Lately, I have been thinking how nice it would be to have high resolution snapshots of my driveway whenever motion has been triggered. While CCTV cams have come a long way, high quality HD cameras are still pretty expensive. So I started thinking, what if I can find a cheap (but older) digital camera (3MP+), and interface the button with a relay to manually control the camera in certain conditions (mounted inside the house, behind one of the windows). I would still use my regular CCTV setup to record video etc, but I would like to be able to identify people, cars, etc.

The only major issue I can see is the focus and some other settings that somehow have to survive power outages. What do you guys think? Does anyone have a camera in mind?

I have been thinking about the same thing lately. Big trucks often turn around in our driveway and break sprinkler heads, squish grass, etc. One even tore down our main power line. None have ever left a note claiming responsibility (no surprise). The webcams don't have enough detail to show faces, license plates, etc. but they do a great job of catching the motion. The Canon powershots and the Nikon coolpix both seem to offer complete control/pic transfer over the USB connection so that was the route I was thinking of. I'm sure more camera offer USB control, but that's as far as I've gotten...

Terry

i've thought about this too but haven't gotten around to it. i ran across cam4you freeware a while back: http://alkenius.no-ip.org/Cam4you_remote for canon cameras.

I was actually thinking about a stand-alone camera, with the trigger button hooked up to a relay (UPB or M1). Since I would make it so it will only take pictures whenever certain criteria have been met, I don't think it would take that many pictures, so I can store them on the memory card and maybe empty that card every month or so. WiFi memory cards would be another interesting option.

I dont remember the sight right now but there are some open source firm wares for the cannon cameras that may add a pic on motion feature.

here it is: http://chdk.wikia.com/wiki/CHDK

that advantage of that app is that you can save camera settings so they can be easily restored and you can change them from it as well

Check out this link for a DIY remote shutter. Also, here is a old (2005) forum post with several recommendations of point and shoot digital cameras with remote shutter options. Since the article is older, you might be able to pick up an ebay model cheaply.

Terry

I did some work on a system that incorporated a cannon camera I beleive and to make it come back on after power loss (they were using an ac adapter) they used a bolt and bracket to hold down the power button. so every time it saw power it came on not sure about settings ect....

Search google for "single use digital camera hack" and you will find a several tutorials on hacking a single use digital camera so that it can be used over and over. For ~$20, you have a cheap, no-tears-lost-if-it-breaks camera that may fit your bill. Be nice to see how this turns out with relays. Please keep us updated if you do it.

I did what you wrote. Very interesting.

I haven't found a good camera yet, and did look at the CVS type digital camera hacks. Remember, I don't want to use a PC. I'm hoping to find a cheap digital cam which supports an external trigger, and SD memory (I want give the Eye-Fi card a shot).

How cheap? you can find a new cannon for under 100 much less used im sure. load up the custom firmware and set it to trigger on movement.

What about using the ir remote that many cameras come with. You could "hack" the remote then instead of tearing into the camera itself. The only concern is that most digitial cameras turn off after a period of time and then don't respond to the ir remote. If you can find a digital camera that allows you to disable the auto shut off feature then this would work. Of course the camera would have to run off the ac adapter. Maybe some cameras can be turned on by the ir remote as well, I don't know. That would require setting up two commands, "on" then followed a few seconds later by the shutter release.

I've looked at this too, to see if I can catch vandals at a desert cabin we have.

Google "trail cameras" for some sites that sell motion activated still cameras. They are used by hunters who set up feeders in the woods and want to know when the most game comes by that location, so the cameras include all the usual time and date info on the pics. Bushnell is one of the brands. Look at http://trailcam.com/ as an example (not an endorsement of that site, just a pointer to one site with the cameras listed).

More links:

Maker Faire $20 Trail Camera:
http://www.spectrum.ieee.org/blog/semicond...case_the_20_tra

How To Build Your Own (using Radio Shack components):
http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2006/03/h...rail_camer.html

"Home Brew" Cams, linked from above link:
http://www.jesseshunting.com/site/homebrew-cams.html

My concern with my remote property is securing it so it doesn't get vandalized (or stolen), and the "stealth" ones that are small are very expensive. But the plans listed above may point you in the right direction if you're planning on building one.

Dan, I have been working with my old Fuji FinePix A500 ; 5.1 MP camera. I want to have Homeseer capture a photo when motion is detected in my driveway. So far I have only been able to capture a picture from the video out port on the camera by using my security camera capture board. The quality is nowhere near 5MP. I have been thinking about using a solenoid to press the shutter button but I have not found a suitable solenoid. I'm not sure its worth the effort!

Steve Q

Frank, I totally forgot about trailcams, that's a very good suggestion (and great links), this actually looks doable now. Thanks!

SteveQ, the problem with using the video capture card method is that you are dropping the resolution to whatever the card can handle (which is probably 640x480 at best).

Lou, the problem with the IR remote is that in most cases, you need to point at the front of the camera (which would be pushed against the glass window), plus it means I have another set of batteries to deal with. It's a good idea tho, and definitely worth looking into if nothing else works. Thanks!

I believe both the older Canon and Olympus cameras can be remotely controlled through their USB connections. There's been a lot of discussion about using them instead of webcams on a weather forum I frequent. This thread discusses suitable camera models and various software options.

Mike..