In The Bag - Camtraptions “Wilderness Bundle”
The Camtraptions DSLR Camera Trap “Wilderness bundle”: 2 x “F1” Flashes (in custom housings), PIR trigger, & camera housing.
A couple of months ago I mentioned in the January “In the Bag” blog post that one of the pieces of kit I use is a professional grade DSLR Camera trap from a company in the UK called Camtraptions (In The Bag — The Wildlife Nomad). This system is designed to be set in the field and left for several weeks untouched, automatically taking images when an animal passes through an invisible passive infrared beam. It is aimed very much at photographers after something more robust and capable than the typical consumer trigger cameras that hunters use, but comes with a much bigger price tag, and a much more complex set up process (more below). I should say at this point the lower cost consumer trigger cameras still very much have a place in my arsenal and are great for working out the behaviour and movement patterns of my local mammals……..the Camtraptions gear is really used to get the final shot, once I know what’s around and what paths they regularly take.
Camtraptions offer 2 standard bundles; the “Wilderness” bundle at £810 (inc VAT) and the “Garden” bundle at a more modest £306, the main difference being that the “Wilderness” bundle comes with a waterproof housing for the camera and 2 flash units, whereas the “garden” set up has no waterproof housing and just 1 flash. Given most of my photography is in Northern Europe I opted for the “Wilderness” bundle as I couldn’t imagine my camera lasting too long in the rain without a good waterproof housing :-) The extra flash unit would also allow me to be a little more creative with the lighting set up. The “Wilderness” bundle, was further modified for me by Matt at Camtraptions to include 2 x “F1” flash units rather than the usual “Z1” flashes, 2 sets of 10Ah flash batteries (instead of 5Ah) and an LP-E6 external battery system for the camera………….all of which was to give me the maximum time in the field, which theoretically is around 3-4 weeks depending on what settings I use. So lets talk about each of the key components:
The heart of the system is the new V3 Passive Infra Red Trigger, which can communicate with your camera either by a wired connection, or as I use it, wirelessly. Powered by 8 AA batteries, it has built in 160 different programs for still and video shooting (all accessed by a series of simple to use DIP switches) and includes a keep awake feature to prevent equipment sleeping and an option to wake flashes wirelessly before triggering the camera. These new programs expand the range of cameras and flashes that can be used effectively in a camera set-up meaning the new PIR is compatible with Canon, Nikon, Sony and Fuji. As you will see in the picture below, there are 3 dials on the right of the unit which are used to select sensitivity of the PIR, time delay between shots and number of shots per activation, and a light level rotary which allows you to dial in if you want the camera to only trigger when its dark, or when it’s light or when the light level meet a set parameter. Very handy if you are trying to only capture predominantly nigh time visitors (like Badgers or Genets), or species that are exclusively active in the daytime (like certain birds). The V3 PIR is available to buy alone (and not as part of a bundle) at £192, inc VAT. I found the V3 PIR unit well built and thanks to the online manual easy to understand and set up. Battery life is superb with mine easily managing weeks in the field without a battery change.
Another nice feature of the sensor are the very simple plastic shrouds to the left and right of the Fresnel lens which can be moved to widen or narrow the PIR beam. This allows for complete control over where in the frame the camera will and won’t be triggered. A really simple solution, but it works a treat.
The V3 PIR Trigger from Camtraptions is the heart of their DSLR Camera trap system, and is crammed with functionality and preset programs to cater for the most common settings.
Like the PIR, the camera housing is a strong moulded plastic enclosure with weather-proof seals. The housing ships with a clever stacking tube system which can be adjusted to fit different length lenses without sacrificing weatherproofing. Any lens can be used as long as they have a diameter of 88.8mm or less. The housing has some nice features including a back door on the enclosure and a camera base plate that slides out the housing meaning you can access all your camera controls, and easily change memory cards and batteries even once the housing is on the tripod and in situ. Speaking of tripods it can be mounted either in portrait and landscape orientation via the built in dual tripod screw sockets.
The housing fits any size of compact, mirrorless or DSLR camera up to the size of a Canon 1D X or Nikon D5 with a Camtraptions wireless transmitter fitted in the hot shoe. It is intended that these housings are used in a wireless set-up, however for wired set-ups, recesses in the back door provide convenient locations for holes to be drilled.
My housing has been out several times in heavy rain and has been 100% waterproof, although I have experienced a little fogging on the front glass of the unit on a couple of mornings when there was a significant change in temperature and the ground was damp. I am sure including a couple of pouches of silica gel in the housing will solve this.
A piece of scrim net held in place with some camo gorilla tape and a couple of wooden stakes is all that is needed to help make the olive housing blend into its surroundings.
As I wrote above, I took the decision to ask the guys at Camtraptions to supply 2 “F1” flash units, rather than the usual “Z1” flashes as these will last 24 days in standby (when coupled with a 10 Ah NiMH Battery pack) whereas the “Z1” will only last about 14 days. There is a trade off though, as the “F1” have fixed 35mm flash heads whereas the “Z1” have a zoom head from 24-105mm. They also can only be set in 1/2 stop increments, rather than “Z1’s” 1/3 stop increments. Since buying the kit Camtraptions have now released their new “Z2” flash which seems to offer the best of both worlds, having all the features of the “Z1” whilst retaining the standby power of the “F1” units……..for about an extra £24 per flash. Worth considering if you want extra flexibility and the best power standby.
