OpticsTalk by SWFA, Inc. Homepage SWFA     SampleList.com
Forum Home Forum Home > Firearms, Bows, and Ammunition > Shooting
  New Posts New Posts RSS Feed - Trail Camera Research
  FAQ FAQ  Forum Search   Events   Register Register  Login Login

Visit the SWFA.com site to check out our current specials.

Trail Camera Research

 Post Reply Post Reply Page  12>
Author
Message
budperm View Drop Down
Optics Retard
Optics Retard
Avatar
show me your sheep!!

Joined: January/01/2009
Location: Pennsylvania
Status: Offline
Points: 31710
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote budperm Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Topic: Trail Camera Research
    Posted: December/08/2016 at 07:54
I'm not sure this is the correct place to post this.....

I'm starting down the path of "Trail Cameras" and after a brief search I'm leaning towards a
"Moultrie Panoramic 150" as my first choice/endeavor....

Please throw me some feedback on what Trail Cameras you guys use, their pros and cons and any recommendations you might have.  All the hype out here is pretty confusing.

Thanks in advance guys!!!
"Peace is that brief glorious moment in history when everybody stands around reloading".
--Thomas Jefferson



Back to Top
bugsNbows View Drop Down
Optics God
Optics God
Avatar
bowsNbugs

Joined: March/10/2008
Location: North Georgia
Status: Offline
Points: 11196
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote bugsNbows Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December/08/2016 at 10:53
Bud, I responded on the other thread. Check out Trail Cam Pro for some decent reviews. 
If we're not suppose to eat animals...how come they're made of meat?
               Anomymous
Back to Top
budperm View Drop Down
Optics Retard
Optics Retard
Avatar
show me your sheep!!

Joined: January/01/2009
Location: Pennsylvania
Status: Offline
Points: 31710
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote budperm Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December/08/2016 at 11:12
One of the problems I'm encountering is filtering the Advertising hype from the actual performance... that and after reading several reviews were the same models shine in one review and stink in another.

How does one find a knowledgeable impartial subject expert????? Loco
"Peace is that brief glorious moment in history when everybody stands around reloading".
--Thomas Jefferson



Back to Top
SVT_Tactical View Drop Down
MODERATOR
MODERATOR
Avatar
Chief Sackscratch

Joined: December/17/2009
Location: NorthCackalacky
Status: Offline
Points: 31233
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote SVT_Tactical Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December/08/2016 at 11:14

I believe mine is a stealthcam.....  SWFA has a decent selection of them... you looked at what they offer?


I'd suggest getting a cheap one and see I you use it.  I rarely use mine like its suppose to be used.


Something like this with a screen built in is nice so you dont' have to remove the card and put in a reader. http://swfa.com/SpyPoint-FORCE-12-Invisible-LEDs-Trail-Camera-P87237.aspx

"Most folks are about as happy as they make their minds up to be" - Abraham Lincoln
Back to Top
budperm View Drop Down
Optics Retard
Optics Retard
Avatar
show me your sheep!!

Joined: January/01/2009
Location: Pennsylvania
Status: Offline
Points: 31710
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote budperm Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December/08/2016 at 11:23
I'll check SWFA out, thanks!  

I'll be using it on Public lands so I don't want to spend the wad as i might walk away....  

I do however want it to actually works decently!
"Peace is that brief glorious moment in history when everybody stands around reloading".
--Thomas Jefferson



Back to Top
SVT_Tactical View Drop Down
MODERATOR
MODERATOR
Avatar
Chief Sackscratch

Joined: December/17/2009
Location: NorthCackalacky
Status: Offline
Points: 31233
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote SVT_Tactical Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December/08/2016 at 11:34
Yeah I wasn't aware if you knew they had them......  they carry allot more stuff now than they use to.    Mine does not have a screen on it to look at photos on site so I have to carry a digital camera with me to put the card in to view, I like the ones with a screen you can preview in the field.
"Most folks are about as happy as they make their minds up to be" - Abraham Lincoln
Back to Top
3_tens View Drop Down
Optics Jedi Master
Optics Jedi Master
Avatar

