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Looking for a place to discuss camera trap troubleshooting, compare models, collaborate with members working with other technologies like machine learning and bioacoustics, or share and exchange data from your camera trap research? Get involved in our Camera Traps group! All are welcome whether you are new to camera trapping, have expertise from the field to share, or are curious about how your skill sets can help those working with camera traps. 

discussion

Automatic extraction of temperature/moon phase from camera trap video

Lucy Dimitrova

29 November 2023 1:15pm

Hey everyone, I'm currently trying to automate the annotation process for some camera trap videos by extracting metadata from the files (mp4 format). I've been tasked to try...

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Parker DePond

29 November 2023 3:06pm

Hello Lyuboslava,

As you said, the first thing that came to mind was running a CV program to read the needed data. If the data does not change in the duration of the footage, then, in my humble opinion, it would be easiest to take a single frame from each clip and run an optical character recognition program to get the temperature.

The moon phase might pose a bit more of a challenge if the meta data truly is hidden. A different CNN program that is trained on the moon phases should suffice. But as you well know, not the simplest solution.

Wade

29 November 2023 4:28pm

It's certainly possible that your camera(s) just aren't embedded structured metadata for this information.  But I wouldn't give up too quickly on looking for it, because extracting it from actual video frames is more challenging, less efficient, and less reliable.

EXIF / IPTC metadata is effectively limited to a finite set of pre-defined attributes, mostly centred around camera settings & author information, respectively.  You can check the latest specification to see precisely what is formally defined.  Ambient temperature actually is in there (and has been for a while) but there's nothing for astronomical data (although, can you not infer the moon phase based on the location & time data?).

It is alas a long-running issue that camera makers often misunderstand the specification and store data incorrectly (or not at all).

Camera makers can embed proprietary data in MakerNote fields, but the format is unspecified and standard tools (like exiftool) likely won't understand them for all but the most popular cameras (think Nikon, Canon, Sony, etc).  And possibly only for older models.

Many common image & video containers (e.g. JPEG and MP4) do support embeded XMP, an extensible format which allows model- and make-specific metadata.  It's possible that's in use in your case.  exiftool does not show embedded XMP data by default - at least not reliably.  In a nutshell, I suggest running exiftool as:

exiftool -D -g -G -ee -scanForXMP -u -U <PATH>

That's more likely to show you embedded XMP data, as well as all EXIF / IPTC tags (even those unrecognised by exiftool - you can at least get their raw bytes and work from there).  You can also add the `-v3` argument if you want to dig even harder, or see the raw data in more detail.

Another way some cameras store proprietary metadata is in proprietary tracks (e.g. GPMF for GoPros).  You can see if your files contain any such tracks via:

ffmpeg -i <PATH>

Usually these are used for metadata which can change during a recording, as EXIF / IPTC / XMP have no real support for that.  But some camera makers use them even for static metadata out of e.g. laziness or hubris.

Extracting such tracks is easy enough with tools like ffmpeg, but interpreting them can be challenging if their format is not documented like GoPro's GPMF.

Can you provide a sample file for us to examine?

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discussion

Video camera trap analysis help

muh

21 November 2023 7:49am

Hello,I'm a complete newbie so any help would be appreciated. I never trained any ML models (have junior/mid experience with Python and R) nor annotated the data but would like to...

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Lucy Dimitrova

23 November 2023 11:26am

Hey there :)

You could use Timelapse (for data annotation and automatic metadata extraction, e.g. date/time, temperature, etc) in combination with Megadetector (it works with videos too). You basically run the Megadetector through your batch of videos and then use the output json file in Timelapse (to filter out empty videos or automate the annotation process). 

Here's the documentation for Timelapse:

https://saul.cpsc.ucalgary.ca/timelapse/pmwiki.php?n=Main.HomePage

And here you can find detailed info on how to integrate the Megadetector input into Timelapse.

https://saul.cpsc.ucalgary.ca/timelapse/uploads/Guides/TimelapseImageRecognitionGuide.pdf

I hope this is useful.

Cheers,

Lucy

Dan Morris

23 November 2023 4:55pm

You are correct that at its core, MegaDetector only knows about still images.  However, we have found that it's quite reasonable to run MegaDetector on something like every 10th frame of a video (that's still typically three frames per second) to determine whether animals are present.  I would say video represents around 10% of total MegaDetector use right now.  If you have very small animals that flash in and out of frame quickly, this probably isn't a good approach (this comes up a lot with video surveys for birds), but for most animals, this has worked great.

