5D Mk III - Anything better than RC-6 remote?

[entlassen]

I'm looking for a wireless remote for the 5D Mk III. I looked at the default option, which is the Canon RC-6. It's relatively cheap ($20) and has the Canon brand, but after looking at many reviews on Amazon and B&H, it seems to have a few problems:

A) It uses the IR receiver on the 5D's front, which anytime you shoot from behind, you have to annoyingly and awkwardly angle your arm around the front of the camera if you want the signal to go through.

B) You can't trigger the AF by half-pressing the remote button; all you can do is press it the full way and take a shot.

C) You can only use the remote in conjunction with the 2-sec delay and 10-sec delay modes.


With all these problems, I'm looking for an alternative to the RC-6.
My questions:
1) I know an IR remote will probably always encounter Problem (A). But can anyone recommend a well-reviewed IR remote that doesn't have Problem (C) and especially Problem (B)?
2) If I want to bypass Problem (A) I'm guessing I need to buy a remote that requires a wireless transceiver module attached to the 5D. All the ones I've seen are big, bulky bricks that mount to the hotshoe and require me to run an annoying wire between it and the camera. My buddies who have Nikon D800 all seem to use the RFN-4s, which is a tiny receiver that doesn't need to take up the hotshoe and doesn't require the wire.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005PCDSBQ/ref=wms_ohs_product?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I've tried to find if there's a version of the RFN-4s that works for the 5D but haven't found one. Does anybody have any recommendations?

Thanks!

 

[Drizzt321]

There are various RF triggers you can get. Generally, most of the chinese knockoff speedlite triggers will also include a cable to let you trigger the shutter. Alternatively, there is a device (I forget it's name right now) that's battery operated and plugs into the USB port which will let you use a computer/smartphone to control (and trigger the shutter) on the camera. It's quite a bit more expensive though.

 

[entlassen]

There are various RF triggers you can get. Generally, most of the chinese knockoff speedlite triggers will also include a cable to let you trigger the shutter. Alternatively, there is a device (I forget it's name right now) that's battery operated and plugs into the USB port which will let you use a computer/smartphone to control (and trigger the shutter) on the camera. It's quite a bit more expensive though.

I know there are lots of 3rd party options. I'm looking for any solid, popular recommendations with good reviews that can satisfy either Question 1 or Question 2 from my post. Kind of like how many D800 users gravitate toward the RFN-4s (small, no wires needed, doesn't take up hotshoe).

 

[Drizzt321]

There are various RF triggers you can get. Generally, most of the chinese knockoff speedlite triggers will also include a cable to let you trigger the shutter. Alternatively, there is a device (I forget it's name right now) that's battery operated and plugs into the USB port which will let you use a computer/smartphone to control (and trigger the shutter) on the camera. It's quite a bit more expensive though.

I know there are lots of 3rd party options. I'm looking for any solid, popular recommendations with good reviews that can satisfy either Question 1 or Question 2 from my post. Kind of like how many D800 users gravitate toward the RFN-4s (small, no wires needed, doesn't take up hotshoe).

Oh. I dunno then. I've used my Phottix Strator II to trigger my speedlites and it works great, so I'm assuming they'll work fine for remote triggering of the shutter. And you can always use a bit of gaffers tape or string to hold it onto the camera pretty easily so you don't lose access to the hotshoe.

 

[entlassen]

There are various RF triggers you can get. Generally, most of the chinese knockoff speedlite triggers will also include a cable to let you trigger the shutter. Alternatively, there is a device (I forget it's name right now) that's battery operated and plugs into the USB port which will let you use a computer/smartphone to control (and trigger the shutter) on the camera. It's quite a bit more expensive though.

I know there are lots of 3rd party options. I'm looking for any solid, popular recommendations with good reviews that can satisfy either Question 1 or Question 2 from my post. Kind of like how many D800 users gravitate toward the RFN-4s (small, no wires needed, doesn't take up hotshoe).

Oh. I dunno then. I've used my Phottix Strator II to trigger my speedlites and it works great, so I'm assuming they'll work fine for remote triggering of the shutter. And you can always use a bit of gaffers tape or string to hold it onto the camera pretty easily so you don't lose access to the hotshoe.

Is that pretty much like a Pocket Wizard?

 

[rs]

Wire free, the RT flash system will allow remote camera triggering of later cameras such as the 5D mk III as far as I know.

I use the Hahnel Giga T Pro II for remote shooting. It does have a receiver which typically mounts in the hotshoe (but it has a 1/4" thread, or could even be velcroed to the camera/tripod/mounting arm), and it does have an 'annoying' wire which runs from the receiver to the remote trigger socket on the camera. I find its great. RF with great range, and the camera can go into standby, and get woken up by the remote shutter button instantly. Half press AF and all that. I use it regularly at all day events with no battery or range issues. However, the transmitter does go into standby after a short time, which is no big problem once you get used to it.

 

[entlassen]

Wire free, the RT flash system will allow remote camera triggering of later cameras such as the 5D mk III as far as I know.

So basically I need:
600EX-RT (x2) or
600EX-RT + ST-E3-RT

What you're saying is that one of the units sits on the hotshoe, and I use the second unit as the remote. I'm looking through http://www.learn.usa.canon.com/resources/articles/2013/remote_camera_firing_speedlite600exrt.htmlp and it doesn't seem like the remote trigger has a half-press AF feature though?

