YongNuo WRS II C3 Wireless Remote Control for Canon

In the past, I have posted about the usefulness of a Remote Shutter Release cable or a Timer Remote Controller, which do the job perfectly as long as you are close to the camera.

But what happens if you need to keep a longer distance from the camera, than the cable length of these devices?

There are many reasons you might want to trigger your camera from a distance. Either because you want to hide from small and uneasy to human presence creatures, or because you want to set one or more cameras at different angles of view to your subject, but trigger them from one place.

In this case, you can either use the outdated Canon cable extension option, where you can add up to three extension cables to an existing Remote Shutter Release, or use a more convenient Wireless Remote Shutter control. I can still remember the days stumbling upon cables, when telephones were connected with long cables to the wall and how happy I was when cordless phones came out.

Of course you might say that today you can control your camera remotely via Wi-Fi, but only a few Canon cameras are supporting this feature yet, plus you can't trigger more than one camera at the same time with a smartphone or pad.
So let's see what the Wireless Remote Controller in question here, has to offer.

YongNuo Digital is widely known to strobists for their decent quality, lower priced speedlite flash units and radio remote flash triggers. But more to those, they have also released a couple of remote camera trigger models like the WRS II C3.

Packaging & Contents

My copy of YongNuo WRS II C3 came in a clear plastic enclosure, with different pockets for each device and a black hard cardboard at the back with some operating instructions in Chinese and English.

The Wireless Remote Shutter Control set comprises of a Transmitter, a receiver and one CR2 Type battery for the receiver. The transmitter has a factory installed type 23A battery inside.

The Wireless Remote

Manufacturer Specification:
Model :	WRS II C3
Operation :	Wireless via 16 channels
Operation Range  :	100 m (300 feet) Open area
Release Modes  :	Half press: Auto-Focus Full press: Shutter Release Full press Hold for 3": Bulb mode
Transmitter LED Indicators :	Green: Auto-Focus Red: Shutter Release & Bulb
Battery Types :	Receiver: One CR2 Transmitter: One 23A
Battery Capacity :	Receiver: ~1000 hrs standby Transmitter: ~ 20000 activations
Size (H x W x D) :	Receiver: 74mm X 23mm ∅ ( 2.91" X 0.9" ∅ ) Transmitter: 105mm X 38mm X 19mm ( 4.32" X 1.5" X 0.74" )
Net Weight with batteries :	Receiver: 30 gr ( 1.06 oz ) Transmitter: 45 gr ( 1.59 oz )
Receiver Cable Length :	15 cm ( 5.9" )
Transmitter Antenna Length :	18 cm ( 7.09" )
Connector Type:	N3 Quick remote control socket.
Compatible cameras:	All Canon EOS-1D series, All EOS 5D series, EOS 6D, EOS 7D, EOS 70D, EOS 60D, EOS 50D, EOS 40D, EOS 30D, EOS 20D, EOS 10D, EOS D60, EOS D30

The YongNuo WRS II C3 operates like a cordless phone and can trigger the camera shutter release remotely from a distance of 100 m (300 ft) in open space area. With its low voltage and energy saving design, does not require frequent battery changes as the receiver standby time is about 1000 hours and the remote control can trigger the shutter about 20,000 times with same battery.

The palm size transmitter resembles to an old fashion cordless phone with its extendable metal antenna, while the receiver is cylindrical with a connection cord ending in a Canon N3 plug. Both Receiver and Transmitter are a equipped with a small four DIP switch panel, that enables the selection between 16 channels for their communication. The DIP switch panels are covered with a yellow protective film which you should keep on until you'll actually need to fiddle with the small switches for a channel change.

The communication channel change feature may prove useful if there are several photographers using such WRS's working nearby or if you want to control more than one cameras, each to be triggered independently. You can also control a set of cameras using extra receivers, by syncing the channels between the transmitter and the receivers.
Further, a channel may be altered to avoid malfunction because of overlapping signals from other devices as wireless/cordless phones.

The receiver

Since the Receiver battery comes individually wrapped in the package its installation is the first priority. The round battery door is located at the bottom of the receiver and is equipped with a small latch. There is no polarity indication anywhere, so the battery must be inserted judging from the spring in the battery slot. The negative (-) pole goes in and the positive (+) pole faces the door. Press in the battery and close the door, which locks automatically.

