thoughts on what type of trail cam to buy

[trapman]

Looking to buy 6 trail cams and the more i look the more confused I get. Looking for best bang for your buck , must have video
Thanks

[twoSevenO]

What's your budget?

I started with primarily lower end Stealth cams. They were often on sale and you could pick up a pack of two for $130 or so.

But ... they are pretty much only good for determining whether it's a big buck or a little buck .... details will not be easy to distinguish as the quality is not very good.

I've also tried a couple of "Apeman" cams off Amazon and for $75 including shipping they have actually been quite good. They even have screens on them so checking the cards is very quick.

One thing to completely disregard in the lower end cams is the megapixels. They often "blow up" the image in a process similar to when you zoom in on your phone (digital zoom) and you get a larger but shittier quality photos. It is infuriating that this cant be turned off.

If you are looking to spend more money ($150+ per cam) then you should really be OK with anyhing from Spypoint, browning and other high end cameras.

[wrenchhead]

Iv had a few different brands and the best bang for buck one iv found is the browning brand. Good price, pic quality, battery life, and trigger speed.

[XPEIer]

I am running Bushnell and Moultrie, both take good photos, havent tried the video feed much and both are less than 140.00ea.

XPEIER

[twoSevenO]

I am running Bushnell and Moultrie, both take good photos, havent tried the video feed much and both are less than 140.00ea.

XPEIER

x2 ... I have heard very good things about Bushnell Trophy cams. Been meaning to try a couple myself as well, as soon as i find some on sale.

[HighCountryBC]

There's a lot more to trail cams than getting a decent picture or video. After trying it out many years ago, I now only run my cams on video mode. It is amazing what you miss if your camera is just set to take pictures and most guys wouldn't have a clue. I certainly didn't until I made the switch.

That being said, trigger speed is hands down the most important factor in my opinion. For that reason, I'd recommend Bushnell and/or Browning. Extremely fast trigger speed and quality images. I would stay clear of Moultrie, Stealth Cam, Primos etc. I strictly run Bushnell and Browning cams now and have never had an issue.

Best thing you can do is check out the reviews on the site I've linked below and make a decision.

https://www.trailcampro.com/collections/trail-camera-reviews

[Cdog]

I paid $45 Canadian after additional discounts for being a first time customer for this one: https://www.dickssportinggoods.com/p/wildgame-innovations-terra-extreme-trail-camera-12mp-18wgiutrrxtrm12mptch/18wgiutrrxtrm12mptch The price went up slightly since thanksgiving weekend but I'm happy with it so far! Picked it up at Bellis Fair Mall.

[masoncade1992]

What's your budget?

I started with primarily lower end Stealth cams. They were often on sale and you could pick up a pack of two for $130 or so.

But ... they are pretty much only good for determining whether it's a big buck or a little buck .... details will not be easy to distinguish as the quality is not very good.

I've also tried a couple of "Apeman" cams off Amazon and for $75 including shipping they have actually been quite good. They even have screens on them so checking the cards is very quick.

One thing to completely disregard in the lower end cams is the megapixels. They often "blow up" the image in a process similar to when you zoom in on your phone (digital zoom) and you get a larger but shittier quality photos. It is infuriating that this cant be turned off.

If you are looking to spend more money ($150+ per cam) then you should really be OK with anyhing from Spypoint, browning and other high end cameras.

I just ordered 3 "apeman" game cams off amazon. I glad to hear they are working for you. seem like a good cam for the price. How long do the battery's last?

[J_T]

I started off using Moultrie. I still have my original Moultries. I like the cameras and I like the C size batteries. They do last longer. The one concern I do have, is that these cams came out at a time when a big sd card was 4mb. Now I'm using 32 and 64 mb cards. Faster cards and these cameras take a bit of time to wake up and refresh.

More recently I've moved to the Browning Command Ops cameras. Video, Audio, 12 megapixel images. Great cameras. They definitely take better pictures in darker times of the day. These all run on AA batteries.