As Lucy highlights, most MegaDetector users load their MegaDetector results into Timelapse to review their images; Timelapse lets you say, for example, "show me only the images that MegaDetector thinks are not empty".  It can do the same for videos.  But it's not necessary to use Timelapse; some users, for example, review their videos in dedicated behavioral coding software and just want to get blanks out of the way first.  MegaDetector can help with that.

All that said, it's a little bit more involved to process videos than to process stills, so we recommend you reach out to us at [email protected], and we can run a few test videos, make sure things are working OK, then walk you through the process.  For the adventerous, the relevant script is here, and the notebook we use to do this for batch jobs is here, but for new users, we typically recommend starting by email.

And just for fun, here is a video of MegaDetector running on a video of a raccoon.  Because raccoons.

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discussion

Is anyone or platform supporting ML for camera trap video processing (id-ing jaguar)? 

Stephanie O'Donnell

27 November 2023 10:49am

Hi wildlabbers, I have another colleague looking for support for getting started using AI for processing videos coming out of their camera traps - specifically for species ID...

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Lars Holst Hansen

27 November 2023 11:42am

Hi!

There was a very related and very recent thread on video from camera traps here:

Video camera trap analysis help | WILDLABS

Hello,I'm a complete newbie so any help would be appreciated. I never trained any ML models (have junior/mid experience with Python and R) nor annotated the data but would like to learn. We have set couple of camera traps that record videos on vulture feeding sites and I am tasked to analyze the video data for their presence.I thought that using Megadetector could work but it seems to me it only takes in images so I don't know where to start. What would you use, is there a pipeline (or articles/repositories/video) about how best to approach the task? Thanks in advance.

wildlabsnet

It is always possible to split videos into frames using ffmpeg (or https://ffmpeg-batch.sourceforge.io) or similar and then feed the to the ML workflow. I am pretty sure ffmpeg can do something clever with meta data and filenames so metadata follows the files.

Cheers,

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Link

Eliminatha, WiCT 2023 Tanzania

ELIMINATHA AMBROSS

21 November 2023 1:09pm

Passionate wildlife researcher and tech user, making strides in Grumeti, the heart of western Serengeti,Tanzania, using Camera Traps to gain priceless insights into the lives of this unique fauna and contributing greatly to understanding and preserving the Serengeti's ecosystems.

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discussion

setting up a network of cameras connected to a server via WIFI

JOAQUIN_VICENTE

3 April 2022 7:19am

We need to set up a wildlife monitoring network based on camera traps in Doñana National Park, Spain (see alsowildlifeobservatory.org).  We are interested in setting...

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Rob Appleby

9 July 2022 6:03am

Great discussion! Pet (and other 'home') cams are an interesting option as @antonab mentioned. I've been testing one at home that physically tracks moving objects (and does a pretty good job of it), connects to my home network and can be live previewed, all for AUD69 (I bought it on special. Normal retail is AUD80): 

On the Wifi front, and a bit of a tangent, has anyone done any work using 'HaLow' (see below for example) as it seems like an interesting way to extend Wifi networks?

Lars Holst Hansen

17 July 2022 8:21am

Cool thread!

I will be testing Reolink Wi-Fi cameras in combination with solar powered TP-Link long range Wi-Fi antennas/repeaters later this field season for monitoring arctic fox dens at our remote off grid site in Greenland. The long range Wi-Fi antennas are rather power hungry but with sufficient solar panel and battery capacity I am hopeful it will work. 
I am looking forward to explore the links and hints above after the field season. 
Cheers,

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discussion

Alternative to Reconyx Ultrafire

Brendan Barrett

8 November 2023 9:07am

The Reconyx Ultrafire has been discontinued, and we rely on these heavily for research because of the modifiability and reliability in adverse conditions. We need a high quality...

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Robert (Bob) Zak

18 November 2023 8:22pm

The two cameras you mention below tick off most of the items in your requirements list.  I think the exception is the “timed start” whereby the camera would “wake up” to arm itself after a certain date.  Camlockbox.com provides security boxes for both.    

Especially if a white flash is useful in your research, you may also want to consider the GardePro T5WF.  I don’t have a lot of long-term experience with this camera, but it is one of the few that offers a white flash, and it has excellent battery life, especially for night captures.  The audio can be a little flaky   

I have done posts on these cameras, including a teardown.  See:

https://winterberrywildlife.ouroneacrefarm.com/2022/04/10/browning-spec-ops-elite-hp5-teardown/

https://winterberrywildlife.ouroneacrefarm.com/2022/09/26/inside-the-bushnell-core-ds-4k-trail-camera/

https://winterberrywildlife.ouroneacrefarm.com/2023/11/18/gardepro-t5wf-white-flash-trail-camera/

I have heard reports that the HP5 can let in moisture in very wet environments.  This may be a direct water contact type of thing, as we have never had water issues with this camera when it is installed in a lock box (US Northeast, Northwest).    

