NERO multi-trigger reviewed

NERO multi-trigger reviewed

A couple of days ago I was contacted by the creator of Nero triggers and asked to make a review of their acclaimed product for camera multi-trigger and they sent me a unit to test.

They assured me this was a production unit but the hot-shoe mount was not yet completely finished so they had to replace it with a hand made one which fits perfectly on my Canon cameras.

 This is a multi-trigger system for sound, light and moving objects as well as time lapse and laser triggering.

This can work with any camera with the dedicated cable. I was able to test this with Canon 1D MarkIV, Canon 5D MarkII, Canon 5D MarkIII, Canon Powershot G12 and Olympus OM-D E5 all with great success.  

About the device:

NERO is a versatile device for photographers to take special photographs by triggering their SLRs or external flashes.

The device has been designed based on microcontroller technology. It is equipped with built-in light, laser and sound sensors, also incorporates a timer for flexible control of timelapse photography.

The Nero MultiTrigger has 10 built-in functions listed below:

- Lightning Trigger - Sound Trigger
- Sound Trigger with Lock
- Time Lapse (1-10 secs)
- Time Lapse (1-10 mins)
- Laser Trigger with Delay
- Laser Trigger with MultiShot
- Long Exposure
- Super Bulb
- Manual Trigger

So here are my thoughts about this great product that I've been testing day in day out on it's functionality.



The box come in well packed and delivered very fast by DHL express service.



Inside the box you will have a full booklet with the instructions on how to use the unit. You can also download it directly from the NERO page here.



It came with a Canon cable that was under the unit box.



Here is in detail the connection for the 5D and 1D Canon series.



After power the unit it looks like this with a bunch of lights that represent the mode settings.




Here is set to Timelapse Trigger (mins). Each bar represents a mode of the 10 the unit have available.



On one of the sides you have the mode button (M) and the selector button for the active function (C) and a wheel to change the sensitivity of the mode you have chosen.






On the other side of the panel you have the On/Off switch, the Flash input to plug and trigger external flashes and the SLR input to trigger DSLR or other cameras.





On the front of the unit you have the light trigger sensor.



On the base of the unit you have the hot-shoe mount.



This unit came with a hand made hot-shoe but the manufacturer assured me that this was a temporary situation and that the shipping units are coming with a well built hot-shoe. Although this was not a problem to mount it on the camera I did found that was a disappointment to have such a hot-shoe mount for the price you pay for the unit.



Here are the cables I used to test it. Canon 1D & 5D, Canon Powershot 50D/60D and Olympus trigger (Left to Right).



The one shipped with the NERO unit is the one on the bottom and it worked perfectly with my Phottix trigger that takes separate cables to work.



Here is the Phottix unit reversed (Phottix TC-501) so you can order cables from other places in case you have different cameras.



Here is a size measure of the unit in my hand so you will get a feeling how small this unit is.



Another measure of the unit compared with 3 standard AA batteries although the unit takes 2 AAA batteries to operate.



The unit needs a Philips screwdriver so you can replace the batteries has they are inside the sealed plastic cover.

This can be an inconvenient when out in the field and batteries needed to be changed.



When unscrewed the 4 screws here is what you will see.



Let's take a closer look...



When I opened the unit for the first time I also noticed that it was covered with dust and some metal parts were already with rust. Do not know if this is because of the sample unit or if all the production units will come like this.



Take the batteries out and as you can see the unit is a little rusty and with no care for dust. I had to blow the unit out of dust who also led me think that these are made one by one in a hand made in a no sealed environment. 



A closer look at the battery contacts and you can see the rust and dust particles all over.

After a few rocket blown the dust disappeared but the rust still remains, let's see how long it will take before the unit stop working. Only time will tell... hope they will take this in attention for the next built units.



After cleaning the unit it was time to close things up and make it to test.

The unit performed with excellent results for every camera I tested and under the situations it was build to.

I found out, and after playing with it for a while, that the bar system is a little complicated to memory leading you to almost frustration in the field in case you forget the instruction manual, also the fact that you cannot replace batteries on the fly is another inconvenient.

I also wish they could have implemented an external input so you can add and use your own inputs.

I contact NERO about this and they told me that they are preparing another unit with an LCD and an easy access to replaceable batteries without removing the cover.

