This Guy Hacked Together a DIY Cable Release for His Point-and-Shoot

There are any number of ways to trigger a digital camera remotely: from IR remotes to smartphone apps. But if you’re a bit more old fashioned, then Instructables user Steloherd has hacked together something you might like even better.

Not satisfied with the USB cable release available for his Ricoh GR II, and still one of the few folks holding out against our smartphone overlords (bravo), Steloherd created a DIY mechanical shutter release for his camera that attaches via the hot shoe.

You can find full step-by-step instructions for recreating this contraption over on Instructables, but it would be fairly easy to “reverse engineer” the attachment, even if all you had were photos of the final product.

All you need is a 1/4″-20 screw, an accessory ‘foot’ for your hot shoe, an aluminium arm, a steel spring plate, and any mechanical remote release. For tools, he used a hacksaw, file, drill & bits, pliers, and sandpaper, as well as a male and female M3 thread cutter.

Admittedly, there was some modification and metal work to be done here, so this isn’t a weekend project for the novice shooter. But if you’re up to it, you’ll end up with a mechanical cable release for your digital camera, even if it doesn’t have a threaded shutter button:

If you want to try and replicate this project at home, head over to the Instructables page where you’ll find detailed step-by-step instructions that will guide you through the whole process. And if you’re a bit daunted by the scope here, don’t worry; Steloherd was kind enough to offer a few easier “alternative” instructions and materials at the bottom of that page.

(via Hackaday)

Image credits: All images by Steloherd via Instructables, CC BY-NC-SA 4.0