One of the Camtraptions “F1” flash units in a bespoke waterproof housing
The flash units themselves are a familiar design and if you’ve used a Canon Speedlite, you’ll recognise where they have taken their inspiration from, with a similar button layout and functionality. The units produce a good burst of light, recharge relatively quickly and work well with the Camtraptions receivers if your using them wirelessly. The one area that I feel Camtraptions need to work on is creating a waterproof housing for the flash units. Currently they ship with some clear plastic bags, which are meant to provide a degree of waterproofing. However, after my first trial of the system in October last year (when we had a fair amount of rain) I wanted to swap the plastic bags for a decent waterproof housing. Contacting Camtraptions by email they told me they are working on a flash housing but currently do not sell one, which was disappointing.
Luckily I had remembered seeing on YouTube someone building a waterproof flash housing for a similar project, and after buying a couple of 14x8 inch waterproof cases on eBay (Hard Carry Case Plastic Box Protective Equipment Camera Protect Removable Foam | eBay) and attacking them with a Dremmel, some rigid clear plastic and a glue gun, I had myself a couple of weatherproof cases that have room to house the flash, wireless reciever and 10Ah battery pack, with room to spare.
The custom flash housings cost me about £20 each in parts, and a couple of hours work to make the pair. The one thing they don’t have, which would make set up much easier, is a suitable tripod mount, which may get added when they are next back from the field.
Setting up the system gets easier the more times you do it, but it does take a certain amount of head scratching the first time, particularly if you want to go 100% wireless. Helpfully the guys at Camtraptions have very good library of online manuals for download , a camera trap photography Ebook for download , and a Video that explains all the parts and how they work together. As expected, it is several steps more complicated than setting up a simple consumer trigger camera, but not beyond the wit of most adults who fiddle with camera kit as a profession or hobby :-)
The 3 biggest issues I found with set up were annoying but relatively simple to fix. Firstly, my custom flash housings don’t yet have a tripod mount on them and I prefer my main flash to be positioned raised off the ground by 3 or 4 foot to give a more natural look in night time shots (ie like moonlight from above rather than a ground light source). This meant I had to prop my flash unit up in a bush or tape it to a lower tree branch (as you can see in the set up image below). Not a biggie and certainly not a reflection of the system itself or Camtraptions.
The second issue was that I got a lot of “blank” images (ie photos without an obvious subject in frame) the first few times I set the system up. On review of the images I started to notice small bugs in the shots, and I hadn’t appreciated just how sensitive the PIR trigger is and the camera was being triggered by beetles, moths, and other small insects passing across the face of the log I was focussed on. Having dialled back the sensitivity and repositioned the trigger, all was good. Like any new camera system it’s simply a case of learning how to get the best from the technology.
The third and final issue was more to do with aesthetic: I found that whilst the system can work both day and night, often the set up required may be different for day and night time species. For example, I might want to use a relatively wide shot of a log at F10 to have the best chance of getting a night shot of a Fox or Badger fully in frame and in focus, whereas on the same log in the daytime I might want to use something like a 105mm at F6.3 to get a nice tight shot of a bird perched on the log. The best way I found of resolving this is to accept that you have to set the system with a specific species or 2 in mind, and then in due course, one you have the shots you want, re-set it for another species. Inevitably you will miss some great opportunities but I just see that as confirmation that the missed species are around and should be added to your target list (I had my system set for Foxes feeding on a log at night and instead got a great set of legs and lower belly of a Tawny Owl perched on the same log!).
A typical set up I use for photographs of night time Foxes feeding in my field: The main flash is set behind and to one side of the the camera at about 4 ft height, about 12ft from the target area. This is set at about 1/2 power. There is a second fill in flash off to one side which is set at about 1/4 power. The camera is about 8ft from the target area and the PIR trigger is out of shot about 6ft away. The grass is lightly baited with peanuts.
I won’t post too many images of the preliminary results I’ve had with the system, as some of them will feature in the April 2023 Round Up blog, however it’s fair to say the Great Spotted Woodpecker and Wood mouse were both very obliging………..the other nigh time wildlife were a little shyer, and I’ve since moved the set up to a more secluded woodland setting in the hope this encourages them to come a little close to the camera.
Daytime shots benefit from the fill in flash provided by the twin flashes, as you can see from this photo of a Great Spotted Woodpecker which was shot at ISO 800, 1/60, F8 on a overcast morning.
Where the Camtraptions set up really comes into it’s own is at night, when it’s possible to capture animals that are usually too quick or too shy to hang around for you to photograph them. This Wood mouse triggered the camera on several occasions whilst it was set up to capture the Foxes that visit my garden for food most nights.
The conclusion. I love the fact that you can have a camera system in the field working for you 24 hours a day, when maybe you are on other jobs or simply sleeping :-) Although set up does take a little trial and error when you get it right the results can be spectacular. The system is designed to work with your choice of camera and lens (ie for £810 you don’t get a camera or lens, just the housings, triggers, flashes etc) which makes it expensive, but it does allow you to use the camera and lens you need for the job in hand, or in my case utilise my old 80D which was sat on a shelf unused. I do think Camtraptions need to get their flash housing design ready for sale ASAP so customers don’t need to build their own solution, as plastic bags really don’t do the job of protecting the flash units, and frankly cheapen what is on the whole a very well made system.
I see this as my first foray into “professional” camera trapping (as opposed to commercial trail/trigger cameras) and have to say I am completely hooked. Using a decent DSLR at the heart of the system gives you massive flexibility to set ISO, aperture, speed and flash as you see fit, giving you full creative control. My “Wilderness bundle” is currently deployed on the edge of woodland in France, set up to shoot at night only, as I really want in my portfolio images of Fox, Badger, Wildcat and Marten at night in a woodland setting. Meanwhile I am in the UK, getting ready to travel to Mull to photograph Otters and Sea Eagles………the perfect buddy photographer.
I will be returning to France in a few weeks to see if I have been successful. I am already thinking about upgrading from the 10Ah flash batteries to using a small solar panel on each flash unit, meaning they can be deployed the field in an almost continuous basis…….until next time, keep clicking!