Manufacturer: Seculine
Model: Twin 1-R3 UT
Price: £24.99
www.intro2020.co.uk

In the olden days, to make a long exposure without touching (and jogging) the camera, you’d screw a £5 cable release into the threaded shutter button.

Sadly, you now need to spend rather more for an electronic – as opposed to mechanical – means of firing the camera. Some still involve cables, while others use wireless methods. This new entry from Seculine offers both wireless infrared and cable options. It can be connected via cable to the camera’s remote port, if it has one, or works wirelessly within sight of its IR receiver, if it has one of those.

The Twin1-R3 UT is compatible with a wide variety of consumer DSLRs, although the range varies with the brand. You’ll get 50 metres with Nikons (up to the D80), 30m with Pentax/Samsung DSLRs and 25m with Canons. For cameras without an IR receiver (which includes Sony, Olympus and some Canon and Nikon models), you’ll need a different version that comes with a receiver unit for £59.95 (Check the website for full compatibility details before buying).

You can either fire the remote straight away or use a two-second delay so you have time to conceal it, if you’re in the shot yourself. If you’re connected by cable you can also lock it for long exposures on the camera’s ‘B’ setting.

The Twin 1-R3 UT also doubles as a torch to help see your controls in the dark.

Verdict:
In use the remote performs well, slightly
exceeding the quoted range in our tests, but it’s a bit pricey; you can
buy IR or cable remotes for less (although this offers both) or for a bit
more you could get a superior RF type with a 100m range

Pros:
Range, wide compatibility

Cons:
Cheaper alternatives available

What Digital Camera Score: 82%