Released by Harbortronics:

Many photographic applications just beg for a wired remote.

Skydivers typically use a cabled 'bite' switch to control a camera on their helmets. Surgeons and other professionals often use foot switches to trigger a camera while their hands are busy. There are a surprising number of individuals and companies involved with aerial photography, using automated (time-lapse) cameras, or radio frequency remote controls... kites, blimps, airplanes and helicopters (real and models) are all used. Wildlife photography often require remote controls, from cameras mounted at backyard bird feeders to time-lapse systems monitoring puffins on isolated islands in Alaska. Mark and Deborah at Harbortronics are constantly amazed at the range of photographic applications using remote control devices. They have received numerous inquiries regarding the new D70, but Nikon did not provide a wired control port on the camera, which got them thinking.

An IR remote doesn't have much range, and are only useful if you are in front of, or are reaching over the camera. Studio and technical photographers may be able to control their camera via a dedicated program running on a computer, but the USB interface is particularly asymmetric, precluding the development of a handheld USB controller. Harbortronics has taken a bold step and developed a modification to the Nikon D70, adding a wired remote control port! The wired remote port uses a standard 2.5mm stereo jack, rather than the proprietary 10 pin connector Nikon typically provides. Many Canon EOS cameras use this same 2.5mm interface, so products developed for the EOS cameras should work with the modified D70. The DigiSnap 2000 series controllers from Harbortronics are also compatible with this interface, enabling the D70 to be used in a variety of time-lapse, motion control, and remote control applications.

Harbortronics, the clear leader in digital camera remote control solutions, can provide the camera body modification very quickly, typically with a single working day turn-around. The modification does not affect any camera function, and is actually performed with the lens cap in place, completely avoiding any optical paths. Nikon has not endorsed this modification. For more information, visit the Harbortronics website, www.Harbortronics.Com. Now, did someone ask for a vertical grip for the D70… the thinking continues!