Hope this will come soon than later has there is another unit on the market with some of this functions and with an LCD.

Features of the unit:

• Multi-Cable / Camera Capability is now STANDARD. No need to buy another trigger if you have two cameras or when you upgrade to a different model/brand
• It is possible to trigger Flash or DSLR with standart 2.5 and 3.5 mm interfaces (unique NERO feature)
• Extremely sensitive optical sensor to detect lightning events
• Day or night detection of fast lightning events
• Allow for Image Review after Every Shot
• Response (lag) time in milliseconds level
• 10 level sensitivity adjustment and display
• Optical isolated output to fully protect DSLR from any potential harms
• Hot shoe mount for most SLR/DSLR cameras
• Includes Duracell 2xAAA battery
• Microcontroller-based design

The price of the unit starts at US 117,00 and goes up depending on what functionality you would like on the unit.

You can also buy dedicated cables at their web page for Nikon and Canon models look them here.

This is an excellent product for a specific kind of photography and it's one of the smallest I came across also the price is very good considering the number of things you can do with it.

Extremely recommended!!!

Check out the photo gallery of what you can do with this baby.

Here are some example videos:

Lightning Trigger mode



Sound Trigger mode



Time Lapse mode

How to Manipulate Lighting

Manipulating Lighting

I am going to challenge you for the next day that when you watch television or a movie to pay attention to the lighting. The videographers are not just taking an expensive camera and pressing record; there are a lot of other details that go into creating the perfect shot. One of these details is lighting. Being an outdoor videographer you might think that the only lighting issue you have to deal with is low light situations when you are at your peak of hunting. Wrong! Good lighting can take your video footage and/or tv show to a Discovery, National Graphic and History channel level of videography. The color, direction, quantity and quality determine how your subjects appear. 

  Lighting for the Outdoors

"Daylight and sunlight are not a constant source, because they change hourly and with the weather, season, location, and latitude. This changing daylight can alter the apparent shapes, colors, tones, and forms of a scene. The color of sunlight changes most rapidly at the extreme ends of the day. Strong color changes also occur during storms, haze, or mist and on blue wintery days. The direction of light changes as the sun moves across the sky. The shape and direction of shadows are altered, and the different directions of sunlight greatly affect the appearance of a scene. The quality of sunlight depends on its strength and direction. Strong, direct sunlight is "hard" because it produces dark, well-defined shadows and brilliant highlights, with strong modeling of form. Sunlight is hardest on clear summer days at noon. Strong sunlight makes strong colors more brilliant, but weak colors pale. Sunlight is diffused by haze, mist, and pollution in the air. This diffused or reflected light is softer; it produces weak, soft shadows and dull highlights. Directionless, diffused sunlight is often called "flat" lighting because it produces fine detail but subdues or flattens form. Weak, directionless sunlight provides vibrant, well-saturated colors." – From Photo Composition Articles

I understand that when you are up in a treestand or in a ground blind and especially while spotting & stalking the last thing on your mind is setting up lighting. There is not going to be room in your backpack to bring a full light set up to your tree stand. Therefore, a way that you can work with the lighting that you got (sun) is determining where you want to put your tree stands and cameras (determined by the time and location that there is the most animal action). A good way to watch and determine the animal movement is by using a trail camera and studying the footage. Once you know the direction and timing of your animal, you can determine where to set up your camera depending on the sun and the weather.

Portrait Look

There is an old tradition that says put the sun behind your subject. However, this creates a flattened effect and does nothing to bring out the detail or provide an impression of depth. This is a good technique if you are going for a "Portrait" look (a nice look at sunset).
To give your subject an impression of form, depth, and texture, you should ideally have the light come from an angle or the side.  Take a look at the image below of the brick wall. Notice when the light is directly facing the wall, the bricks looks smooth and flat (1st picture). Now look how positioning the light to the side gives picture 2 depth and creates texture in the brick. 
A subject who is wearing a ball cap or any other hat cast even more shadows in strong light, creating harsh shadows.

Bad Lighting

Take a look at the snapshot from a video of The Crush. This is an example of a bad lighting setup. You can see that the sun is behind Lee. Notice how you can not see his eyes, his mouth, what clothes he is wearing, etc.

