Wildlife camera.

[powertools]

Just before lockdown my wife who seems to think she is responsible for all wildlife saw traces of us having hedgehogs in the garden and asked me to make a house.
I made the house out of offcuts from under the bench as I guess we all have and although she was pleased with it (that is the main thing) I didn't expect anything to come of it.
A few days ago I have been informed that we now have a resident hedgehog and we now need a camera in order to see what is going on.
I know nothing about cameras but I can see that you can buy on Amazon cameras that will do the job but the price ranges from £40 to £400. Can anybody recommend a camera that will record video with a motion sensor that will do the job but be nearer £40 than £400.
Many thanks in advance.

 

[novocaine]

If you fancy a bit of a challange and dont mind learning then a raspberry pi zero with camera module and IR lamp, and a lithium battery pack will set you back about 40 quid and when you're done it will be useful for other things.

 

[mindthatwhatouch]

Watching with interest as we need one for exactly the same purpose.
Ours have the choice of three feeding stations/ boxes as well as a good supply of water.
Highlight of our evening (very rock and roll ) is sitting there quietly and awaiting a visit from these fascinating little creatures.

 

[Sideways]

Google is your friend. There is a retailer possibly in North Wales with a very extensive review site comparing models of these.
They supply some wildlife groups.
My one reservation with these cameras as a class is their inability to take sharp images at close range.
Blu tacking a lens in front of the real one is an easy bodge but buyers shouln't have to. The manufacturers need to wake up to a missed opportunity, but then the #1 market is the USA hunting fraternity not the UK hedgehog watchers.

 

[nev]

Raspberry Pi + camera v.2 + Motioneyes OS =

[youtube]WWl5Pa306FY[/youtube]

 

[sunnybob]

If you fancy a bit of a challange and dont mind learning then a raspberry pi zero with camera module and IR lamp, and a lithium battery pack will set you back about 40 quid and when you're done it will be useful for other things.

Although I am comfortable with all electrics, electronics (especially programming) are a foreign language. I have a use for this kind of action motivated sensor and camera but have no idea what you just said. Is there an idiots guide somewhere?

 

[novocaine]

https://youtu.be/rhIzfRmKHnQ

With this camera.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B073W6KRSK/ ... 5Eb79VDCW3

And motioneyes as already mentioned.

Seriously easy honest.

 

[RichardG]

I’ve tried 2 approaches.

Trail Camera

Pros: Easy, just add batteries and setup wherever you like.
Cons: Lens does not close focus, you have to add an additional lens on front, expensive, you have to take the SD card out every day to copy the footage off. You only get 20 seconds or so of footage at night for each event. Uses a PIR to trigger and often fails to trigger for a small hog.

Some examples
https://photos.app.goo.gl/NeLA6eTODVDXHsR33

Wyze/Neos Cam.

Pros: Cheap (£30). Reasonable close focus. Wi-fi so you can watch live and see recordings without visiting the camera. Saves events to SD card for later remote viewing.
Cons: needs a power source, needs a Wi-fi router nearby, only for inside the feeding station as it’s not water proof.

Some examples (Some are from the feeding station some our from our hutch as we act as an extension for the local hedgehog rescue but all with the wyzecamera)
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTdkTAXit_Y9nmBCwAGIAvw


I got so fed up getting the SD card out of the trail cam that I almost never use it now, the wyzecam is running all the time. We also use it to check if we need to add food. It also shows when to stop feeding as the mice have found the food! I also added a mirror at the end so you get a better view of the hogs.

I can share some pictures of the feeding station if that’s of any use.

Richard

 

[powertools]

Many thanks for the replies.
I was hoping that someone would have had experience of a sub £100 stand alone camera and could recommend the brand name.
I am sure that the PI solution is a good one but these days I have no interest in anything to do with pc's being a total convert to a Google Pixel phone and a Chromebook.

 

[Suffolkboy]

I use trail cameras a lot at work for surveying, security etc.

You definitely do get what you pay for in terms of image quality, shutter speed, battery life etc etc etc.

If you get one with a removable SD card, get the biggest SD card you can afford and you'll have to change it less often. Get two and you just swap one for the other without removing the camera.

We have found the Bushnell cameras to be just about the best compromise in terms of cost versus quality. Doesn't mean they are the best though... Reconyx are the best I have found by quite some margin but way out of your price range. Set up correctly I only have to visit these once every six months, picture quality is amazing and shutter speed is fast.

Once you go below the £100 threshold everything is much of a muchness. I occasionally hear that Aldi or Lidl are selling them for around the £40 mark and I have heard good reviews although not tried them myself.

Before the Bushnells we used to use Ltl Acorn. They were okay, but more of the £100 price point.

Whatever you get, there is more skill involved in setting them up than people appreciate, read the instructions as to how the camera is triggered, walk zones etc. I find it better to have the camera slightly high and angled downwards rather than on a level if that makes sense.

Don't position it with the sun shining at the lense/sensor if you can help it. That causes false triggers and don't position it with wavy grass or flappy branches in front. That causes false triggers.

To combat slow shutter speed you can put bait down or position the camera somewhere where an animal might linger or in a natural bottleneck rather than somewhere they just pass - that should stop you getting loads of pictures of animals bums.