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Photographing birds with a remotely controlled digital camera?



 
 
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  #1  
Old February 14th 05, 06:10 AM
Dean Keaton
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Default Photographing birds with a remotely controlled digital camera?

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?
  #2  
Old February 14th 05, 12:31 PM
Martin
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Default


"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.


  #3  
Old February 14th 05, 03:17 PM
Pete D
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Default


"Martin" wrote in message
...

"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.



You can get USB extenders that work over UTP, not sure the distance but
would be a lot more.


  #4  
Old February 14th 05, 03:19 PM
P.R.Brady
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Default

Dean Keaton wrote:
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 saw some amazing shots of a kingfisher a while ago. The photographer
caught them alongside a canal by driving his car there and opening his
window. He learned that if he got out of the car, the birds flew away.
His camera was on a wooden board resting on a pole inside and on the
edge of the widow.

Phil

  #5  
Old February 14th 05, 05:42 PM
Dave R knows who
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Posts: n/a
Default


"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?


No remote view and no zooming on a DSLR.


  #6  
Old February 14th 05, 05:56 PM
Glenn Jacobs
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Default

On Mon, 14 Feb 2005 05:10:43 GMT, Dean Keaton wrote:

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From: Dean Keaton
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Subject: Photographing birds with a remotely controlled digital camera?
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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?


You might consider a good blind. If you are very still, birds after a
short time will ignore you. I actually had a Chickadee land on my head
while I was doing that once.

Jake

  #7  
Old February 15th 05, 10:32 AM
Paul Mitchum
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Default

Dean Keaton wrote:

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?


Wires? How 20th century!

http://www.mobilemag.com/content/100/336/C2502/

This is the next trend, by the way. Security will be an issue... Imagine
papparazzi hacking each other's wi-fi to get the best shot.

Regardless: A remotely-actuated camera near enough to birds to be useful
would also startle them when it started moving and making whirring
sounds and clicking.

Some famous remote control photography (model gliders and helicopters
with a movie camera attached) can be seen in 'Winged Migration.' They
spent months letting the birds get used to flying with these strange
contraptions.
  #8  
Old February 15th 05, 02:44 PM
Owamanga
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Default

On Tue, 15 Feb 2005 01:32:06 -0800, (Paul Mitchum)
wrote:

Dean Keaton wrote:

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?


Wires? How 20th century!

http://www.mobilemag.com/content/100/336/C2502/

This is the next trend, by the way. Security will be an issue... Imagine
papparazzi hacking each other's wi-fi to get the best shot.

Regardless: A remotely-actuated camera near enough to birds to be useful
would also startle them when it started moving and making whirring
sounds and clicking.


It'd be best to have the gun pre-cocked, ready to fire. The shock of
the bullet ripping through the flock would probably mask any
mirror-flap noise from the camera. That *would* make an interesting
photo.

;-)

Some famous remote control photography (model gliders and helicopters
with a movie camera attached) can be seen in 'Winged Migration.' They
spent months letting the birds get used to flying with these strange
contraptions.


That was a cool IMAX film, except for the fact it was about 4 times
longer than it needed to be. Once you've seen one flock of winged
things up close, you've seen 'em all. By the 20th flock it got
extremely tedious.

--
Owamanga!
 




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