How To Setup A REMOTE CAMERA For SPORTS PHOTOGRAPHY.

[@billieweiss7681]

You can't be two places at once, but you kind of can!

[@icebox9093]

you can even be in more than two places these days with remotes...i shoot off-road motorsports with a bunch of Pocketwizards & extra cameras capturing different angles.

[@_SYDNA_]

Thanks. I appreciate the focus on real-world "just in case" safety and the basic direct explanation of the pocket wizard system. I probably just looked in the wrong places, but I had to search quite a bit to find an illustration of how this technology works. As one of the other commentors said: One of the best explanations out there.

[@steveconley8025]

I've been debating about trying remotes, but an opportunity came up this weekend to do it, and your video was the first to come up when searching for remote setups, great walk through, best one i've seen and can't wait to give it a shot. Good stuff, and thanks for putting this up.

[@APH808]

Awesome video! This has been super helpful, one shot ive been wanting to get is for discus throwers, down low, inside the net but behind the ring. Any recommendations on low to the ground tripods to use for the remote or any other way of keeping the camera stable and at the right angle from the ground?

[@billieweiss7681]

Good idea! That'd be a cool shot. Yes, I'd check out the line from Platypod. They make cool little stands with a tripod head on top that you can place on the ground at a low angle.

[@alexleech4490]

I'd suggest looking into the 3K and 5K Gorilliapods, by Joby (3K = up to 3kg total weight; 5K = up to 5kg total weight).

[@jmersits]

Great tutorial and pro tips! Thank you for sharing Billie!

[@billieweiss7681]

Thanks John, glad you enjoyed it!

[@RigoLuchi]

Such a great video! This is exactly what I was looking for!! Thank you

[@nasaAttackDog]

Enjoyed the video. How do you deal with fans possibly messing around with the remote camera?

[@patricksmith2553]

Billie, Why don’t you use the WT-6a transmitters you seem to already have, which have a 600ft range? With multiple WT-6 transmitters on D5 bodies you can control up to 10 other cameras from the main camera. You’re already using the WT-6a it seems and it seems it would be much easier for you! Plus it would be without cables and hotshoe mounted wizards. Just a question or suggestion!?

[@billieweiss7681]

Great question Patrick. I have used that setup in the past. To be honest, in my experience those transmitters that use wifi just aren't as reliable as the radio frequency pocket wizards. In a stadium full of fans all on their phones, there's a lot of competition for signal and I've been burned on making the wifi connection with those. I mainly stick to the WT-6 for transferring images wirelessly to the FTP from camera, rather than for control of other cameras Hope that makes sense!

[@benjared633]

Thanks for the helpful video! Something that might be worth noting: The 10 pin cable you linked in the description is a 2.5mm connector. The pocket wizards 3 I believe have a 3.5mm. I accidentally ordered a 2.5mm cable. ( I should have done my homework) Lol.

[@billieweiss7681]

Ah crap. I should have made that more clear in the links, that is definitely an important distinction. I'm sorry if I led you astray! Were you able to return it?

[@benjared633]

@@billieweiss7681 Haha no worries, all good. I'm just returning it. Trying out remote shutter this week at The Northern Trust! Thanks for the vid!!

[@billieweiss7681]

@@benjared633 Nice! Good luck with it.

[@pokerstar2004]

Great tutorial / behind the scenes look, thanks!

[@billieweiss7681]

Thank you Fred!

[@SamMallia6]

Hi Billie, just found your channel. Brilliant stuff. Never shot major sports before. Do you ever worry about where your remote is set up, or had any issues with people messing with your gear?

[@billieweiss7681]

Thanks for the kind words! It's a good question. Typically I take good care to make sure the remote is in a spot that isn't accessible to fans or other people - both as a safety precaution and also so they don't mess with the settings. This year was an exception with nobody in the stadium, so I took more liberties. But generally, if you put it in a safe place, and safety cable it down properly, there's no need to worry!

[@SamMallia6]

@@billieweiss7681 Thank you for the reply. That makes sense, I assume the spot you set up in this video is due to no fans at present.

