Pedal to trigger a camera?

In My Humble Opinion
1

I just bought a used Nikon D70 digital single-lens-reflex camera.

I plan to set up an animation stand and rephotograph the animation artwork I did back at Sheridan. I’m going to have to get a pegboard to align the paper, plus a stand for the camera, lights, and a power supply to run the camera.

If I hook the camera to my computer via the supplied USB cable, there’s the Nikon Camera Control Pro 2 software to operate the camera remotely. I’d like to have a foot-pedal to release the sutter and take the picture, as we did at Sheridan. Is there such a thing for a computer?

Alternately, I could just use the camera by itself and save $190 for the software. Is there such a thing as a pedal-operated cable release for this camera?

2

Are you married to the idea of a foot pedal? Because there’s a wireless remote available for the D70. I’ve used it with my N65 (and soon will for my D80, once the camera body arrives) and have been very happy with it.

Here’s another that can apparently be either wired or wireless, though more expensive and also not a foot pedal. I can’t seem to find anything that is specifically a foot pedal shutter release.

3

Well, my hands will be full of paper, so it would make things easier.

4

Whew, I was wondering what was going to be keeping your hands busy :smiley:

5

Well, I’m looking to build something like this simple stand I just googled up. I need to find out more about cleaning the still images up and then combining them into motion graphics and video.

6

I made a portable copy stand with a built in trigger switch on the side. worked great.

I could be wrong but I don’t think the D-70 has a remote trigger plug in unless it’s done with the USB

7

Missed the edit window.

I have a D70 and it doesn’t have a remote trigger port. You would need the D70S. The example posted above requires line of sight so it’s still done through the infrared sensor. You’ll have to have the sender mounted so the signal will hit the camera. If you make your own wired remote from the factory remote I would recommend you buy a keyboard style switch to trigger it. These switches don’t rely on a plunger pressing 2 pieces of metal together. They work by removing a spade between 2 contacts that are spring loaded. The reason you want this type of switch is because a plunger switch (like the one shown in the link, will create a dimple which, over time, creates a bad contact surface. You end up pressing it harder and harder which dimples the plate more. The other switch I described is easy to tell by the feel of it and also by using an OHM meter. electrical contact will be made before the switch bottoms out. If you have a surplus store in your area you can buy a variety of switches cheap and take them apart if you’re not sure. This is what I did for the microphone switches in my airplane.

8

The D70 uses an IR remote.
Buy one on ebay, take it apart, and solder the switch contacts to a footpedal switch.
Done.