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need recommendations for a remote camera

Posted: Mon Aug 07, 2017 6:31 pm
by neverspook
I am looking for a camera I can trigger remotely for photographing wildlife with a relatively short lens. It needs to have the following characteristics:

- can be triggered remotely
- a totally silent shutter - even the S mode on my Canon dSLR is too loud and will spook the animals
- ideally has as an accessory a waterproof and toothproof case or is itself weatherproof and durable
- ideally fairly small but with interchangeable lenses including an excellent wide angle that focuses very close
- good image quality including low noise at ISO 1600 and higher
- very little shutter delay so it takes the picture as soon as I fire the remote trigger
- ideally good Auto-ISO function
- ideally will work with CamRanger
- ideally not ridiculously expensive.

Recommendations welcome.

Thanks,
Roberta Olenick
www.neverspook.com

Posted: Mon Aug 07, 2017 6:41 pm
by E.J. Peiker
Sony a9 is the only camera that comes to mind that makes absolutely no sound even at high frame rates. It ain't cheap, it can be triggered with a smart phone, not sure about cam ranger. Good high ISO performance, weatherproof. For a camera to be soundless, it needs a fully electronic shutter, not just an electronic first curtain.

Posted: Mon Aug 07, 2017 6:59 pm
by neverspook
Thanks, E.J. With a smart phone, can you see on the phone what the camera is seeing like you can with a CamRanger?

Re:

Posted: Mon Aug 07, 2017 7:59 pm
by E.J. Peiker
neverspook wrote:Thanks, E.J. With a smart phone, can you see on the phone what the camera is seeing like you can with a CamRanger?
Yes:
https://www.playmemoriescameraapps.com/ ... _00-f00002
https://www.playmemoriescameraapps.com/ ... index.html

Posted: Mon Aug 07, 2017 8:15 pm
by E.J. Peiker
You can also use a tablet for a bigger view. It just needs WiFi and be either an Android or iOS device.

Re: need recommendations for a remote camera

Posted: Tue Aug 08, 2017 6:22 pm
by Andy Trowbridge
Make or buy a camera sound blimp. I made one for my canon 5d Mark 3 and used it with CamRanger. Completely weatherproof and 99% silent. I never had a problem with it scaring any wildlife, even with 16mm lens.

Posted: Tue Aug 08, 2017 10:22 pm
by neverspook
Interesting idea Andy. I am not very handy at all so not sure about making one. Do you have a design or links? As for buying one, what I have found on a quick search are only ones that fit specific cameras and so will have limited life as I update cameras. So you know of a generic one that would fit various cameras?

Thanks,
Roberta

Posted: Tue Aug 08, 2017 10:28 pm
by SantaFeJoe
Hey Roberta
This is from a recent Nikon email:

http://www.nikonusa.com/en/nikon-produc ... blimp.html

Joe

Posted: Tue Aug 08, 2017 10:40 pm
by neverspook
Thanks, Joe. I don't think that will work. I shoot Canon - and that blimp appears to be fabric. It would be chewed to bits in no time by the animals I am photographing. I used a GoPro for some shots and it's a good it was in the waterproof case as otherwise it would have gouges from sharp little teeth in the lens.

Posted: Wed Aug 09, 2017 1:33 am
by DavidSutton
A Fuji X-T2 may also fit the bill. You can underwater housings for them. However for serious protection for any camera I'd make a steel cage.
The smart phone app works, but I tend to pre-focus the camera and use a cheap Chinese remote to trigger. It's more reliable, less trouble and works from a great distance.
David

Re:

Posted: Wed Aug 09, 2017 1:40 am
by neverspook
DavidSutton wrote:A Fuji X-T2 may also fit the bill. You can underwater housings for them. However for serious protection for any camera I'd make a steel cage.
The smart phone app works, but I tend to pre-focus the camera and use a cheap Chinese remote to trigger. It's more reliable, less trouble and works from a great distance.
David

That might work. Definitely cheaper than the Sony.

Thanks,
Roberta

Re:

Posted: Wed Aug 09, 2017 1:54 am
by Andy Trowbridge
neverspook wrote:Interesting idea Andy. I am not very handy at all so not sure about making one. Do you have a design or links? As for buying one, what I have found on a quick search are only ones that fit specific cameras and so will have limited life as I update cameras. So you know of a generic one that would fit various cameras?

Thanks,
Roberta
Some links for you.  This is basically what I have built, although it cost a lot more than this. I was living in Norway at the time. I can't find the step by step blog I used to make anymore.

http://www.dantabar.com/diy-sound-blimp-project-commence/

http://www.dantabar.com/diy-sound-blimp-assembly/

http://www.dantabar.com/diy-sound-blimp-test/

http://www.dantabar.com/underwater-test-of-the-diy-sound-blimp/


And another

http://blog.blairbunting.com/guest-post-diy-sound-blimp-project/

Re: Re:

