Remote/automatic triggers

I'm an experienced pro photographer, but I don't have any experience with

remote triggers. Lately my video security system has been picking up some very

strange animals, but the resolution isn't good enough to make a definitive

judgement about what they are, and I want to get some good shots of them.

I live just outside of Washington, DC. There is one critter that seems to be

either a badger, mink, wolverine, or huge meerkat, another that might be a

bobcat or small mountain lion, and another I'm trying to determine if it is a

fox or a coyote. Coyote's have been spotted within a few tens of miles of here

and foxes are all over, so they're expected, but none of the others are.

Whatever it is that looks like a member of the wolverine family can stand on

its hind legs exactly like a meerkat, but looks to weigh about 50 lb(the only

way it might be a meerkat that size is if it escaped from a government genetic

experiment, which isn't as far-fetched as it sounds as a major USDA research

lab is less than a mile away).

The path that these critters travel is a sidewalk that goes beside my house

down to a lake, though they do seem to come up on my property from time to

time. The path is fairly free from obstructions, and if necessary I can mount

the camera on my back porch, which is very protected from the weather, or even

build an enclusure.

I'm Nikon-based with a D2x and D70 for digital, with a couple of SB-800

flashes. I also have a host of studio flashes including some Alien Bees that I

could leave on all night long. I also have a Pocket Wizard xmitter and two

receivers. The area in question is also covered by motion-sensor lights.

Lenses aren't a problem, I can get whatever I need.

Since I'm just doing this as a lark and don't expect to make any money at it,

I'm not looking to invest much either.

My thought at this time is to see if there is an inexpensive infra-red or even

visible beam sensor device that I could use to trigger the camera via the

Pocket Wizard. I've checked the archives and can't find any such references in

this forum since the 1990's, with most of the links not working. Net searches

have revealed some items, but I thought I'd tap into the Photo.net brain trust

for the definitive skinny.

Anybody have any experience with equipment they would recommend, or

suggestions for an inexpensive home-brew?

Many thanks for all knowledgable replies. -BC-

You might have been watching too much TV. Highly unlikely to be a meerkat--in the first place they aren't nocturnal. (I learned that by watching TV.) It's more likely you are seeing a raccoon. You could rig up a simple switch that fires when the critter steps on it to reach some bait.

Kent in SD

Kent-- As I mentioned, I don't think it's a meerkat unless it escaped from a biology lab. I was just saying that's what it LOOKED like on the video. I see lots of raccoons on my security cameras and I've looked after a captive raccoon for my cousin, and I know their movements quite well-- and trust me, this is not a raccoon. It's bigger and it stands on its hind legs like no other North American mammal I'm aware of. Couple that with the fact that a neighbor has seen a very strange animal with the face of a cat and the body of an extremely large mink standing on its hind legs in a manner exactly the way I have described, it might add up to something special. My neighbor said that he was merely puzzled when he saw the thing crawling around his hedge, and then it stood up and nearly startled him out of his wits. He said it was uncanny, he'd never seen an animal built like that be able to balance on two legs so incredibly well.

Also, the sensor area would run across a public walkway. Pressure triggers would not be applicable for safety reasons. That's why I asked about light triggers. -BC-

This may not be an economical solution, but the best remote trigger device I know of is the Time Machine at http://www.bmumford.com/photo/camctlr.html

Ed

Hi,

Hunters use IR triggered cameras to figure out where the game hangs out. Try looking here: http://www.nativeoutdoors.com/stealthcamera.html

Good luck.

I know that a few years back, one feature that was advertised about the Nikon N90s and

MF-26 multi-control back combination was that it allowed the ability to "freeze focus,"

which was Nikon's way of letting you pre-focus at a set distance (or on a select spot) and

then, if something (say, for example, a meerkat that escaped from some secret

government lab) wandered into that zone of focus, the shutter would release. I'm not

suggesting that you acquire a used N90s+MF-26 (well, maybe I am a little), but perhaps

your D2x has some similar setting that you can program? Good luck, and be sure to post a

photo of this mystery creature if/when you capture it on film!

Could it be a black bear cub? I would agree that one of the deer hunter surveilance cameras would likely be your least expensive option. Put it so it faces away from the walkway and maybe put a little bait down.

http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/index/index-display.jsp?id=cat20098&navAction=jump&navCount=1&parentId=cat20712&parentType=category&cmCat=MainCatcat20712

Kent in SD

Nikon ML-3 on your D2X. Since it requires a 10-pin connector, t won't work on your D70.

You set up the camera, flash and ML-3 transmitter on a tripod on one end of the propery, and the ML-3 receiver on the other. Anything that crosses in between triggers the shot.

Research the max distances. Also, you'll need fast AF lenses, or preset the focus with sufficient DOF.

Cost is about $125.

KL

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Nikon ML-3 on your D2X. Since it requires a 10-pin connector, t won't work on your D70.

You set up the camera, flash and ML-3 transmitter on a tripod on one end of the propery, and the ML-3 receiver on the other. Anything that crosses in between triggers the shot.

Research the max distances. Also, you'll need fast AF lenses, or preset the focus with sufficient DOF.

Cost is about $125.

KL

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

KL-- I took a look at the product and the description on the B&H website, and your description of its operation has me scratching my head. The ML-3 looks like an infrared trigger that is basically a wireless shutter release, and, unless you got the transmitter/receiver mentions in your message backwards, I don't see any way of hooking up the transmitter to the camera. It also doesn't look very weather resistant.

From what I can tell of the operation, the xmitter sends an IR signal to the receiver on the camera, whereupon the camera's shutter gets triggered. For the device to operate the way you describe, there would have to be a constant beam emitted from the xmitter that the animal would interrupt, which is contrary to the technical specs I can find on the ML-3.

But there may be a way of using this device that the manufacturer didn't anticipate and you have discovered. Tell me, do you own this device and have you actually used in in this way?

Happy shooting. -BC-

Hi Bill - as you may know the ML-3 comes in 2 pieces -- the receiver, which has a 10 pin connector to connect to the camera body and a separate transmitter piece.

The transmitter has an option called "A. Trig" (auto trigger), which basically operates on IR line of sight between the receiver and transmitter. Yes, anything that breaks that line of sight triggers the shutter.

I have used this setup, with varying degrees of success -- the AF speed is a challenge, as is DOF if I preset the focus. Sometimes, the critters are just moving way too fast.

I have used it with a fair degree of success with candid people shots.

I can't speak to how weather-proof it is, since I don't leave my camera out overnight.

KL

KL-- Verrrry interesting! Since I would have to leave the device out all night, I'm not sure it would be weatherproof enough to do the job, but the price is good and if it works that way there might be some way to make a housing for it. How long will the batteries last when used in such a configuration?

Many thanks. -BC-

Hi Bill - it's powered by 2 AAA batteries, and according to the manual, in A-trig mode, it's good for up to 72 hours. The longest I've personally left a setup "out there" was about 14 hours.

Good luck!

KL