Game Cameras

[beersngars]

Wasn't sure the of the best place to ask about game/trail cameras, so I put it here. I am in the market for another camera. I am pretty much sold on the infared type over the flash models. Looking for a no frill, long lasting model. We use our camera alot at our cabin property pointed at the feeder. Not just hunting season, but year round. Just fun to see the visitors that stop in for snack.

Currently I have a Moultrie I60 and am OK with it. The trigger time is a bit slow and it seems to loose program from time to time and just shuts down. Battery life is very good though and all in all, a nice camera, just not sure if I would want another.

My son got me a Wildgame Innovations XC6 for Christmas and I hated it. The screen to program it was waaaay to small and it killed the 6 AA batteries in less than a month, the Moultrie lasts about 5 or 6 months with 6 D cells.

Again, looking for a mid-priced no frill unit. Seems like a lot of the newer all boast remote internet connection. Not for me, need to keep it simple. What are your favorites?

 

[jimmyj]

I have a flash unit and I think you are wise to look at the infrared. Do a search under Eddie Walker and Stealth or Stealthcam or something like that. There is a discussion that went on about exactly this a year or two ago and the Moultrie was not the most recommended.

Good luck!

 

[billdiesel]

I've had 2 Cuddebacks since October. They're the flash type, been real happy with them so far. I did have to send one back, it quit takeing pics for some reason, replaced no questions asked. Have a third one that I don't have out yet. They are very easy to set up.

 

[clemsonfor]

I have a flash unit and I think you are wise to look at the infrared. Do a search under Eddie Walker and Stealth or Stealthcam or something like that. There is a discussion that went on about exactly this a year or two ago and the Moultrie was not the most recommended.

Good luck!

For what its worth, Eddie is the only one i have heard of with good luck out of the stealth cams. I have had about 3 and none of them last more than about a season and a half. I have a wild game i bought about a year and half ago. It was a wildgave x??4 Its infrared and 4mp. Quality is good, problem is i had it set up in the garden in direct sunlight and it made the battery holders brittle which busted in the sun. I converted it to a 6V rechargable battery. I have taken 3000-5000 pics on it over 4 months and not had the battery bar even go down one notch on it. Even before that i could get an easy 3000 over a couple months out of the factory 4C batteries. I can see why the AA's would not be good, but you can always convert them to 6V which is what all the diehard Game cam junkies do since you dont fool with charging or batteries all season. Cost to do it was >$20 , you do have to have some knowhow and take it apart and it most likely will void your warrenty. I opened the back up and found where the battery conneted to the board and sodered the wires to some new pieces and then put a connector on the bottom and created leads for the battery that would then plug into the cam. Cost for battery and recharger at Walmart was ~$9 i think and the little connectors from radio shack and wire maybe another ~$8-9.

It is way worth the conversion on any cam.

 

[Rocksprings]

A little off the subject but I found out you can not exchange SD cards with different game cameras. I have a Bushnell and a Wildview and they were both all messed up. Called customer service and was told that once you use a SD card in the camera it is formatted to that camera and you can not use it in another camera. I got new SD cards and both cameras work fine now. Back to the original post, Check on the Internet and check different brands and look at the customer reviews and you will get a good idea if it is a piece of junk or not...Good Luck

 

[MtHam]

Cabellas has many different cameras available, and user reviews can be found on their website. Very few get rave reviews, and many are reviewed very negatively. I do have a Moultrie IR type ($130) from them that works pretty well, but it not a high quality product, and the first one had to be returned. The only one listed that gets great reviews is about $600! Nonetheless, the Moultrie does get interesting results.

 

[beersngars]

Spent a few hours last night on Cabellas site (they have lots of brands and models) reading reviews. Not alot good said about any of them. Sad. With the exception of a brand called Reconys Hyperfire, starting at $449 , most all seem to be hit or miss. I'll keep reading.