Posted: Wed Aug 09, 2017 5:38 pm
by DavidSutton
Roberta, you don't mention whether you want to protect against elephants or monkeys, and whether you'll have hours or minutes to set up .
My take is that the less gear to carry and set up the better. I have an app for my Fuji on a phone which I thought I'd use for photographing fungi. It was used once. I haven't got all day and realised it was no match for the flip-out screen.
If I wanted to protect a camera against medium sized animals I'd make up something that folded. Maybe begin with a wire travel cat cage, or something like this  and cut it down and add hinges for folding and weld in a head for clamping the camera.
David

 

Re: Re:

Posted: Wed Aug 09, 2017 6:05 pm
by Andy Trowbridge
UWDavidSutton wrote:Roberta, you don't mention whether you want to protect against elephants or monkeys, and whether you'll have hours or minutes to set up .
My take is that the less gear to carry and set up the better. I have an app for my Fuji on a phone which I thought I'd use for photographing fungi. It was used once. I haven't got all day and realised it was no match for the flip-out screen.
If I wanted to protect a camera against medium sized animals I'd make up something that folded. Maybe begin with a wire travel cat cage, or something like this  and cut it down and add hinges for folding and weld in a head for clamping the camera.
David

 
David

Roberta wanted something that was silent and weather and bite proof as I inderstand it. 

Can the Fuji be completely silent?

I can setup my camera in its custom built sound blimp in 5 minutes or less. Once setup I would operate it via the CamRanger with a iPad mini or my iPhone from a hide 20-30 meters away. 

Re: Re:

Posted: Wed Aug 09, 2017 9:04 pm
by neverspook
Andy Trowbridge wrote:
UWDavidSutton wrote:Roberta, you don't mention whether you want to protect against elephants or monkeys, and whether you'll have hours or minutes to set up .
My take is that the less gear to carry and set up the better. I have an app for my Fuji on a phone which I thought I'd use for photographing fungi. It was used once. I haven't got all day and realised it was no match for the flip-out screen.
If I wanted to protect a camera against medium sized animals I'd make up something that folded. Maybe begin with a wire travel cat cage, or something like this  and cut it down and add hinges for folding and weld in a head for clamping the camera.
David

 
David

Roberta wanted something that was silent and weather and bite proof as I inderstand it. 

Can the Fuji be completely silent?

I can setup my camera in its custom built sound blimp in 5 minutes or less. Once setup I would operate it via the CamRanger with a iPad mini or my iPhone from a hide 20-30 meters away. 
That is correct, Andy. Quick set up at something like fox and badger dens or prairie dog burrows, for example, that I would then trigger from 30 meters away. So needs to be bite proof but also weather proof so it can stay out there for a while. I can't be running up to a burrow to retrieve the camera when a thunder storm rolls in.

Re: Re:

Posted: Wed Aug 09, 2017 9:28 pm
by DavidSutton
Andy Trowbridge wrote:
UWDavidSutton wrote:Roberta, you don't mention whether you want to protect against elephants or monkeys, and whether you'll have hours or minutes to set up .
My take is that the less gear to carry and set up the better. I have an app for my Fuji on a phone which I thought I'd use for photographing fungi. It was used once. I haven't got all day and realised it was no match for the flip-out screen.
If I wanted to protect a camera against medium sized animals I'd make up something that folded. Maybe begin with a wire travel cat cage, or something like this  and cut it down and add hinges for folding and weld in a head for clamping the camera.
David

 
David

Roberta wanted something that was silent and weather and bite proof as I inderstand it. 

Can the Fuji be completely silent?

I can setup my camera in its custom built sound blimp in 5 minutes or less. Once setup I would operate it via the CamRanger with a iPad mini or my iPhone from a hide 20-30 meters away. 
Hi Andy.
The electronic shutter on the X-T2 is totally silent. I know of no camera with interchangeable lenses that is weather proof. The X-T2 is weather sealed and I would take it out in rain. If it were to end up in a puddle I'd use a housing.
I'm not familiar with CamRanger. My own requirement is to have a camera remote ready in 30 seconds when I'm tired, cold and hungry.
For work near a burrow I'd use an X-T20 (cheaper, not weather sealed, but also a silent shutter) and a second hand prime. Put it in a plastic bag with no other protection and take the bites on the equipment as an occupational risk.
David

Re: Re:

Posted: Wed Aug 09, 2017 9:42 pm
by neverspook
DavidSutton wrote:
Andy Trowbridge wrote:
UWDavidSutton wrote:Roberta, you don't mention whether you want to protect against elephants or monkeys, and whether you'll have hours or minutes to set up .
My take is that the less gear to carry and set up the better. I have an app for my Fuji on a phone which I thought I'd use for photographing fungi. It was used once. I haven't got all day and realised it was no match for the flip-out screen.
If I wanted to protect a camera against medium sized animals I'd make up something that folded. Maybe begin with a wire travel cat cage, or something like this  and cut it down and add hinges for folding and weld in a head for clamping the camera.
David

 
David

Roberta wanted something that was silent and weather and bite proof as I inderstand it. 

Can the Fuji be completely silent?