Tip: Eye contact is a known way of establishing sincerity, emotion, and a way to establish a relationship with the audience. Creating lighting situations where your subject's eyes can not been seen, will draw your audience's attention elsewhere and loose focus on your video.

If you are shooting non-hunting material where the sunlight is behind your subject, there is a way to correct the lighting using a reflector. A reflector is an improvised or specialized reflective surface used to redirect light towards a given subject or scene. Reflectors come in all different shapes and sizes, with many of them having the ability to fold down into compact and portable configurations. A reflector will reflect available light into those areas of your subjects face that would be in shadow without it. Quite often the best place for one is below your subjects face reflecting light back up into those dark under-spots.

To use a reflector you're going to want to get it pretty close to your subject – without getting into the frame. Reflectors can be used anytime that there is shadows casting on your subject. You want to position the reflector so that it's glow bounces back up to light up your subject's face. What you should be looking for is a nice even light with no shadows (or shadows where you creatively place them). Keep positioning the reflector until you achieve the look that you are going for.


You can manipulate the color, tone and intensity of the shot by using different colors and sizes of reflectors. Lets take a look at how changing the color of the reflector can change the mood of the shot.

White Reflectors - Provide the softest, most even fill.

Left: No Reflector           Right: White Reflector

Gold Reflectors - Give off a "warm" tone.

Gold Reflector

"Soft" Gold Reflector

Example from GrayPhotograph.com:

In this behind the scenes image below, you can see that the place we wanted to shoot (in-between these nasty old trailers) was actually very dark and the light was pretty bad. We liked the light that was coming in behind our subject, but the light on the front was terrible. So in this instance we bounced some direct sunlight into where our model was in order to light here face. At first we tried using white side of the reflector to get the softest look we could, but the white just didn’t reflect a strong enough light source onto her because she was so far away from the reflector. We then went for the silver/gold side of our reflector. The problem with that was it looked too much like a spotlight and because we were so far away, the light was also very harsh. So what we did was first position the bottom of our reflector at chin height so it would hit her in the most flattering way, then, we used what’s called a feathering technique to slightly soften the light. We did that by shooting the bright light at her, then ever so slightly panning the light to the side so that it tapers off a bit and does not seem so harsh.

 Here is the resulting shot! The other cool thing about using the silver/gold reflector, is that the color is warmed up from the gold which makes the background get cooler during the afternoon time (at sunset, silver gold is similar in color to the sunset colors). This makes our subject really stand out because her skin tones seem so much warmer than the background. 
Apply these photography techniques to your video.






Silver Reflectors- Gives off a "cool" feel to the shot. Silver adds more light than white. It is like a mirror, it reflects what it sees. Outside the Silver reflectors will give the shot a "cool" look because it is reflecting the blue from the sky.

Using the sky to manipulate your light with a silver reflector:

"This is how we created the first shot. Triflash through with a Skylite Panel & a silver reflector for bounce. Used the grey-ish sky as my background. The ability to light just opens up so much possibility in our shoots." - From Louis Pang

Black Reflectors- Are opposite of other reflectors because they absorb light. Used to "shade" light.

When you watch TV shows or Movies or even look at photographs, you don't realize the amount of setup that it takes to capture those shots. You can manipulate light by using one of the 5 in 1 reflectors and having a partner to hold the reflector.

Here are some different size options for reflectors:

Remember that Photography came before Cinematography; therefore, there is a lot to learn from photography.

I can guarantee that a lot of hunting shows are not using these simple techniques. You might be thinking, "Why should I use them then?" You should use them because they will take your  tv show, dvd, or home video to a new professional level.

The best way to master these lighting techniques is to practice! I suggest taking a plant or something stable and then just start using all the different filters at different times of the day.

These are not rules that you have to follow, they are ideas to spark your creativity! 