Joined: January/08/2007
Location: Oklahoma
Status: Offline
Points: 7853
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote 3_tens Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December/08/2016 at 19:35
Last summer I picked up a Stealth cam P8 rom Sams club. It is a pos. Only picture it took was when setting it up ti got my face at 6 inches. Put out my old Primos 46 along side the Primos gor 64 pictures the first night and the Stealth cam took the face shot and nothing else Day 2 simular results only the Primos got 130 shots. At times there were 7 deer within 30 feet of the Stealth cam that failed to take any pics. the Primos got the deer from 70 feet.  I put out a Moultry 888 and it is doing good from the same location where the stealth cam had been sitting.
Folks ain't got a sense of humor no more. They don't laugh they just get sore.

Need to follow the rules. Just hard to determine which set of rules to follow
Now the rules have changed again.
Back to Top
budperm View Drop Down
Optics Retard
Optics Retard
Avatar
show me your sheep!!

Joined: January/01/2009
Location: Pennsylvania
Status: Offline
Points: 31710
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote budperm Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December/09/2016 at 05:31

Thanks Lile that's just the kind of info/feedback I'm looking for.  Seems a lot of these trail cams have extremely wide build Quality tolerance.  One will work nicely and the 2nd of same won't...

It's making me rather gun shy...

"Peace is that brief glorious moment in history when everybody stands around reloading".
--Thomas Jefferson



Back to Top
SVT_Tactical View Drop Down
MODERATOR
MODERATOR
Avatar
Chief Sackscratch

Joined: December/17/2009
Location: NorthCackalacky
Status: Offline
Points: 31233
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote SVT_Tactical Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December/09/2016 at 07:35
Buy from somewhere with a good return policy! lol
"Most folks are about as happy as they make their minds up to be" - Abraham Lincoln
Back to Top
cowski View Drop Down
Optics Journeyman
Optics Journeyman
Avatar

Joined: November/19/2009
Location: alabama
Status: Offline
Points: 342
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote cowski Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December/09/2016 at 09:19
on public land i would get a stealth cam. you can not see it working. mine works good but does not have the range of good infrared ones. i have had a couple of moultrie cameras . the first one was good but the second one quit the second year. so i tried a bushnell , i would really recommend it for the batteries last a long time. i have a wilderness camera that i would not recommend, but it was a cheap one.it has way less range than the stealth cam.
never corner something meaner than you are jbc
Back to Top
cowski View Drop Down
Optics Journeyman
Optics Journeyman
Avatar

Joined: November/19/2009
Location: alabama
Status: Offline
Points: 342
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote cowski Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December/09/2016 at 09:33
thought i would add some more. i have 3 cameras out now a stealthcam a bushnell and a no name camera. i also have a wilderness camera .the pictures on it are poor and its short range. the steaith cam can be hid easier than the others. i would recommend the bushnell for range,battery life and picture quality.the best camera i have is the no name camera. the no name camera takes a better picture at night then anything i have seen. i bought this camera for $100 at a hunting show. the man operating the booth said he made them . if i see him back i will get me another one.
never corner something meaner than you are jbc
Back to Top
BeltFed View Drop Down
Optics Retard
Optics Retard
Avatar

Joined: February/12/2008
Location: Ky
Status: Offline
Points: 22268
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote BeltFed Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December/09/2016 at 09:54
Bud, did you get my PM?
Life's concerns should be about the 120lb pack your trying to get to the top of the mountain, and not the rock in your boot.
Back to Top
budperm View Drop Down
Optics Retard
Optics Retard
Avatar
show me your sheep!!

