Back in the day, SLR cameras had cable releases for remote photos- literally a relative of the brake cable on a bicycle would push on the shutter. Then came the Autofocus SLR in 1985, and with it a need for a cable release able to trigger the autofocus command. That same original electronic release is now the Sony RM-L1AM remote control, available in two versions, one with a short cord, one with a long cord. They will work with any of the Minolta Autofocus SLR heritage cameras from the original Maxxum 7000 straight through to the Sony Alpha series digital SLRs created when Sony bought the SLR unit from Konica Minolta in 2006.

Background

One of the basic problems with having a very capable camera able to take long exposures is the photographer becomes a hazard to the camera. While very short exposures can work well, and a bit of training can get most people to exposure times of around 1/20 of a second, long exposures of many seconds or minutes are simply impossible to take without jiggling the camera- even if it is on a tripod an all you are doing is hitting the shutter release. The self timer has the complications of requiring you to be with the camera, and to forsee 2-10 seconds into the future for the scene to be what you want to catch. And so, every photographer eventually will have to face the fact there are times when you will want to trigger the camera without disturbing it.

The first releases were literally a wire in a sheath, and all you did by pressing on the end was mechanically push on the shutter button. For a camera with a manual film winder, this was all that was needed, and so a lot of old cameras have little threaded sockets in their shutter release. For long exposure photography, all you had to do was use a "Bulb" mode (I think this is named after air-bulb driven releases, but I have never seen one) where the shutter would be open as long as you held the release down.

The autofocus SLR made a lot of this obsolete by introducing a shutter release with two stops- the first would cause the camera to focus and depending on the mode it was in, also trigger it to automatically compute an iris setting and/or shutter exposure time. So, back when Minolta introduced the first one, the Maxxum 7000, the also introduced the electric shutter release, which had three button settings: the first stop to trigger the autofocus/ exposure control, the second to trigger the shutter, and a third where after pressing down the button, it can slide back to command the camera to leave the shutter open while in "Bulb" mode, but as a nice feature you didn't have to hold down the button with the sliding feature. And it never changed.

Description and Usage

The Maxxum/Alpha remote is a very simple little device. It has a small control box which easily fits into the hand with only the one three-funtion button on it. The cord is made from a very high quality flexible elastomer with a captive cord wrap tie built in. The end of the cord has a small proprietary three-hole plug in a 90 degree adapter with a notch on one side to make sure it will only fit one way. In the original Maxxums, this plug strangely pointed up as apparently only after the 90 degree bend was designed in did someone realize a downward orientation with the camera could cause it to interfere with some tripod heads. The late generation Maxxum and Alpha cameras have the socket pointed so the cord comes to the front of the camera. The removable dust cap has also been replaced with a captive sliding door.

The remote itself has always come with two cord lengths. This model has a nice 19' length, which I find handles most needs very handily. For some reason, there is also a short cord about a meter long. Since I tend to want to completely isolate myself from accidentally yanking on the camera with the cord, I find I use more length than this, and wrap up what I am not using and use that to secure the cord (e.g. have the bundle hang separately on the tripod or lay on the floor, so if I tug on something, it won't be the camera). Though there have been some minor changes to the orientation of the socket on the camera, you have to take the remote itself and turn it over to read the data block to tell the difference between a Minolta and Sony remote. As a result, there is another opportunity for saving some cash since the new ones from Sony are being sold for a bit more than Minolta labeled ones do.

I do realize many people will comment a wireless remote would be preferable. I am going to take exception to that. For starters, the wire remote can be completely concealed in your hand, so it is not obvious you are triggering the camera when, for example, you have set it up to photograph a birthday party while you are seated at the table, where a wireless remote would insist you were in the line of sight of the sensor. Another benefit is the camera always gets the command with the wired remote- a wireless one may or may not succeed in getting the message there, especially if it only gets used periodically and you didn't put in new batteries. Another problem is if you have more than one of the same type of camera, you would have no option but to trigger them both, or tape over the port on one. So, I personally find I have little desire for a quirky wireless remote.

The remote has a very solid feel to its release button, where there is a very noticable click when you go to autofocus, and a second one when the shutter releases. This helps overcome the dead-space there would otherwise be without the cues of the motor noise and viewfinder events you have when you are holding the camera. The slide lock feature exposes an orange tab, so it is obvious the release is open even if you set the remote down. The main complication here is these cameras do not have exposure timers where an arbitrary time could be dialed in- you are using your watch on "Bulb" mode. Unfortunately, the Exif files in the digital cameras will not record the exact time, either.

Conclusion

The Sony RM-L1AM Remote Control answers the basic needs for controling the Alpha series Digital SLR without direct contact. I would personally recommend getting the long-cord version over the short cord for the reasons stated here (e.g. it's easier to tie up the extra length than it is to wish 30" more inches onto the cord). At around $70, the price does seem a bit steep, and since they really are the same as the older Minolta branded remote for the Maxxum cameras, there is an opportunity to save some money there.

Recommended: Yes