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I am looking for a digital camera other than the DSLR types that have a remote shutter release. My wife has reumatoid arthritus and can's use a "larger" style camera. What are some "smaller type cameras that can use the remote shutter buttons?

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4 Answers

up vote 0 down vote

We are both electronics and photography passionate, working in the last two years at a new generation wireless remote, Time Lapse, camera project. You can control the camera at max 30ft/10mt of distance, simply pushing a button on the smartphone.

Initially it was suitable for my Nikon D50, but we are also developing for variuos compact and reflex cameras.

Firmware tested so far on:

  • Nikon D50 (full features, see video)
  • Nikon Coolpix AW100
  • Canon Powershot A300
  • Canon Poweshot S500

We make a smart device attached via USB to the camera for more control (beside we can use the simple shutter port). For example we can change ISO, Aperture or Time Speed directly from our Open Source Android app via bluetooth connection.

We are at the 3rd version, now Remote Shooter 3.0 is a smart device for Wireless remote shutter, time lapse and more, and it control wireless your digital camera from an smartphone Android app, tablet or a PC.

For specific needs (maybe useful for your wife), shutter release can be triggered from a simple shake (yes a simple shake) of the smartphone, or when a sound is detected from the phone mic (it's enough a clap or simply say "shoot!" or whatever), a text message and so on. The app for Android will be released as open source, fully customizable, with a large button for an example.

The project is the Pic-Ap-Board project.

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3  
I appreciate that you're excited about your project (which does seem cool) and that this seems tangentially relevant, but it doesn't directly answer the question. This is a question and answer site, not a discussion forum, and every answer really needs to actually be an answer. – mattdm Apr 30 at 17:59
Sorry Mattdm, for sure i could not full understand the spirit of this site. In this case, i read of CHDK solution, so I think maybe appreciated an alternate solution at digital cameras without IR/cable/wireless remote port, not easy suitable for person with temporary or permanent physical issues. – Menteblu61 Apr 30 at 19:53
1  
I am not sure we should be so ready to write this off. It does sound like it is a remote shutter release app that works with both DSLR and non-DSLR cameras. While the OP did ask about "cameras" that support remote shutter release, I don't thin that implies we should exclude the option of CHDK, Magic Lantern, or other software alternatives that might solve the same problem, so long as they work for non-DSLR type cameras. Menteblu did disclose the fact that he is promoting his own software, so this isn't a covert ad. I think we should give it a chance, and let the OP decide. – jrista♦ Apr 30 at 20:09
I wish thank you for not full delete my answer. I understand now the goal of the site. Hope to give my contribute to other questions. – Menteblu61 May 1 at 9:00
up vote 1 down vote

Either the Canon PowerShot G11, or the newly-released G12 may be what you need. While they are on the large side for P&S cameras, they are quite a bit smaller than a DSLR, and both support a wired remote shutter release.

Another option is to use CHDK on a supported Canon compact camera. One of the many features of CHDK is a shutter release using the USB port. I have not used this myself, and it may be out of your comfort zone to get a non-official firmware running on your camera, build a custom cable for the release, and so forth.

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On top of that, I believe you also need to enable the shutter release by running a script. I think you'd need to scroll through a menu or two each time you turn on the camera in order to start the shutter release script. If the goal is to minimize the physical requirements needed to use the camera, CHDK might not be the answer. – drewbenn Jan 17 '11 at 4:27
up vote 1 down vote

That is a good question and the answer is a bit tricky to find. You basically have to search for any other criteria you want using Neocamera's Camera Finder and then filter on either Wired Remote or Infrared Remote towards the bottom of the orange box next to the search results. Then you need to either ignore the DSLRs that show up, or simply filter on the category you are looking for (Compact, Ultra-Zoom, Large, etc) near the top of the orange box.

The results show only the Oympus XZ-1 to have a wired-remote among compacts. There are also 9 large ones. Three ultra-compacts have wireless remotes too. Finally the Sony NEX-5 also has a wireless remote.

PS: It does not take long to search for these things but when someone is looking for NOT something, there is no easy way. I don't know of any camera site that lets you do that. So it is probably better to specify what you do want instead of a DSLR.

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up vote 0 down vote

Many of the Pentax compact cameras support IR remote. If you want a more rugged design, the Pentax Optio W90 has a waterproof remote available. For a more classic look, the Pentax Optio I-10 is a nice option and a remote is available. There are others as well, depending on desired features or taste.

I can't really say about other brands, though I'm sure that they have them.

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