Automated Birdwatching (10D/TC-80N)

Sigma 70-200mm f/2.8 EX DG APO IF for Canon

01/26/2004 07:40:48 PM · #1

I conducted a little test yesterday with the Canon 10D and the TC-80N Timer Remote Controller. I setup my camera inside my sliding glass door and composed this scene in the viewfinder. I put some sunflower seed on my deck railing and then programmed the controller to take a photo every 30 seconds. When I returned about an hour later, I had approximately 120 photos, 10 of which contained birds. This is one of the better of the set...

deafwolf

Canon EOS-300D Rebel

01/26/2004 07:44:44 PM · #2

Too cool!! Does the TC-80N work with the 300D? I always scare off the birds. :(

Canon RF 24-70mm f/2.8 L IS

01/26/2004 07:45:27 PM · #3

Originally posted by deafwolf:

Too cool!! Does the TC-80N work with the 300D? I always scare off the birds. :(

Unfortunately, I don't think it does :(

kirbic

Canon EOS R5

01/26/2004 07:49:40 PM · #4

I can confirm that the TC-80N3 does not work with the 300D. The 300D uses a completely different remote setup. I think it may be possible to do what John did with the 300D by using a laptop to control the camera, but not too sure on that one.

kosmikkreeper

Nikon D300s

Nikon AF-S DX NIKKOR 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR II

01/26/2004 07:58:34 PM · #5

Now... who (or what) REALLY took that photo??? There's a nice can o' worms for ya! :-)

lionelm

Canon EOS-10D

Canon EF 24-105mm f/4.0L IS

01/26/2004 07:58:49 PM · #6

You can use 10D remote and your camera connecte dto a PC or laptop with the USB port.
It's working very well, great for 'studio' work as well. And you van get your photo on the PC immediatly, not limited by compact flash space

breezesys 10Dremote

Lionel

Message edited by author 2004-01-26 19:59:32.

faidoi

Pentax K10D

Pentax DA 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 AF

01/26/2004 08:03:43 PM · #7

What a cool toy :)

Aaron

Fujifilm FinePix S602Z

01/26/2004 08:08:16 PM · #8

The method is pretty nifty. I did it once with my casio's built in timer!

Rooster

Canon EOS-400D Rebel XTi

Sigma 28-105mm f/2.8-4.0 Aspherical for Canon

01/26/2004 08:10:26 PM · #9

very cool John! Always the versatile fotographer!

eaphelps

Canon EOS-300D Rebel

01/26/2004 08:25:22 PM · #10

hrmm...to whom does one contribute artistic merit when the photo is taken by a computer...like the recent mars rovers for example (do the robots get to claim rights to their work?..hehe)

KevinRiggs

Canon EOS-1Ds

Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM

01/26/2004 08:26:49 PM · #11

Great shot, John. Creative use of the timer's time-lapse functionality.

KevinRiggs

Canon EOS-1Ds

Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM

01/26/2004 08:30:31 PM · #12

Originally posted by eaphelps:

hrmm...to whom does one contribute artistic merit when the photo is taken by a computer...like the recent mars rovers for example (do the robots get to claim rights to their work?..hehe)

Well, in this one John said he "composed the shot" so I definitely think that as any other artist who experiments with time-lapse he's the actual creative mind behind getting this image. Now with the Mars rover I think you're talking about something different. No one composed those shots, they put logic into some other apparatus that got the shots. John's TC-80N has no logic to determine the composition of the shot; whether its overblown or underlit. It simply counts down and then sends a message to the camera to do what John set it up to do. How does this differ from any astrophotographer who used extended exposures with a locking remote shutter release? The TC-80N is merely a tool to enable the artist to do something unconventional.

Canon RF 24-70mm f/2.8 L IS

01/26/2004 08:49:48 PM · #13

Originally posted by eaphelps:

hrmm...to whom does one contribute artistic merit when the photo is taken by a computer...like the recent mars rovers for example (do the robots get to claim rights to their work?..hehe)

Someone else asked me a similar question earlier today. I would have no problem claiming this shot as 'mine' even though I wasn't 'present' when the photograph happened. I designed the result.

kirbic

Canon EOS R5

01/26/2004 08:49:58 PM · #14

For those REALLY into this kind of thing...

