Trail cam recommendations, please...

[JC]

I have a few spots that I have always wanted to set up a trail cam, but honestly know nothing about them. From what I have seen in Cabela's etc., I think I am looking for a digital, screen for viewing on site is not necessary, preferably takes SD data cards, IR/no flash if possible, reasonably quick trigger, programmable for time between shots. All this and cheap price too!

So, give me your recommendations, please. Even if it doesn't meet my criteria, educate me on why you prefer that particular one. Oh, and where you purchased for what price. Thanks guys!

[Whip]

JC, I've got a Cuddeback digital that I really like.  Mine's not the IR model, so can't tell about that feature.  
From the research I did before buying mine I think the Cuddebacks are at the top of the class.  But they are like most things, you get what you pay for.  Very good quality images, and excellent triggering.  I don't get many bad pics on mine, whereas a friend of mine has a Leaf River and he gets more "scenery" pics than anything.
I bought my camera at a show and I think I paid $300 for it.

[zwickeyman]

JC, I would stay away from Leaf River, didn't have good luck with mine. I have a Moultrie and love it, I think the 4.0 IR is around $200.00, that's my next one. easy to use, good pics, good battery life. My 2 cents.

[Lost Arra]

If you check around enough there are happy and unhappy owners with just about every brand.
I'm with Whip.

I had a Cuddeback digital in the woods behind my house 24/7, 365 days a year for 5 years (my wife became addicted to checking the animals cruising thru the area). Great photos and battery life. One day the flash died. Rather than repair it I'm getting a new one for half price.

My cuddeback uses a compact flash card rather than the SD.

I got mine at Bass Pro because I had a gift certificate there.

[leatherneck]

I own the cuddyback IR and really like it. Same as Whip and Lost Arra on specs. Trigger is awesome. Only complaint is the range of the IR. I believe the flash at night would give you better distance then the IR. But I don't like the flash so I'll give up a few yards.

Mike

[Gatekeeper]

I have the Cabela’s 4.0 mega pixel “07” model. The camera was brand labeled for Cabela’s by Moultrie. The price tag was $100. This camera uses a SD card and uses the large rectangular flashlight battery. I think Moultrie has now changed the power source to 6 “D” cell batteries. The battery usually last for 3 to four weeks. The memory card that I use is 512 mb and cost $17. For the price, I am satisfied with this setup. When I check my cameras I carry a small digital camera with a viewing screen on it. If the card (from the game camera) is full I switch the card out if it has pictures but nothing interesting I clear the card and return it to the camera.

This camera does not have a fast trigger time but if the camera is setup right it will capture images just fine. The key is to point the camera so that it is looking up or down a trail. If the camera is pointed perpendicular to the trail then you will miss a lot of shots. This camera works the best if it is setup at a feeder, mineral lick, scrape or anyplace that draws the animals in and holds them. The sensitivity of the camera’s trigger seems to be very good also. I have had squirrels and birds trigger the camera.

This camera has IR capabilities and it is able to do 10 seconds videos. The flash for this camera is good to about 25 to 30 feet but it does cause a bug eye effect to the animals. I have been told that placing a piece of paper in front of the flash will stop this effect but, I have not tried this yet.

I set my camera to take 3 pictures every time it is activated and I have it setup to be reactivated every minute. This means that sometimes I get a lot of pictures but I have never run out of memory on the SD card. The most pictures that I have had on one card was 380 something. This was with the camera set at high resolution 2368 x 1776.

For me, this camera is just right. It is Inexpensive and reliable. I would recommend this camera as an alternative to the more expensive cameras on the market.

[Jeff Strubberg]

The moultrie 4mp works great.  If the flash bothers you, cut a small section of paper towel and tape it over the flash inside the case.

I had tow of em out all htrough deer season.  Just waiting until the temperature warms a bit to chuck fresh batteries in and start shooting again.

[tippit]

This is my next move so I'll just keep watchin'...Doc

[trapperDave]

MOULTRIE!! 100 bucks gets you a 4 meg with flash, takes sd cards, can get em at walmart. Moultrie also has a couple IR models for 200 and 300. One is 4 megs the other is 6.

[Chris Lantz]

Check out  http://www.chasingame.com/,  it has some pretty detailed reviews for quite a few different cameras.

[madness522]

Just make sure you pay attention to the trigger speed and get as fast a trigger speed as you can.  I know this because mine has a slow trigger speed and I have more pics of deer butts than anything else.

