Intervalometer solutions for triggering digital back on tech camera

[Graham Welland]

Is anyone aware of any intervalometer solutions for triggering a Phase One digital back?

My use-case is shooting an extended sequence of shots using a tech camera but where I don't want to introduce movement & errors by manually cocking the shutter. I know that I can shoot on bulb and trigger the back using something like the KaptureGroup multi-shot/long exposure box but I'd like something more automated for shorter exposures and also accurate timing. The obvious solution would be to shoot tethered but I want to use this in the field and so I'd rather not be hung up with a laptop if possible.

I'm considering getting maybe a custom trigger adapted using the combination of my Promote remote control & KG multi-shot but I figured that maybe someone here has already come across a solution for this?

[ondebanks]

Graham,
 
Not a P1 back, but maybe my solution for the Mamiya platform might point you in the right direction.

My Kodak Proback 645M has a built-in intervalometer, but it can only trigger the camera on one of the camera's range of fixed exposure times, which in the case of my Mamiya 645AFD is 1/4000 to 30 sec. It cannot do arbitary length "B" exposures. I wanted to solve this.

I also wanted to be able to shoot film in the AFD, with an intervalometer timing the sequences.

Here's how I did it.

Step 1. With some simple circuit testing, I figured out which pins in the AFD's remote control socket actually trigger the shutter. And how they do it: which is simply by connecting them with a short circuit. So all an intervalometer would have to do is close a switch between the two pins.

Step 2. I bought a Quantum cable, which plugs into that special remote socket on the AFD, and has a standard 2.5mm 2-pole jack at the other end.

Step 2. I bought one of those cheap but very capable JYC intervalometers on ebay - the one which fits most cheaper Canon (D)SLRs (standard 2.5mm 3-pole jack). I verified that this too functioned by simply connecting all 3 poles in a short circuit in order to fire the shutter.

Step 4. I bought a couple of 3-pole 2.5mm sockets. I got a mate to wire them pole-to-pole and house the ensemble "adapter" in a nice aluminium tube.

Step 5. Now when I want to use it, I plug the JYC into the adapter, the Quantum cable into the other end of the adapter, and the other end of the Quantum cable into the AFD. For about €80 I have an intervalometer for any camera in the Mamiya 645AF(D) line, shooting film or digital.



So what I propose to you is that if you can establish which pins need to be switched to close the circuit to fire the P1 back, I think that a simple adapter like the one I described would let you use a JYC intervalometer with it.

Good luck,
Ray

[Graham Welland]

Thanks Ray,

I've been looking at the Open Camera Control http://www.hdrlabs.com/occ/ solution that might work also with a custom connector to the Phase One back. The wake up & sync connections seem pretty straight forward and I have existing cables for that side of things. The control software for this approach has some interesting opportunities for not just intervalometer but also HDR exposure bracketing too.

I need to check that the back will properly handle just switching image capture based on the sync pulse in the presence of light - for the tech camera case I'll want to keep the shutter open in T or bulb mode so this is the key.