//www.bmumford.com/photo/camctlr.html

MinAlex

Minolta DiMAGE A1

01/27/2004 12:49:55 AM · #15

Minolta A1 can do that in camera. No remote control timer or laptop needed.

tyrkinn

Canon EOS-20D

Tamron SP AF 17-50mm f/2.8 Di II LD Aspherical (IF) for Canon

01/27/2004 04:26:04 AM · #16

I think the G3 also has some kind of a interval timer thingy (havent used it though). The software that comes with it also enables you to do this, when the camera is connected to a computer. Nice shot.

Lee31

Canon EOS-20D

Sigma 28-200mm f/3.5-5.6 Compact Hyperzoom Aspherical for Canon

01/27/2004 07:55:36 AM · #17

This was something I attempted 1 week ago. I bought a remote for the 300D, but soon realised the problems. I wanted to set it up in the garden, and activate it from the house, but the IR sensor in on the front of the camera. Why! Why not have one on the back, as I soon found out my plan wouldnt work. Despite rigging up various reflector, I couldnt get it to work.
1. Is there a reflector adaptor, to allow you to activate it from behind the camera.
2. Does using it from the house, ie through glass, also stop it working.
I was using the RC5 I think.

Message edited by author 2004-01-27 08:00:20.

tatu54

Canon EOS-300D Rebel

02/14/2004 08:54:57 PM · #18

I have always liked the idea of "remote" shooting, but I cannot justify the expense to that wonderful woman I married. So I was essentially stuck with wired remotes and having to be on the scene.

I started this with my Canon A2. I set the camera up at my bird feeding stations, pre-focused on a spot and ran the wired remote in the house in the little morning room.

On another tripod I put up one of the wireless X-10 cams (yes, there are actually some people who use those silly little things. I have eight of them around the perimeter of my house. Paranoid, or security consious, you decide...) set to the same spot.

I have the X-10 Receiver attached to my Sony camcorder where I can watch the activity on the LCD screen. If/when something I want to shoot shows up on the LCD I just hit the remote.

This works pretty well to get shots of those small jittery birds. The only thing to be careful of is the weather. I only set this up when it is above forty degrees (F) and there is no precipitation around. I have been toying with the idea of a plexiglass box of some kind so I can use foul weather shots. Plus I can put one of those heat air-activated pads that have been showing up lately at the drug stores in the box to keep the camera warm.

alanbataar

Canon EOS-400D Rebel XTi

Lensbaby 1.0 (The Original)

04/17/2004 11:33:18 AM · #19

I did a google search for "n3 connector wireless" and came up with a couple of 3-rd party wireless remote systems. They were all appallingly expensive solutions and frankly, I'd rather buy a couple of new lenses. nice ones at that. The Dreb has a much more user-friendly (imho) system with the 1/8" phono jack. BTW, I think that Canon might offer a 1/8" -> N3 adaptor so you could use the TC-80N on the Dreb.

Anyway, My thougths were that if you're a reasonably adept tinkerer, you could probably generate your own radio remote, i.e. NOT an i.r. remote like Canon. I guess that Canon - as pointed out on some other site - didn't want to go through the hassle of registering a frequency and testing the gear for FCC approval.

Anyway, there are tons of $20 RC toys available at places like WalMart and Radio Shack, and these could provide the basis for a 2-function remote. The funny thing is that the cheap toys that have push-left push-right steering are ideal -- a better toy with proportional steering wouldn't have the discrete output that the camera expects. Only the electronics would be used -- nothing mechanical is necessary, so it should result in a tidy little package.

I think that it could be a pretty simple thing to do. I'll keep the list posted on my progress if I ever get off my butt and try it.

Spork99

OM System OM-1

Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 USM Macro

04/17/2004 12:04:37 PM · #20

My G5, as well as the S50 and the new Pro1, have built in intervalometers so that you can just take a picture every so often. I used this at Christmas time to take a pic every 2 minutes of us setting up the Christmas tree. Then I made an animated GIF of the whole series. It was very cool.

EDIT: Here it is:

Message edited by author 2004-04-17 14:00:48.

Jacko

Canon EOS-20D

Canon EF 17-40mm f/4.0L USM

04/17/2004 12:14:54 PM · #21

Holy smokes. I want one.

Originally posted by kirbic:

For those REALLY into this kind of thing...

//www.bmumford.com/photo/camctlr.html

cpanaioti

Canon EOS-40D

Canon EF 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 DO IS USM

04/17/2004 01:35:47 PM · #22

Originally posted by jmsetzler:

I'd like to be able to look at your picture but the link gives me an error. Is there something special about it's location?

cpanaioti

Canon EOS-40D

Canon EF 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 DO IS USM

04/17/2004 10:38:54 PM · #23

bump -- can't get the link to work?????