I like that the Browning cams have their display that lights up when activated. And, that they give you a read out of the battery power left. The more recent Moulties don't have a lighted display panel and they don't show battery status. Which is a must have. The most recent Browning I bought has a 0.4sec wake up for activation and when I'm taking pics of cougars and wolves, this has really resulted in my not missing a pic.

[twoSevenO]

I just ordered 3 "apeman" game cams off amazon. I glad to hear they are working for you. seem like a good cam for the price. How long do the battery's last?

I'll find out when i go to collect them. Not sure when i'll be in that spot .... sometime in November i recon. Deployed it on June 10th i believe.

[Harvest the Land]

If money is not an issue, I would definitely recommend Reconyx and Exodus. Exodus is a newer company but they make cameras with 0.3 second trigger speed (which is ridiculously fast - probably the fastest of any camera on the market). And they are the only company to offer a 5 year warranty on their cameras (which is unheard of for trail cameras) and they even offer accidental damage or stolen coverage. This is from their website: "
If your camera is stolen or if it’s accidentally damaged within its 5-year warranty, we’ll give you a new camera at 50% off the original retail value (https://exodusoutdoorgear.com/pages/theft)
." Nuff said!


I've owned at least half a dozen Stealthcam's (all under $250) and everyone of them is pure garbage - do not waste your money on cheap Stealthcams (trust me). Maybe their more expensive models are better but their cheaper cameras suck (especially the video which often doesn't print the time/day/temp stamps in video mode). Moultrie definitely makes better cameras and I've been very impressed with my Bushnell and Spypoint cameras. WGI also makes decent cheaper cameras if you're on a budget. But like I said, if money isn't an issue go with Exodus or Reconyx.

[Harvest the Land]

Just re-read this thread and couldn't agree more with what HighcountryBC said about trigger speed being the most important factor. For instance, when you're setting your camera up at an intersection of a series of trails, its really tough to choose which trail to focus the camera on the most. Quite often its difficult to find a suitable and secure tree to affix the camera onto that will also have the perfect angle to capture all of trails, so a lot of the time you are forced to choose to angle the camera on the trail(s) that you're guessing get the most action. Sometimes that means you camera might have a trail right in front of it that's at a perpendicular angle to the camera, and if an animal is walking fast or running, it will travel past the camera before it has a chance to trigger a photo (if it has a slow trigger speed) and a lot of the time you will blank photos/videos. So really quick trigger speed is absolutely critical.

[HighCountryBC]

If money is not an issue, I would definitely recommend Reconyx and Exodus. Exodus is a newer company but they make cameras with 0.3 second trigger speed (which is ridiculously fast - probably the fastest of any camera on the market). And they are the only company to offer a 5 year warranty on their cameras (which is unheard of for trail cameras) and they even offer accidental damage or stolen coverage. This is from their website: "
If your camera is stolen or if it’s accidentally damaged within its 5-year warranty,
we’ll give you a new camera at 50% off the original retail value (https://exodusoutdoorgear.com/pages/theft)
." Nuff said!


I've owned at least half a dozen Stealthcam's (all under $250) and everyone of them is pure garbage - do not waste your money on cheap Stealthcams (trust me). Maybe their more expensive models are better but their cheaper cameras suck (especially the video which often doesn't print the time/day/temp stamps in video mode). Moultrie definitely makes better cameras and I've been very impressed with my Bushnell and Spypoint cameras. WGI also makes decent cheaper cameras if you're on a budget. But like I said, if money isn't an issue go with Exodus or Reconyx.



Haven't read much on Exodus but at first blush they look to be quality. Agree if money isn't an issue then Reconyx makes top of the line cameras. We run a couple of those but at anywhere from $400-$700 depending on the model, they ain't cheap.