[@billieweiss7681]

@@SamMallia6 Correct!

[@marirn]

Do you turn on the remote camera using the Pocket Wizard? Just wondering about life of the remote camera . Great video, thanks.

[@billieweiss7681]

Great question! You do have to turn the remote camera on manually beforehand. To preserve battery, typically I will keep the camera off until about 20 minutes before game time, then go turn the remote camera power on right before the game!

[@kevinmd5409]

Great video! So through these equipments I can shoot the remote camera through the main camera button? Not necessarily from the remote control button. I'm looking for a product like this.

[@JackBeasleyMedia]

Great video, Billie. Very informative!

[@wolfamri]

Great video, thanks for sharing. I wonder - have you ever come across multiple shooters that fired your camera? The number of channels is pretty limited, so I assume this could be a potential problem ;).

[@BrianFisherPhoto]

Great video! I noticed you had a 3rd camera with you in the dugout (the one NOT on the 400mm), that didn't have a PocketWizard. Is it possible to have a 3rd camera connected so if you shot with it, the remote camera would also go off? Or would all 3 bodies go off every time you shot any one of them?

[@billieweiss7681]

Glad you enjoyed it! Good question, yes you can, but like you said all 3 bodies would go off. Unless you turned off your first body while you shot with the second! Worst case you just have some extra frames to delete :)

[@chankwanting]

Why would all 3 go off? Only on the remote do you have the PW cabled to the camera to actually take a photo. Any PW receiving a signal that's not cabled will just go "erm I'm not connected to trigger any camera so I'll just ignore this". You can also set the two PW on the with-person camera to broadcast only if it really concerns you.

[@timgarland2164]

Great video, I've tried several off brand transceivers to do this with hockey but haven't had any luck with the transmitter on the camera. Finally broke down and got the PocketWizards. Would love to see a video of how you cull/process the files to find the shots. Are you locking them on the primary camera then dump both cameras files into the same folder and look for the tagged photos?

[@MarvinHall]

Great video! Thanks!

[@bengarvin]

Hi Billie, a question if I may. not sure if you'll have the answer but wanted to try :). I plan to shoot the finish line of marathons with a long lens and second camera with a wide lens to more reliably capture the runners bib number. I am working to rig a monopod with a cage and have these two cameras mounted together and fire simultaneously. Currently I have a 5d IV and 6D II. I would like to trigger them simultaneously by using the 5D IV normally. I know there are wireless systems that allow for this, including pocket wizard remotes and canon-made wireless systems. But what I am trying to figure out is if there is a wired system I could use, which would be far more reliable. Less batteries to fail, less wireless systems to figure out. I call CPS and they said something *probably* exists but he didn't know what it was and suggested it would probably be a 3rd party product. I don't need autofocus on the secondary camera, I just need it to trigger at the same time my main camera. Both cameras have front facing remote control terminals, I feel like there has to be something? I would be so grateful if you had any advice on this front. thank you so much for your videos and content. all the best, Ben

[@Kwangshin000]

I have a question. In the video, I would like to know if I can use PocketWizard Plus3 with PocketWizard PlusX.

[@molldan]

I was wondering how far away I can be for them to work. I will be shooting the Jumbo Shrimp and was wanting to do this. Thanks for the info and really enjoy the videos you have.

[@billieweiss7681]

They have a pretty good range honestly! I would say you have about 75 yards of range with them before you need to use a middleman transceiver to strengthen the signal. Good luck!

[@richodphoto]

Power ... You were setting up at 1pm for a 7pm game. Do you turn on the power then or come back at a later time and turn it on. I know the D5 battery is a beast but that seems long. Or does it go into standby and wake up when triggered by the Pocket Wizard? Thanks!

[@billieweiss7681]

A great question! I typically set up way in advance, but then turn power off until closer to game time. Then I'll go back to the remote about 1 hour before to turn the camera back on. The other option, if near a power source, is to use the plug-in battery that you can purchase for the D5 and other camera models. That way you really have no worries. Let me know if that helps!

