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Small Cabin Forum / General Forum / inexpensive wildlife cam recomendations
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Eddy G
Member
# Posted: 31 Aug 2017 05:15
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Hey, I've been enjoying all the wildlife pictures and have seen Bear, Deer, Turkey etch on our property. So I know they are there.
Anyone know of a good, easy to use cam ? Don't know what "inexpensive" really means. They seem to run from a lot to a little and you get what you pay for so Value is a better word for what I'm looking for.

Littlecooner
Member
# Posted: 31 Aug 2017 08:16
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My group has been running trail cameras for many years and we have had better luck over the long haul with the moultrie brand of cameras. over the years, as the megapixels expanded, so has the price. Also if you are not interested in high resolution night time photos, then save a little money as that quality of night time, length of good flash and length of "trigger length" is what you are receiving in the higher priced cameras. If just want to dabble in photos to see what species is around the cabin, why not try the low end moultrie. They have one that list price is $ 60 that is entry level. I would think you could search and pick one of these up for under $ 50 somewhere. We have an older Browning that I hate, mostly because of quality of night time photos. We have a new Browning purchased in the spring and it has very great quality photos, both night and daytime. You get what you pay for, like all electronic. If you want wi fi notification and real time pictures, there are cameras available at the top of the price range that provide that service. I believe for a first time, non hunter camera, $ 50 will get you were you want to arrive.

Mtnviewer
Member
# Posted: 31 Aug 2017 12:54
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I have 2 inexpensive Wildgame cameras that I hate hate hate. They were from Costco about 5 years ago.

Cons:

- They use expensive C cell batteries that don't last long at all. (I'd suggest only getting a camera that runs on AA cells & or 12 volt)

- The motion sensor is incredibly poor & misses anything that moves too quickly through the area or especially comes straight toward the sensor vs. across the field of view. HORRIBLE!!! It is unbelievable how often these miss to react to motion.

- The video quality is poor & the down time between bursts is too long & cannot be changed. Video seems to use far more power & the files are too large compared to still image bursts.

Pros:

- I can connect a 12 volt battery & not use C cells, but they still drain the battery quite quickly. Bizarre how fast they eat batteries.

Things that I'd look for & insist on are:

- FAST motion detection & response!!!!!! Perhaps even dialled in sensitivity as some surveillence cameras.

- And good battery management.

Actually, I'd suggest if you have power, to look for a decent outdoor surveillence bullet cam with an SD card built in & using a PoE injector & Cat 5-6 cable, the camera can be 350 feet from the power source. These will likely greatly outperform trail cams at 2-3 times the price & are FAR MORE configurable & accurate for motion detection. They have other compromises though. They can be hooked up to a 12 volt battery & a 100 watt solar panel but that adds to the cost. But if you have power nearby, a bullet cam with a built in SD card might be an option. IME, too cheap is too frustrating.

Kamn
Member
# Posted: 31 Aug 2017 14:58
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I picked up 2 from amazon called ABASK, I think they were 8mp but do a great job for the price. They use AA batteries and last a decent amount of time, also has night vision

justins7
Member
# Posted: 5 Sep 2017 14:28
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I just bought a Moultrie A-30 (2017) Game Camera from Amazon, around $65. It seems to be on the low-end as far as price, but the high-end of name-brand/quality.

I'm a first time user of game cameras and I really recommend it. It's simple, and seems to do exactly what it's supposed to do.

I was initially reluctant to get into these since I hate buying (and then discarding) batteries, but they seem to last if you buy lithium ones.

(I wish they made a rechargeable camera.)

toyota_mdt_tech
Member
# Posted: 6 Sep 2017 08:49
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Quoting: justins7
(I wish they made a rechargeable camera.)


They make them with solar panels, add rechargeable batteries, they last a long time. If you need to get a full year out of them, look for ones that use 8 or more AA batteries. I have a Bushnell, holds 8 AA batteries, I needed something that would last all winter.

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