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How to use the self-timer
Techniques
24 October 2007 09:30
Every camera offers a self-timer. This is a handy facility that sets the camera’s shutter to fire after a short delay. It’s most commonly used so photographers can appear in their own family snaps – the delay gives them time to get into the picture area. But this is not the only use for your self-timer: you can also use it to combat camera shake, with the camera on a tripod.
To make the most of this facility many cameras offer a range of different timings for the delay. These can vary from a short 2-second delay to a lengthy 20 seconds for different situations.
A short delay of between two and five seconds won’t give you time to get into the shot, but if you don’t have a remote release it can be used to stop camera shake on your landscapes. It’s not so good if you need to synch with wave or wind movement.
The 10-second delay is the default setting for most cameras. It’s excellent for shooting self-portraits when you haven’t far to move to get into the shot. The longer 20-second delay is useful for compositions where you’re further from the camera. Just set the timer, press the shutter, run into frame, grin like an idiot... job done!
Although each camera is slightly different, you’ll usually find the self-timer delay options in the Custom Settings Menu. On the Nikon D80 for instance, press MENU and use the multi-selector to highlight the Self-timer option. This gives access to a range of options from 2 to 20 seconds. To activate the self-timer, press the drive mode button beside the LCD screen until the self-timer icon appears in the top right of the screen. Next time you press the shutter release, the camera will fire after the time you selected.
The self-timer delay on the EOS 400D is a standard 10 seconds – accessed by pressing the drive mode button on the camera back and scrolling through the options until the self-timer icon is displayed. To access a shorter 2-second delay you have to activate the Mirror lock-up mode in the Custom Function menu. Scroll through to find Custom Function 07 Mirror lock-up and turn this option on by pressing the SET button and using the up/down buttons to select the Enable option. Now when you press the shutter with the self-timer activated, the mirror will flip up and the shutter will fire after 2 seconds.