[@richodphoto]

@billieweiss7681 it does, thanks. Loving the videos. Cant wait for spring training :-) Son is in Boston until next spring. Need to come up for a game (NJ) before he is done.

[@alexisquiroza]

Hello, your videos are great and very helpful, my question is about the configuration of the pocket wizards, which configuration to use for long distances using a main camera and a remote camera

[@billieweiss7681]

Hey Alexis. I typically use the LR setting on the pocket wizards, which stands for long range. That usually helps to maximize the effectiveness of the wizards at long distances. If I really have a long throw and am not confident in the range, I'll look to set up a 3rd transmitter somewhere halfway in the middle to work as an interceptor. That usually helps ensure that it will fire from a long range.

[@angelisone]

My crew & I have no problem in shooting/triggering long ranges at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics We were in the hotel, watching on TV & triggering many with ATG Gold 50K transceiver @ 40km! Only the next closest thing for amateurs can use is the overpriced/dated Pocket Wizard Multimax, with a range of hits & missed of 1km.

[@RichKessler3]

This is awesome, thank you! I want to try this for some G League stuff now. Are you triggering the remote at certain times or is it firing when your main does too?

[@mikegraham2477]

Hi Billie - just found your channel. This is fantastic. I am going to try this at my son's soccer games this summer (Covid willing). He's a goalie so never get good shots of him. Will set a camera up behind the net and see how it goes.

[@billieweiss7681]

That's awesome! Curious to hear how it goes - good luck! Thanks for watching.

[@unknownKnownunknowns]

Thanks for the tips. Can you enable focus tracking to work on a remote cam?

[@steveroberts7620]

On my remote, I take a o-ring that you can find anywhere (key ring) and loop it through the strap holder on the body

[@billieweiss7681]

Great approach! Probably more secure than the strap itself to be honest :)

[@Mohammed.photographe]

Would the 2.5 mm work same as the 3.5 I have the wizard pocket plus 3 as well?

[@RubikFan]

Ok, I get that you are setting AP or SP, but what do you do with your ISO, is that on an Auto setting or do you have a pretty good idea where it needs to be. (I realize that each situation will be different) Thanks for the great video.

[@Gazzab6]

Really useful video. Do you ever suffer camera shake from doing a burst on the remote camera?

[@billieweiss7681]

Yes, absolutely. It's a factor you have to account for, just due to the elements - wind, surface movement from fans, etc. For that reason I like to keep my shutter speed on the higher side for sports action setups with remotes.

[@Gazzab6]

Billie Weiss That's good to know Billie. I'm aware the shutter on the D500 which I have can be quite loud so was wondering if your D5 was the same and the if shutter caused any vibration when firing remotely.

[@photographerofchampions]

I’ve tried using other triggers and they had to be manually triggered by the button instead of firing by the main camera shutter. So Pocket Wizards will fit the remote from the main shutter?

[@JGZphotography]

Did you mention to set and sync both cameras to the clock time to the exact second? Unless you want to scatter photo frames after ingesting into the computer.

[@35RAW]

What if you use two different bodies with different shooting bust, would that work?

[@billieweiss7681]

Yes, it'll still work! The remote camera will just continue to fire at whatever burst rate it has.

[@35RAW]

@@billieweiss7681 great thanks! Will give it a try soon. Keep up the great content & thanks for sharing.

[@thomasryan2119]

do you need two 10-pin cables? one for the camera you are manually operating as well?

[@AmesSportsMatthew]

When TX is mounted on the hot shoe of the camera with 400mm and you hit shutter does it automatically fire the other camera? If the other camera goes to sleep then what? I’m assuming it would wake up too late?

[@cg5383]

Great video! Do you also utilize Auto-ISO when using shutter priority?

[@billieweiss7681]

Thank you! Yes, most of the time I use Auto-ISO as well!

[@cg5383]

@@billieweiss7681 Thanks! I am planning on trying this for MLS next spring behind the goal. This video was very helpful

[@averymcdaniel423]

Can this be set up with a Godox trigger on primary camera and receiver on the remote camera?

