Question for Homebrew trail camera guys

[joebuck]

I m thinking about diving into makin my own from Missing Impossiple's how to thread. Has anyone else made their own and are they pleased with results versus a  $ 200 store IR trail camera ?  Thanks

[leatherneck]

I am more than pleased with all mine. Be careful, its addicting. I have 7 cams now. The big reason besides overall performance is I can repaiur it if it gets broke. No need to send it back to the company.

[James Wrenn]

I have built 4 cameras and two video cameras so far.I like mine.I can get better quality pictures than from the cheap commercial cams and can build one to suit my needs.The high end commercial cams are great but I just won't put that much money into one camera when I can build 3 or more for the same cost that work as well and take good pictures.

[AR RidgeRunner]

Do they have quick trigger speeds compared to some of the more popular commercial trail cams? They definitely take some great pics.

[Missing Impossible]

Originally posted by AR RidgeRunner:
Do they have quick trigger speeds compared to some of the more popular commercial trail cams? They definitely take some great pics.

Depends on the camera being used.  Sony P41, W290, and the Olympus D380 are in the one second if not quicker range.  Other camera choices have a longer trigger time but homebrewers can add fresnel lenses that detect a wider area so as to minimize or even eliminate the commercial trigger times "advantage".  Proper placement is much more important than trigger times.  My Sony S600 builds are about 2.5 second trigger times but I rarely miss my target due to correct set up.

Also, don't think that one is going to save money by building ones own homebrew.  It's too addictive and the possible video and still cam build options are endless!

[CO_Bowhunter]

I've had great luck with the Sony W230 cameras paired with a Yeticam.com control board. I also love the Sony HC40 MiniDV camcorder. They will run for 5 weeks with a big battery. The quality is great for standard definition footage. National Geographic purchased some of my elk footage for an upcoming Untamed America production.

I also have a Sony XR550V HD camcorder that takes unbelievable footage. But it's a lot of money for a camcorder to strap to a tree.

The still images I've posted on the main page of my site:    Off The Pavement

convinced me why it's worth the time to learn how to build my own cameras. I hope this is helpful.