"Dean Keaton" wrote in message
...
Let's say that you hide a remotely controlled digital camera, which
can also be pointed with a servo remotely, in a hollow log or
something (possibly even a model of a bird!). Then you place it where
there are a lot of migrating birds and lay a cable to a hiding place a
100 meters away or something, which has a small computer screen where
you can se what the camera sees. Shouldn't it be easy to take the most
fantastic bird pictures with this setup? Has this been done to
anyone's knowledge?

What type of camera would be best? SLR digital camera or a regular
digital camera? You must be able to see what the camera sees remotely
and also control the camera remotely. Does this rule out SLR-digital
cameras? And can you control a zoom lens (zooming in and out) remotely
on an SLR?

I have been thinking of, to start with, to try this with my Nikon
Coolpix. It connects with a USB cable to a computer. Can this type of
cable be a 100 meters or longer and function properly?

I'm 99% sure that a USB cable has a maximum effective working length of 5
metres - maybe 15 metres, i can't remember for certain.
So a 100 metre USB cable is definate no-no.

An alternative is to use a network cable.
But then you'd need power and a pc with the USB camera plugged in at the
scene of the shoot.
And another pc networked to it 100 metres distant....

Martin.