Countdown Timer Needed

[Peter De Smidt]

I've recently started experimenting taking really long exposures, on the order of 30 minutes or so. Can someone recommend a countdown timer? Preferably one that hangs on a lanyard. Ideally, it'll keep counting after the time is up, and while it beeps when time is up it won't keep beeping. It should be easy to set but not easy to inadvertently change.

 

[Thomas Wilson]

Go to Walmart and pick up a $10.00 digital meat thermometer. It will give you good temp readings down to 32°, sound an alarm when the chemistry you pulled out of the fridge reaches your start temperature, and it will, of course, sound an incessant alarm when the count down timer reaches zero. It will also tell you how long past the stop time it took for you to cancel the alarm.

 

[Peter De Smidt]

Hi Thomas,

I do have a digital thermometer/count down time in the kitchen. It's too big and easily resettable for me to want to use it as a count down timer in the field.

 

[c.w.]

Since you're talking 10+ minutes why not just use an alarm clock? Travel ones are pretty small - i'm not sure i've ever seen one with a lanyard though.

 

[Rick A]

I buy my small digital timers at the Dollar Tree(everything for a buck) they can be set to count down in minutes and seconds and have an audible beep. They are only about 1 by 2 inches in size by about .25" thick. I'm sure you could attach one to a lanyard.
Rick

 

[bsdunek]

Mine's not on a lanyard, but I use my cell phone sometimes. Will count either up or down.

 

[Ian Grant]

I think most mobile phones have a timer, I have an all singing & dancing model it does everything basic (It's the MOST basic model available).

Never had to do a 30 minute exposure, longest so far has been 10 minutes, with no watch (don't own one), no phone, I just walked around talking to myself counting of the minutes, worked perfectly.

A watch is accurate enough, 30 seconds either way is irrelevant.
.
Ian

 

[Peter De Smidt]

Yeah, I know. My cell does have an alarm feature, but it isn't that easy to set. A watch certainly would work, but at 30 minutes the odds of me being distracted by something bright and shiny are quite high.

 

[David Brown]

http://www.amazon.com/Polder-898-95...r_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=kitchen&qid=1248201042&sr=1-4

We have 3 of these at my house ...

 

[Peter De Smidt]

Hi David, That's what I was thinking about, but I've never seen one in person. Since you have three of them, they obviously work well for you. Do they keep counting after the timer goes off?

 

[eclarke]

Hey Peter, here is what I have and I love it..Evan Clarke

http://www.highgear.com/prod/AltiTe...0&CategoryID=4&CFID=13680799&CFTOKEN=96514913

 

[rternbach]

ULTRAK 440 Stopwatch and Countdown Timer

http://www.bodytronics.com/PROD/UL440

comes with its own lanyard.

 

[MPandolfo]

Hi Peter, I use this timer as a backup in my darkroom:

http://www.wmf.com/clever-more-_82511181/universal-timer-clever-more_163801.html

It's very practical and looks cool.

 

[Peter De Smidt]

Thanks Everyone. I'm sure one of the suggested items will work fine for me.

 

[David Brown]

Hi David, That's what I was thinking about, but I've never seen one in person. Since you have three of them, they obviously work well for you. Do they keep counting after the timer goes off?

No, it does not keep counting after the timer "goes off". This is in "timer" mode, i.e. counting down. Counting up - it just keeps going ...

I mean, it's 12-15 dollars. Pretty basic.