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Canon N3 Connector Pinout and Wiring
posted Saturday, 22 November 2008, 20:45 (+0800), by Martin
Background

Until recently, my primary camera was a Canon 350D, which uses a 2.5mm stereo socket (E3) for connecting a shutter release. I built a homebrew shutter release for it, which worked very effectively.

Having recently upgraded to a Canon 50D, I can no longer use my homebrew shutter release, as the 50D has an N3 socket, rather than an E3 socket (2.5mm stereo socket). Rather than purchase a complete shutter release for the 50D, I did some research, to see if I could source an N3 connector, so I could modify my shutter release, and add an N3 connector to it.


Shutter Release Connections for Canon EOS DSLRs

Canon's low-end DSLR cameras (300D/350D/400D/450D) use an E3 socket for connecting remote shutter releases to the camera. An E3 socket is just a 2.5mm stereo socket. If you want to build your own shutter release, suitable 2.5mm stereo plugs can easily be purchased from most electronics stores.
However, the mid-to-high end Canon DSLR cameras (10D/20D/30D/40D/50D/5D/1D) all use Canon's proprietary N3 connector.

This post provides more details on the N3 connector, including pinout details, and information on sourcing an N3 connector.


The N3 Connector

The images below show the N3 socket on a Canon 50D body (with the protective rubber cover lifted out of the way), and an N3 plug on a third-party shutter release.

Canon N3 socket on 50D body
Canon N3 socket on 50D body
(top connector is a PC-sync socket)
 Canon N3 plug
Canon N3 plug
(on a third-party remote shutter release)


Pin-Out

The N3 connector has three electrical connections, as shown in the image below.

N3 socket pinout (looking at socket on 50D camera body)
N3 socket pinout (looking at socket on 50D camera body)

Shorting the focus pin to the ground pin is equivalent to depressing the camera's shutter button half way down, and will cause the camera to focus. Shorting the shutter pin to the ground pin is the same as fully depressing the shutter button, and will cause the camera to take a photo.

For reference, I've reproduced the pinout details of the E3 2.5mm stereo socket used on the lower-end Canon DSLR cameras.

pinout of the homebrew remote I built for my 350D
pinout of the homebrew remote I built for my 350D


Sourcing a N3 Connector

As far as I'm aware, you cannot purchase bare N3 connectors anywhere. However, there are several ways that you can get hold of an N3 connector, and they are:
  1. Buy a genuine Canon remote.

    Canon makes several remote triggers designed for use with Cameras that have an N3 connector, including:
    • Canon RS-80N3,
      available for USD$50 from B&H or AUD$89.99 from Quality Camera
    • Canon TC-80N3 remote timer,
      available for USD$137 from B&H or AUD$280 from Quality Camera
    • Canon LC-5 wireless controller,
      available for USD$430 from B&H or AUD$749.99 from Quality Camera
  2. Buy a genuine Canon or Pocket Wizard/etc cable.

    A number of cables are available with an N3 plug on one end, and various other connectors on the other end. These include:
    • Pocket Wizard CM-N3,
      available for USD$113 from B&H or AUD$132 from Quality Camera
      (1m long, with N3 plug and mono 2.5mm plug),
    • Canon ET-1000N3,
      available for USD$79 from B&H
      (10m long, with N3 plug and N3 socket),
    • Canon RA-N3,
      available for USD$45 from B&H
      (short, with N3 plug and older-style T3 socket).
  3. Buy a cheap remote from eBay.

    There are many cheap third-party remotes available on eBay, but the quality can be variable.
  4. Make your own N3 connector.

    There are a couple of ways you can build your own N3 connector:

I'll be posting more details about my shutter release solution in the near future.


Update (January 2008): I've posted more details about my search for a Canon 50D Remote Shutter Release, as well as a review of the Yongnuo remote shutter release that I purchased.
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Comments:
Nick wrote at 2008-11-26 13:44

Hmmm, making your own connector...thanks for the ideas...not for this purpose but other projects. I am excited to se your own personal solution!

Brad wrote at 2008-12-02 12:48

I find it somewhat amusing that people will pay thousands of dollars for a camera setup, then pour hot glue into it rather than spend $90 for a factory accessory.

Good luck with your own solution!

Martin wrote at 2008-12-03 10:15

@Brad: You have a valid point.

However, I don't want to spend $90 for what is effectively a glorified switch. Given my electronics hobbyist background, I know exactly what's inside the remote switch, and how it works...and hence would much rather look at building one myself.

I think it's more about the satisfaction of making it yourself (aka "hacking"), rather than about saving a few dollars ;-)

Jerry wrote at 2010-02-04 23:32

Love the idea, and I do it cause it's fun. I've custom made some things that aren't readily available, like a 20' cabled remote release for the 40d/50d w/ RS-80N3 end. It's a whole lot of fun, and enables me to get the shots I need... I am making my own wirless remote cord to be used with a pocket wizard, based off an existing RS-80N3 remote. The commercial version uses a mono mini-plug (3.5mm)in the pocket wizard. My problem is how to hook that mono mini-plug up with the RS-80N3? 3 pins into 2 isn't working correctly. I will be trying a stereo plug tomorrow, as the mono plug I am using now wont' focus the camera properly. I'll let you know how it goes. Any suggestions?

Martin wrote at 2010-02-05 07:33

@Jeremy: glad to hear you're having fun making custom components ;-)

I haven't tried using two-wire connections to a DSLR. I thought that shorting out the shutter connection to ground would be sufficient to focus and actuate the shutter in one operation, but I could be mistaken.

jphphotography wrote at 2010-08-30 19:24

Found this great wireless shutter release for $20 online http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.41153

It works really well actually, when I got it I found that the receiver just has a 2.5mm port and it uses a 2.5mm to N3 cable. Since I also have a T2i and a G10 which use the 2.5mm socket I plan on making just a straight thru 2.5mm to 2.5mm cable for it which is how I stumbled across your site.

I figured I'd share the link since a) this release is cheap and it works really well and b) you can get an N3 connector out of it for cheap if you really need it for a DIY project.

jeeten wrote at 2011-12-18 13:37

i use it to make motion control photography,to trigger the camera ,or to use camera timers to trigger external events.

HUGH ROBERTS wrote at 2017-12-20 20:04

I'm in the process of adapting my Dale Beam infrared beam & sound shutter tripper to work with my new Canon EOS 6D Mk II and your site was VERY USEFUL! It should work very well if I set the camera to a fixed, manual focus and exposure for things like birds and other wildlife that will pass through the IR beam from the shutter tripper. Thanks!

HUGH ROBERTS wrote at 2018-01-30 01:23

I manufactured/adapted an N-3 plug to connect to the Dale Beam. The positive output from the EOS camera goes to the pos on the Beam, neg to neg. It works like a champ. the Beam has no way to trigger the autofocus & autometering of the camera but manual setup works. No birds or butterflies here in the mountains until May or later, so I set up the camera and shutter tripper in the kitchen and got some shots of Mrs. Roberts as she was preparing dinner...

Henry wrote at 2018-09-15 11:01

Found this page helpful. Am thinking of making my own trigger with LCD display using Arduino. The pinout gave me an idea. Very much appreciated.

Btw hi from Perth :)

AMF wrote at 2024-07-05 23:35

Nice find on this matter.. Will this also work if I am taking videos?

Martin wrote at 2024-07-06 07:42

@AMF - yes, it should work for video too, as it's just an extension of the shutter button.

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