Every camera has different parameters that control how it responds to remote shutter requests. Some cameras are more simple and straight-forward, whereas others provide rich sets of features that may impact the ability to easily trigger the shutter and focus lines from the controller.
Before looking into the settings on the MX2 or MX3, first make sure that your camera is set in the most basic/manual modes:
- Auto Focus Off (Manual Focus)
- Manual Exposure Mode (example set to 1/100" exposure and f/8 aperture)
- Live View Off ( Can I use the MX2 or MX3 with Live View?)
- Focus Priority Off
- Single Exposure Mode (Continuous or High-Speed Exposure drive modes may cause multiple exposures for those cameras that support it)
Note that some cameras go into a soft sleep mode after about thirty seconds, wake your camera up by tapping the shutter trigger before performing the following steps.
Now, on the MX2 or MX3, set your interval to about 2 seconds, and turn the system on. If the green LED next to the camera port blinks (MX2) or the orange light near the MocoBus Ethernet Port (MX3) ( If the LED does NOT blink contact support@dynamicperception.com ) and the camera still does not expose, try the following:
- Set the exposure time a little higher try 200-250mS (Camera>Exp. Time>200)
- Make sure the Shutter+Focus is ON (Camera>Shutter+Focus>ON)
If your camera still doesn't fire, check the following:
- Camera appears to "wake up" (displays exposure time, etc.) but doesn't fire
- Your camera is either sleeping, or requires the focus line brought high before firing, set the pre-focus time to 200-1000mS ( Camera>Focus>200), adjust to see if the camera starts firing
- If your camera happens to force auto-focus mode, and needs more time to focus before triggering the exposure. Set pre-focus time to 2000-4000mS ( Camera>Focus Tap>2000), you may need to adjust this time depending on how long it happens to take for your camera to lock focus.
- Camera neither wakes up nor exposes
- Your camera may not work with a remote trigger in its normal firing mode, if it has a 'remote control mode' to try enabling and disabling this on the camera
- Double check that the cable is fully seated and properly orentated in the camera body and controller
If you've set everything properly on your camera and the MX2 and it still doesn't fire, you may have a defective cable, which we will happily replace under warranty. Please note, however, that less than 0.5% of tested cables have proven to be defective, and the only cables we've had to replace were obviously broken (broken housings, loose pins, etc.). Most non-firing situations have been resolved by adjusting camera and controller parameters.
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