After purchasing my D200 in November of 2005, I quickly started to miss having a remote control for my camera. I had been spoiled by my cheap ($15) ML-L3 remote for my D70. I often used the D70 and remote combination for self portraits, group portraits, tedious macro work, and long exposures using the bulb setting. Unfortunately, my new D200 didn’t have the option for this cheap remote. Instead, the D200 is set up to use the much more expensive ($150) ML-3 remote.

I wasn’t prepared to spend that much money on something that still didn’t fit all my needs. I’ve heard numerous reports of the ML-3 having poor reception. It uses infrared signals that must travel by line of sight. In other words, the remote won’t work through walls or around corners. I’ve heard that it could be picky even when there was a clear line of sight between the receiver and transmitter.

There has been a lot of discussion on some of the online D200 forums about other remote choices for the D200. I heard a few people mention the ADIDT line of remotes commonly found on eBay. I decided to take a chance and order one through a highly rated seller. ADIDT makes various types of wired and wireless remotes that fit most popular SLRs and DSLRs.

They have 2 different versions of their wireless remote. One has a range of 300ft (R3N1-TC) and can be found on ebay for around $99. The other has a range of 90 ft (R3N1-BC) and can be found on ebay for around $85. I decided to spend the extra $15 and buy the extended range model. On both models, the remote receiver can act as a standard wired remote in addition to receiving signals from the remote transmitter. Both models also use radio frequency (RF) rather than infrared (IR) signals. This means the remote signal will travel through walls and around corners.

To be honest, I wasn’t expecting a high quality piece of electronics. The ADIDT website is mostly written in Chinese, and the English translation of the page is fairly vague. However, I was happily surprised when I received my remote.

The packaging did look a little rough, but the contents were new and in perfect shape. The remote transmitter and the receiver both feel fairly solid and well put together. The 2-stage shutter release button on both the transmitter and the receiver didn’t quite have the same solid feel as the shutter release on my D200 though. The 10-pin connector does not have a threaded connector, but it does have a pretty snug friction fit. The design of the 10-pin connector could have been better thought out. As you can see in the picture, the stress-relief fitting (the little bit of plastic on the end of the cord that keeps the cord from bending too sharply) on the cord hits the camera body when the 10-pin connector is inserted into the camera. At first glance, it doesn’t appear that it will fit correctly, but it does with a little coaxing. A better design would have been to rotate the fitting so the cord comes straight down.

The remote receiver actually has a rechargeable li-ion battery inside. The charger that came with mine is actually a common Nokia cell phone charger. I wouldn’t be surprised if the battery is a Nokia battery. I guess this is probably a good thing, since it is probably a well tested and proven battery and charger combination. I was also surprised to find a 5 stage charge indicator light on the back of the receiver. It lights up while you are charging the battery. It also lights up during the first 4 seconds after being plugged into the camera. This is a well thought out feature that I didn’t expect. No more guessing how much charge is in the battery.

CHARGE THE BATTERY BEFORE USING THE REMOTE!!! I’m usually not one to read instructions before using a new toy. I figured I could just plug it in, turn it on, and fire away. I quickly panicked when it didn’t work as expected. Without a charge in the receiver’s battery, the camera would start auto focus as soon as I plugged in the remote. The camera basically acted like the shutter was already half pressed. When I did actually press the trigger on the remote, the camera would fire, but it wouldn’t focus as expected. I had incorrectly assumed that the wired remote didn’t actually need power to trigger the shutter. I figured it just needed to close a circuit in order to trigger. I guess I was wrong. After panicking and then deciding to read the instructions, I learned that the receiver should be fully charged before using. This took about 8 hours for the initial charge. Lesson learned. CHARGE THE BATTERY BEFORE USING THE REMOTE!!!

I won’t go into all the details of the various functions of the remote. I will point out again that the receiver (the part that actually attaches to the camera) can act as a wired remote in addition to receiving signals from the wireless transmitter. Both the transmitter and receiver have a 2-stage trigger button just like the one on your camera. Push down halfway to auto focus, then push down the rest of the way to trigger the shutter. The wired receiver also has a lock switch that will allow you to use the bulb setting on your camera. Flip the dial to “T” mode and the shutter opens. The shutter will stay open until you switch the dial back to “N”. You can read the attached instructions to get more detailed information about the various functions.

Since the shutter trigger button on the remotes act just like the trigger on your camera, you can achieve various results with continuous shooting, self-timer, and mirror lock-up. I tested all of these functions, and they worked as expected. If you put the camera in continuous shooting mode, you can hold down the button on either remote, and the camera will fire continuously. If the camera is in continuous mode and you lock the dial on the remote to “T” mode, the camera will fire continuously until you switch the dial back to “N”. If you put the camera in self-timer mode, you can now take self-portraits without always getting pictures of your hand pointed at the camera. Push the button on your remote, stick the remote in your pocket, and wait for the timer to fire the shutter. If the camera is in mirror lock-up mode, you push the button on the remote once to lift the mirror, then push it again the fire the shutter.

The instructions do mention a lag time when using the wireless remote. The instructions say it is to prevent accidental firings, but the delay seems a little long for my taste. I didn’t notice any delay when using the wired remote.

I did a few quick tests of the effective range for this product. I’ll try to do some more extensive tests. I was able to reliably trigger the shutter from about 100 feet away and through several walls. I also had mixed results triggering from about 150 feet away and through several walls. I’m sure the 300 foot range is only applicable when there is a clear line of sight between the transmitter and receiver. Since I’ve only had the remote for one day, I haven’t had a chance to fully test it. I’ll try to do some more range tests and report back.

So far, I’m very impressed with this alternative to the more expensive Nikon remote. Actually, you would have to buy 2 remotes from Nikon in order to get the same features. Even then, you would be limited by the line of sight triggering vs the RF triggering of the ADIDT..

I thought I would add that I don't see any FCC approval anywhere on the device. I'm not sure how much that matters, but certainly don't use this when radio interference might be an issue.