A new environmentally friendly startup company known as DafoDil is set to produce a range of solar-powered DSLRs. Solar-powered cameras aren’t new, and strictly speaking nor are DafoDil's; they are remodeled DSLRs from existing brands (the press imagery seems to feature a Canon body) in order to reduce plastic waste and keep the cameras affordable, potentially to be deployed in emerging markets.
Solar-powered outdoor security cameras and trail cameras have been around for a while now, which work well as they’re outside all day so their solar panels can soak up the sun. A solar-powered camera presents a more challenging proposition, but since DSLRs require so much less power than mirrorless cameras like the Canon EOS R5 DafoDil believes that adequate shooting time can be achieved.
• Read more: The best trail cameras
Specs are thin on the ground, as they are likely to be based on the base camera that is being upcycled. What we do know is that the solar panels will flip out, much like an adjustable LCD screen, so they can be angled to gain as much sunlight as possible to power your camera while you take photos. Though they'll obviously need to be very effective to be able to power a camera.
Solar-powered cameras and devices may well be the future. Just look at the drone flying around Mars that's solar powered, while the NASA Curiosity rover on Mars gets it main source of power from a multi-panel solar array. NASA says: “When fully illuminated, the rover solar arrays generate about 140 watts of power for up to four hours per sol (a Martian day). The rover needs about 100 watts (equivalent to a standard light bulb in a home) to drive.”
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We can’t wait to test DafoDil's new cameras. Hopefully they will be launched before they’re so out of date they become more so-last year rather than so-lar powered, and we hope they don't end being known as Daft-o-Dil!
Read more:
The best outdoor security cameras
Every camera on the Mars Perseverance rover from NASA explained
See Mars as a 1.2 BILLION-pixel panorama or an 8K video
