Just a brief summary/info on homebrew cam building Well, you pick what kind of camera you want to use(Fuji, Nikon, Panasonic and Sony are what I use - possibly with a slave flash or maybe IR modded), decide what kind of control board(check out snapshotsniper.com and yeticam - choice depends on options and room in case...I use all of them for various builds, and also a couple DIY all-in-one'AIO' boards)and what type of case(size and brand - there's a few to choose from). What kind of battery life you need(this will help dictate which case). You need to hack the camera first(or have someone do it for you), figure out your layout and then drill lens, flash, and PIR/fresnel holes...if you want pipethrough figure that out and drill holes to...I usually just use eye-bolts myself. Check to make sure your hack is working and also check it works with control board...then it is assembly time - you need Goop, standoffs and/or mounting brackets for control board, flash gasket for camera to stop flash bleed, a shelf for the camera to set on(some use the pipe-through for a shelf), foam to hold in place though I normally use the tripod mount and a screw, lens glass, flash glass(perhaps IR filter), fresnel lens(HPWA is best), battery holders, snorkel(for extending lens cameras), double sided tape is nice for battery holders btw, and LiquidNails for 3D camo or a camo dip kit(depending on your peference - predipped cases available from board suppliers and a couple other guys who do an awesome job. This usually takes me 3-4 days at about 1-2.5 hrs per evening to complete the build(have to wait at various stages for Goop to dry and then 3D camo, paint and clearcoat). Total time -depending on complexity and familiarity with camera hack and layout and with/without internal slave flash- is 3-6 hrs. *I get most of my info for builds and hacks on Camtrapper.com, Hagshouse.com, and DIYtrailcams.com, as well as Chasingame.com and Outdoortalk.com - Lots of Good info, links and guys that will help you through the process as well as troubleshooting. **if you are trying your first - Keep it Simple...the Sony P32 is an easy hack and makes a nice game cam.
If I may add to wolvenkinde's post, here is a pic tutorial on how to actually assemble the componants for building a camera. The actual hacking of the camera is not shown here but there are instructions on how to do it on the site this tutorial came from. There are two recommendations I would make. First, for your first build pick a camera that is an easy hack, such as a Sony P41 or Sony P32. Both of these cameras require no soldering to hack them and are very easy to get in to. And secondly, in the tutorial they are using a Pelican 1010 case which is very small. I would recommend a Pelican 1040 case which is a little larger and much easier to work with. Here is a link to the tutorial. http://pics.snapshotsniper.com/GalleryThumbnails.aspx?gallery=196122 Blessings........Pastorjim
Thanks pastorjim, hopefully my scouting for next season will include a couple of my own homeade cams!
