC-80N3 R8B9 - eBay (item 330413198087 end time Jun-09-10 20:01:49 PDT) (http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=330413198087&fromMakeTrack=true&ssPageName=VIP:watchlink:top:en#ht_2500wt_1139)

What are you using? Pros / Cons?

No, the TC80N3 can capture more than 99 photos, you just set it to '0' and it will keep going until the camera runs out of memory. I have one of these and can't recommend it enough

I have this one:JJC - Multi-Function Timer Remote Control (http://www.cnjjc.cc/products/tm_series.htm)

Same thing, goes to 399 but if you set the number to -- it just keeps on trucking.

However I went to shoot a TL with my 7D last night and I couldn't get this controller to work. I tried it this morning with my 40D and it worked fine for a test but then stopped working. I suspect the batteries. I'll replace them and see if that makes a difference.

I bought the one from Hong Kong. It's pretty rudimentary, but works perfectly well for timelapse.

I have the China one as well it's Yongnuo brand TC-80N3a it works great. I also open the battery compartment and put a tab of paper on the battery to turn it off. It also goes past 99 if you leave all the other settings to 0.

I had this posted over on the 5D forum.... its the same one from the OP...

These were so cheap I bought 3 of them... on ebay.. its actually a Meike brand...
they work great... got one working with my G10 too... :-)

TIMER REMOTE SHUTTER FOR CANON EOS 50D 40D 30D 7D 5D II - eBay (item 250628626266 end time Jun-06-10 04:13:00 PDT)

I replaced the batteries and its working great again.

Thanks everyone for your replies. I usually try not to by the cheap version of anything (I'm trying to avoid aggravation) but I went on Ebay and purchased an Intervalometer from China for $25.00. Hopefully it works, lol. Cheers.

Opteka makes a good one for $60:
Opteka Timer Remote Control for Digital SLR Cameras (http://opteka.com/optekatimerremotecontrolfordigitalslrcameras.aspx)

We've used it several times with no problems.

Scott

Just to add to this thread, especially for those of us in the UK. I recently purchased this 'Shoot Timer Remote RS-80N3' Intervalometer for my Canon 7D from amazon uk. Sure, it's a bit cheap and nasty but it works exactly as it should and for less than £20 why would anyone not want to have this capability? By the way, it looks identical to the Opteka one mentioned/linked to above and will do an unlimitee number of shots (you just set it to the - - setting between 399 and 1 for shot number). If you want a well made one buy the genuine Canon version (but don't forget to check the price first!). Now all I need is some nice weather for some nightscape timelapses (something the 7D should excel at with it's big sensor).

I've tried night timelapse work with my Sony EX3 (e.g. the Perseid meteor showers in August etc.) and it's just too noisy - although the EX3 is really great during the day though for any timelapse work, so easy and intuitive to use. Hopefully, this new capability will enable me to get the astrophotography type timescapes I'm seeking with my 7D coupled with some fast and/or wide glass.

Digital Timer Remote for Canon EOS 5D Mark II, 1D, 5D: Amazon.co.uk: Electronics


EDIT: One other thing. The manual calls this Intervalometer a 'MC-36b Remote Cord'. I've no idea how many brand names it's sold under but thought I'd mention this too!

Hi Andy, not to rain on your Perseid meteor shower, but the 7D is pretty noisy at night with higher ISO. I learned this last Christmas filming Christmas lights, maybe stick to the 160 multiples of ISO. As I said previously in this thread I have the Ebay TC-80N3a and it's working great, I've had it for a year and yes it will run for as long as you have memory,

I've used the Hong Kong one as well, and while it feels like cheap junk, it works perfectly fine. I can buy several of them for the same price as the Canon version.

I wish Canon would build-in that functionality. Nikon did it with some of their bodies... why can't Canon?

I have the Nikon D300 and it does have an interval timer, the downside is only 999 pictures.

I thought the software that comes with the camera allows timelapse control?

Simon,

You must be referring to Canon's EOS Utility program. When installed on a computer, it does allow you to control your camera, including time lapse operations. Good thing is your photos can be saved to the hard drive, giving lots of capacity. Problem is, you have to be tethered to your computer via USB or BT.

The TC80N3 is the more portable option. Works great.

