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 mechanisms of a single-lens reflex camera with a solid-state image sensor and digitally records the images from the sensor.
The reflex des ...
or mirrorless camera mounted on top which can be used to film and photograph wildlife at very close range.
History
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 megapix ...
.
In 2012, Burrard-Lucas moved to
Zambia
Zambia, officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of Central Africa, Central, Southern Africa, Southern and East Africa. It is typically referred to being in South-Central Africa or Southern Africa. It is bor ...
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 a national park in eastern Zambia that was founded as a game reserve in 1938 and became a national park in 1972. It covers in the valley of the Luangwa River, which forms its eastern boundary in the Eastern Provi ...
.
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
2010s introductions