MK Controls Lightning Bug Plus
The Lightning Bug Plus™ is based upon the science of lightning. There are two components of lightning; the bright white flash everyone wants to capture and the unseen infrared light that always precedes it. The Lightning Bug™ uses a high-speed photodiode sensor optimized to the infrared burst that occurs just before a lightning strike. This infrared light comes from the vaporization of air and particles in the air. The Lightning Bug™ acts as a lookout for your camera, watching for a change in infrared light. When a significant change of infra-red light over a very short period of time is detected, it directs the camera shutter to trip and capture the lightning in action.
The Lightning Bug Plus™ conveniently mounts to your camera hot shoe, although it's not required to do so. NOTE: For some model SONY cameras, a cold shoe adapter (available on our order page) may be required for mounting directly to your camera.
Being photographers first and an engineering company second, we give you the ability to adjust the sensitivity of the Lightning Bug Plus™. The exclusive sensitivity adjustment circuitry allows the photographer to customize the Lightning Bug Plus's™ operation to any shooting situation. This gives the photographer full control over when to take the picture. If you only wanted to capture the brightest and boldest lightning bolts you would decrease the sensitivity. Or if you wanted to capture lightning over the city or mountains from a long distance, you would increase the sensitivity. Only the Lightning Bug Plus™ gives you this level of control.
While others in the field point to the simplicity of their unit's ability to automatically 'adjust' for all conditions, we are of the mindset that the user knows better than our device ever could. At MK Controls we believe that you, the photographer, should be able to make the decision about an image. That is why we include features that put you in control for less money.
We also include premium features not found in simpler lightning detectors on the market. The Lightning Bug Plus™ allows the user to limit the number of possible exposures per second to between 1 and 10. This feature allows you to capture repeated lightning strikes successfully.
When trying to capture weather events, your photography gear can get wet, we've designed the Lightning Bug Plus™ to withstand exposure to rain. The design incorporates weather resistant soft touch buttons.
The Lightning Bug Plus™ Engineered for your imagination.
* When buying this accessory, you must choose the cable compatible with your DSLR camera.
Compatibility
NOTE: ALL Cables are compatible with both the Lightning Bug Plus™ and Lightning Bug™ units.
- E3 #210 Plug:
- Canon: 1000D, 100D, 1100D, 1200D, 1300D, 1500D, 2000D, 200D, 250D, 300D, 350D, 400D, 450D, 500D, 550D, 600D, 60D, 60Da, 650D, 700D, 70D, 750D, 760D, 77D, 8000D, 800D, 80D, 850D, 90D, Digital Rebel, Digital Rebel XT, Digital Rebel XTi, Elan 7/7E, Elan 7NE, Elan II/IIE, EOS M5, EOS M6, EOS M6 MK II, EOS R, EOS R10, EOS R100, EOS R6, EOS R6 MK II, EOS R7, EOS R8, EOS RP, G10, G11, G12, G15, G16, G1X, G1X II, G1X III, G3X, G5X, IX Lite, Kiss Digital, Kiss Digital F, Kiss Digital N, Kiss Digital X, Kiss X2, Kiss X3, Kiss X4, Kiss X5, Kiss X50, Kiss X6i, Kiss X70, Kiss X7i, Kiss X8i, Rebel , Rebel 2000, Rebel GII, Rebel SL1, Rebel SL2, Rebel SL3, Rebel T1i, Rebel T2, Rebel T2i, Rebel T3, Rebel T3i, Rebel T4i, Rebel T5, Rebel T5i, Rebel T6, Rebel T6i, Rebel T6s, Rebel T7, Rebel T7i, Rebel T8i, Rebel Ti, Rebel XS, Rebel XSi, Rebel XT, Rebel XTi, SX50 HS, SX60 HS, SX70 HS, XSi
- OM Systems/Olympus: OM-1, OM-D E-M1 MK II, OM-D E-M1 MK III, OM-D E-M1X, OM-D E-M5 MK III
- Pentax: *ist D, *ist DL, *ist DL2, *ist DS, *ist DS2, 645D, 645Z, D20D, Grand Prix, ist D, ist DL, ist DL2, ist DS, ist DS2, K1, K1 II, K10 , K10 Grand Prix, K100D, K100D Super, K10D, K110D, K200D, K20D, K3, K-3, K3 II, K30, K-30, K3-II, K5, K-5, K-5 II, K-5 IIs, K-5 IIt, K50, K-50, K500, K-500, K5-II, K5-IIS, K7, K-7, MZ-6, MZ-L, ZX-L
- Fujifilm: GFX100, GFX100S, GFX50R, GFX50S, X100F, X100T, X100V, X70, X-E1, X-E2, X-E3, X-H1, X-H2, X-Pro2, X-Pro3, X-T1, X-T10, X-T100, X-T2, X-T20, X-T3, X-T30, X-T4, X-T5
NOTE: For the Fujifilm X-E1, X-E2, X-T1, X-T2 and X-T3 models, you must provide a 3.5mm Male to 2.5mm Female adapter (by others), and you must specifiy the microphone port to be used as a remote shutter release in the menu options.