I can setup my camera in its custom built sound blimp in 5 minutes or less. Once setup I would operate it via the CamRanger with a iPad mini or my iPhone from a hide 20-30 meters away. 
Hi Andy.
The electronic shutter on the X-T2 is totally silent. I know of no camera with interchangeable lenses that is weather proof. The X-T2 is weather sealed and I would take it out in rain. If it were to end up in a puddle I'd use a housing.
I'm not familiar with CamRanger. My own requirement is to have a camera remote ready in 30 seconds when I'm tired, cold and hungry.
For work near a burrow I'd use an X-T20 (cheaper, not weather sealed, but also a silent shutter) and a second hand prime. Put it in a plastic bag with no other protection and take the bites on the equipment as an occupational risk.
David
No, I would never put a plastic bag out at something like a fox den. The foxes would chew it to bits and ingest the plastic which would be extremely dangerous to their health and well-being. This summer I watched swift fox kits chewing on plastic trash on three different occasions and much as I do my best never to spook the critters I photograph, I could not just stand by and watch them ingest parts of a drink bottle, an old tire and then a granola bar wrapper. I crept up slowly each time and they did get a bit nervous but that was better than them dying from GI tracts clogged with ingested plastic. All that stuff you hear about marine mammals and seabirds dying from ingesting plastic can just as easily happen to terrestrial animals. 

Roberta Olenick
www.neverspook.com

Re: Re:

Posted: Wed Aug 09, 2017 9:48 pm
by DavidSutton
No, I would never put a plastic bag out at something like a fox den. The foxes would chew it to bits and ingest the plastic which would be extremely dangerous to their health and well-being. This summer I watched swift fox kits chewing on plastic trash on three different occasions and much as I do my best never to spook the critters I photograph, I could not just stand by and watch them ingest parts of a drink bottle, an old tire and then a granola bar wrapper. I crept up slowly each time and they did get a bit nervous but that was better than them dying from GI tracts clogged with ingested plastic. All that stuff you hear about marine mammals and seabirds dying from ingesting plastic can just as easily happen to terrestrial animals. 

Roberta Olenick
www.neverspook.com

Yes, quite right. It was an off-the-cuff thought. In that case, you're back to a cage of some sort, as most cameras have plastic bits that could be easily chewed off and ingested.
David

Re: Re:

Posted: Thu Aug 10, 2017 4:27 am
by neverspook
DavidSutton wrote:No, I would never put a plastic bag out at something like a fox den. The foxes would chew it to bits and ingest the plastic which would be extremely dangerous to their health and well-being. This summer I watched swift fox kits chewing on plastic trash on three different occasions and much as I do my best never to spook the critters I photograph, I could not just stand by and watch them ingest parts of a drink bottle, an old tire and then a granola bar wrapper. I crept up slowly each time and they did get a bit nervous but that was better than them dying from GI tracts clogged with ingested plastic. All that stuff you hear about marine mammals and seabirds dying from ingesting plastic can just as easily happen to terrestrial animals. 

Roberta Olenick
www.neverspook.com

Yes, quite right. It was an off-the-cuff thought. In that case, you're back to a cage of some sort, as most cameras have plastic bits that could be easily chewed off and ingested.
David

I have used my GoPro in its waterproof case at a fox den with no problem. The foxes chewed at it but no little bits came off. Not even any tooth marks in the case though there were some smeary tongue marks on the lens. :) And a grizzly cub did put a couple of shallow tooth gouges in the back of the case one time but that has not affected the function of the it at all. So something hard plastic like the Pelican case blimp Andy recommended should be fine. Wish I was more handy to make something like that for my 1DX. 

Re: Re:

Posted: Thu Aug 10, 2017 3:21 pm
by neverspook
neverspook wrote:
DavidSutton wrote:No, I would never put a plastic bag out at something like a fox den. The foxes would chew it to bits and ingest the plastic which would be extremely dangerous to their health and well-being. This summer I watched swift fox kits chewing on plastic trash on three different occasions and much as I do my best never to spook the critters I photograph, I could not just stand by and watch them ingest parts of a drink bottle, an old tire and then a granola bar wrapper. I crept up slowly each time and they did get a bit nervous but that was better than them dying from GI tracts clogged with ingested plastic. All that stuff you hear about marine mammals and seabirds dying from ingesting plastic can just as easily happen to terrestrial animals. 

Roberta Olenick
www.neverspook.com

Yes, quite right. It was an off-the-cuff thought. In that case, you're back to a cage of some sort, as most cameras have plastic bits that could be easily chewed off and ingested.
David

I have used my GoPro in its waterproof case at a fox den with no problem. The foxes chewed at it but no little bits came off. Not even any tooth marks in the case though there were some smeary tongue marks on the lens. :) And a grizzly cub did put a couple of shallow tooth gouges in the back of the case one time but that has not affected the function of the it at all. So something hard plastic like the Pelican case blimp Andy recommended should be fine. Wish I was more handy to make something like that for my 1DX. 
I just want to clarify that I did not hang out just 30 meters from the GoPro when using it for grizzly bears. In that instance, I strapped it to a log on the bank of a salmon river that bears frequented and just left it running in video mode to record whatever came by (often nothing at all). And I was somewhere entirely else while the GoPro was running.

Roberta Olenick
www.neverspook.com