Joined: January/01/2009
Location: Pennsylvania
Status: Offline
Points: 31710
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote budperm Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December/09/2016 at 10:47

Yes I did Lynn just no time to peruse yet.... Whatever

"Peace is that brief glorious moment in history when everybody stands around reloading".
--Thomas Jefferson



Back to Top
BeltFed View Drop Down
Optics Retard
Optics Retard
Avatar

Joined: February/12/2008
Location: Ky
Status: Offline
Points: 22268
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote BeltFed Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December/09/2016 at 10:54
Take your time.
Life's concerns should be about the 120lb pack your trying to get to the top of the mountain, and not the rock in your boot.
Back to Top
bugsNbows View Drop Down
Optics God
Optics God
Avatar
bowsNbugs

Joined: March/10/2008
Location: North Georgia
Status: Offline
Points: 11196
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote bugsNbows Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December/09/2016 at 12:19
Bud, if you want, I can send you one of mine to mess with before you make a purchase. Let me know. 
If we're not suppose to eat animals...how come they're made of meat?
               Anomymous
Back to Top
RifleDude View Drop Down
MODERATOR
MODERATOR
Avatar
EVIL OPPRESSOR

Joined: October/13/2006
Location: Texas
Status: Offline
Points: 16337
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote RifleDude Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December/09/2016 at 21:57
Bud, you want an honest opinion, so here goes...

I think MOST of the trail cameras available today are junk.

I have tried cameras from Moultrie (3), Primos (2), Bushnell (5), Spypoint (2), Cuddeback (4), Stealth Cam (1), Wildgame Innovations (2), Recon Outdoors (1), Cabelas Outfitter (1), and Reconyx (1). There may be more I've owned and forgotten about, but I think this is a pretty complete list. In addition, hunting buddies have owned or currently own several brands from that same list.

I realize different people have differing experiences, and for whatever reason, someone will always have a game camera that performs 180-deg different than my experience with the same model.

That being said, I now look at trail cameras as disposable items like batteries, and if I get 3 seasons' worth of use out of one, I now consider it a "good" one. Unfortunately, MOST of the trail cameras from the brands on the above list have lasted 1 year or so before they quit working completely, either through water leaking inside, or the nighttime IR flash failing, or they start rapid fire shooting blank photos until they quit completely, or they just plain die. The worst for me has been Moultrie and Wildgame Innovations. Multiple units I've had from both of those brands didn't last 1 month before they quit on me. Friends of mine have had similar experiences with both, although 1 friend of mine has had a Moultrie that managed to survive for 5 years and counting. 3 other friends had Wildgame Innovations cameras that lasted less than 3 months before failure. Cuddeback has disappointed me the most. Although their cameras lasted longer than the Moultrie and Wildgame cams I've owned, the Cuddebacks were higher priced and supposed to be better quality units, so I had higher expectations of them. Two of my Cuddebacks lasted about a year before failure and 2 others failed after about 6 months. Cuddeback's CS sucked when I tried to get my cams repaired. The others on the list have all lasted 1-2 years before quitting. The Cabelas brand camera shows some promise, but it is only 2 years old so far, so the jury's still out.

The lone exception has been my Reconyx HC500. The one I have has 6+ years of near continuous use and counting, so I've been very happy with it. Unlike any other camera I've tried, it also rarely ever takes a blank photo without an animal somewhere in the frame. It also has further detection range than any other cam I've tried, and with lithium batteries, I get over a year of battery life. The downside is it's very expensive... $450 or so MSRP. I would have never bought this camera due to its high price had it not been for the fact I found it at a considerable discount in the Cabela's "bargain cave," due to a flaw in the camo finish. This may be one of those cases where you really do get what you pay for.

I have mixed experiences with Bushnell and Spypoint cameras -- some have lasted 3 years or so before dying, and a couple from each have lasted a little over a year. I will buy more of them, with the expectation that I'll likely have to replace them after a couple seasons. Although I'm not really satisfied with that, I can live with it in exchange for their price. 

I've heard a few good reports about Browning cams, but I have no personal experience with them.