- Samsung: GX-1L, GX-1S, GX-20, NX-10, NX-100, NX-11, NX-5
- Sigma: SD1, SD1 Merrill, SD15
- Hasselblad: H, H3D, H4D-200MS, H4D-31, H4D-40, H4D-50, H4D-50MS, H4D-60, H5D, H6D
- Contax: 645, N, N Digital, N1, NX
- Lytro: Illum
- N3 #218 Plug
- Canon: 10D, 1D, 1D C, 1D MK II, 1D MK II N, 1D MK III, 1D MK IV, 1D X, 1D X MK II, 1D X MK III, 1DC, 1Ds, 1Ds ASTRO, 1Ds MK II, 1Ds MK III, 1DX, 1Dx MK II, 1V, 1v HS, 20D, 20Da, 30D, 40D, 50D, 5D, 5D MK II, 5D MK III, 5D MK IV, 5DR, 5Ds, 5Ds R, 6D, 6D MK II, 7D, 7D MK II, D2000, D30, D60, EOS 3, EOS R3, EOS R5
- Kodak: DCS-560
- RR90 #241 (Fujifilm RR90) Plug
- Fujifilm: Finepix S1, X30, X-A1, X-A2, X-A3, X-E2S, X-M1, XQ1, XQ2
- DC0 #221 (Nikon 10-Pin) Plug
- Nikon: D1, D100, D100(w/MB-D100 grip), D1H, D1X, D2, D200, D2H, D2HS, D2X, D2XH, D2XS, D3, D300, D300S, D3s, D3X, D4, D4S, D5, D500, D6, D700, D800, D800 E, D800E, D810, D810 A, D810A, D810E, D850, F100, F5, F6, F90, F90X, Z8, Z9
- Fujifilm: IS Pro, S3 Pro, S5 Pro
- Kodak: DCS Pro 14n
- DC2 #236 Plug
- Nikon: 100WQD, 110S, 130ED, 140ED, 150ED, 70Ws, Coolpix A, Coolpix P1000, Coolpix P7700, Coolpix P7800, Coolpix P900, Coolpix P950, CP8400, CP8800, D3100, D3200, D3300, D40, D40X, D50, D5000, D5100, D5200, D5300, D5500, D5600, D60, D600, D610, D7000, D70S, D7100, D7200, D750, D7500, D780, D90, Df, F65, F75, J1, J2, P7000, P7100, P7700, U, U2, V1, V2, Z5, Z6, Z6II, Z7, Z7II
- S1 #238 Plug
- Sony: DSLR-A100, DSLR-A100H, DSLR-A100K, DSLR-A200, DSLR-A200K, DSLR-A200W, DSLR-A300, DSLR-A300/N, DSLR-A300K, DSLR-A300K/N, DSLR-A350, DSLR-A350K, DSLR-A350X, DSLR-A400, DSLR-A450, DSLR-A500, DSLR-A500H, DSLR-A500L, DSLR-A550, DSLR-A550L, DSLR-A550V, DSLR-A560, DSLR-A560L, DSLR-A580, DSLR-A580L, DSLR-A700, DSLR-A700H, DSLR-A700K, DSLR-A700P, DSLR-A850, DSLR-A900, SLT-A33, SLT-A33L, SLT-A35, SLT-A35K, SLT-A37, SLT-A37K, SLT-A37M, SLT-A55, SLT-A55V, SLT-A55VL, SLT-A57, SLT-A57K, SLT-A57M, SLT-A65, SLT-A65V, SLT-A65VK, SLT-A65VM, SLT-A77, SLT-A77 II, SLT-A77M2, SLT-A77V, SLT-A77VM, SLT-A77VQ, SLT-A99, SLT-A99 II, SLT-A99V