 

We prefer the HP5 due to superior image and audio quality.  That said, there is a known issue that with some HP5 cameras, with some fast (> 80 MB/s rated read) and large SD cards, the SD card can become corrupted, preventing the camera from capturing images.  I address this, including a fix via firmware, in another post:

https://winterberrywildlife.ouroneacrefarm.com/2023/11/16/fixing-browning-edge-elite-hp4-and-hp5-sd-card-corruption/

Hope this helps. 

-bob

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discussion

Ideas for easy/fast maintenance of arboreal camera traps 

Benjamin Miles

30 August 2023 8:51pm

Hi ,A section of my upcoming project will include the deployment of arboreal camera traps up large fruiting trees In primary rainforest of PNG. It would be ideal if these camera...

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Robin Sandfort

15 November 2023 9:04pm

I use the same wifi trick with Reolink solar cameras looking at tree cavities (Austrian mountain forest). You can even put the mobile router on  drone to get connection to the cameras. 

Sam Seccombe

17 November 2023 9:19am

Hi Ben,

I would be interested to see if the Instant Detect 2.0 camera system might be useful for this.

The cameras can transmit thumbnails of the captured images using LoRa radio to a Base Station. You could then see all the captured images at this Base Station, as well as the camera's battery and memory information (device health). In addition, you could also change camera settings from the Base Station so you would not need to reclimb the trees to change from PIR sensitivity high to medium for instance.

The Instant Detect 2.0 cameras also have an external power port so a cable could be run to the ground to a DC 12V battery for long term power.

If you wanted to, you could also connect the Base Station to the Cloud using satellite connectivity, so that you can monitor the whole system remotely, but this will incur more cost and power usage of the Base Station.

I'd be keen to hear your thoughts,

Thanks,

Sam 

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discussion

Instant Detect 2.0 and related cost

Kaarthika Chandran

16 November 2023 12:50am

I am doing a research project on rhino poaching at Kruger National Park. I was impressed with the idea of Instant Detect 2.0. I do not know the cost involved with installing that...

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Sam Seccombe

16 November 2023 10:55am

Hi Kaarthika, hi all,

ZSL's Instant Detect 2.0 is currently undergoing Beta testing with external partners and so is still pre-production. We therefore do not have final pricing for the system. 

Saying this, we have got a manufacturing partner fully set-up who has already completed two full build rounds of the system, one in 2020 and another in 2023. This means we actually have a very good idea of the system's build costs and what these are likely to be when we can manufacture the system in volume.

While I cannot release this pricing yet, I am confident that we will have an unparalleled proposition.

In particular, the satellite airtime package we can supply to conservationists due to the generosity of the Iridium Satellite Company means that each system can send 3,600 (25-50KB) images a month from anywhere in the world for a single fixed fee. This equates to around a 97% discount to the normal commercial rates. 

We are currently very busy fundraising so that we can make this final step to scale the system. 

If we can secure this funding, we hope to go into volume production by mid-2024.

Best wishes,

Sam

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Link

Insight; a secure online platform designed for sharing experiences of conservation tool use.

Cleo Graf

7 November 2023 1:01pm

A secure platform designed for those working to monitor & protect natural resources. Insight facilitates sharing experience, knowledge & tools to increase efficiency & effectiveness in conservation. By sharing we reduce time & money spent to find, test, & implement solutions.

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Welcome to Insight

Wildlife crime refers to any illegal activity that involves the taking, trading, or possession of wild animals and plants, or their parts and derivatives.

Insight
discussion

DeepFaune: a software for AI-based identification of mammals in camera-trap pictures and videos

Simon Chamaillé-Jammes

14 July 2023 3:14pm

Hello everyone, just wanted to advertise here the DeepFaune initiative that I lead with Vincent Miele. We're building AI-based species recognition models for camera-trap...

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German Forero

24 October 2023 8:46pm

Hello to all, new to this group. This is very exciting technology. can it work for ID of individual animals? we are interested in Ai for identifying individual jaguars (spots) and andean Bears (face characteristics). Any recommendation? contact? thanks!