If my lone HC500 is a good example of what I can expect from Reconyx cams, I'd love to have all Reconyx cameras, but I'm simply not willing to spend $400 - $500 a pop on units that will spend months on end in the woods, risking damage from the elements or theft.

My advice is to either spend $400 + on a good one, or lower your expectations and hope one in the $125 - $150 range lasts 2-3 seasons. Under those parameters, I would recommend the Bushnell Trophy Cam series and Spypoint cameras. Don't expect them to last 5 years if used continuously, though. My recommendation is to use them only for 5 or so months at a time, then retrieve them until you need them again a month or two before hunting season starts. If you leave them outside year-round, the elements will take its toll and they won't last.

Again, I look at trail cameras as disposable items. If they didn't provide such useful information, I wouldn't buy any more trail cameras, because I believe most of them are complete steaming piles of s***. If your expectations are higher than that, I believe you'll have to spend over $400 to be happy.
Ted


Money can't buy happiness... but it's much more comfortable to cry in a Porsche than on a bicycle.
Back to Top
trigger29 View Drop Down
Optics Master Extraordinaire
Optics Master Extraordinaire
Avatar
X = 180 Y = 90 (X+Pyro)+(Y-Pyro) = ?

Joined: September/29/2007
Location: South Dakota
Status: Offline
Points: 4353
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote trigger29 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December/09/2016 at 23:41
I have been running 3 Reconyx HC 500 cameras for a few years now. GREAT cameras! Pro: lots. con: cost. And that's a bout it. Maybe takes lots of batteries in the con column. But I get a lot out of those 3 cameras. All 3 have worked phenomenally well for several years. I had 2 moultrie cameras and a couple others, but now just the Reconyx. And I'm better off.

"A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed."
Back to Top
RifleDude View Drop Down
MODERATOR
MODERATOR
Avatar
EVIL OPPRESSOR

Joined: October/13/2006
Location: Texas
Status: Offline
Points: 16337
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote RifleDude Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December/09/2016 at 23:45
Originally posted by trigger29 trigger29 wrote:

I have been running 3 Reconyx HC 500 cameras for a few years now. GREAT cameras! Pro: lots. con: cost. And that's a bout it. Maybe takes lots of batteries in the con column. But I get a lot out of those 3 cameras. All 3 have worked phenomenally well for several years. I had 2 moultrie cameras and a couple others, but now just the Reconyx. And I'm better off.

Good to know mine is not an anomaly. Agree wholeheartedly. Just wish they weren't so expensive.
Ted


Money can't buy happiness... but it's much more comfortable to cry in a Porsche than on a bicycle.
Back to Top
trigger29 View Drop Down
Optics Master Extraordinaire
Optics Master Extraordinaire
Avatar
X = 180 Y = 90 (X+Pyro)+(Y-Pyro) = ?

Joined: September/29/2007
Location: South Dakota
Status: Offline
Points: 4353
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote trigger29 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December/10/2016 at 03:04
Amen. I'd like to have about 10 of them. But I bought one, got my dad to buy one and my uncle to buy one, an we all hunt the same ground. There's no way I can afford a bunch of them.

"A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed."
Back to Top
bugsNbows View Drop Down
Optics God
Optics God
Avatar
bowsNbugs

Joined: March/10/2008
Location: North Georgia
Status: Offline
Points: 11196
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote bugsNbows Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December/10/2016 at 09:09
Side note: Ted have you seen the new Reconyx that is tube shaped and uses a phone app? Supposedly, they are guaranteeing it for 5 years. I think it's $499 also. 
If we're not suppose to eat animals...how come they're made of meat?
               Anomymous
Back to Top
 Post Reply Post Reply Page  12>
  Share Topic   

Forum Jump Forum Permissions View Drop Down

Forum Software by Web Wiz Forums® version 12.01
Copyright ©2001-2018 Web Wiz Ltd.

This page was generated in 0.846 seconds.