DIY DSLR Camera Trap

Hello,

I am a keen amateur nature photographer and I happen to live in the beautiful British countryside where badgers and foxes are rife, as witnessed by the infrared photos I took with my trail camera. Not satisfied, I decided to build a DIY camera case for wildlife photography with my Pentax K10D DSLR.
You can buy ready DSLR cases, but my aim was to match quality with economy.

PANARO case MAX235H155

MANFROTTO 496RC2 Compact Ball Head

RC2 Quick Release Plate

SmallRig BUT2664 tabletop mini tripod

Snapshot Sniper SSII type 6 motion sensor

UV filter 86mm

10cm diameter ventilation duct flange

Wolfcraft 86mm diameter Hole Saw Complete with Hexagon Adapter and Centring Drill

Hole Saw HSS Stainless Steel Drill Bit 24mm Diameter

As regards cases, Pelican is the brand most in fashion for this genre of photography; however, I thought that PANARO MAX235H155 (IP67 waterproof) would suit me perfectly for 1/5 of the price. To support the camera inside, I needed a tripod, small but steady. Or actually 2 tripods: one inside the case and one outside.

My choice was: 1) SmallRig BUT2664 tabletop mini tripod and 2) MANFROTTO 496RC2 Compact Ball Head combined: head of the SmallRig inside; Manfrotto ball head supporting the case screwed on the legs of the SmallRig outside.

RC2 Quick Release Plate is to be screwed outside on the base of the case to be locked onto the Manfrotto Ball Head and to keep the case steady and upright. One 3/8" hole through the base of the case: outside you have the RC2 Quick Release Plate screwed to the SmallRig BUT2664 head.

Then you have to think what DSLR you are going to use, and draw a map inside of where the lens is going to be: in my case it is a Pentax K10D with a 24mm or 28mm Pentax lens. I used Wolfcraft 86mm diameter Hole Saw connected to my drill to make the big hole for the lens, diameter 86mm. I glued an inexpensive 86 mm UV filter with silicon from the outside. I also made a hole with 1" diameter for the motion sensor (see Step 4).

The fun part is also painting the outside part of the case: I chose military brown, olive and bright green, starting with the darkest colour first. I actually took lessons from my son who is a graffiti painter! I then screwed the 10cm diameter ventilation duct flange around the 86mm hole in order to avoid sun glare and rain onto the 86mm UV filter.

Snapshot Sniper SSII type 6 motion sensor which I bought from the US. Gary from Snapshot Sniper will give you plenty of advice should you need to adjust your gear, like in my case where they had tested Nikon and Canon but not Pentax (basically same settings as for Canon). On their website http://www.snapshotsniper.com
you can find the info on the wire connections between various cameras and the motion sensor board.
I sacrificed the cable and plug of a cheap Canon 2.5mm remote control to connect the motion sensor with the remote control terminal of my Pentax K10D.

There is space inside for devices like signal transmitters to be connected on the camera hot-shoe, so you can use multiple flashes. The PANARO case comes also with handy holes: I happen to have a 5mm steel 5m or 1m wire to be locked to a lock-pad to secure my precious case to a tree! Cost? Less than £100 all included (except camera and lens of course) if you buy a used Manfrotto ball head and if you resell on eBay the Hole Saw bits (against the £350-400 if bought new from specialized sellers)! See one of the photos taken with my DIY camera trap.