How To Turn Your DSLR Into A Camera Trap (For Free)
You want to have a camera trap system, where you place a camera in a spot likely to be frequented by wildlife? And then, you want to leave the camera on its own, just to take photos if said wildlife wanders by? You own a DSLR? Then try this:
Step 1: Get Magic Lantern and install it on your SLR. You will have to download it, unzip it, put it on your camera’s memory card, and the run the Firmware update of the SLR. This works for many SLRs. The Magic Lantern page tells you which ones.
Step 2: Go to the Camera Function menu (the one with the little camera icon on top). Turn on Motion detection. Go into the sub-menu, set the detection to Frame difference, and threshold = 5. This works for me.
Step 3: Find a spot frequented by wildlife, aim the camera (on a tripod) at it.
Step 4: Wait.
Step 5: Go to Step 4.
The Video Version of the Camera Trap Set-Up
With some more details for setting things up, and me raving about this system:
More Birds from the Philippines
Enjoy this album on Flick – you can either head over to the photo site, or scroll through the album here by clicking on the edges of the images:
