I have no affiliation with Film Oddments. The Remote Mini was announce on the Large Format Photography Forum (https://www.largeformatphotography.info/forum/) August 13. I purchased the Remote Mini with my money at full price. They are unaware of this write up on their product.
This is not a in-depth review just a "brief first look" at a product that I would use. I do have a mechanical shutter release timer from the 80s that works but it does not work on my LF lenses. It does not have enough room to screw into the release because of the lens board and the upper part of the timer is too large.
Remote Mini on 4x5 Tachihara Hope 1 by Richard Hendrix, on Flickr
The shipping from South Korea was quick. The label was created on August 23 and the package was delivered to my front door August 26 via UPS (before tariffs). The packing was great. After a quick charge on the Remote Mini I purchased the app (Shutter Button, Google Play $10.99) and connected right away to my Google Pixel 7. My understanding is you must purchase the app from Google or Apple in order for the remote shutter release to work.
Remote Mini on 4x5 Tachihara Hope 1 by Richard Hendrix, on Flickr
I have sent several questions to Film Oddments about the remote's use and Choi was always quick to respond, usually within the same day.
The app has several "modes"
<Trigger> - fires Remote Mini instantly
<Bulb Mode> - remember to set shutter to <Bulb> for this to work
<Timer Mode> - set time in seconds for a countdown to fire the shutter [basically a self timer]
<Custom Bulb Mode> - set two parameters 10-30 for example. The first number 10 is the delay in seconds, the second number 30, is the length of time the shutter will stay open in Bulb.
<Light Meter> - opens a light meter application by Film Oddments
Scan Devices - this will scan for the MAC address for the Remote Mini [don't forget to turn on the phone's Bluetooth]
Screenshot of Scan Devices button by Richard Hendrix, on Flickr
Set Stroke Depth (%)
Depth % <Set Depth>
I checked the stroke depth percentage on all my lenses. I did a quick test on all of them after setting the stroke depth and ran through all of the Shutter Button modes and all went smoothly. I would suggest to add the shutter release cable to the lens prior to attaching it to the front standard. Bluetooth connected quickly and stayed connected for the 15-20 minutes I was testing the lenses. I can't wait to try it out in the field.
****
I'm not sure if this will help others but here is a list of my lenses, YMMV, along with the stroke depth percentage:
Yamasaki Congo Wide Angle 90mm f6.3 45%
Yamasaki Congo Wide Angle 120mm f6.3 44%
Yamasaki Commercial Congo 180mm f6.8 60%
Yamasaki Congo Standard 210mm f6.3 61%
Yamasaki Congo-Tele 240mm f6.3 61%
****
The max range I used the release from was about 15 feet. But a few days ago I was able to setup outside between the rain showers and do a few more distance tests.
1st test distance of Remote Mini by Richard Hendrix, on Flickr
2nd test distance of Remote Mini by Richard Hendrix, on Flickr
3rd test distance of Remote Mini by Richard Hendrix, on Flickr
I did use the Remote Mini last weekend and had a chance to try it out with a couple of selfies with my gf. It was easy to set up, it connected right away, and I used a countdown timer to fire the shutter. I haven't had time to develop the negatives but I'm hopeful all went well (exposure & focus). I'm happy with the purchase.
Film Oddments do have an option on their website for DIYers and have made the Remote Mini an Open Source project. You will need to purchase the Shutter Button app from Google or Apple app store.
Website: Film Oddments
This is not a in-depth review just a "brief first look" at a product that I would use. I do have a mechanical shutter release timer from the 80s that works but it does not work on my LF lenses. It does not have enough room to screw into the release because of the lens board and the upper part of the timer is too large.
Remote Mini on 4x5 Tachihara Hope 1 by Richard Hendrix, on Flickr
The shipping from South Korea was quick. The label was created on August 23 and the package was delivered to my front door August 26 via UPS (before tariffs). The packing was great. After a quick charge on the Remote Mini I purchased the app (Shutter Button, Google Play $10.99) and connected right away to my Google Pixel 7. My understanding is you must purchase the app from Google or Apple in order for the remote shutter release to work.
Remote Mini on 4x5 Tachihara Hope 1 by Richard Hendrix, on Flickr
I have sent several questions to Film Oddments about the remote's use and Choi was always quick to respond, usually within the same day.
The app has several "modes"
<Trigger> - fires Remote Mini instantly
<Bulb Mode> - remember to set shutter to <Bulb> for this to work
<Timer Mode> - set time in seconds for a countdown to fire the shutter [basically a self timer]
<Custom Bulb Mode> - set two parameters 10-30 for example. The first number 10 is the delay in seconds, the second number 30, is the length of time the shutter will stay open in Bulb.
<Light Meter> - opens a light meter application by Film Oddments
Scan Devices - this will scan for the MAC address for the Remote Mini [don't forget to turn on the phone's Bluetooth]
Screenshot of Scan Devices button by Richard Hendrix, on Flickr
Set Stroke Depth (%)
Depth % <Set Depth>
I checked the stroke depth percentage on all my lenses. I did a quick test on all of them after setting the stroke depth and ran through all of the Shutter Button modes and all went smoothly. I would suggest to add the shutter release cable to the lens prior to attaching it to the front standard. Bluetooth connected quickly and stayed connected for the 15-20 minutes I was testing the lenses. I can't wait to try it out in the field.
****
I'm not sure if this will help others but here is a list of my lenses, YMMV, along with the stroke depth percentage:
Yamasaki Congo Wide Angle 90mm f6.3 45%
Yamasaki Congo Wide Angle 120mm f6.3 44%
Yamasaki Commercial Congo 180mm f6.8 60%
Yamasaki Congo Standard 210mm f6.3 61%
Yamasaki Congo-Tele 240mm f6.3 61%
****
The max range I used the release from was about 15 feet. But a few days ago I was able to setup outside between the rain showers and do a few more distance tests.
1st test distance of Remote Mini by Richard Hendrix, on Flickr
2nd test distance of Remote Mini by Richard Hendrix, on Flickr
3rd test distance of Remote Mini by Richard Hendrix, on Flickr
I did use the Remote Mini last weekend and had a chance to try it out with a couple of selfies with my gf. It was easy to set up, it connected right away, and I used a countdown timer to fire the shutter. I haven't had time to develop the negatives but I'm hopeful all went well (exposure & focus). I'm happy with the purchase.
Film Oddments do have an option on their website for DIYers and have made the Remote Mini an Open Source project. You will need to purchase the Shutter Button app from Google or Apple app store.
Website: Film Oddments
