d7000 - Bulb Mode

[arvind.br]

Hello,

I have connected D7000 to BackYard Nikon 2.0.10 (Trial version), I try to image in bulb mode I get error you camera requires serial cable. Kindly find the attach picture for other setting in bulb mode.

Kindly advice if i need to connect a cable to snap a picture from the PC running on windows 10/

 

[astroman133]

If you look, on this site, at the table of supported cameras for BYN you will see that the D7000 requires a second cable to shoot BULB exposures. This cable allows BYN to control the shutter for long exposures since the Nikon SDK does not support Bulb over USB for the D7000. You still need the regular USB for other BYN functions like changing settings and image download. So with that model of camera you need to connect 2 cables in parallel between the camera and the PC.

You should read about the DSUSB shutter control cable and how to configure BYN to use this cable in the User Guide that is installed with BYN.

[BigBadger]

I too have a D7000 and am trying to figure this all out. Is there no other option for a shutter release cable than the Shoestring 2 part, over priced cable?

Jeez I can buy an entire interval shutter release unit online that does all the shutter control for $8. Unfortunately not to a PCUSB. Why is the DSUSB $76, with another $16  which is so short that you really also need another $8 extension?

Are the guts of that clunky box on the DSUSB open and available for reverse engineering?

Add all this up and I'm paying $150 CAD delivered for a freaking cable...... I don't care how much we goofball amateur astronomers soak into our gear.... $150 for a cable is insane.

 

[admin]

There are several other options.  Here's a stiky post right here on the forum.

 

[astroman133]

The likely reason that the DSUSB solution is priced at that level is that the cables are hand-made in small volumes and are mostly needed for older cameras where the vendor (Nikon) does not support BULB exposures over the regular USB cable. As people upgrade their cameras, the demand for DSUSB cables is declining since virtually all of the new Canon and Nikon cameras support BULB via the regular USB cable.

[admin]

The DSUSB cable is also the only trouble-free cable I have seen out there.  It just works.  No messing around with COM ports.  YMMV.

[BigBadger]

Well.... okay. Am I correct in presuming that the electronics from the solution you linked is basically the "same" , as opposed to being only "similar" to the Shoestring DSUSB cable? Functionality at 100% compatible?

Thank you for the quick response by the way. 

clear skies!

BigBadger

 

[admin]

The electronics can't be the same if it's not the same design.  I can't make that calim, sorry.

Do they do the same thing however?  The short answer is probably, yes.  I have only tested BYE/BYN with the DSUSB Shoestring cable and KMTronic ASCII and HEX cables.  Take a look at KMTronics.

https://www.kmtronic.com/usb-relays.html/usb-relay-controller-one-channel-pcb.html

 

 

 

 

[s3igell]

22 hours ago, BigBadger said:

Add all this up and I'm paying $150 CAD delivered for a freaking cable...... I don't care how much we goofball amateur astronomers soak into our gear.... $150 for a cable is insane.

And yet, you'll pay more than that for many items that go into your Imaging Rig...

Perhaps you could take the equivalent $150CAD and sell your D7100 on the Used Market, so as to fund the purchase of a different DSLR which has the Single USB Cable Bulb Exposure Control that you require.  And other Incremental Improvements, too.

Just suggestions...

 

[BigBadger]

3 hours ago, s3igell said:

And yet, you'll pay more than that for many items that go into your Imaging Rig...

Perhaps you could take the equivalent $150CAD and sell your D7100 on the Used Market, so as to fund the purchase of a different DSLR which has the Single USB Cable Bulb Exposure Control that you require.  And other Incremental Improvements, too.

Just suggestions...

 

Of course, that is a somewhat reasonable option. But I actually have a D7000 (not D7100), which I have read to understand may have a better sensor for this hobby. Not to mention that I use the camera for a lot more than this... Astro is a very minor aspect of what I use my camera for.

If changing cameras, I think I might just go mirrorless. But as it's an evolving tecnology, I think I'll wait for another generation.

Ultimately, I just feel $150 for a cable is nuts. It's less likely to be a recoverable amount if sold, whereas filters, etc. would easily be....... I can't blame Nikon. It's not likely they could foresee this particular use for this particular model, and didn't engineer the functionality into it until a year or 2 later.

I'll make my own. Should be a piece of cake as I have access to this type of tech through work. If it triumphs, or fails, I'll post about it.... This could take a bit of time as ordering stuff for Canada takes ridiculous time for some reason.

I do appreciate the comments and suggestions, regardless of whether we agree on certain values. It's all a learning curve!

BB

[astroman133]

Be careful about purchasing a mirrorless camera. Many, especially the early models of both Canon and Nikon mirrorless cameras, do not support tethered control by programs like BYE or BYN. I would make sure that it is supported before you purchase a particular model.

[admin]

Nikon Z6 and Z7 mirrorless should work with the current RC4 pre-release.

Canon M series mirrorloess are NOT supported because Canon does not allow remote tethered shooting for these model.

Canon R mirrorless.... working on it - some limited functionality with current RC4 pre-release.

[s3igell]

4 hours ago, BigBadger said:

I'll make my own. Should be a piece of cake as I have access to this type of tech through work. If it triumphs, or fails, I'll post about it....

Some people have successfully engineered their own... 

Suggestion:  Search and read the various related threads on CloudyNights and other Forums.  There are rather few USB UART Chips out there which Play Well with PCs and Serial Lines.  Some have drivers that cause Windows to create a NEW COMMPORT every time it is attached.  And others don't sustain the required Voltages for good Long Bulb Exposures.  (All this is part of the Cost embedded in the ShoeString products.)

[jsguitar]

I'm just a newbie on this but I have a Nikon D7500 and purchased BackyardNikon 2.0.11 and have no issues capturing in Bulb mode.  I'm only taking pictures in my den hooked up to the program to learn it but no mention of needing a second cable.  Might've been a fix on the software or the camera.

[astroman133]

Look at the BYN Supported Cameras page (link is in the footer of this page). The D7000 needs a shutter control (serial) cable to shoot BULB exposures, the D7500 does not.