Customer Reviews

Panasonic DMW-RSL1 Remote Shutter Release for Panasonic DSLR and FZ50

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Before I purchased this item, I read some of the reviews here which lead me to believe that I might be better off to get a third party product at one fifth the price. An 'equivalent' part can be found on e-bay at much lower price; I bought it. Quickly I returned it because it worked randomly. I was offered a replacement or refund, I went for the former, thinking what I had was merely a victim of 'infant mortality' (found occasionally, but rarely in electronics). Alas, the replacement part, while working a little bit better, failed in similar manner. Being a serious photographer, I can not afford to have device working un-predicatably. I bought DMW-RSL1 quickly. Pleasantly, it works like a charm in all circumstances. The purpose that I write this review is to alert people about the importance of 'compatibility'. In the digital world, while 'almost compatible' is not difficult to immitate, to be 'truly compatible' can only be attained by paying for the right product. I have seen enough of it in the past, still I fell to the same trap again this time.

The Panasonic Lumix cameras don't ship with remote controls. So if you're doing nature or other types of photography where you want as much control over the moment of exposure as possible, you either risk the self-timer or buy this vastly over-priced item.

What it boils down to is that if you want a vibration-free exposure at a moment of your choosing (disregarding the inherent delay of the camera) it's the DMW-RSL1 or nothing.

At least the product does what it supposed to, even it it is grossly over-priced. I'm sure you could build one yourself for far less, but I haven't been inclined to try to figure out how.

Jerry

Let's get the price issue out of the way first. Nikon and Canon are notorious for overcharging for their accessories. But Panasonic makes their $40 remotes look like a bargain by comparison.

With that said. This little remote works and does its job. For those that don't know why you would need a remote I will explain.

The job of the remote is to remove vibrations from your photographs. That means it is almost always paired up with a tripod. With the camera on the tripod and the shutter activated by remote, you will not shake the camera and cause blurriness.

There are 3 situations that you would want to use this.

Shooting scenery-- when you see the spectacular scenic Ansel Adams shots and are amazed by how sharp they are. One of the reasons is they were shot on a tripod with a remote. This is a bread and butter use of a remote shutter. Additionally, with the advent of High Dynamic Range (HDR) techniques, the remote shutter would be invaluable for the bracketing shots.
Shooting in burst mode (static scene but moving subject) -- Obviously you could use this for just about any situation. However, burst mode for moving scenes and objects really calls for hand held shots and panning. The remote would be a hinderance. However, if you are shooting static scenes but moving subjects (kids sitting on a chair but wiggling), this would be a good way to get sharp images and pick your favorite expression/pose etc from the myriad you took during the bursts.
Shooting in bulb mode -- There is really no good way to do this without a locking remote release. The GH1 has a 4min bulb mode. So for the GH1 bulb mode means as long as the shutter release is held down, the shutter will remain open up to 4 min. Some good examples of bulb shooting would be fireworks at night, taking pictures of the night sky, lightning at night, and streets at night. Because the sensor heats up when doing this, there is noise generated by this. Many cameras today have a long exposure noise reduction which effectively doubles the time it takes to take long exposures. It does this by recording a picture of the same length of time with the shutter closed and then subtracts the noise from that picture from your picture.

This remote has a half-push function and a locking function. That means you can push the button half-way down and the camera will focus and set exposure (in the correct modes). Also, for the bulb mode and burst mode you can lock the switch in the full depressed position so you don't have to hold it down. One thing to note is this remote plugs into the same port as the external mic for the GH1. I can't think of a situation where you would need both at the same time but if you did, that is not an option.

Overall, I recommend you find a cheaper remote shutter release. However, if you get this one, it will work as expected.

This product is hilariously over-priced.

I've owned remote shutters for multiple cameras, and the prices just get sillier and sillier as companies try and squeeze more blood from the people who buy into their ecosystem.

This one was the last straw. Go to Ebay and order a cheap, Chinese version for nine bucks. It does all the same things. Screw Panasonic.

UPDATE:

When I wrote this review, the remote shutter was ~$80. They've since dropped the price by $25 so it's no longer insane, but at $55 it's still quite expensive. Canon's entry-level shutter is less than $30. This is still not worth it.

The Panasonic DMC LC-1 is the twin of the Leica Digilux 2 and this accessory works fine, looks the same and costs less than the Leica branded unit. If you want to pay way more to have a Leica logo on your shutter release go right ahead.

someone asked for feedback about the generic remote that fits the FZ50 that can be found on eBay-- well, I ordered one that was made by JJC for $20, plus another $20 in s&h from a seller in China and though it took 2 weeks to get it--it works perfectly with my Panasonic Lumix FZ50 digital camera!

So if you don't want to shell out twice the amount of money, and don't mind a little wait for delivery, go search eBay for the remote!!!

Sixty bucks for a switch and five feet of wire? One that doesn't even allow you a "bulb" shutter control feature? Come on, Panasonic, that's absurd!

The item that i ordered was perfect exactly what i wanted, it was cheaper then other places and although it took a little while to come in the mail now that i have it i would go straight back to amazon.com to buy other things

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000GBVA34/ref=cm_cr_rev_prod_title

thanks :D

I went ahead and bit the bullet and bought this item insted of the cheaper ones due to some of the bad reports. It works as stated on the Panasonic DMW-RSL1 Remote Shutter Release for Panasonic FZ150.

I have not purchased this pricey product, but wanted to point out that the ebay alternatives are now down to as little as ten dollars with free shipping. There are also wireless shutter releases available as well.