Products You Can't Film Without

Products You Can't Film Without

I went around the office today and asked our Professional Staff what product they can't film without, here are what they said:

Johanna Campbell - Remote Control 

Whether you are filming using a tripod or a tree arm, a remote control is the one product that I can't film without! They attach to the handle of your fluid head and allow you to control various functions of the camera without touching it. This is valuable in hunting situations where it is important to be still and not make a lot of noise. Campbell Cameras has various remotes that connect to the camera's LANC port or the AV-R Remote port in some Sonys. My personal favorite is the Varizoom VZ-Rock Variable Rocker for LANC cameras. The reason I am partial to this remote is the location of the pressure-sensitive side-to-side rocker below all the other control options. That way my thumb doesn't accidently slip and turn the camera off or change control. This remote controls zoom, focus, and record. It features a data button to provide on screen info and you can review taped footage with the F+ and F buttons.

Jeremy Leu - 2nd Camera Angle Camera

For entertainment purposes, it is important to capture as many angles of the hunt as possible. As a member of the Solo Hunter Pro Staff and an avid Solo Hunter, I can't hall in 2-4 full-size cameras and operate them at the same time. I rely on the quality shots that the POV cameras can capture. They don't weigh down my pack or take up a lot of room, yet they capture Full 1080 HD. I use a variety of POV: GoPro, Contour, Muvi Gumball Edition, and the Replay. Because of its shape, I usually mount the Contour+ or the Replay XD 1080 to my bow to capture both angles (facing me and outwards). I will mount the GoPro or the MUVI Gumball Edition on a Gorillapod and wrap it around a limb above me in the tree stand to capture the angle of me shooting my bow/ operating the main camera. When I blowfish I mount the GoPro to the 10' Rode Boom Pole to capture the underwater shots reeling in the catch or boom shots above. Take the GoPro and the GoPro Chest Mount and attach it to your bird dog to get the video of him retrieving (even jumping in the water!). The new GoPro HD Hero2 just came out and they allow you to attach a microphone to pick up better quality audio. In a couple of weeks  (turkey season) I will be able to mount an external microphone to the GoPro HD Hero2 and mount that on a Gorillapod to place out by the Turkey decoys.

 






Kim Risley- Camouflage Audio Technica Professional Stereo Headphones

Crisp, clean audio is very important to my final project, and a main focus while filming. To insure that the audio my external microphone are picking up is they way that I want it to sound, I always have my Audio Technica Pro Stereo Headphones on. They allow me to block out some of the outside noise, so that I can focus on the audio being recorded. This allows me to monitor the audio levels and adjust as I'm filming. This cuts down on a lot of post-production voice-overs and saves time! Not to mention they are great headphones to use while traveling to watch my recordings or listen to audio on my iPod. They are only a $60 accessory that in my opinion are a MUST!


Bo Adams- A good-looking hunting partner or good lighting!

I can't film without a good-looking partner right beside me. Usually I don't have a girl and get stuck with Jeremy! A Bescor LED Light is important to try and capture Jeremy in his best light. All jokes aside, lighting equipment has a large impact on the quality of film that you record. LED lights will give the most natural looking white light. The Bescor LED lights are dimmable and I use them both for filming in-the-field during the day and while on recovery shots. Using an LED light for during the day shots allows me to reduce the shadows around the subject's eyes when he/she is wearing a hat. During the recovery shot I dim the light all the way up and the Bescor LED 70 provides a light that travels about 30ft.


Tom Petry - The Azden SGM-1000 XLR Shotgun Microphone + JRod Twin Shoe

When filming with my Sony HDR-AX2000 or similar camera, I mount the JRod in the shotgun microphone holder and then use the shock mount thats included with the Axden SGM-1000 to mount that microphone on one of the available shoes of the JRod. This is a professional 12.2" supercardiod shotgun mic. To insure that the microphone is not being recorded in the shot, I use the JRod to move the microphone back. This shogun microphone provides me with professional, crisp audio. It picks up a wide frequency range and you can't be the price! With it being a long mic, I do not recommend this for the smaller XLR cameras (Canon XA10).



Kyle Almeling- Fluid Head

Wether you are filming on a tree arm or a tripod, a fluid head is required to get fluid movement out of your camera. The fluid head allows the camera to move smoothly when panning left to right or up and down. Fluid heads all depend on the size of the payload that you place upon them. The Manfrotto 701 HDV Fluid head can hold up to 8.82lbs. The Manfrotto 501 HDV Fluid head can support up to 13.2 lbs. Determine the weight of your camera set up and choose the right fluid head for you! They are interchangeable and you can use them on a Tree Arm and also on a Tripod.