German

Kim Hendrikse

25 October 2023 8:57am

That's a very interesting question and use case (I'm not from deepfaune). I'm playing with this at the moment and intend to integrate it into my other security software that can capture and send video alerts. I should have this working within a few weeks I think.

The structure of that software is that it is two stage, the first stage identifies that there is an animal and it's bounding box and then there's a classification stage. I intend to merge the two stages so that it behaves like a yolo model so that the output is bounding boxes as well as what type of animal it is.

However, my security software can cascade models. So if you were able to train a single stage classifier that identifies your particular bears, then you could cascade all of these models in my software to generate an alert with a video saying which bear it was.

Ed Miller

4 November 2023 4:51am

Hi @GermanFore ,

I work with the BearID Project on individual identification of brown bears from faces. More recently we worked on face detection across all bear species and ran some tests with identifying Andean bears. You can find details in the paper I linked below. We plan to do more work with Andean bears in 2024.

I would love to connect with you. I'll send you a message with my email address.

Regards,

Ed

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Link

Nepal's tiger conservation gets tech boost with AI-powered deer tracking

Esther Githinji

30 October 2023 1:23pm

Researchers in Nepal are using vertical cameras and AI technology to track and profile individual spotted deer (Axis axis), similar to the methods used for tigers.

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discussion

Modifying GoPro cameras to be IR sensitive.

Jay Stafstrom

25 October 2023 6:38pm

Hi all,As a sensory ecologist interested in visually-mediated behaviors of nocturnal animals, a major struggle I encountered early in my career was how to monitor these creatures...

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Lars Holst Hansen

27 October 2023 6:35am

Hi Jay! 

Thanks for posting this here as well as your great presentation in the Variety Hour the other day!

Cheers!

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discussion

Metadata standards for Automated Insect Camera Traps

Tom August

24 November 2022 9:49am

Have others watched this webinar from GBIF introducing the data model for camera trap data. I wonder if this is something we can easily adopt/adapt for our sorts of camera traps?

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Kent McFarland

2 December 2022 3:58pm

Yes. I think this is really the way to go!

Donald Hobern

6 July 2023 4:48am

Here is another metadata initiative to be aware of. OGC has been developing a standard for describing training datasets for AI/ML image recognition and labeling. The review phase is over and it will become a new standard in the next few weeks. We should consider its adoption when we develop our own training image collections.

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discussion

Trail cam recommendations for capturing small, quick mammals at night?

Maddie van de Wetering

16 October 2023 12:01am

Kia ora,can anyone recommend a trail camera model that is consistently triggered by quick, small mammals e.g. rats/mice/stoats at night? Or for a trail cam that captures sharp...

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Rob Appleby

20 October 2023 3:24pm

Hi @MaddievdW have you considered using a 'tunnel' to help, well, funnel, small critters into a space with a camera that makes it a bit easier for detections? A few years back, we made a PVC pipe tunnel with a protected food lure that seemed to work well with even cheapy trail cameras (and in fact, we ended up having to block some of the IR illumination using a few layers of athletic tape over the LED array). Here's a rather blurry image of a bandicoot we got:

And another of an antechinus:

 

We weren't that concerned with image quality, as we were actually testing an RFID logger in the tunnel also, and simply wanted to know if we got critters with no tags and what species (if possible). So one thing I'd definitely consider if you go down this path is focal length of the camera. Here's a previous discussion on a similar idea: 

Comparisons: Close-up Lenses for Camera Traps | WILDLABS

Hey Guys! We're setting up a camera trap within a woodpile to see what mammals enter/exit the nesting box we've included there. For this purpose, we'd need a camera trap with a close focus lense as well as the ability to download the data from the camera via USB cable (since the camera won't be accessible once its installed in the wood pile). Bushnell NaureView (119740) does have a close up lense included but does not support downloading data via USB Bushnell TrophyCam (119874) does support downloading data via USB but does not have a close up lense included. Does anybody have a solution the solves both problems? What would help a lot would be if there was a attachable close up lense that can be bought seperatly, but I haven't found any yet. Thanks in advance! Nils PS: Using a wireless transfer (WLAN / GSM) of the images is not an option

wildlabsnet

I guess you could always 'calibrate' it to a certain extent by just using a longer section of pipe. Here's what our set up looked like, but again, we had the RFID logger, so a camera-only version would be a bit simpler - the camera and battery was in the screw top section on the left-hand-side of the tunnel image and each entrance had RFID antennas linked backed to a logger in the same compartment as the camera:

All the best for your research,

 

Rob

 

Robert (Bob) Zak

20 October 2023 5:06pm

Addressing each of the questions/issues posed: 

Triggering Camera:   

If you are getting triggers, but empty frames, during known visits by these lickety-split animals, the issue is the trigger speed.  Looking at the Browning selection guide, for example, https://browningtrailcameras.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/article_attachments/12697703673243

I see that the Elite-HP5 models have a 100 ms advertised min trigger speed, which is slightly (50 ms) than the Dark Ops Pro DCL.  This is equivalent to 2 earlier frames (at 60 FPS video), which could be significant with fast moving targets.  