[DW]

JC, CALL me and I'll get you going in the right direction.........Conan and I own 8 different camera's and we sell most brands...We can tell you what works personally and professionally.....THX DON

[tippit]

DW, I'll take what ever JC takes  :D  Doc

[Grizzzly]

I have the older 2.0 digital moultrie, you can turn off flash if you want but I have not had a problem with it spooking deer. It uses the big 6 volt battery which lasts a long time.I'm not sure of the new ones with the D batteries though. It is only about $100 , great camera,fully adjustable delay, will take video as well.Easy to operate. Only camera I would buy except for cuddeback , but I refuse to spend that much on a camera.

[K.S.TRAPPER]

I used the 4.0 moultrie this year JC, 100 dollars and the batteries last longer than any I have used so far. Yes I would love to have a cuddie back but at a price of 3 to 1 you have to decide.

Cuddie's are quicker but I think the pictures are about the same. Just like Gatekeeper I bring a digital camera to the site to veiw the pictures.

Tracy

[Chris Surtees]

Personally I have messed around with all the Cuddeback cameras over the last couple of years. They all are great cams with a company that standards behind their products from my experiences with them. The trigger speed is very good with all models and are all programmable for time and number of shots but from what I can remember the Moultrie's and Stealth Cam have a little more timing options to choose from. The flash systems on the cams I used was outstanding. Also think Cuddeback has the best securing system with the Bear Safe box. The worsts things to me about the Cuddeback is they all go through batteries really quick, and the battery cover can be a pain at times. Overall great cams.

The Moultrie I have been using was given to me by a buddy that was on his way out of country. This cam has a rather slow trigger time but as stated above has more than enough time and picture programs to choose from. The flash on my cam has started to go out and now only has about a 5 to 10ft range. I will say this cam has been used year round for 2 years so I have most certainly got my money out of it. The worst thing about this cam to me is the lack of ability to secure it. I have not tried any of the newer models but if they came up with a way to secure them I would most certainly buy another one.

Now for the Stealth cams. First off their customer service is really lousy. This has turned me off to there products for good. I am still using the 2 I have had for the last 3 years but the flash went out on both in the first year. Trigger speed is super slow at about 8 to 12 seconds for the models I have. Believe they have improved some but no where near the Cuddeback. They have good time and photo program selections and can be secured relatively easily. Did get to mess around with one of the new IR models that a friend had bought and was impressed with the cam. I will say they have some along way in the last couple of years but still not too sure about the customer service is something happens like what happened my mine. Overall unless I found one of there cams at an extreme discount I would not buy one.

The Cuddeback No-Flash was bought from Cabela's for regular price. Picked it up for my Dad for a Christmas present.

The Moultrie was given to me but you can get the basic model from Walmart for a little over a $100

The Stealth cams where bought from AAFES for $163 each. These where their mid price cam's at time they where purchased.

I think the next cam I will try is a Wildview 2.0IR. I have heard some good this about them and for 150.00 they are one of the lowest priced IR cams out there.

Good luck with your search and if you have any other questions just shoot me a PM.

[Hoytman]

Originally posted by Chris Lantz:
Check out   http://www.chasingame.com/,   it has some pretty detailed reviews for quite a few different cameras.

I have 5. 1 Ceddeback original version. 2 Bushnell Trail sentrys, and 2 Moultrie game spys.
For the money, ($100 or so) the Bushnell and Moultries are good cameras. Although Bushnell has had a lot of controversey about their cameras going into "sleep mode". Many people were sending them back as broken. Come to find out the "flaw" was designed to conserve battery life. Problem was after sitting idle for some time the camera would not trigger right away, until it "woke up". Once the camera was activated it would work fine.
The Moultrie is compbable to the bushnell. But it uses 6 D size batteries istead of 4, but has longer battery life, and better flash range than the Bushnell.
IMO CuddeBack is still the machine to beat. Although they did have some tech problems on some of the redesigned models.
If money is not a consideration, I would buy the Cudde. And probably the IR model. I haven't found that the flash bothers game animals, but it does to tip off potential thieves off to your camera location.

[Danny J]

I love my Cuddeback no flash. I had problems with my first one one week before my year warranty ended. I sent it in and they sent me a brand new one. No charge. I have never counted days but I have no problem with battery life. Probably around 1 to 1.5 months battery life and it gets cold in northwest Iowa. The fast trigger speed is very important as stated above. I have seen other brands of cameras with the back half of an animals or no animal at all. I would also go with the cudde if you can spend the added cash for one.

[Ray Hammond]

Thanks for asking this question, JC...as soon as I get somewhere on a job, its my next investment.

I have some 12 inch caliper trees being rubbed and want to see who is doing it!!!!

[Danny J]

Forgot to mention the infrared nite pics are great. I have some doosies. My night pics are black and white. I have seen some color nite pics. Must be a newer model.