Motion sensor trigger for DSLR?

seastack

I have a beautiful patch of rainforest on my property that's a favorite with deer, elk, owls and who knows what else but usually after dark and, of course, when no one is around.

Does anyone have any experience or knowledge of motion sensor triggers or the like for DSLRs. I'm thinking this shouldn't be too hard to DIY?

Any experience or suggestions would be appreciated.:D

SloYerRoll

This definitely isn't the DIY version, but it will make you want to break out the cc though.

-Jon

seastack

I did find this as well ( http://www.trailmaster.com/ )and it seems excellent (if National Geographic can use it ...) but I was hoping for a simpler DIY version, if anyone has done it. For instance combining an off-the-shelf infrared trigger (counter for stores) or a motion sensor (from a cheap motion sensor light) with a standard flash remote trigger.

moose135

A while back, there was a thread about shooting rocket launches (sometime around the shuttle launch before this most recent flight) Someone here does a lot of that, and I think had a link telling how it's done, including home-made sound activated shutter releases. You might try something similar, but with a motion sensor to trigger it, rather than the mike to pick up sound. Might try a search here to see if anything turns up.

Tanuki

seastack wrote:

I have a beautiful patch of rainforest on my property that's a favorite with deer, elk, owls and who knows what else but usually after dark and, of course, when no one is around.

Does anyone have any experience or knowledge of motion sensor triggers or the like for DSLRs. I'm thinking this shouldn't be too hard to DIY?

Any experience or suggestions would be appreciated.:D

Does your camera have an optional wirless remote? If so, you should be able to do surgery on it to expose the contacts and hard wire it to your motion, light beam or sound sensor (available from Radioshack?).

Another option is the Mumford Time Machine. It's an expensive option, but very versatile if you want to do other cool stuff with your camera.

JESTER

moose135 wrote:

A while back, there was a thread about shooting rocket launches (sometime around the shuttle launch before this most recent flight) Someone here does a lot of that, and I think had a link telling how it's done, including home-made sound activated shutter releases. You might try something similar, but with a motion sensor to trigger it, rather than the mike to pick up sound. Might try a search here to see if anything turns up.

Ben Cooper www.launchphotography.com takes a lot of shuttle launches and landings. I think some of his stuff is sound activated. I don't know if he uses motion or not. You might want to contact him. You can email him thru his web site.

LiquidAir

This sound trigger:

http://www.hiviz.com/kits/sk2-du.htm

was used to trigger a flash for this photo:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jeffffd/409889863/

but it could likely also be used to trigger the shutter. I have been contemplating ordering one to play with it. It seems like it would open a lot of possibilities.

seastack

Great links. Awesome! Thank you! .... Ahhh, the possibilities.

LiquidAir wrote:

This sound trigger:

http://www.hiviz.com/kits/sk2-du.htm

was used to trigger a flash for this photo:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jeffffd/409889863/

but it could likely also be used to trigger the shutter. I have been contemplating ordering one to play with it. It seems like it would open a lot of possibilities.