I have found, BTW, counterintuitively, that for Browning SpecOps and ReconForce models (Elite-HP5) that camera gets to first frame sooner when taking videos vs. when taking stills.  I don’t understand this completely, but it’s a thing.  

If you are not getting any triggers, then the PIR sensor is somehow missing the target.  Make sure you understand the “detection zones” supported by your camera.  These are not published, but can be determined with some patience and readily available “equipment” – see my post on “Trail Camera Detection Zones” at https://winterberrywildlife.ouroneacrefarm.com/2022/08/01/deep-tech-trail-camera-detection-zones/

Putting more than one camera at a site may also increase the probability that at least one triggers (and may improve lighting, see below)

If you’re consistently missing triggers, you may have to consider a non-PIR sensor.  Unfortunately, this removes you from the domain of commercial trail cameras.  Cognisys makes a number of “active” sensors based on “break beam” and (now) lidar for use with DSLR-based camera traps.   You would also have to come up with your own no-glow lighting source, and hack the DLSR camera to remove the (built-onto-the sensor) IR filter.  In our experience, these sets are 10x more expensive and time consuming vs. commercial trail camera sets, and are only justified by the potential for (a few) superior images. 

The species-specific triggers and sets mentioned on this thread seem like a better option. 

 

Avoiding daytime false triggers: All the commercial trail cameras I’m aware of have a single type of trigger sensor. It is based on a Passive InfraRed (PIR) sensor and Fresnel lens.  Apps, Weldon and McNutt cover this admirably in Peter Apps, John Weldon McNutt, “How camera traps work and how to work them,” African Journal of Ecology, 2018.

These sensors trigger on changes in certain areas of the thermal field – in practice a combination of a heat and motion in one or more detection zones. They are not decomposable.

Some cameras (e.g. Browning SpecOps, and maybe the Dark Ops Pro?) allow you to set hours of operation so that the camera only triggers at night, for example.  This would cause you to (for sure) miss “off hours” appearances by your target species, but would avoid daytime false triggers. 

No Glow Image Quality: The good news about longer wavelength “No-Glow” flashes is that animals are less sensitive to them. The bad news is that the CMOS image sensors used by cameras are also less sensitive to the longer IR. Less signal leads to lower quality images.  Others have mentioned adding supplemental no-glow illumination.  An easy way to do this would be to set up two cameras at each of your sites.  When they are both triggered, each will “see” twice as much illumination, and image quality will be improved.  Browning SpecOps models (at least) have dynamic exposure control on video which allows this scheme to work (with only a frame or two of washout) while the algorithm adjusts exposure). For an example of this effect, see opening porcupine sequence in our video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=itx7KnlxKS4

 

Richard McMillan

21 October 2023 12:52am

Hi Maddie,

This camera has a very quick reaction time. 

Reconyx HF2X HyperFire 2 Covert IR Camera

The HF2X is a state-of-the-art digital camera with passive infrared (PIR) motion detection and a high-output covert infrared nighttime illuminator—all within a secure, weather-resistant case. One of the best-performing, most reliable trail cameras on the market, it is backed by a 5-year manufacturer warranty.

Faunatech
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Link

Shedding light on nocturnal behavior: A cost-effective solution for remote, infrared video recording in the field

Stephanie O'Donnell

20 October 2023 12:31pm

Do you or someone you love study nocturnal animals? Do you want to film behavior in infrared, but NOT spend $1k on a camera (that will die in the field anyways)? Is short battery life a constant battle? Here, this preprint will help!
To find out more, come to Variety Hour!