Besides the forementioned DIP switch panel, the Receiver sports a small round on/off button and two LEDs on top at either side of the connector cable entrance point. The left one is dual color (Green/Red) while the right Red one is the on/off Power indicator (bottom right photo).
The YongNuo WRS II C3 uses the 3-pin “N3” type connector, (top-right photo) compatible with the mid and high level Canon cameras. Although it fits snugly, the plug is totally made of plastic lacking Canon's metal jacket with the indentations that clip on the camera socket. That's actually the major qualitative difference between the original and the clone N3 plugs.

Although very lightweight, the Receiver lacks any form of attachment mechanism on the camera, as e.g. a hot shoe foot present on similar devices, and relies entirely on its snugly fitting plug to stay connected with the camera. I'm not really a fan of hot shoe attachments for non flash use either. So a locking plug would be the best solution.

The Transmitter

The Transmitter top is smoothly curved, slightly recessed at the upper section forming a thumb rest. This recess is occupied by a dual color (Green/Red) LED, the four DIP switch panel and a grey two-level Shutter Button. 

Its back is flat with a large sticker bearing the YongNuo logo, website address and the enclosed battery characteristics. At the upper section, exist four horizontal grooves which offer a better grip to your pointer finger when holding in your palm.

Using with a Camera

Connecting with the Camera is a straightforward process that can be described in a few steps:

• Switch off the camera.
• Make sure the receiver and transmitter are on the same channel by checking the DIP switch positions on both.
• Connect the receiver's N3 plug to your camera's remote control socket.
• Press the small round button on the receiver to turn it on. There is an audible click when the button is pressed while the red Power LED should stay on.
• Then turn the camera back on.

The Shutter button supports Auto-Focus, Shutter Release, Continuous Drive and Bulb Mode functions. The dual color LED indicates the relevant state.

Pressing the Shutter button halfway activates Auto-Focus. (Indicated by Green LED)
Pressing it all the way releases the shutter. (Indicated by Red LED)

Bulb Mode Activation:
1. Switch the camera to Bulb mode [B].
2. Press the Shutter button all the way for 3 seconds until the Red LED on the Transmitter goes off.
3. The Receiver is set in bulb mode now, as indicated by its Red LED which stays on.
4. After your timed exposure expires, press the Transmitter Shutter button again to close the shutter.

Continuous Drive Activation:
1. Switch the camera to continuous drive mode.
2. Press the Shutter button all the way to release shutter continuously. (Up to 3 seconds)
If you want the camera to keep rolling for more than 3 seconds, then follow steps 2-4 as in Bulb mode above.

The left, dual color LED on the Receiver replicates the Transmitter states of Auto-Focus (Green LED) and Shutter Release (Red LED). If you have optical contact with the Receiver, this proves useful, confirming the communication between the two devices.

Pros
Very low price compared to similar solutions.
Very good quality for the price.
Long distance transmission up to 100 m (300 ft) in open space area.
Low power consumption, long lasting batteries.

Cons
Non fully compatible N3 plug.
Lack of attachment mechanism.

Conclusion
I have spent quite a long time with the YongNuo WRS II C3 without any problems with the batteries (still have the factory supplied batteries on) or its all plastic N3 plug (as with some cheap Shutter Releases).
The receiver is really very compact and lightweight, so its lack of a secure attachment mechanism was not a serious issue. However, if you intend to use the setup mostly outdoors, where there are more chances the receiver might be accidentally dropped and lost in the field. I'd rather go for a small Velcro strip or dot to secure the receiver on the camera, just for precaution.
As Canon does not provide a similar solution, if you need a long range Remote Shutter control, the YongNuo WRS II C3 may be a nice solution for you.

I hope you found the article useful, thank you for viewing.
All Photos & Photosynths: © 2012-2013 S.C.Vlachos

Price & Availability
Prices for the YongNuo WRS vary depending on the source and is available from Amazon or from eBay


Relevant Articles:

Aputure AP-TR3C (TC-80N3 compatible) Timer Remote Controller for Canon

Shoot RS-80N3 compatible Remote Release Cable for Canon

Remote Shutter Terminal Converter Cable N3F to E3M for Canon

YongNuo RC-5 Wireless Remote Control for Canon