LBN 20 and 22, Neewer Digital Timer Remote First Look

Last night was a nice one. Cool, breezy, dry, no mosquitoes, and best of all clear. Okay, there was that almost-full moon, but the narrowband Ha filter dealt with it just fine.

LBN 22 (left half of nebulosity) and LBN 20 (right half)

These are my #93 and #94 of 100 on the ALBN. Two clear nights at the Nebraska Star Party and I'll be done. Maybe sooner if I pick up a few during the June new moon.

My Honis-modified Canon T2i will be delivered in two days. My plan is to use it for imaging at NSP while I'm also imaging with the SBIG CCD. This means bringing down my CG5 mount and running it off one battery. The camera will run off its own batteries (I have three). Rather than try to control it using the laptop, I've purchased a corded remote control. Which brings me to:

Neewer Digital Timer Remote First Look

In the past I've used a simple corded shutter control while DSLR imaging. This required me to keep track of the elapsed time. If I'm doing other things that kind of distraction isn't good; a programmable control would be much better. The Neewer is one of many models that allows you to set up an image-taking program. It gets very good reviews on Amazon, is priced under $20, and resembles a slender TV or DVD player remote. You can pay more--two or three times as much if you want to go with a name brand--but I don't see much point in that. The Neewer does what I want.

Now to some specifics:

Features:

• A manual shutter button with lock
• Programmable initial delay (the time between when you start the program and the shutter first opens
• Programmable exposure time (zero to 99:59:59 with one second resolution)
• Programmable time between exposures (same limits as exposure time). This is good for letting the camera cool between shots, or for time lapse imaging
• Programmable number of exposures --select an exposure count of 1 to 399 images or continued imaging until manually stopped (or the battery dies). Neewer says the batteries will last two months shooting 5s exposures alternating with 5s delays. The control does not have an automatic power-off, but it's easy to turn off the three settings that could consume power.
• The LCD shows the exposure progress, number of exposures, and counts down time while in delays
• An LED changes color according to whether the program is shutter is open or closed. It's not bright enough to bother anyone
• A soft beep that marks the seconds during exposures (it can be disabled)
• A backlight button that turns on a dim backlight for the display.
• A lock button that allows you to lock all functionality except the shutter release.

As delivered, you get the control and an instruction pamphlet. The instructions are well written and clear. My Neewer came with only English instructions.

My Neewer came in a flimsy cardboard box and plastic sleeve. The plastic cover of the LCD had a couple of light scuff marks that won't affect performance and don't bother me in the least. Buttons on the remote are clearly labeled and the case has a hole for attaching a strap (no strap is included) It was otherwise unmarked and seems to work just as advertised. Neewer says the remote will work between -20° and +50° C (-4° to 122° F), limits I can live with! I'll know more when I get my camera back and can test it.