Hi there - new to the forum and very new to the Arduino world, so please pardon my ignorance.
I’m trying to plan a photography project dependent on a remote camera firing at a specific, designated time (Day, hour, minute, second). I would not be in the presence of the camera, so I would need the functionality to trigger through a programed function and have the camera fire a shot. Camera used is a Canon R5.
The criteria for the project are the following:
Function that, in some manner, can trigger the camera to take an image at a specific day, hour, minute, and second
Device would have a universal coordinated time/real time that maintains accuracy to the second
Trigger can be set to take x number of photos at certain times to help with redundancy in the event one photo doesn't come out as expected
Power supply: will likely not have access to an outlet, so would need to use external batteries as a power source. Ideal duration would be under 7 days, could maybe reduce the necessary lifespan to 4-5 days if needed
So far, I have explored the on-camera intervalometer, which allows me to time the trigger at certain durations, but not in line with a specific time. There are 3rd party triggers that can be plugged into the camera. I'm unsure if this solution would need to interface directly with the camera, or potentially just use an external trigger like the Miops smart trigger that can trigger the camera with various inputs (sound, break in a laser, or light), which could be delivered by the Arduino solution.
Would appreciate any direction or assistance, and as I mentioned, being very new to this space, would be open to exploring consulting/project arrangements at cost if there are sites or recommended places to go to help develop these solutions.
Hi, @e3404. It is not very clear to me how exactly you control the camera, but maybe an Arduino with RTC module will be suitable. Or ESP8266 (also ESP32), which can take real time from the Internet if there is Wi-Fi coverage. I like 18650 rechargeable batteries (with DC-DC converter) and maybe combined with the microcontroller's power saving mode will give you a week's worth of work. However, it depends on other factors as well as how often he will take pictures.
What I've seen online is potentially the use of a standard shutter release cable being connected to an Arduino (Video Example. This would provide the mechanism to actually trigger the camera itself, but would need to be driven externally based on time. I know very little about capabilities in regards to ESP8266, and whether or not it would maintain a consistent Wi-Fi connection on a public network. I think the target would be to take around 10-20 pictures over the course of 1-2 hours each day, and then the camera could just go back into rest mode.
You even have focus control, perfect. Will the camera battery last as long as you need it to? I personally would try with an Arduino Nano, 2 optrons, an RTC module, a small OLED display, a few buttons and powered by an 18650 rechargeable battery with a DC-DC step-up converter to 5 volts (maybe an MT3608 or another).
In my initial tests where the camera had a battery grip attached (2 batteries) and was set to take 2 images per day (realizing this is less than the target number), it lasted around 3 weeks before running out of battery. This was just driven by the camera's internal intervalometer rather than an external device but it gave me confidence the camera could last longer than I need it to just based on shutter/image use.