- Minolta: DiMAGE 5, DiMAGE 7, DiMAGE 7Hi, DiMAGE 7i, DiMAGE A1, DiMAGE A2, DiMAGE A200, Dynax 3, Dynax 4, Dynax 5000, Dynax 500si, Dynax 505si, Dynax 5D, Dynax 7000, Dynax 7D, Dynax 9, Dynax 9000, Dynax Sweets, Dynax7, Maxxum 3, Maxxum 4, Maxxum 5000, Maxxum 500si, Maxxum 505si, Maxxum 5D, Maxxum 600si, Maxxum 7, Maxxum 7000, Maxxum 700si, Maxxum 7D, Maxxum 807si, Maxxum 9, Maxxum 9000
- Hasselblad: HV
- S2 #239Plug
- Sony: A1, A3000, A3500, A5000, A5000L, A5100, A58, A6000, A6300, A6400, A6500, A68, A7, A7 II, A7 III, A7 IV, A7II, A7R, A7R , A7R II, A7R III, A7R IV, A7R V, A7RII, A7RIII, A7S, A7S II, A7S III, A9, A9 II, HX300, HX400, HX50V, HX60, HX80, HX90, HX90V, III, IV, NEX 3N, NEX-3NL, NEX-3NL , RX10, RX10 , RX10 II, RX10 III, RX10 IV, RX100 II, RX100 III, RX100 IV, RX100 Platinum, RX100 V, RX100 VI, RX100 VII
- UC1 #232 Plug
- OM Systems/Olympus: E-100 RS, E-30, E-400, E-410, E-420, E-450, E-510, E-520, E-600, E-620, E-PL3, Evolt E-410, Evolt E-510, M-D E-M5 II, OMD E-M1, OM-D E-M1, OM-D E-M10, OM-D E-M10 Mark II, OM-D E-M10 Mark III, OM-D E-M10 MK II, OM-D E-M5, OM-D E-M5 II, OM-D E-M5 Mark II, PEN , PEN E-P1, PEN E-P2, PEN E-P2 SE, PEN E-P3, PEN E-P5, PEN E-PL2, PEN E-PL3, PEN E-PL5, PEN E-PL6, PEN E-PL7, PEN E-PM1, PEN E-PM2, PEN-F, SP-510 UZ, SP-510UZ, SP-550, SP-550 UZ, SP-560, SP-570, SP-590UZ, SP-810UZ, Stylus 1, Stylus 1s, Stylus SH-2, SZ-11, SZ-20, SZ-300MR, XZ-1, XZ-2, XZ-2iHS
- CB1 #230 Plug
- OM Systems/Olympus: C2500L, C5050, C7070, C8080, E-1, E-10, E-100RS, E-20, E-200, E-20N, E-3, E-300, E-5
- RLS1 #240 Plug
- Panasonic: DIGILUX 2, DIGILUX 3, Ft2, FZ100, FZ1000, FZ1000 II, FZ1000EB, FZ15, FZ150, FZ20, FZ200, FZ2000, FZ20K, FZ20S, FZ2500, FZ30, FZ300, FZ30K, FZ30S, FZ330, FZ50, FZ50K, FZ50S, G1, G10, G2, G3, G5, G6, G6H, G6K, G6M, G7, G70, G70H, G70K, G70KA, G70M, G70W, G7H, G7K, G7M, G80, G80M, G81, G81H, G81M, G85, G9, G95, GF1, GH1, GH2, GH3, GH4, GH4R, GH4RH, GH5, GH5L, GH5M, GX1, GX7, GX8, GX80K2, GX8A, GX8H, GX8K, GX8M, L1, L10, LC1, S1, S1H, S1R, TS2
- Leica: DigiLux 2, DigiLux 3, V-Lux (Typ 114), V-Lux 2, V-Lux 3, V-Lux 4
NOTE: For some older SONY models, a cold shoe adapter may required to mount the Lightning Bug™ directly to the camera. Consult your users manual to determine if this adapter is required.