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Shedding light on nocturnal behavior: A cost-effective solution for remote, infrared video recording in the field

For behavioral ecologists who study nocturnal animals, recording behavior at night is essential, but expensive. Infrared (IR) sensitive camcorders can easily cost over $1,000 USD, yet these pricey cameras rarely stand up to the elements in the field, and pose great financial risk if left unattended overnight. Here, I provide a field-tested method to record nocturnal behavior at a fraction of the cost. I have had great success modifying inexpensive, commercially available action cameras (GoPro Hero4 camcorders) to be IR sensitive, powering these units with cellular phone power banks, and continuously recording behavior overnight while using an array of a dozen cameras. In total, all components of a recording kit are available for under $150 USD at the time of this writing, in the summer of 2023, and can be easily assembled using the following guidelines. This paper provides researchers with an economical strategy to record continuous behavior in nocturnally active animals, at any scale, from small individual animals to widely distributed animal groups. As such, I hope these methods increase the accessibility of science and expand the experimental toolkits of biologists interested in the fascinating, but much understudied world of nocturnal animal behavior.

Link

Correspondence among multiple methods provides confidence when measuring marine protected area effects for species and assemblages

Stephanie O'Donnell

20 October 2023 12:28pm

When considering MPA groundfish monitoring methods: the more, the merrier! New paper out in Journal of Applied Ecology compared three MPA monitoring techniques commonly utilised to survey groundfish populations. They found that using multiple methods was the best approach.

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discussion

Thermal cameras for monitoring visitors in highly vulnerable conservation areas

Alex González

21 June 2022 3:44pm

Hi everybody, Im Alex González, a consultant and researcher in sustainable tourism and conservation. I'm currently consulting a conservation organisation for the development...

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Kim Hendrikse

20 June 2023 12:57pm

Hi,

I have been involved in people detection tech for more than 10 years and have an open source project that uses CNN computer vision for object detection and alerting, including people (

I also have several thermal cameras here. note, the people detection can also work fine on thermal images. Mostly I've stopped using thermal cameras because normal cameras work so well with modern models that they no longer have an advantage perse. If you really need to detect people in pitch darkness though, using a thermal camera in combination with image detection would be better than just thermal movement detection.

Let me know if I can help in any way. I know this is quite an old post though.

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discussion

Good Thermal/ Night Vision Cameras?

Michelle Guins

1 September 2023 7:15pm

Hi! I am doing research for starting up my thesis and am trying to figure out the best equipment to do it. My idea is to get night time data of seals hauling out (laying on...

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Michelle Guins

14 September 2023 1:31pm

@LucyHReaserRe At this area in the past, we have tried using a normal trail IR camera, but with very limited sensitivity. I have thought about adding the IR fog lights out there to help, but was leaning towards the thermal cameras to allow for more types of data to be taken from the images in the future i.e. age class based on heat signatures. 

Thank you all for providing input, I will look into each of these ideas! 

Antoine Ede

22 September 2023 11:13am

I'm jupping into the discussion, with a similar objective. I'm looking for a thermal camera trap, (I know cacophony). it would be use to improve invasive speices monitoring especially for rats and feral cats.

Any idea?

Thanks

Rob Appleby

22 September 2023 12:56pm

Hi @mguins , as @kimhendrikse mentioned resolution (and also brand) for thermal cameras can dictate a big jump in price. GroupGets has a budget Lepton (FS - short for 'factory second' I think) if you wanted to check one out: 