 

[wsp617]

Take a look at two other brands...Scoutguard and Covert. Myself and my friends have had different brands and had positive and negatives with them. I really like the Scoutguard SG550. I have one and it works great. It's about the size of a beer can. It's IR and takes great pics and videos. The best thing is battery life. They last considerably longer than other brands. My boss has four of them and has ZERO PROBLEMS. The SG550 runs about $180-200. Just Goggle Hunting Cam Online to get their website.

The other brand is Covert. Very simular to the SG's. I bought the new more expensive model for $250. I think the model number is HR8.0. It has more LED lights than the cheaper model for better IR shots/videos. The big one for me is the built in LCD screen. The screen is used to set-up the camera but can also be used to view pics. The Scoutguard SG550 and the cheaper Covert use a remote to program the camera. Again the Coverts have great battery life. Another thing on battery life. These units take AA batteries and not the C or D cells. AA batteries are much cheaper to buy than C/D. I think that Covert and Scoutguard are the same company or at least made in the same factory.

Covert customer service is awesome. I had an issue with my camera where it started taking picture after picture for no reason. I emailed the company and asked them about it. They told me to send mine in and they sent me a brand new one. In the end I think it was the Sam's club batteries I was using and not the camera. We've had all kinds of issues with the "Member's Mark" batteries so stay away from them too. I was just trying to save a couple bucks and it bit me.

I just checked the Covert site and I see they have a sale going. The HR8 I paid $250 for is on sale for $225 w/ free shipping. Their website is Covert Scouting camera specializes in DLC Covert trail cameras

A great resource of info is Chasingame.com: Scouting Camera Reviews | Performance Reviews | Trail Camera Models compared | Sample Pictures and Movies. They are a website that does nothing but tests deer cameras. Their reports get a little long winded but they are unbiased reports.

I would stay away from Cuddeback and Bushnell. It's one of those cameras where it's a coin flip. It either works great or it's junk. If it's junk you're out of luck. As one person wrote on another site, "If Cuddeback spent half the money the do on advertisng on customer service, they'd have a decent company". Cuddeback has long been known as a company with terrible customer service. They no longer repair cameras. They're fix is "send us your camera and $150 and we'll send you a new one". If you've read the reviews on Cabelas you know what I mean. They love them or hate them.

Stay away from any cameras sold at Walmart. Their most recent unit had the Tasco name on it. They're JUNK.

I have a Moultrie unit but it quit working....AGAIN. My buddy has two of them and has issues with both. First of all the Moultrie units are BIG. They take the big D cells. The battey life is "OK" until it gets cold and then it's marginal. They're not bad cameras. It's just I think there's better cameras out there. Both of his I40's had the LCD display go out.

Lots of choices out there. But that's a good thing. The more competition out there, there more comptetive the prices are getting. Good luck.

 

[missingstexas]

...
The other brand is Covert. ....

x-2 I have a very close friend that has a large ranch in south Texas (McMullen County) and this year he replaced 4 cameras with these Covert II Assasin's. I've never seen pictures as good or as clear as he's getting from these camera's, simply incredible. Here's a few shots from his place. Good Luck!

By the way- that last heavy buck actually died as a resulf of the rut this year, they found him floating in a livestock tank...

 

[nickel plate]

I realize you said mid-range pricing but I feel that you might just be wasting mid-range money on most all of them. I have the Reconyx HC600 Hyperfire with over 3000 photos and I must say that camera misses NOTHING that enters the lens field, walking, running or flying.
The one you saw at Cabela's for $449.99 is the HC500 which uses "low glow" (still visible infared flash) whereas the $549.00 HC600 uses "no glow" infared flash technology. I paid the same price as above for the HC600 but also included for that money was a Python cable lock, metal bear box and two 4GB SanDisk Ultra SDHC memory cards from a site called huntinshack.com.
Go to the website chasingame.com and browse the forums. The site sells no cameras and seems to be very unbias as to their camera testing and member's posts.
Sorry about the photos below that have been posted before on this forum but the Reconyx has been out in the woods for the last month and a half-I plan to retrieve it possibly next week and post anything worth viewing in the photo section under "critters captured on camera".

