• Friday 27 September 2019
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Hähnel Captur Triggers & High Speed ​​photography

 

Presentation

Specifications

The Hähnel Captur series is a set of transmitter receiver / trigger / sensors that can be combined and used in many situations

 - Time-lapse photography

 - Remote triggering

 - High Speed ​​photography based on IR / Sound / Laser / Light / Aux detection

The communication between the various devices is wireless based on 2.4Ghz and is compatible with  Hähnel Viper triggers for flashes  and their flashes  Hähnel Modus 360 RT  &  Hähnel Modus 600RT

The range includes

 - A set of trigger cables (S1 Mount, S2 e-mount) @ 15 euros, but you can buy any compatible S2 cable it will work

 - A remote control / Flash Trigger set (50 euros)

 - An additional receiver (40 euros)

 - A Module Timer (45 euro or 80 in kit with a receiver): only for remote trigger and timelapse

 - A Pro Module (90 Euros): Remote trigger / timelapse / IR / laser / sound / Aux + rubber protection

All tests were done with Sony A9 but are valid from all A7 series or A6000

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Setup

The basic principle of these accessories is to use the wired remote control function by connecting a trigger to your case with a S2 cable (micro USB for the box - jack for the trigger)

Of course for a simple wired order there is cheaper and simpler available.

For the Hähnel Captur system, we will use either the Timer / Pro module or better a receiver module (to be mounted on the hot shoe) that will be wired to the box via the S2 cable

Once that is done, we can either:

 - Press the trigger button on the Timer / Pro module or on the transmitter (automatically coupled to the receiver)

 - Schedule a timelapse

 - Use one of the available sensors: Laser, IR, sound, light, aux. These will trigger when the laser / IR beam is broken, a sound is emitted, a light change is recorded.

 

This opens the door to unique shots such as using high-speed shooting: collision of water drops, balloon blast, ball shot, lightning, but also automatic shooting in stealth mode of animals in their habitat.

Thanks to the wireless radio network, the range reaches 100m between transmitter and receiver.

 

Setup for high speed

For high speed photography we will use jointly:

 - A trigger coupled with a sensor (the Hähnel Captur Pro Module)

 - A box with a receiver and an S2 cable

 - One or more flashes

          - 1 Hähnel Modus 360 RT  or the   Hähnel Modus 600RT  which can be automatically controlled thanks to the integrated radio receiver

          - 1 Third-party flash: Sony, Godox on a Captur receiver or the   Hähnel Viper receiver

I tested a configuration with 3 flash and Pro module and everything worked the first time without problems

 

The technique to use is that of the Open Flash: a long exposure and it is the flash of light that freezes the movement. 

 - A room in the shadows

 - Manual focus

 - A manual installation of 5 seconds to adjust on your case

 - Position the flashes to illuminate your scene, adjust the power in manual mode and use a gel on the flash to colorize the scene if necessary

 - Position the IR / Laser sensor in the path of your drop, balloon or adjust the sound / light sensor

 - Set the time between detection and tripping: min 0 sec in steps of 0.01 sec

 

 

 

 

Features

 

Receiver 

 - The receiver has a jack to be able to connect to the S2 cable to your camera and a test button

 - You can also use the receiver to trigger a flash wirelessly thanks to its hotshoe

 

 

Pro/Timer Module

The ergonomics of the Timer module and the Pro module are exactly the same (but the timer model only has the trigger and interval timer function)

 - A main button in the center for triggering

 - A lock button to activate / deactivate the beeps

 - The left / right arrows are used to switch between the different modes / sensors: interval / IR / sound / laser / light / Aux sensor

 - Press "Set" to adjust the available settings in the selected mode

 - Use up and down arrows to change values

 - Once finished, re-press set to confirm settings

 - Press on start to start the intervalometer or the sensor detection

In addition to these additional sensors, the Pro module is equipped with a shock protection

 

 

 

 

For most sensors we have 4 parameters

 - Sensitivity of the sensor: from 0 to 99 (most sensitive)

 - The delay between detection and triggering in increments of 0.01 sec

 - The duration of the shutter release (long exposure or burst)

 - The number of times that the sensor is allowed to trigger

 

sensitvity

delay for triggering

duration of the shutter press

 

 

Remote control

The Captur system can function as a conventional wired remote control, but its main interest comes from wireless mode and the fact that you can control several boxes at the same time

 - Install a receiver on the hot shoe of each box you want to trigger, and connect it with the S2 cable

 - Press the shutter button halfway to focus on the Captur Pro module (or the Captur transmitter)

 - Press fully to trigger

 - For a long exposure press more than 3 seconds, and to stop a simple support

The range is 100m so enough to trigger on the other side of a football field!

 

 

Wireless with captur transmitter

 

Wireless with captur pro module

 

Wired with captur pro module

 

Timelapse

 

The only module a little redundant with the current boxes is the module Timer , indeed with the A9, the A7 3rd and 4th generations the function timelapse is included (and also available as a paid application on the boxes of 2nd generation), it is better to take directly the Pro module, which offers a whole range of additional functions thanks to a series of integrated sensors.

 

A9/A7 Timelapse

 

However the functionality offered by Hähnel goes a step further

 - We can define an interval between 2 sets of timelapse and the number of repetitions

 - The "Long" parameter is used to set the duration of the trigger for bursts or long exposures

Also by combining the Pro / timer module with several receivers you could have synchronized timelapse with several cameras

 

 

 

IR Sensor

For the IR triggering, you have an IR source module provided with the Captur Pro module with 2 levels of sensitivity. You need to point to the receiver, then press start and any item crossing the beam will trigger the shutter. 

A delay can be set between detection and triggering if necessary

 

 

 

Sound Triggering

For sound triggering, itadjust the sensitivity level according to the sound that should trigger the shooting and set the delay. eg. For a fun fire the delay is around 0.01/0.02 seconds. 

 

 

 

Laser Triggering

For the laser trigger you will need to buy a laser pen.

Point the laser towards the receiver of the Captur Pro module with maximum precision.

Any object that will cut the laser beam will trigger the case. For example with a configuration to photograph collisions of drops, with the drop that will cut the laser beam and a trigger with a delay of 0.10sec

We will use the technique described in the beginning of article called open flash

 - 5 sec exposure in the dark

 - 1 Manual flash with colored gel connected to Hähnel receiver

 - 0.1 sec delay

The drop of water will cut the laser when it falls and the flash will be emitted 0.10 sec later.

 

 

 

Light detection

The light variation detection will mainly be used to capture lightning but can also be used with fire. 

 

 

 

Triggering

You can also build your own electrical circuit and any interruption in the circuit will activate the trigger

 

 

Conclusion

The Hähnel Captur series, does not look fancy from first sight however it is very reliable, easy to use and covers a wide range of functions for high speed / wildlife photography and sports photograohy.

A huge benefit of the Captur system vs other triggers is a built-in wireless remote controlled system that has a range of 100m. This is the same as their excellent Flash Modus ( Hähnel Modus 360 RT  /  Hähnel Modus 600RT  / Hähnel Viper receiver  )

With this system you can

 - With the Open technical flash, set up sensor and flashes and you can capture photos of a gun breaking a glass, a thunder, a balloon exploding or a water drop touching the surface cater

 - Set up  IR or a laser trap in the wood and you can capture wildlife without being present

 - During Athletic events you can position multiple cameras and trigger them from a distance at the right moment

An essential accessory to discover

 

 

 

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