Mark

Finally found time to test the Shoot Remote Cord Intervalometer I mentioned earlier. This test is actually on a Canon 5DMkII - where it works equally well to my 7D. Very quick test just to check the operation and workflow before I do any (hopefully!) high quality filming, encodes and night time stuff!

Ely Cathedral - 2 Day Timelapse (Canon 5dMkII) 1st Test on Vimeo

Just some advanced notice that, assuming the skies are clear tomorrow morning in my part of England (by no means likely with all the fog, snow and ice we're getting!) then there will be some time lapse opportunities with the lunar eclipse (the moon turns pink).

More UK timing details here.

Lunar eclipse on its way - Telegraph (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/space/8213030/Lunar-eclipse-on-its-way.html)

Get your Intervalometers ready (assuming you're free and not stuck at Heathrow!)

Just some advanced notice that, assuming the skies are clear tomorrow morning in my part of England (by no means likely with all the fog, snow and ice we're getting!) then there will be some time lapse opportunities with the lunar eclipse (the moon turns pink).

More UK timing details here.

Lunar eclipse on its way - Telegraph (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/space/8213030/Lunar-eclipse-on-its-way.html)

Get your Intervalometers ready (assuming you're free and not stuck at Heathrow!)

Any of you experts have suggestions on settings (camera and intervalometer) to best capture the eclipse for time lapse?

Just some advanced notice that, assuming the skies are clear tomorrow morning in my part of England (by no means likely with all the fog, snow and ice we're getting!) then there will be some time lapse opportunities with the lunar eclipse (the moon turns pink).

More UK timing details here.

Lunar eclipse on its way - Telegraph (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/space/8213030/Lunar-eclipse-on-its-way.html)

Get your Intervalometers ready (assuming you're free and not stuck at Heathrow!)

Any of you experts have suggestions on settings (camera and intervalometer) to best capture the eclipse for time lapse?

OK this is how it went for me. Bit of a disaster really!

Got up a 3.00AM and sorted best local position out by scouring Google Street View (needed low horizon/vast open skies, no telegraph wires, big trees or houses etc.). This was important to ensure I had the best chance of catching as much of the totality as possible before the moon dipped under the horizon (as southern England was not the ideal location for this eclipse).

5.00AM put on long johns and lots of layers of warm clothing!

Scraped all the ice off the car's windscreen etc. at 5.30AM (under perfect clear sky conditions, hence -5C, warm compared to what we've had recently!) and drove to the chosen location near Ely, UK.

When I got there, just after 6AM, all I then had was cloud (with a glimpse of the moon now and again). Thought very hard about my warm bed back home... but I pressed on regardless in near pitch black and freezing conditions and headed to the chosen field (I took a big torch - wise move!).

Set both my Sony EX3 and Canon 7D on tripods. Canon had 200mm lens plus 1.4X converter (= approx. 450mm equivalent lens with my crop body 7D) and an Intervalometer set at 1 picture per minute (wish I'd set it much more frequently now). Sony was set up at 1 frame per second. Started time lapse work about 6.20AM as the eclipse was about to begin and luckily the cloud started to melted away. (Melt is the wrong word in freezing conditions but you know what I mean). Thought I was going to get lucky....not so fast! Both cameras kept freezing over, especially the front of the lenses, obviously giving blurry, "frost filter effect" images. Not good! This is despite the fact I'd deliberately left them in our very cold conservatory all night to acclimatise them in preparation for the task at hand (Note: apart from the frosted lens effect they both worked perfectly even though both were ice white within an hour). I struggled with focus, exposure, constantly cleaning the lens fronts and very cold fingers but the cheap Intervalometer worked just fine all through this! Gave up on the idea of a time lapse and just hoped to get a few decent pics (in vain!)

By day break the moon was in the full shadow of the Earth but had, unfortunately, totally disappeared as by then and the sky had become hazy/misty (whilst the moon was still well above my carefully chosen low horizon!) .... so I went home to a tropically warm house!

Ah well, better luck next time! It was much more beautiful in real life than my simple snaps show and I wouldn't have missed it for the world (and I think I've got something salvageable from the EX3 as well - looking at it now).

Quick compilation of the least blurry crops from my hard won snaps attached!

EDIT: OK here's a very quick edit of the Sony EX3 Time lapse stuff on YouTube. See notes on YT page for more info!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ry4vg29MOCY

Hope you enjoy it. I'm still thawing out!!!!