The BeetleCam is a remote controlled buggy with a
DSLR
A digital single-lens reflex camera (digital SLR or DSLR) is a digital camera that combines the optics and the mechanisms of a single-lens reflex camera with a digital imaging sensor.
The reflex design scheme is the primary difference between a ...
or mirrorless camera mounted on top which can be used to film and photograph wildlife at very close range.
Created by
Will Burrard-Lucas, its first shots were released in 2010 in a series called "The Adventures of BeetleCam." It filmed African wildlife in the
Ruaha and
Katavi National Parks in Tanzania. One of the cameras was destroyed in an encounter with a lion.
Will Burrard-Lucas and his brother, Matt, returned to Africa in 2011 with two improved BeetleCams, with the aim of focusing on lions. During this project they created a set of pictures of feeding lions and playful cubs. This series was first released in 2012 in an article called "BeetleCam vs the Lions of the Masai Mara". BeetleCam Mark II used a
Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III
The EOS-1Ds Mark III is a digital SLR camera body by Canon designed for professional photographers. The Canon EOS 1Ds Mark III is successor to the EOS-1Ds Mark II and was announced in August 2007. The camera features a full-frame 21.1 megapixe ...
.
In 2012, Burrard-Lucas moved to Zambia and used a new version of the BeetleCam to photograph leopards and other animals, primarily in
South Luangwa National Park
South Luangwa National Park is in eastern Zambia, the southernmost of three national parks in the valley of the Luangwa River. It is a world-renowned wildlife haven which is known to locals simply as "the South Park."Concentrations of game along ...
.
In 2013,
Will Burrard-Lucas founded Camtraptions Ltd. and started producing BeetleCams for other wildlife photographers and filmmakers.
References
External links
Beetlecam websiteVideo featuring Beetlecam 2011BBC BeetleCam interviewCamtraptions
{{Photography
Photography equipment
Nature photography
Radio-controlled cars
Unmanned ground vehicles