Motion-activated shutter trigger for EOS R8

[JeffreyEttinge]

I own a Canon R8 mirrorless camera. I also have the BR-51 Canon remote shutter trigger. I am trying to find a motion-activated trigger that I can use to photograph wildlife that is compatible with this camera, either branded by Canon or another company. It looks like Vivitar made one, but it doesn't seem to be available anymore. Has anyone found a solution to this? Thanks, Jeff

[FloridaDrafter]

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@JeffreyEttinge wrote:

One last thing. Is the phone camera trigger mode reliable with your short lens?  Are there a lot of false triggers or a lot of misses? I realize that you don't use it with a long lens.  Does your phone camera shut down if not used for a while?

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Since I manually focus on the area I think the bird will be in, I get a few OOF images. As for the phone's camera shutting down, mine stayed active. I think that once the MIOPS app starts your phone camera, it's as if you were capturing a video. But that's just a guess.

Newton

[JeffreyEttinge]

OK.  Thanks for all the advice on this.  I guess I'll just have to give it a try, but it's a little pricey so just wanted to make sure it's a reliable device.   Jeff

[FloridaDrafter]

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@JeffreyEttinge wrote:

OK.  Thanks for all the advice on this.  I guess I'll just have to give it a try, but it's a little pricey so just wanted to make sure it's a reliable device.   Jeff

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As mentioned, I bought this device for its other features. Motion detection was not one of them so I've only used that feature a few times, and that was just out of curiosity. It did work as advertised but I haven't used "motion" enough to advise paying that much just for that feature.

Here are some screenshots from my phone with the latest firmware and features.

As you can see, it is way beyond most triggers 🙂

Newton

 

[JeffreyEttinge]

Newton, thanks for all the screenshots. Yes, it does look like a very versatile device. I am looking mainly for a motion sensing trigger but may also experiment with the other features.  It's too bad I can't just find a good motion sensor for triggering the shutter, but it may still be worth the cost. I've also emailed Canon support to see if they would recommend anything different. It's interesting. I've read many reviews of this (which are mixed) and not a single person mentions use of the phone-connected motion sensing feature. Most people seem to get it for it's lightning trigger or laser trigger.   Jeff.

[JeffreyEttinge]

Since I only need a motion sensor I've decided to go with a device made by a UK company called Camtraptions.  They make a PIR sensor that connects to your camera and does not require the use of your cell phone to detect motion. I like their site and it has good reviews. This will be the third version of this (updated 2025). Cost is about the same as the MIOPS. I don't need lightning or sound sensors.  Will let you know how it works.

[JeffreyEttinge]

This looks like a good solution. Company is reputable and good reviews. Unlike the only other one I can find (MIOPS) it does not require you to hook up your smart phone's camera to detect motion. Will let you know how it works. 

Jeff