JJC Timer Remote: Essential for Long Exposures

August 21, 2015

JJC Multi-function timer remote shutter review

Introduction

JJC or Shenzhen JinJiaCheng Photography Equipment is a Chinese manufacturer of digital camera accessories with an integrated research department. They are most known for our their wireless remote controls, camera batteries and camera chargers.

JJC Multi-function timer remote shutter

Even though most mirror-less cameras have WiFi capabilities and can be controlled remotely via an app, I still prefer a dedicated remote trigger for long exposures and crucial landscape work. The reason is simple: phones have a short battery life and tend to shut down right at the moment when you need them to trigger your camera. A remote shutter like the JJC, on the other hand, uses 2 AAA batteries and will last for about two months of continuous shooting. It’s also easy to program the shutter time once you’ve calculated it, and even program in multiple consecutive exposures with a delay time.

Different camera manufacturers use different protocols for remotely operating this functionality, and often use a different USB connection. JJC makes their Multi-function timer remote shutter units for any brand of camera you can think of, so I’m sure yours is available too. I’ve tried three of these units: for Sigma, Sony, and Fuji cameras.

The basic functionally is the same across the board: the JJC timer remote controller provides a trigger function and can also activate the bulb function. The remote has a two stage release button: half-press to focus and a full press will trigger the shutter.

For long exposures, you can press the release button fully and slide it into the locked position. These units can also be programmed to function as an intervalometer. This functionality allows you to set a self-timer, interval timer, long exposure timer, and the number of consecutive exposures.

The timer can be adjusted anywhere from 1 second to 99 hours 59 minutes and 59 seconds. The maximum number of exposures is 399. Pressing the Lock button for 2 seconds will lock the panel to prevent you from accidentally stopping a running timer. These remote triggers also have a backlit LCD screen that allows you see the LCD even in total darkness.

Conclusion

The JJC timer remote controller is an essential piece of kit for any landscape or long exposure photographer. They are cheaper and often offer more elaborate timing and programming capabilities than brand timers. One thing you need to keep in mind that your camera will need a bulb function (shutter time over 30 seconds) to take full advantage of this remote shutters’ capabilities. These JJC units are pretty reliable, the only thing you have to be careful of is the USB connection to the camera.The USB connection is not of the highest quality and can quickly detach from the plastic casing if left unsupported.

Purchase and availability

You can find these JJC units for all major camera brand at your local store or on Amazon here [easyazon_link identifier=”B008XW7T8I” locale=”US” tag=”wimarysdigitc-20″ cart=”n”]JJC TM-M LCD Timer Remote Control for Nikon D600 D7100 D7000 D5200 D5100 D5000 D3200 (Black)[/easyazon_link]

Tags:

Chinese manufacturer Fuji JJC Multi-function timer Nikon camera continuous shooting digital camera long exposure mirrorless camera accessory reviews timer remote shutter

2 Responses

alexklotz says:

August 23, 2015 at 5:36 pm

thanks, helpfull & good

Reply
- wim arys says:
  
  August 23, 2015 at 5:38 pm
  
  thanks Alex!
  
  Reply

JJC multi function timer remote shutter review