Sometimes things don't work out as planned

I spent quite a bit of time finding this location, but after setting the camera I was pleased with how everything turned out. I wanted either a doe with fawn or a nice buck in velvet, preferably a daytime photo but would take whatever I could get. As I walked through the brush to get to the camera, the first thing I saw were quite a few tracks so I felt good, then I saw the camera twisted at an angle on the tree.

I had several good photos of deer at night and a couple during the day but no fawns or bucks. Then a deer knocked the camera out of alignment and the next picture is of a nice buck.

Elk photo using the Canon

I placed this camera in a location to test how it would work with shade and light in the background and at a distance toward the max I normally would use. This would also give me some idea on how the camera would focus and the depth of focus. I used the lens set at 18 mm to find out the true field of view and how much shade would trigger the flash during the day.

Test worked perfect for everything I needed to learn. The camera takes a great quality picture, the 18mm setting on the lens gives more than I could have hoped for in the field of view and the flash triggered showing a slight shadow below the neck on the elk.

I now know I can set the camera very close and still get some of the smaller speedy animals, everything should be in focus and the lighting set in auto mode will work fine, I hope..

All of the next photos are cropped as an 8x10 to show the picture quality.



This last photo is cropped more than one would normally do, but still retains the quality and does show the slight shadow from the daytime flash.
I'm like a kid in a candy shop and well pleased with the camera setup. Now if I can keep from checking the camera every day or not leaving it in one location long enough for some good photos I'll be happy..

I built a new trail camera using the Canon Rebel

So far the testing has been good and now in the woods for the real test. To hold the camera stable in the case I used the bracket off the top of a tripod and it locks in great everytime. Still trying different settings on the camera but it's easy to use and quick to change settings.

I did change the sensor board after testing the ss board (the one in the picture) and went with an older board made by Radio Shack and it works fine. The camera is left in the always on mode and the radio shack sensor works better with this setup, also you will notice an extra board on the door of the case, that's a timelapse board if I want to photograph plants growing and such.