 

[woodchuckc]

You will find out all you want to know (and more!) from users of all the various cameras in the forums over at Chasingame.com: Scouting Camera Reviews | Performance Reviews | Trail Camera Models compared | Sample Pictures and Movies. They also have very extensive formal reviews of most of the cameras that are available.

Bottom line is, it is hit or miss with getting a camera that functions as advertised until you spend the big bucks on a Reconyx or Buckeye camera. Rather than regular IR cameras (called "red blob" cameras because the flash is a visible red and not true IR), the Uway NT50B and some of the Reconyx and Buckeye cameras are true IR - absolutely no visible flash. A lot of people are liking the Uways and they are considerably cheaper than the Reconyx, but there have been some "growing pains" since they are a new camera.

 

[clemsonfor]

i used that website for reviews when i was looking 2 thanksgivings ago.

Better look at it this way, you will buy one every few years based on my experience unless you spend the big bucks. The redblob is not that noticeable on mine, you have to look at it to see it, if your looking away, its not like someone shining a red light on you, its a faint red and or green glow from the cam, again not like its a red flash lighting up the woods.

What you need to pay attention to is the trigger time and the field of distance you can see at night. If this is the page i think it is they show a stopwatch clock and start it and stop it when the cam takes a pic of it to show you the triggerspeed. They also set up decoys at night at various distances (buck decoys so you can see how well antlers stand out at various distances) so you can see how well each shows the deer at their labled distances at night.

 

[EddieWalker]

I've been using Stealth Cam for quite a few years now. When I first started out, I tried a few brands that I was disapointed with. There are more out there now then I could even guess at as to which is good and which is not. I keep a camera going year round. I pull the SD card and put in another every weekend. I get from 200 to 500 pictures every week.

I like the flash because it gives me the most range. Even then, I wish that I had more range, but its enough to get the job done. It doesn't bother the animals. I have way too many pictures of them to prove it. I also like the color pictures that you get from the flash.

Another factor is my camera is being able to use an external 12 volt battery. I have a 12 volt rechargable battery in my feeder. I have a 12 volt solar cell that I bought from Northern Tool on the side of my feeder. This is about a foot square and not our cheapy solar cell that they sell at the sporting goods store. Those didn't last very long at all. My game camera is also plugged into that same battery.

With the number of pictures that I'm taking, I was going though batteries on a regular basis. Then it would sit there for days without taking any pics. I hated that!!!!!!!

This combination has worked very well for me.

Eddie

 

[SandburRanch]

I've been using Stealth Cam for quite a few years now. When I first started out, I tried a few brands that I was disapointed with. There are more out there now then I could even guess at as to which is good and which is not. I keep a camera going year round. I pull the SD card and put in another every weekend. I get from 200 to 500 pictures every week.

I like the flash because it gives me the most range. Even then, I wish that I had more range, but its enough to get the job done. It doesn't bother the animals. I have way too many pictures of them to prove it. I also like the color pictures that you get from the flash.

Another factor is my camera is being able to use an external 12 volt battery. I have a 12 volt rechargable battery in my feeder. I have a 12 volt solar cell that I bought from Northern Tool on the side of my feeder. This is about a foot square and not our cheapy solar cell that they sell at the sporting goods store. Those didn't last very long at all. My game camera is also plugged into that same battery.

With the number of pictures that I'm taking, I was going though batteries on a regular basis. Then it would sit there for days without taking any pics. I hated that!!!!!!!

This combination has worked very well for me.

Eddie

---------------------------------------------------------------
Your mention of flash makes me wonder if an extra external flash or even maybe two could be rigged off the camera down range to flash simultaneously with the camera to extend the flash distance.

I'm not into electronics so maybe someone could answer this. Just thinking of the hand held flash photographers have used in years past.

I know my cheeep Moultrie could use some xtra distance in the lighting department.

 

[PILOON]

---------------------------------------------------------------
Your mention of flash makes me wonder if an extra external flash or even maybe two could be rigged off the camera down range to flash simultaneously with the camera to extend the flash distance.

I'm not into electronics so maybe someone could answer this. Just thinking of the hand held flash photographers have used in years past.