Teledyne FLIR LEPTON® FS

Lepton FS is a non-radiometric 160 x 120 resolution micro thermal camera module with reduced thermal sensitivity, reduced scene dynamic range, and up to 3% inoperable pixels but the lowest price ever for a factory Lepton. These units balance performance and price, enabling monitoring applications where radiometry is not required and pixel-level image information is less important than broad thermal data. With the lowest cost per pixel in the Lepton family, low power consumption, and simple integration, Lepton FS provides integrators an appropriate thermal capability for innovative thermal monitoring products in smart building automation, security, occupancy sensing, and more. Just as we were the first place to get FLIR Lepton seven years ago, we are bringing this new Lepton to you first at a highly compelling price to make your thermal imaging application more economically viable. To celebrate, all accessory boards below are 10% off excluding the new tCam-mini Wi-Fi board.   160 x 120 RESOLUTION NON-RADIOMETRIC MICRO THERMAL CAMERA COMMON INTERFACES AND FACTORY SUPPORT TO SHORTEN TIME TO MARKET Standard Lepton mechanical interface, electrical interface, and US-based Technical Services team. 160 x 120 thermal pixel resolution Low operating power – 140 mW typical and 650 mW during shutter event Small 11.8 x 12.7 x 7.2 mm package ACCEPTABLE PERFORMANCE AT DISCOUNTED PRICE Affordable, non-radiometric thermal imagery and data. -10 °C to 350 °C scene dynamic range Thermal sensitivity <75 mK  ≤3% inoperable pixels BUILD INNOVATIVE THERMAL MONITORING SOLUTIONS Build innovative thermal monitoring solutions appropriate for heat, security, and comfort monitoring applications. Home and building automation Heat and occupancy sensing Security and location monitoring   Specifications Overview Sensor technology Uncooled VOx microbolometer Spectral range Longwave infrared, 8 μm to 14 μm Array format 160 x 120, progressive scan Pixel size 12 μm Effective frame rate 8.7 Hz (commercial application exportable) Thermal sensitivity <75mK NEdt Operability Number of non-defective pixels shall be >97% Adjacent clusters, rows, columns may contain defective pixels that are not factory corrected and unable to be corrected. 3% of operability failures allowed. Temperature compensation Automatic. Output image independent of camera temperature. Non-Radiometric Performance While some of the Lepton FS units may output radiometric values per pixel, the Lepton FS units are not guaranteed against any radiometric accuracy and users whom wish to use Lepton FS products for radiometric applications do so at their own risk. Teledyne FLIR and GroupGets will not support questions pertaining to calibrating Lepton FS units. Non-uniformity corrections Integral Shutter Scene dynamic range High Gain Mode: -10 to 140 degrees C typical Low Gain Mode: -10 to 350 degrees C typical Image optimization Factory configured and fully automated FOV - horizontal 57° FOV - diagonal 71° Lens Type f/1.1 Output format User-selectable 14-bit, 8-bit (AGC applied), or 24-bit RGB (AGC and colorization applied) Solar protection Integral Electrical Input clock 25-MHz nominal, CMOS IO Voltage Levels Video data interface Video over SPI Control port CCI (I2C-like), CMOS IO Voltage Levels Input supply voltage (nominal) 2.8 V, 1.2 V, 2.5 V to 3.1 V IO Power dissipation (Typical, room temp) Nominally 150 mW (operating), 650 mW (during shutter event), 5 mW (standby) Mechanical Package dimensions without socket (w x l x h) 11.50 x 12.70 x 6.835 mm Weight 0.91 grams   Environmental Optimum operating temperature range -10C to +65C Non-operating temperature range -40 C to +80 C Shock 1500 G @ 0.4 ms   Part Numbers 500-0771-FS1 Documentation Lepton Google Group Lepton FS Datasheet Lepton Engineering Data Sheet rev 204 Lepton Software Interface Description Document (IDD) rev 303 Advanced Lepton Usage on Windows Getting Started with Lepton on Windows and PureThermal Basic Features Getting Started with the BeagleBone and Breakout Board V2.0 Getting Started with the Raspberry Pi and Breakout Board V2.0 Lepton with Radiometry Quick Start Guide Lepton vs Lepton 3-App Note  Mechanical FLIR Lepton 2.5 and 3.5 3D Model (step) IDD CAD data LEPTON 2.5, 80x60 IDD CAD data LEPTON 3.5, 160x120 IDD CAD data LEPTON 3.1R, 160x120 Software GroupGets GetThermal Viewer (Linux and macOS) FLIR Lepton User App for Windows v1.3.2 PureThermal Firmware FLIR Lepton SDK Development Hardware GroupGets - PureThermal Mini Pro JST-SR GroupGets - PureThermal 3 GroupGets - PureThermal Breakout Board GroupGets - PureThermal Micro Breakout Board GroupGets - PureThermal OpenMV FlyTron - DroneThermal v4 Teledyne FLIR - FLIR Lepton Breakout Board v2.0 danjuliodesigns LLC - tCam Mini v4 danjuliodesigns LLC - gCore OpenMV - FLIR Lepton Adapter Module for OpenMV Cam H7 Tips for integrating Lepton into a Housing Recommended Material PORON® Socket Stack Socket > Lepton > Foam > Window > Enclosure Maximum Force < 1Kg (more force will damage the shutter) The foam must be cut out so that it does not interfere with the mechanical shutter pins. Thickness Depends on the enclosure and spacing, do not exceed 1Kg of force. In the News CNX Software - $99 Lepton FS module cuts the cost of FLIR thermal cameras by half This Model: Lepton FS, 160×120 pixels, 57° with shutter - NOT Radiometric Important Information PureThermal 1/2/3/Mini/Pro with Radiometric FLIR Lepton 2.5, 3.5, 3.1R requires specialized software to show radiometry such as GetThermal. All international customers that are ordering any Thermal Imaging Camera will be required to fill out an End Use Statement document before shipment. Once you place your order we will email you with the document within a few business days. We can only ship FLIR Lepton to North America, Australia, Switzerland,  United Kingdom and the European Union Countries. Any orders with a FLIR Lepton with a delivery address other than those will be canceled and refunded. We are sorry for the inconvenience. Number of non-defective pixels shall be >97% Adjacent clusters, rows, columns may contain defective pixels that are not factory corrected and unable to be corrected. 3% of operability failures allowed. Temperature compensation Automatic. Output image independent of camera temperature. Lepton FS units are not guaranteed against any radiometric accuracy and users whom wish to use Lepton FS products for radiometric applications do so at their own risk. Teledyne FLIR and GroupGets will not support questions pertaining to calibrating Lepton FS units. RoHS Certificate of Compliance European Directive No 2015/863 Declaration of Compliance REACH Regulation (EC) No. 1907/2006 California Proposition 65 Declaration ECCN: CAM 6A993A HTSUS: 9027.50.4020 Country of Origin: USA Part Number: 500-0771-FS1