[@eyebidder]

So the remote camera is triggered when you shoot yours? Is that correct or are you doing it by hand?

[@NikCan66]

Great review as usual as no photographers yet allowed attend any event here in Ireland yet.

[@billieweiss7681]

Sorry to hear it. Hopefully things open up soon!

[@NikCan66]

@@billieweiss7681 thanks very much and great video yet again.

[@sergioaguilar2908]

I have a canon 5d mark III and a Sony A7 iii, do you think it will work with different brands? Thanks for the video!

[@angelisone]

You have no problem at all. ATG/Godox or ATG/Neewer or Canon has N3 cable & Multi cable for Sony We have no problem in trigger to 30km! Even the best Pocket Wizard can't do. Reply with email address, if you want more assistance

[@WayneHorridge]

Bill, does the remote get triggered when the main camera fires or do you have to manually trigger it?

[@billieweiss7681]

The remote gets triggered when the main camera fires! As long as it is plugged into the hotshoe mount on the main camera and the channels are synced up, it will fire when you hit the shutter.

[@TheForge10]

I have issues with cross county , horses jumping over and the jump is un perfect focus but the horse and rider are blurry , fall out if the DoF,, I use a D4 and Pocket wizard Plus

[@KellanReck]

The absolutely critical remote.

[@billieweiss7681]

It's key.

[@marwanmahmud]

Hi Billie! Any chance i can use 2-3 remote cameras at different angle and control them with a remote i trigger by hand (not by main camera)? I imagining setting up remote cameras for different jumps during equestrian showjumping event..

[@chankwanting]

Yes, it doesn't have to be triggered by another camera with a PW on a hotshoe. This video started with the remote being triggered by him pressing the "Test" button on the broadcast PW. You can also connect the broadcast to a foot pedal for example and trigger it when you press down on the pedal.

[@doditodi]

I would be terrified of someone doing a runner with the remote camera being that far away. Would you leave the camera at that location with fans at the game?

[@billieweiss7681]

I wouldn't leave it in this specific location that I set up for this video while fans were there. But I would feel comfortable leaving it in the stadium somewhere less accessible to fans - if the remote was properly mounted and secured both on the arm and the camera body/lens! Typically I put them in a TV camera basket or on a roof - somewhere fans can't access. Thanks for watching!

[@Gazzab6]

That's a great question, one I was going to ask.

[@isoawe1888]

Nice video. Hope you trust your crowd. For the price of a ticket and a COVID-19 mask, I could grab a D5, lens , and magic arm.

[@NikCan66]

Whats the maximum weight the magic arm will support?

[@billieweiss7681]

About 7-10 pounds.

[@NikCan66]

@@billieweiss7681 thats OK so no more than d5 or d6 with 24-70 lens

[@photographer___daniel]

How do you transfer images to a computer remotely and edit them in real time to upload to social networks?

[@grassmanBoca]

That cable you put in below was wrong cable it had a 2.5 end not 3.5

[@billieweiss7681]

I apologize if there was any confusion there! Some setups do ask for the 2.5, but I realize now I hadn't included the 3.5. I've added that link there now. Thank you!

[@grassmanBoca]

@@billieweiss7681 one more question do I set lens and thing on side to Manuel then focus and put tape on

[@billieweiss7681]

@@grassmanBoca That is what I would do, yes. Switch the lens to manual focus, focus your shot using the focus ring on the lens, then tape down the focus ring in that exact spot. That way, the camera's autofocus won't accidentally jump to something else in the frame you don't want to be in focus.

[@Mohammed.photographe]

so it requires 3.5 mm right?

[@jurebrus9097]

How do you choose right photos? You probably have few thousands of photos and need to deliver them fast…

[@iamdaniximenes]

In terms of securtity for thiefs? because you put the camera alone..any person can see it and steal the camera no?

[@SportsCardPhotographer]

Great video, thanks!

[@billieweiss7681]

Glad you enjoyed it. Thank you!