New Camera Advice

[KevinC]

Hello all

My wife is keen on wildlife photography and usually struggles to get decent shots of the birds using our bird feeders, bath and around the pond. We were looking at using a USB cable (a long one!), to set up a remote webcam and then take pictures/video using that, but the quality is pretty poor.

I was thinking of getting her a new camera and had looked at the Panasonic Lumix range, but can't see whether that would allow us to connect a USB cable for remote shots.

Have any of you had any similar experience? Any advice?

Thanks

 

[Comfortably Numb]

Welcome, Kevin.

You do need to get close to achieve quality frame filling shots.

I haven't tethered a camera myself, I tend to use a hide or cover, bit I thinks it's a case of loading the software, attaching the camera with the appropriate lead & then triggering the shutter from the pc.

Is there no chance for you to move the feeders/perches, or yourself, closer?

 

[Tringa]

I can't help with the tethering but there may be IR remote devices you that could be used instead of linking it to a PC.

One thing to try are live mealworms. A number of birds - robin, great tit, blue tit and house sparrow, in our garden, will come within a few feet for mealworms.

Dave

 

[KevinC]

Thanks for your feedback.

The feeders are on our patio and also one close by the pond, so they aren't that far from our patio doors, but far enough away that makes close up shots difficult and lacking in detail.

We have managed to attract a wide variety of birds in to the garden, including Woodpeckers, Jays, Tits (including Coal) and the usual or more common.

I had a reply from Panasonic - the Lumix doesn't have a USB shutter attachment (nor any others in their range). Keep looking, I guess!

Kevin

 

[ACW]

Sounds like the type of thing you want is the Canon EOS Utility program, but I don't know if you can use anything like that on non-DSLRs?

 

[Tringa]

Some compact cameras have IR receivers -

http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=154237

- so it would be possible to set a camera close to the feeders and trigger it from a distance, though I appreciate this is not what you first asked about, but it would allow your wife to get some shots.

Good luck with woodpeckers and jays which, in my experience, are very wary birds. Coal tits seem much more tolerant of humans but unfortunately move very quickly.

Dave

 

[Tori_T]

Hello all

I was thinking of getting her a new camera and had looked at the Panasonic Lumix range, but can't see whether that would allow us to connect a USB cable for remote shots.

Have any of you had any similar experience? Any advice?

Thanks

Welcome to TP!

If you have a look at the bottom of this page, you'll see a list of the Lumix models the Hähnel wireless remote shutter release is compatible with. They have a range of up to 100 metres.

I've used (the previous version of) these devices on both Olympus and Canon cameras to closely stake out bird feeders, while I hide in the house with the trigger and peer round the curtains.