Both
the Bite Switch and the Tongue Switch come with a durable
36 inch (90 cm) coaxial, round cross-section wire 1/8
inch (4mm) in diameter, making for a clean, streamlined
design that cannot be pulled apart and does not clutter
the helmet setup like some two-wire switches.
Both designs
come with a 3/32 inch (2.5mm) 2-contact "mono"
or 3-contact "stereo" right-angle plug that
will fit the very popular Canon still cameras. Many
users prefer the "mono" plug, which activates
the camera's autofocus and light-metering functions
whenever the camera is turned on and the switch plugged
in. This results in a very quick shutter reaction time,
however the constant autofocusing increases battery
consumption.
Photographers who prefer autofocusing and
metering with each individual exposure should choose
their switch with a "stereo" plug. This does
conserve battery power, but it also slows down reaction
time somewhat depending on the auto-focusing and metering
speed. Either type will work with our recommended camera
configuration in which the camera is manually focused
at the expected distance of the subject and the focus
ring taped down. This will result in extremely fast
shutter reaction time and will save battery life as
well. With adequately fast film, a small aperture (preferably
an F-number over 8), and good lighting, the photograph
quality will be excellent.
Both the Tongue Switch and Bite Switch
are manufactured with either a 2-contact "mono"
plug or 3-contact "stereo" plug. These are
2.5mm plugs which fit the EOS Rebel series and many
other Canon cameras. Most other makes of camera, such
as Minolta, Nikon, and Olympus, use proprietary factory
plugs which can be obtained only from the manufacturer
or a camera shop, usually by cutting the plug off of
a hand-operated switch. The standard plug 2.5mm plug
can be easily removed by the user and replaced with
a plug specific to the user's camera. Conceptus switches
each come with detailed instructions for this connection
procedure.
When used with Canon cameras in autofocus
mode, the two standard plug types will yield different autofocus and metering characteristics. The mono plug
will cause the camera to autofocus and meter constantly
while the camera is on and the switch plugged in. This
results in very rapid shutter reaction time at the expense
of increased battery drain. This configuration works
best when photographing freeflyers, freestylists, skysurfers,
and other moving subjects. The stereo plug will cause
the camera to autofocus and meter with each individual
exposure. This increases battery life, but slows down
the shutter reaction time. This configuration works
best will large, relatively stationary formations.
When using a camera in manual focus
mode, both plugs will yield the same quick reaction
time as the mono plug with the battery conservation
of the stereo plug. For this reason, we highly recommend
using manual focus whenever possible. The camera should
be focused at the expected distance of the subject and
the focus ring securely taped in place.
With other camera types, the plug can
be spliced to the switch to give similar operating functions.
The bare copper ground leads are always connected to
each other. Connecting the shutter and autofocus leads
from the plug to the white (and red, if the switch came
with a stereo plug) lead from the switch will give the
same results as if using a stereo plug and the same
results as most factory hand-switches. Connecting the
shutter release lead to the white (or red) wire and
the autofocus lead to the ground lead of the switch
will give the same results as if using the mono plug.
Either type will work with our recommendation of using
manual focus.
With any of the above configurations,
the camera should be turned off and the switch unplugged
in order to conserve battery power and prevent unintentional
photographs.
Please
consult us if you have any questions
regarding the connection of custom plugs.
