Just finished my first homebrew.

[scudmaster]

Just finished the first.  Had a bit of an adventure with the 30 wires shorting when I closed the case.  Rewired the shutter board three times only to realize it was in the connector

Also used too much hardener in the Bondo and it set up too quick on me. Still looks okay.  It was fun and I cant wait to do the next one.

[Machias]

Nice job, can't wait to see some photos!

[gkowen]

Nice job. I have found that the camoflauging is not that critical. What works and blends in perfectly on one tree, is easily seen as out of place on a tree 5 feet away.  I see you used the wide-angle fresnel lens. Did you intend for it to be installed upside down?  It shouldn't make any difference but I'd keep the camera low to the ground. Here is a webpage that shows the effective focusing pattern of the lens. It also shows the focal point is not in the center of the lens. Also, for anyone considering the wide angle lens the focal distance is 0.9 inches not the 0.65 inches of the regular lens.

http://www.fresneltech.com/pdf/VariousArrays.pdf#page=4

[bigdave]

Looks good Scud! Way to go. Set it out and post some pics!

[Skyvalhunter]

What kind of a fresnel lense is that?

[gkowen]

That is the wide angle fresnel lens from the yeticam site.

[scudmaster]

Nice job. I have found that the camoflauging is not that critical. What works and blends in perfectly on one tree, is easily seen as out of place on a tree 5 feet away.  I see you used the wide-angle fresnel lens. Did you intend for it to be installed upside down?  It shouldn't make any difference but I'd keep the camera low to the ground. Here is a webpage that shows the effective focusing pattern of the lens. It also shows the focal point is not in the center of the lens. Also, for anyone considering the wide angle lens the focal distance is 0.9 inches not the 0.65 inches of the regular lens.

http://www.fresneltech.com/pdf/VariousArrays.pdf#page=4

I got the right focal length, but I had not seen that there was a top to the lens.  I will test it and change it if necssary.

Thanks

[gkowen]

If you click on the link above it will show you the focus pattern of the lens. I doubt upside down is a big deal.  Just keep it lower on the tree.

[Ridgeratt]

Just wondering about the wide angle Fresnel lens. Are you getting a lot of false triggers because the target is outside the camera lens? I was thinking about a wide angle Fresnel. intrested in hearing your thoughts.

Thanks

Rick

[gkowen]

I have 2 cameras, one with the regular fresnel lens and one with the wide-angle.  In about 500 shots I haven't had a false trigger yet. The regular fresnel lens is much easier to do. Just drill a hole. The wide angle is rectangular. It does trigger over a wider area but the distance is not quite as far. It is still quite useable though. I tried the wide-angle to get the camera to turn on quicker. I think it does this. But so far I have seen no real advantage to it.

[scudmaster]

I turned the lens over.  I wanted it to be more sensitive to side shots.  In the area I hunt, the cover is dense, so I wanted a camera that would be a bit more responsive to passing trail shots.   I will let know know how it works.  The next one I will make with a regular lens. gkowen thanks for the heads up about the lens orientation.