NOTE: The following cameras are not supported at this time:
Canon: 4000D, EOS M, EOS M3, EOS M50, G7, G9, Powershot N, S100, S110, S120, S90, S95, SX510 HS, XC10
Nikon: 1 AW1, 1 J1, 1 J2, 1 S1, 1 V1, 1J3, D100, D3000, D3400, D3500, D40, D40X, D50, D60, D70, L840, P610, P900, Z fc, Z50
Sony: A230, A290, A3000, A330, A330TT, A380, A390, A7C, NEX-3, NEX-3C, NEX-5, NEX-5C, NEX-5N, NEX-5R, NEX-5T, NEX-6, NEX-7, NEX-C3, NEX-F3, QX 10, QX 100, RX1, RX1R
OM Systems/Olympus: E-330, E500, Evolt E-330, Evolt E500, OM-D E-M10 III, PEN E-PL1, PEN E-PL1s, SP-510 UZ
Panasonic: FZ35, FZ45, FZ70, FZ72, FZ80, FZ82, GF2, GF3, GF5, GM1, GX80, GX85, GX9, LX5, LX7
Pentax: K3 III, K-m, K-r, K-S2, K-x, MX-1, Q, Q-S1
Fujifilm: FinePix S100FS, HS10, HS11, HS20EXR, HS22EXR, HS25EXR, HS28EXR, HS30EXR, HS33EXR, HS35EXR, HS50EXR, IS-1, S1 Pro, S2 Pro, S20, S200EXR, S205EXR, S9000, S9100, S9500, S9600, X100, X100S, X-E1, XF-1, X-Pro1, X-S1, X-S10
Samsung: Galaxy NX, NX Mini, NX-1, NX1000, NX1100, NX20, NX-200, NX2000, NX210, NX-210, NX30, NX300, NX3000, NX300M, NX500
Sigma: DP1, DP2, SD14
Sony: A6700
Leica: C(Typ 112), M8, M8.2, M9, M9-P, M-Monochrom, S2, X1
Technical Specifications
Features:
Power-On Self-Test
Event indicator light
Sensitivity set-point indicator (LED Bargraph)
MOSFET isolation between camera and the Lightning Bug Plus™ circuitry
Battery can be replaced without removing unit from camera
26 levels of sensitivity for complete control in all lighting situations
Allows testing of your shutter release via the Lightning Bug Plus™ circuitry
Firmware is field-updateable
Easily adjust frames per second (from 1 to 10)
Water Resistant Soft-touch panel buttons
Simple three-button control of all features
Requires (1) standard or rechargable 9V battery
Dimensional Data:
Front Overhang (from center of camera shoe): 3.51"
Rear Overhang (from center of camera shoe): 0.74"
Overall Height (not including shoe mount): 1.13"
Overall Height (including shoe mount): 2.10"
Overall Length: 4.25"
Overall Width: 2.60"
Weight (not including Battery): 2.96 oz
Weight (including Battery): 4.48 oz
Battery: Standard 9V Cell
Mounting:
Attaches to your camera hot-shoe
Cabling:
Includes cable matched to your specific camera
Country of origin:
The Lightning Bug Plus™ is proudly manufactured here in the United States using a combination of domestic and foreign components.
Certifications:
FCC Part 15, Subpart B Class B
RoHS - MK Controls, Inc. has adopted the RoHS (Reduction of Hazardous Substances) initiative. All Lightning Bug Plus™ models are certified to meet RoHS requirements.
In the Box
Lightning Bug Plus