I do have one but the rest of my fleet (12+) is Bushnell and Browning. Gave away 4 of my Moultries as the trigger speed was awful and the quality only average. Here's a sample of the trigger speed on my oldest Browning. They have only improved ten-fold since then.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ViXVUmTFEmE

[twoSevenO]

If money is not an issue, I would definitely recommend Reconyx and Exodus. Exodus is a newer company but they make cameras with 0.3 second trigger speed (which is ridiculously fast - probably the fastest of any camera on the market). And they are the only company to offer a 5 year warranty on their cameras (which is unheard of for trail cameras) and they even offer accidental damage or stolen coverage. This is from their website: "
If your camera is stolen or if it’s accidentally damaged within its 5-year warranty,
we’ll give you a new camera at 50% off the original retail value (https://exodusoutdoorgear.com/pages/theft)
." Nuff said!


I've owned at least half a dozen Stealthcam's (all under $250) and everyone of them is pure garbage - do not waste your money on cheap Stealthcams (trust me). Maybe their more expensive models are better but their cheaper cameras suck (especially the video which often doesn't print the time/day/temp stamps in video mode). Moultrie definitely makes better cameras and I've been very impressed with my Bushnell and Spypoint cameras. WGI also makes decent cheaper cameras if you're on a budget. But like I said, if money isn't an issue go with Exodus or Reconyx.



I wouldn't even buy the $250 ones from Stealthcam .... unless someone sells you a used one for like $15, stay away from their garbage. The Apeman from amazon is a way better CHEAP camera than Stealthcam.

[masoncade1992]

I'll find out when i go to collect them. Not sure when i'll be in that spot .... sometime in November i recon. Deployed it on June 10th i believe.

my bad, I was going to order the apeman ones but then I found these ones https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B07F5GM58V/ref=pe_3034960_236394800_TE_dp_1. Only reason I went the campark ones, is that they say they are fully waterproof and the trigger speed was .2 faster. lets trade notes in a few months.

[Iltasyuko]

Have a Browning in the $150 (on sale) price range. Pics and vids have really nice colour but it only will take still shots now. Tried Stealthcam and sent them back because they ate batteries and SD space got filled up way to fast. The Browning Strikeforce models have been the best for us so far - will buy Browning Strikeforce again for sure.

[brn2ryd]

Lots of stealth cam haters here. I've got a few on them and they have been great. Fast trigger speed, adjustable IR and range detection, good battery life, High quality pics and vids. But then again, I cannot compare them to other brands.
https://www.stealthcam.com/stc-g45ngx/

[twoSevenO]

Lots of stealth cam haters here. I've got a few on them and they have been great. Fast trigger speed, adjustable IR and range detection, good battery life, High quality pics and vids. But then again, I cannot compare them to other brands.
https://www.stealthcam.com/stc-g45ngx/

I have been happy with the battery life on all my stealth cams (7?) ..... just to make that clear. One was deployed from Mid November to Mid July and after 2400 photos it still showed good battery life. I'd say that is fine by me.

The quality of the pics and the trigger speed were sh*t.

[decker9]

Iv had a few different brands and the best bang for buck one iv found is the browning brand. Good price, pic quality, battery life, and trigger speed.

X2, the photo, video and sound quality is as good as Iv seen. Highly recommend.

[todbartell]

Spypoint Solars have become my favorite. No worrying about battery power, I like the video and "photo first" option is really nice. Takes a pic then transitions to video clip

[Slinky Pickle]

I've tried a whole lot of different ones and this is my current favourite. They have the best standby power draw of any cameras I've found and cheap cameras get way more expensive if you have to keep feeding them with batteries. I've been very happy with the cameras and my only real issue is that the audio quality isn't that spectacular.

I bought a case of 20 and have not had any of them fail yet. I had a small issue at the beginning but that was quickly fixed with a firmware upgrade and they've been great since.

There is a link to some videos from this camera at the bottom of this post.

http://www.boskoncam.com/product/showproduct.php

http://www.boskoncam.com/upload/201707/1500016167.jpg

https://youtu.be/Q3n6SzZYNmQ

https://youtu.be/qFNztkX2M8A

https://youtu.be/hTHFzNi11mM

https://youtu.be/pzi2tl_QXYI