GroupGets

They also have a bunch of other Flir products and boards for interfacing with Leptons etc., so worth a browse of the shop. It could also be worth taking a look at Seek modules, some of which @Alasdair has experience with : (e.g. 

They also have modules you can connect to a mobile phone: 

@TopBloke I'd be very keen to see your Lepton camera trap too! 

 

Cheers,

 

Rob

 

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discussion

Turn old smartphone into IA camera trap?

Antoine Ede

24 September 2021 1:08pm

I know that there is several IA camera trap development ongoing from the poachercam to trailguard...ects... I also know that it is possible to turn an old phone into a security...

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Antoine Ede

11 July 2023 10:56am

Any news regarding this topic ?

Robert (Bob) Zak

14 July 2023 4:05pm

Despite the power challenges noted in this thread, I think the “used” stream of smart phones is a viable platform for trail cameras.  Having successfully hacked in custom features into closed source trail camera firmware (https://github.com/robertzak133/unified-btc-reverse) , I am also hoping that software development on smart phones is a better way to do feature innovation on trail cameras.

I have just “started” on a trail cam app for iPhone 12 pro (not that “old” yet, but it will be by the time I’m done, and it’s the first iPhone with LIDAR).    I have done some toy apps on the iPhone before, but am mostly blissfully unaware of how much work this will be :) None-the-less, goal is to have a prototype working in the back yard by July 15, 2024.  I’ll post a project link on this thread as soon as it’s up.  

I’m just working on requirements now.  My primary focus is on improving image quality, and capture efficiency vs. existing trail cameras for wildlife photography. For example:

  • Using camera image quality library to improve low light captures, exposure, etc. 
  • Improving trigger versatility and accuracy using LIDAR sensor
  • Tracking auto-focus based on LIDAR
  • Negative trigger delay for daylight shots
  • Support for custom lighting via “ensemble” sets

It seems wrong not to leverage cellular connectivity, though this is a lower priority for me because most of our sets are beyond cell phone coverage. 

I did find an interesting app – “Motion Detector Camera” by Phil Bailey https://apps.apple.com/us/app/motion-detector-cam/id461753935   this app uses some parameterizable motion detection algorithm to trigger still images (free version). It’s pretty slick.  I’m starting w/ LIDAR because I want to have a trigger that works in the dark. 

Note that none of these require any AI processing of the images, though I have no doubt a smart phone would be a great place to do that one way or another.   Do you have specific usage models/requirements in mind for in-phone image processing/classification? 

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discussion

Q&A: UK NERC £3.6m AI (image) for Biodiversity Funding Call - ask your questions here

Stephanie O'Donnell

13 September 2023 4:10pm

In our last Variety Hour, Simon Gardner, Head of Digital Environment at NERC, popped in to share more about their open £3.6m funding call supporting innovation in tools for...

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Andrew Quitmeyer

21 September 2023 4:27pm

This is super cool! Me and @Hubertszcz and @briannajohns and several others are all working towards some big biodiversity monitoring projects for a large conservation project here in panama. The conservation project is happening already, but hubert starts on the ground work in January and im working on a V3 of our open source automated insect monitoring box to have ready for him by then.

 

I guess my main question would be if this funding call is appropriate/interested for this type of project? and what types of assistance are possible through this type of funding (researchers? design time? materials? laboratory field construction)

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discussion

Camera traps statistics

Julien Ricard

18 September 2023 10:22am

Hello Community,I am currently working on specifying some camera trap projects and am particularly interested in gathering statistics on the average number of detections per...

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