Bite switch mono or stereo ?

[BMFin 0]

in another thread Lou Diamond wrote :

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For clarification, I am speaking about the 300D digital Rebel. A stereo plug is needed for the camera to function properly as a MONO plug will only allow for one picture to be taken and then it will lock up.

So does the 400D also lock up if using mono plug ?

I did some searching here and it seems everyone says the stereo is the only way to go, but the conseptus website gives me someworth different info as they suggest the mono for photographing freeflyers, freestylists, skysurfers, and other moving subjects and the stereo for large, relatively stationary formations.

Also the conceptus website suggests the only big con about the mono is the increased battery consumption. Otherwise it seems to yield in faster shutter speed. If this is true I would go for the mono plug since I dont really care about the battery life since freefall doesnt take that long..

Is it just that they forgot to mention that the mono plug wont work on most of the digital cameras ? (like 300, 350, 400 canons )

[indyz 1]

Here's why Conceptus recommends the mono plug for moving object: Some cameras support an autofocus mode called "continuous autofocus" or "AI servo". If your camera supports this mode, and you are shooting autofocus, a mono plug will force the camera to continually attempt to focus. If you used a stereo switch, it would wait until you triggered the switch before focusing, wasting a little bit of time. Assuming you are at roughly the same distance as the last shot you took this is no big deal, but if you have moved significantly, the focus time could cause you to miss the shot.

So, if you are planning on shooting autofocus, and your camera support AI servo mode, you might consider the mono plug. If you are going to use manual focus, use a stereo plug. Also, some cameras like the 300D only support AI Servo in certain modes (Sports, in the 300Ds case), and don't work with a mono plug in modes that don't support it.

Personally, I'd buy a stereo switch, then build a mono-stereo converter out of junk-bin parts and have the best of both worlds. Or just buy one of each switch and save myself the trouble.

[The111 0]

Conceptus switches all come with stereo plugs, in my experience. For the Canon Rebel line, when you use a stereo connector in the plug, the tip is SHUTTER, the center ring is FOCUS, and the base ring is GROUND. When you press the switch you ground both focus and shutter at the same time. In fact I've taken conceptus switches apart and they have the focus and shutter conductors already shorted.

If you use a mono plug, you'll be shorting ground and focus together, which results in constant focusing. When you close the switch it fires the shutter. With my camera (350D), it locks up after one shot. I think some people have had better luck... but even if they do, what's the point? Even if your subject is moving rapidly (freestyle or skysurf), your focus will be determined by distance, not movement. Just use a lens with a good fast autofocus. If that wasn't clear... use stereo.

EDIT: I just read indyz's post, and he's right, and I was overlooking the obvious. I state above that my camera would lock up after firing one shot with the mono plug. I was not in AI servo mode. I just tried, and it does work in AI servo, it will continue focusing after each shot. I guess this could be useful, if you think you need it.

If you do put a mono plug on a pre-made biteswitch make sure you know the wiring, otherwise you'll short everything together. Black and red (shutter and focus) are probably already shorted together at the switch actually, if it's Conceptus. So if you use the mono plug which shorts focus and ground at the connection, you're fucked. So you'll have to build your own switch, I think. Every Conceptus I've torn apart has black and red shorted at the switch itself.

www.WingsuitPhotos.com

[ltdiver 3]

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Conceptus switches all come with stereo plugs, in my experience.

Nope. They got both.

My first one was mono (perfectly good for my 35mm camera). My 2nd and 3rd had to be ordered stereo for my digital (for the reasons listed above in the 2nd post).

ltdiver

Don't tell me the sky's the limit when there are footprints on the moon

[indyz 1]

FWIW, AI servo mode is mostly designed for capturing action shots when using longer lenses with shallow depth-of-field. When using a wide angle lens, either manual focus or normal auto focus should be sufficient.

[BMFin 0]

Thanks for everyone who replied so far..

I sent the same question to conceptus. Here is the reply:

Hi and thanks for contacting Conceptus!

The virtually every plug I have sold for over a year has been the stereo
plug. It seems to be the most favored and reliable. If you are using a
Canon digital did you know Conceptus now offers plugs directly compatible
with the Canon digitals? Its a straight plug in, no wiring or adapting.

Dick


Not much help there...

Anyway, it seems to be the best idea, as indys suggested, to get the stereo so I can have the best of both worlds by modifying it mono when needed..

[The111 0]

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Anyway, it seems to be the best idea, as indys suggested, to get the stereo so I can have the best of both worlds by modifying it mono when needed..

To repeat what I said earlier... the Conceptus switches with stereo plugs have shutter and focus shorted (at the switch). If you try to make a "mono plug adaptor" to allow dual usage, it won't work. The mono plug will short focus and ground (at the connector). This in conjunction with the way Conceptus switch is wired, will result in a constantly focusing and firing shutter.

If you want to use a mono plug you'd have to wire your switch differently.

www.WingsuitPhotos.com

[indyz 1]

Yeah, I was asleep at the wheel when I wrote the part about building a converter. You'll need one of each.

[BMFin 0]

ok. thanks guys.. I guess I will just go with the flow and get the stereo plug.

I let someone else find out how the mono works in freefall with AI servo..

[pcalandra 0]

Here's my $.02 worth.

You can just go to Radio Shack or your favorite electronics store and get a stereo to mono adapter, try it each way and see which one you like.

Remember, if you intend to use autofocus it will take some time for the camera to acutally focus and take the shot from the time you push (or bite) the switch.

Depending on several factors this could be almost instant or take seconds. With the mono plug, the camera will conitnually be re-focusing as the distance between you and your subject changes.

When I used autofocus with the kit lens, I had more reliable results with the mono plug. Try it both ways and see what works for you!

Pat

[BMFin 0]

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Here's my $.02 worth.

You can just go to Radio Shack or your favorite electronics store and get a stereo to mono adapter, try it each way and see which one you like.

Did you read the thred?

What I understood from what Matt wrote (twice) is that you cannot simply change the stereo to mono with an adapter plug.. You would have to actually cut the wire and re-wire the plug differently..

I hope I understood this correctly ?

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Remember, if you intend to use autofocus it will take some time for the camera to acutally focus and take the shot from the time you push (or bite) the switch.

Depending on several factors this could be almost instant or take seconds. With the mono plug, the camera will conitnually be re-focusing as the distance between you and your subject changes.

When I used autofocus with the kit lens, I had more reliable results with the mono plug. Try it both ways and see what works for you!

Pat

Thanks for the first hand info. May I ask what kind of camera do you have ? I understand you have also been using the stereo plug ? Was that when you were shooting manual focus ? if not why did you use stereo ? Any other lens than the kit lens ?

Did you have a lot of shots out of focus when using the mono ? Im asking this because I just tried shooting around inside my house with the AI servo mode keeping it focusing all the time and some of the shots were out of focus because the focus hadnt kept up with me moving the camera.. I yet dont have my Canon 10-22 so I cant say if that will focus much faster..

Again Im more confused now after you told you had more reliable results with the mono plug...

[The111 0]

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What I understood from what Matt wrote (twice) is that you cannot simply change the stereo to mono with an adapter plug.. You would have to actually cut the wire and re-wire the plug differently..

To make things even more confusing... there IS a way you could make one switch work both ways. Most tact switches (the kind used in Conceptus mouth switches) have four contacts. However Conceptus only uses two of them, as I've mentioned they short focus and shutter together at the switch. This isn't really necessary though.

If you made your own mouth switch, you'd just need to keep all three wires separated and put them all to unique contacts on the tact switch. Then you could indeed use a mono converter on a stereo cable and have best of both worlds.

www.WingsuitPhotos.com