Ok, lets get this started. This list is meant to provide information on DSLR cameras that members have used for camera trapping. I'll start with the Canon cameras that I have built traps around. Maybe we can get Willy to sticky this and I will keep the original post updated as members add input. I will add the Nikon list over the weekend.

Also, I started a repository of DSLR camera manuals at http://www.trlcam.com/CameraManuals If you have a manual or any other DSLR related document to add email it to me and I will put it in the folder.

CANON
Rebel XTi
Also called EOS 400D or EOS Kiss Digital X in Japan is one of the more popular cameras to be used as a camera trap. It has a APS-C sensor listed at 10.1 megapixels. Choice of lenses is excellent. The kit lens was an 18-55mm 1:3.5-5.6 II EF-S mount. Canon DIGIC II processor. Memory is Compact Flash. This camera has an excellent sleep mode. It is very quick to wake up. Battery life for a stock battery is two to three weeks depending on temperature and number of shutter activations. Shutter control is a 2.5mm three pin female. It is a common stereo connector.

Rebel XSi
Also called EOS 450D or EOS Kiss X2 in Japan. This is another good choice for camera trapping. It has a APS-C sensor listed at 12.2 megapixels. Choice of lenses is excellent. The kit lens was an 18-55mm 1:3.5-5.6 II EF-S mount. Canon DIGIC III processor. Memory is SD or SDHC. This camera has an excellent sleep mode. It is very quick to wake up. Battery life for a stock battery is two to three weeks depending on temperature and number of shutter activations. Shutter control is a 2.5mm three pin female. It is a common stereo connector.

Rebel T1i
Also called EOS 500D or EOS Kiss X3 in Japan. This is another good choice for camera trapping. It has a APS-C sensor listed at 15.1 megapixels. Choice of lenses is excellent. The kit lens was an 18-55mm 1:3.5-5.6 II EF-S mount. Canon DIGIC 4 processor. Memory is SD or SDHC. This camera has an excellent sleep mode. It is very quick to wake up. Battery life for a stock battery is two to three weeks depending on temperature and number of shutter activations. Shutter control is a 2.5mm three pin female. It is a common stereo connector.

Rebel T2i
Also called EOS 550D or EOS Kiss X4 in Japan. This is another good choice for camera trapping. It has a APS-C sensor listed at 17.9 megapixels. Choice of lenses is excellent. The kit lens was an 18-55mm 1:3.5-5.6 II EF-S mount. Canon DIGIC 4 processor. Memory is SD or SDHC. This camera has an excellent sleep mode. It is very quick to wake up. Battery life for a stock battery is two to three weeks depending on temperature and number of shutter activations. Shutter control is a 2.5mm three pin female. It is a common stereo connector.

Rebel T3i
Also called EOS 600D or EOS Kiss X5 in Japan. This is another good choice for camera trapping. It has a APS-C sensor listed at 14.9 megapixels. Choice of lenses is excellent. The kit lens was an 18-55mm 1:3.5-5.6 II EF-S mount. Canon DIGIC 4 processor. Memory is SD or SDHC. This camera has an excellent sleep mode. It is very quick to wake up. Battery life for a stock battery is two to three weeks depending on temperature and number of shutter activations. Shutter control is a 2.5mm three pin female. It is a common stereo connector.

Rebel T4i
Also called EOS 650D or EOS Kiss X6i in Japan. This is another good choice for camera trapping. It has a APS-C sensor listed at 18.0 megapixels. Choice of lenses is excellent. The kit lens was an 18-55mm 1:3.5-5.6 II EF-S mount. Canon DIGIC 5 processor. Memory is SD or SDHC. This camera has an excellent sleep mode. It is very quick to wake up. Battery life for a stock battery is two to three weeks depending on temperature and number of shutter activations. Shutter control is a 2.5mm three pin female. It is a common stereo connector.

Rebel SL1
Also called EOS 100D or EOS Kiss X7 in Japan. This is another good choice for camera trapping. It has a APS-C sensor listed at 18.0 megapixels. Choice of lenses is excellent. The kit lens was an 18-55mm 1:3.5-5.6 II EF-S mount. Canon DIGIC 5 processor. Memory is SD or SDHC. This camera has an excellent sleep mode. It is very quick to wake up. Battery life for a stock battery is two to three weeks depending on temperature and number of shutter activations. Shutter control is a 2.5mm three pin female. It is a common stereo connector. I had this camera behind the house for a couple months. See the Camtrapper thread here: viewtopic.php?f=113&t=8038

All the Rebel camera use the same remote shutter connector. The three pins are ground, metering and shutter. With the Rebel series you can just run the shutter pin to ground and the camera will take a picture. I like to set up the controller to apply a ground to the metering pin for about 250ms before activation the shutter. This gives the camera a chance to wake up and if you are using a flash it has a chance to come out of the standby mode.



