Which Trail Camera to Buy?

[keithpip]

I wanted to put a trail camera in my back yard. There's an easement behind my house where I suspect a lot of deer are moving at night. When I went to my local Wal-Mart I found 5 different cameras. All were pretty inexpensive which suits me just fine. They are: Moultrie A-5, Wildgame Crush X5, Primos Truth Cam 35, Primos Speak the Language Workhorse and the Bushnell Trophy Cam (with 6 mega pixel). Does anyone have any experience with any of these cameras? Recommendations please since I've never owned/used one. I'm sure there are more expensive ones out there but are any of these any good? Thanks.

Keith

 

[photobiker]

This will a good one to follow. There are so many options. I am in it for the night life and not the hunting stake out. I started with a Primos. I like it. It had pics, video, sensitivity, number of pics as well as pis resolution. They just didn't last. After I sent back 3 for repairs they said no more so I switched brands. Next I got a Monultrie. It does good but I am a video guy and their video is 10 seconds and that just isn't long enough. The last one I got was a Stealth camera. I got it because the video selection was from 10 second to 180 seconds. It also has sound and temperature which is interesting. The last 2 seem to have high sensitivity settings. Meaning small animals don't get picked up. This is good if you are a turkey or deer hunter, cuts down on unnecessary pictures or videos.
For me the most important thing is night lighting and if it has an external battery connection. Another thing to keep in mind is whether they have an internal battery that keep the programed data in the unit while you change batteries. I hate resetting the date and time and preferences every time I change batteries. And another thing is to keep it under $100.

 

[klausinak]

I use the Moultrie, don't ask me what model . Game cam's are continuously being upgraded. I think mine is an 8mp, now they're up to 10's, next year it'll be 12 and so on. My advice would be:

1. If you're going to get more than one, make sure they're all the same model. This will save you from much head scratching trying to figure out how each one works .

2. Some models have a small view screen built-in, a lot don't. If you're technology-challenged, like me, you've got to figure out how you're going to see your pictures in the field. I think mine has a provision to hook into a Smart phone, something I don't own, (& probably couldn't operate). I just switch out the SD card a shove it in my camera. So understand what you're getting, if your only way to view the pictures/video is to drive home & plug into your home computer... I'm sure you get my drift .

3. As far as how many mega-pixels you need...you've got to decide what quality of photo you need, if all you need is big deer/little deer, (or in my case black vs. brown bear) then you really don't even need the 8. More pixels = more money & more memory used.

 

[vonn]

Going to follow this post for sure! There are so many options. Keep the replies coming!

 

[ArcticFox]

I've use the Bushnell Trophy TrailCams 8MP for 4 years now. Battery life is excellent. I have several of their black light units that are better built although I have had good service from all of them. They cost more but it is a serious hobby with me.

 

[skrazo]

As a "slight hijack", I'd be interested in hearing about makes/models you guys use for security monitoring (cars, people, etc., approaching the house). Sorry OP, but we all need to learn about this.

 

[Class III]

Long Post, but you asked.

I use Moultrie, Wildgame Innovations (WGI) and Primos. A total of 21 trail cams.

I'm serious about my deer and turkey hunting. I keep my cameras out year round.

The first two I bought were WGI 1.2 mp IR. They run on 4 "C" batteries. Been using these same two cams for about 8-9 years. They just won't die. I even left the cover of one open during a heavy rain. I thought that had killed it. Brought it inside for about a week to dry out and it came back to life. Resolution is not great but for $75 for both cams I wasn't expecting more than I paid for.

Next up are the WGI Micro Red 6 and Micro Red 8, 6 mp and 8 mp. Been buying these for the last 5 or so years. The Micro Red 6 seems to last longer than the Micro Red 8. I'm still using all 7 of the MR6's and had 1 MR8 die, replaced under warranty I have 5 of the MR8's. Really good daytime pictures and better than expected night pix. I found 3 of the MR6 and 2 of the MR8 cams on closeout at Academy back in March. $50 for the MR6's and $60 for the MR8's. These cams run on 8 "AA" batteries and have an internal battery that holds date/time/cam setting while changing batteries. They will also take a solar panel. Battery life is about 3-4 months taking 3000-4000 pictures on a 16gb SD card.

Moultrie M880 and M990i. Same camera except the M880 is a red flash and the M990i is a black flash and also has a picture viewing screen. All around great cameras. I've owned 3 of the M880's for 3 years and 3 of the M990i's for 1 year.
These cameras run on 8 "AA" batteries and have about a 3-1/2 month life span on fresh batteries taking 3000-4000 pictures on 16gb SD cards. Will take a solar panel. Internal battery backup same as WGI MR6 and MR8.

Primos Ultra Blackout. Bought 1 NIB last month. It was dead out of the box. Exchanged for new camera. Replacement lasted about a week. Took it back to Bass Pro for another exchange. Keeping my fingers crossed on this one. Your luck may be better than mine.

Skrazo, I'm using the 3 M990i cams around the house to keep track of the comings and goings of others in areas not easily hooked up the home alarm system.

Up at the farm I have several cameras that are dedicated to catching trespassers as demonstrated by the last picture. I've had people successfully prosecuted by using trail camera pictures. Don't know who these 3 are. Maybe one day we will cross paths.

Class III

 

[soFlaNative]

Thanks for that info Class III. What was used on the farm? Good shots, even of the knuckleheads in motion.

 

[gjamison]

I have around 20 cuddeback cameras. There the best as far as I'm concerned, any problems with them, send them back and they replace it with a new one.

 

[dave b]

I have a Bushnell and it works fine. Good pics and long battery life.

 

[islamoradamark]

ive been wanting a trail camera 4 years thanks 4 the info and i am one of the chalanged ones

 

[vonn]

I have around 20 cuddeback cameras. There the best as far as I'm concerned, any problems with them, send them back and they replace it with a new one.

Where exactly was this camera located? Nice looking pic!