Recommendations For Lightning Shutter Release Triggers

How do those work? By the time the lightning triggers the shutter it would be gone before the camera could capture it I would think. I found this on Walmart site, sounds cool. http://www.walmart.com/ip/Precision-Design-Micnova-Lightning-Motion-Activated-Shutter-Trigger-with-Batteries-Charger-Remote-Tripod-Kit-for-Nikon-D3200-D3300-D5200/39785158?sourceid=csent024293e599aba64701af30305cd4fbae25&wmlspartner=nextagcom2&affcmpid=1510342680&tmode=0000&veh=cse&nextagid=-8610134801302001448

Probably don't need all that extra stuff though.

In theory they fire fast enough to catch the strike.

they do make some. i saw one trigger that reacts to any kind of bright light and it gets it in the daytime, hand held.

https://luminous-landscape.com/lightning-trigger/ i got this link from a while back, don't know if they still sell it.


---Mike Savad
MikeSavad.com

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/887403-REG/Ubertronix_744_Strike_Finder_Camera_Trigger.html

Messed with this one on a friends camera, want to own one. It worked pretty darn well.

Most lightning strikes strike several times in rapid succession, nothing is usually fast enough to catch the first strike, but many times you get all the other ones.

MK Controls sells The Lightening Bug -- I won one in a raffle last year but have not had a chance to try it out. The explanation below answers the question of how well it captures a strike ... it is triggered, according to their manual, by the preceding infrared light. Again, I have not used this ... just posting for the information!

The Lightning Bug™ is based upon the science of lightning. There are two
components of lightning; the bright white flash everyone wants to capture and
the unseen infrared light that always precedes it. The Lightning Bug™ uses a highspeed
photodiode sensor optimized to sense the infrared burst that occurs just
before a lightning strike. This infrared light comes from the vaporization of air and
particles in the air. The Lightning Bug™ acts as a lookout for your camera,
watching for a change in infrared light. When a significant change of infrared light
over a very short period of time is detected, it trips the camera shutter to capture
the visible lightning bolt.
The Lightning Bug™ can also be used to take photos of fireworks, cannon shots,
virtually anything that produces a fast-acting rise of infrared light formed by a
high-temperature event.

i'd love to have any of these, i just don't have the setting or enough storms to use any.

i suppose a sure fire way is to use a long pole... and maybe stand away from it.


---Mike Savad
MikeSavad.com

Thank yall

I have had some decent results using a cable release. I just set the camera for a 10 second exposure and lock the release. I end up with a lot of blank exposures that I have to delete, but the release only cost about $10.

Following. A trigger is on my dream list for when I get a better camera.

My friend Ken http://blog.datacolor.com/ken-sklute-stormy-weather-lightning-and-photography/ recommends this http://store.lightningtrigger.com/

Don't have one. Thought about it, but didn't really need it. If course you loose some shots.



Remember to stay well away from the storm. Use a long lens. Learn about lightening. This kind of photography can be quite dangerous. So be careful.

I have the AEO Lightning Strike Pro Micro LS-PRo 3.0. It looks like the version 4.0 is out now. Not sure what has changed. It works well and is helpful to have a sensitivity control to make the trigger less sensitive to minor strikes and flashes. It's very easy to accidentally turn the power on, which runs through batteries fast.

If you like tinkering, you can make your own.. I wrote up a tutorial for one that I built, that works well.
http://3scape.com/blog/2012/03/camera-lightning-trigger/

Otherwise you can also check out http://www.triggertrap.com/

EDIT: Nevermind TriggerTrap... they used to sell a device, but moved to only offering a mobile solution that I wouldn't use for lightning.

bump

Thank yall....

Clayton's method is really the best unless you're going for daytime single bolt shots. Find an active storm and use a long exposure. If you can't get your shutter speed, screw on an ND filter.

That works well at night but not so much during a sunrise/sunset or of course daylight..... That is what I have done in the past with film and did the morning I started this thread.



This was a pretty active storm but I couldn't catch a bolt plus I needed to run from subject to subject to catch them while the light was right. That means even with an ND filter it would take time to capture that one bolt. It would also mean motion blur in the plants. That is what got me thinking of getting a detector.



Now the real question is would it add enough of a wow factor to justify the $179 cost of the device or put another way, would that $179 investment pay for itself and actually make money?

Yeah, if you're looking to capture that one bolt and keep a shortish shutter speed, then the pricey option is probably the only way.

Another way would be to capture the scene with a short shutter speed, then shoot the same scene with a longer exposure to capture the lightning and layer it in during post. Of course, that might also be rather time consuming when shooting, especially when you're waiting on that random strike.

I have one from MK Controls, The Lightning Bug. I just got it this past Christmas and already used it a couple times. I like it. I have always loved shooting lightning and IMO, it's worth the money. It detects the lightning for you and takes the shot. Once you have your settings set up, you don't have to touch the shutter button. I have used both 10-24mm lens and 18-135mm. I have never needed to shoot with anything longer. However, the last storm I tried to get lightning shots, I got caught in the storm while walking home and now my camera needs a repair shop and it turns out, there was no lightning during that storm. :(