5D Mark II
The 5D works well for a camera trap. It has a full frame sensor and a good selection of EF lenses. The full frame sensor is listed at 21.1 megapixels and uses a DIGIC 4 processor. Memory is handled by a single type 1 or type 2 compact flash card. It has a good sleep mode although the battery life is not as good as the Rebel series. The remote shutter connector is a proprietary Canon 3 pin or N3 connector.

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Do we add input in posts?

Xti: Only issue with this cam is it's getting old and it's rated for 50k shutter clicks, so many that are out there are going to be at the end of their lifespan--one of mine had the shutter go out a few clicks after the only cougar shot I've ever gotten.

Xsi/T1i: these cameras don't play well with fast, high capacity sd cards. I would not recommend these for camera trapping if you are doing long sets or anticipate getting >500 shots in a set.

T2i vs. T3i: the T2i is actually slightly narrower in size, for me this lets me squeeze it into a 6x6x4" junction box for a housing, as long as I have a low profile jack for the shutter release.

50D/7D: these cameras are substantially larger than the rebels. The height in particular makes them require a substantially larger housing. The advertised flash sync. speed is 1/250s on the X0D or 7D cameras, while it's 1/200s on the Rebels. However, I've found the Rebels sync fine at 1/250s. The advanced autofocus and higher frame rate in the X0D/7D may not be that helpful for most camera trappers.

Nikon D3200: Haven't taken it for a spin yet, but noticing it has weak support for tethered shooting compared to other cameras. Also the proprietary shutter release plug is quite bulky, so you can't take advantage of the camera's small size when housing it (need ~1.5" extra on the side to fit the plug). For example, it won't fit in a vertically oriented Pelican 1150, at least with the plug that I got. Gotta be the best sensor for the money though...

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It would almost be easier if we had a thread for each camera model. Let's see what the boss wants to do.

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In KS right now, will break them up however you want them when I return.

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"Wilderness to the people of America is a spiritual necessity, an antidote to the high pressure of modern life, a means of regaining serenity and equilibrium."
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Good stuff there Jeff…it's been needed…don't forget the Sony DSLRs as they are plug and play too..!!

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I use canon 40D on my 4 trap and a canon 400D, the Canon 40D is relatively cheap on Ebay

Full frame cameras-- main advantage is ability to use higher ISO at night/twilight to squeeze out more ambient light and get more power out of your flashes. Also have access to better range of wide-angle lenses, the crop sensor ones have great image quality but aren't weather sealed.

Sony A7 models: slow wake up so need to work around that, some of the early models had battery life issues. Excellent image quality. Worst weather sealing from what I understand (haven't used these for camera trapping but my friends use them underwater, often remote triggered).

Nikon D610: can be found for about $900 used (fall 2018) so still expensive, quiet shutter, durable body -- I left mine out for an entire winter in a non-sealed housing.

Canon 6D: Cheaper on used market (~$600-800), quiet shutter, fairly durable but I had the shutter port fail once. Lighter and smaller than 5D bodies. Has Wifi for setting up shot if you use that.

Canon 5D2: Can be found for $500'ish. Larger in size than 6D/D610. The shutter is quite loud.

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I’ll add an option in here which is high quality and economic.

Nikon D3300. Now two generations behind the latest but has exactly the same 24Mp DX (APS-C) crop sensor as the latter two (D3400, D3500). That sensor remains amongst the very best available. D3300 is the choice because the latter two models lost the shutter trigger accessory port so are no good for trapping. Small size body for compact installations. Very good battery life (weeks) and instant wake. Add a cheap (easily available online) after market grip gets 2 batteries and even more. 5fps for burst. Now available second hand at good price for even mint gear or increasingly rare as mfr refurb. This model also takes the latest kit lens (18-55 AF-P). This is a very good and excellent value lens but make sure you update firmware to do so.
To be aware of:
- The shutter socket plug sticks out a bit. There are some right angle versions available, particularly with a battery grip. Alternatively a bit of careful work with a craft knife and Sugru will allow the wire to the plug to be made shorter and turned 90 degrees.
- Shutter is a bit louder than top end body - I blimp the box a bit more carefully than normal and it’s then barely audible at 2’.