In any case, this seems like complete overkill for what I'm looking for.

 

[Random Orbits]

Wire free, the RT flash system will allow remote camera triggering of later cameras such as the 5D mk III as far as I know.

I use the Hahnel Giga T Pro II for remote shooting. It does have a receiver which typically mounts in the hotshoe (but it has a 1/4" thread, or could even be velcroed to the camera/tripod/mounting arm), and it does have an 'annoying' wire which runs from the receiver to the remote trigger socket on the camera. I find its great. RF with great range, and the camera can go into standby, and get woken up by the remote shutter button instantly. Half press AF and all that. I use it regularly at all day events with no battery or range issues. However, the transmitter does go into standby after a short time, which is no big problem once you get used to it.

+1 and it's an intervalometer.

 

[Drizzt321]

Wire free, the RT flash system will allow remote camera triggering of later cameras such as the 5D mk III as far as I know.

I use the Hahnel Giga T Pro II for remote shooting. It does have a receiver which typically mounts in the hotshoe (but it has a 1/4" thread, or could even be velcroed to the camera/tripod/mounting arm), and it does have an 'annoying' wire which runs from the receiver to the remote trigger socket on the camera. I find its great. RF with great range, and the camera can go into standby, and get woken up by the remote shutter button instantly. Half press AF and all that. I use it regularly at all day events with no battery or range issues. However, the transmitter does go into standby after a short time, which is no big problem once you get used to it.

+1 and it's an intervalometer.

Yea, I heard good things about the Hahnel Giga T Pro II.

There are various RF triggers you can get. Generally, most of the chinese knockoff speedlite triggers will also include a cable to let you trigger the shutter. Alternatively, there is a device (I forget it's name right now) that's battery operated and plugs into the USB port which will let you use a computer/smartphone to control (and trigger the shutter) on the camera. It's quite a bit more expensive though.

I know there are lots of 3rd party options. I'm looking for any solid, popular recommendations with good reviews that can satisfy either Question 1 or Question 2 from my post. Kind of like how many D800 users gravitate toward the RFN-4s (small, no wires needed, doesn't take up hotshoe).

Oh. I dunno then. I've used my Phottix Strator II to trigger my speedlites and it works great, so I'm assuming they'll work fine for remote triggering of the shutter. And you can always use a bit of gaffers tape or string to hold it onto the camera pretty easily so you don't lose access to the hotshoe.

Is that pretty much like a Pocket Wizard?

Similar, but the Strator II doesn't do any kind of TTL, only it simply triggers as if through a PC-sync port. Maybe more like the earlier Pocket Wizards that didn't do any TTL triggering.

 

[rs]

Wire free, the RT flash system will allow remote camera triggering of later cameras such as the 5D mk III as far as I know.

So basically I need:
600EX-RT (x2) or
600EX-RT + ST-E3-RT

What you're saying is that one of the units sits on the hotshoe, and I use the second unit as the remote. I'm looking through http://www.learn.usa.canon.com/resources/articles/2013/remote_camera_firing_speedlite600exrt.htmlp and it doesn't seem like the remote trigger has a half-press AF feature though?

In any case, this seems like complete overkill for what I'm looking for.

You asked for wire free. As far as I know, that's the only option other than the RC-6. I have no experience with it. I do agree it appears to be far from perfect, not to mention complete overkill if you don't need the remote triggering of flashes too.

I don't understand your aversion to a unit which sits with the camera and plugs into the remote port of the body? The Giga T Pro II comes with cables to plug into either the Canon N3 and E3 sockets. Both my cameras have the N3 connector, but I've borrowed Canon bodies of both types for remote shooting - I just put on the 10-22, plug in the remote, and mount the camera out of reach to something suitable in the venue. For me, not being a specific design for any particular type of Canon camera is great, although I should really get another body to stop all of this borrowing.

 

[entlassen]

I don't understand your aversion to a unit which sits with the camera and plugs into the remote port of the body?

I'm just trying to figure out what my options are. As I mentioned previously, the competition (Nikon side) offer products that have neither of those disadvantages; they have RF solutions that don't need a wire, and they don't have a brick that needs to hog up the hot shoe, preventing you from mounting a flash unit. I'm a bit surprised that there are no similar products on the Canon side, and that all the 3rd party solutions I've seen exhibit both disadvantages. I mean I suppose you can have the brick off the hot shoe but dangling from the wire off the 3-pin port side, but that seems super ghetto and dangerous.

 

[Random Orbits]

I don't understand your aversion to a unit which sits with the camera and plugs into the remote port of the body?

I'm just trying to figure out what my options are. As I mentioned previously, the competition (Nikon side) offer products that have neither of those disadvantages; they have RF solutions that don't need a wire, and they don't have a brick that needs to hog up the hot shoe, preventing you from mounting a flash unit. I'm a bit surprised that there are no similar products on the Canon side, and that all the 3rd party solutions I've seen exhibit both disadvantages. I mean I suppose you can have the brick off the hot shoe but dangling from the wire off the 3-pin port side, but that seems super ghetto and dangerous.

Have you thought about why Canon solutions use a cable? Canon's port is on the side; if you mounted something like the Nikon solution at the port, then it would interfere with the L-bracket. The wire allows you snake it through the L-bracket.

You could get a cold shoe that mounts to the L-bracket if you'd prefer not dangling it off the side but the Hahnel is not heavy at all.