I know my cheeep Moultrie could use some xtra distance in the lighting department.

There are many flashes that will be triggered by your built in flash out there.
Naturally they are meant for regular photography and weather proofing could be an issue.
An EBay search will find lots.

 

[Arky217]

Is there a game camera that is a good choice for day and night security monitoring in a remote area ?

I bought a $300 IR Moultrie, but it wasn't very good for this purpose. The IR flash was still visible, the detection range was not very far or sensitive, and it was just too big to camoflage and hide.

I would like a camera that overcomes these shortcomings and also one that has a modem option to send the pics to a remote computer.

Any suggestions ?

Thanks,
Arky

 

[Skyco]

A little off the subject but I found out you can not exchange SD cards with different game cameras. I have a Bushnell and a Wildview and they were both all messed up. Called customer service and was told that once you use a SD card in the camera it is formatted to that camera and you can not use it in another camera. I got new SD cards and both cameras work fine now. Back to the original post, Check on the Internet and check different brands and look at the customer reviews and you will get a good idea if it is a piece of junk or not...Good Luck

I do it all the time between a Wildgame and a Moultrie.
You can also reformat the SD cards on a computer which would make them like "new" as far as the camera is concerned.

A coworker just bought a Tasco which I liked due to its small size. He took it back though as it was a piece of junk...didn't work well at all.

 

[clemsonfor]

I've been using Stealth Cam for quite a few years now. When I first started out, I tried a few brands that I was disapointed with. There are more out there now then I could even guess at as to which is good and which is not. I keep a camera going year round. I pull the SD card and put in another every weekend. I get from 200 to 500 pictures every week.

I like the flash because it gives me the most range. Even then, I wish that I had more range, but its enough to get the job done. It doesn't bother the animals. I have way too many pictures of them to prove it. I also like the color pictures that you get from the flash.

Another factor is my camera is being able to use an external 12 volt battery. I have a 12 volt rechargable battery in my feeder. I have a 12 volt solar cell that I bought from Northern Tool on the side of my feeder. This is about a foot square and not our cheapy solar cell that they sell at the sporting goods store. Those didn't last very long at all. My game camera is also plugged into that same battery.

With the number of pictures that I'm taking, I was going though batteries on a regular basis. Then it would sit there for days without taking any pics. I hated that!!!!!!!

This combination has worked very well for me.

Eddie

Thats some serious cash in corn eddie! The stuff is $7 bag now, at i know in at least 2009 you were using bags. The cheapest way all my buddies do it who bait heavy is to go to the farm and get under the auger and fill 55 gallon drums up. Still not cheap to feed animals all year.

 

[clemsonfor]

Is there a game camera that is a good choice for day and night security monitoring in a remote area ?

I bought a $300 IR Moultrie, but it wasn't very good for this purpose. The IR flash was still visible, the detection range was not very far or sensitive, and it was just too big to camoflage and hide.

I would like a camera that overcomes these shortcomings and also one that has a modem option to send the pics to a remote computer.

Any suggestions ?

Thanks,
Arky

Look in the new cabellas, they have some that are prolly true infrared and will upload via internet to your email or their website. They start at over $1k though. You will have to have at least some cell signal (which my place dosent have) and will have to buy a cell type subscription thru the company for like $20/month in prime season and a little cheaper in the summer months, then there is a cost per pic uploaded, like a penny or 2.

Your case the cost would/should be minimal, as most of your bill will just be the access fee as it will be looking at a gate or shed or house or something. For us that take 2k pics a week that will get very expensive at even 1 penny addional charge.

 

[clemsonfor]

I do it all the time between a Wildgame and a Moultrie.
You can also reformat the SD cards on a computer which would make them like "new" as far as the camera is concerned.

A coworker just bought a Tasco which I liked due to its small size. He took it back though as it was a piece of junk...didn't work well at all.

We swap to between the stealth cam when it still marginally worked and the wildgame, as well as btween the moultrie, and stealth before the moultrie was kind of "adopted" by some family of my cousins ex.