MAKE | HOW TO – Make a Hummingbird shooter (camera mod)

Makescreenname writes – “Late this summer, hummingbirds finally began visiting the feeder we’d put up on our back porch. I wanted to try and get some digital shots of them, but couldn’t stand there with a camera “in range”–they’d never come.

I needed a remote cable release so I could set the camera up on a tripod, aim it at the hummingbird feeder, and release the shutter from a distance away. Problem is, my camera, like most digital snapshooters, isn’t equipped for remote shutter release.

Although an earlier instructable had a great hack for opening up the camera and tapping into its electronics, I didn’t want to permanently modify my camera, and wasn’t sure I would be able to do the surgery without damaging something.

So after some thought, I designed this simple fixture using low-tech parts readily available for $10 or less that allows you to leave your camera intact, but still allows you to “sneak” up on wildlife, have camera on elevated position, and other remote-shutter release situations.” – Link.

6 Responses to HOW TO – Make a Hummingbird shooter (camera mod)

SonicReducer on November 15th, 2006 at 12:31 am said:

this is just like “To Kill A Mockingbird,” no real information on killing birds. what a disappointment!

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badpoodle on November 15th, 2006 at 5:15 am said:

phillip, i applaud your thoughts and efforts but must point out the flaw in your belief that hummingbirds won’t come if you stand there with a camera. hummers are incredibly bold little buggers and get used to the people around their feeders really fast.

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dougal on November 15th, 2006 at 7:29 am said:

Yup, I’ve worn a red t-shirt and stood really still near our feeder, and had a hummingbird fly right up to me. You just have to be really, really patient.

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matthew_kleinmann on November 15th, 2006 at 7:31 am said:

I have to second what badpoodle has said, hummers are bold little people. You need to stand by the feeder for a while, but I was at most six feet away and got some very cool pix last summer.

The big advantage to your system is you don’t need to stand there.

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matthew_kleinmann on November 15th, 2006 at 7:32 am said:

I have to second what badpoodle has said, hummers are bold little people. You need to stand by the feeder for a while, but I was at most six feet away and got some very cool pix last summer.

The big advantage to your system is you don’t need to stand there.

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Shadyman on November 15th, 2006 at 9:18 am said:

Only sad thing is that the camera in the photo set was focused on the trees in the background, not the feeder. The camera was probably too close to get a proper focus on the feeder.

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