Third party cable release for Pentax

link

Has anyone got one of these? Pixel Pro Digtial & Film Camera Cable Shutter Remote with Locking. It's listed for a number of Canon bodies then says "Pentax, Samsung..." presumably it will work with any Pentax? It's much cheaper than an original Pentax and it gets good reviews from the (Canon) users who have got one.

Works ok with a K30

I have one. They work perfectly on the K7 - K5ii. Though on ebay they are less than half that price...

The only one I have seen on ebay at half that price is from China and says it is for Olympus cameras. Perhaps I haven't found the right one yet?

Steve

This one is the one you want - fast and cheap, although it's recently gone up (by only 6p)! Well built and already in UK.

Thanks for the link, I clicked on their ebay shop and found it for £4.00! Ordered it just now.

The 2.5mm stereo jack pin assignment is

Sleeve = 0v
Ring = Shutter button half press
Tip = Shutter release.

You can make your own

You're welcome! Yep, it was 3.99 ... Not too hard to build your own - but not at that price! A decent 2-stage switch will cost more than that, if you can find one.

(This unit uses a custom setup resembling a 3-pronged tuning fork made out of spring steel.)

Plus I did see 1 review by someone who had both the genuine Pentax and this version, and claimed this version was the better product!

If you don't need the "half press functions" for a remote there's no necessity for a two stage switch.

The camera still meter/expose properly by just shorting the Tip to the Sleeve.

Of course for price alone it's no problem to buy a four quid example and solder up a jack and twin core cable to make your own for extended length.

The point is, that for anyone wanting to trigger their camera in more esoteric ways, through perhaps relays, etc, then it's safely possible.

Agreed. But again for an extension cable any stereo headphone extension cable will do and be cheaper than the parts most likely - or even a mono one for single press - although that'll likely cost more than a stereo one these days :

Like most users I just wanted a cable release (ie something physically connected to the camera) to activate the shutter when the camera is tripod mounted and for £4 it is, to use modern parlance, a "no-brainer"!
I do have an infra red remote for the KX which also works with the K5 the first time I tried it with the K5 it didn't release the shutter at the decisive moment and I had to resort to pressing the button myself. I had tested it moments before and then again afterwards and it worked perfectly, sods law I guess. Then again anything which is battery powered can give up just when you need it most.