Not too exposed, not too cheap, but just right.
The Right Case
The Raspberry Pi camera module is pretty stripped down. It doesn’t come in its own case. My first case was a simple plastic around the camera lens. This was extremely fragile. Especially with kids and pets that inevitably bump into it.
The second case was 3D printed to have an adjustable arm. While it’s great that the model was free, the arm didn’t have the stability that I needed. It was a step up from version 1, but still too fragile.
Finally, I buckled down and purchased a case that not only had a solid enclosure for both the Raspberry Pi but also the camera module. The back of the case had a standard tripod mount, so I got a mount that had bendable legs.
Conclusion
The final case has provided the stability needed to keep the camera focus on the feeder as well as a ton of flexibility, literally, with the bendable tripod legs. These will definitely come in handy when I place Leroy in more remote locations.