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by JAL on Wed Nov 25, 2020 10:51 pm
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Hi All,

I am thinking about buying a trail camera to see what is in the woods behind my house, but have no experience with them.  One with reasonable, or maybe good, image quality and that is easy to use would be preferable.  Some have different day and night cameras, or sensors.  How important is this?  Could anyone make recommendations or offer advice based on their experiences?  Thanks.

Happy Thanksgiving.

JAL
 

by Lerkes on Thu Nov 26, 2020 8:03 am
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I have several Browning trail cameras that I bought through Amazon and Cabelas and I have been happy with them. Easy to use, pretty reliable and the batteries last a long time. It's always fun to see what shows up on the camera.I have this one: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06WL ... UTF8&psc=1

and this one:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00LM ... UTF8&psc=1
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by E.J. Peiker on Thu Nov 26, 2020 12:32 pm
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Hi JAL, please define what your definition of a trail camera is. there may be different interpretations of this term :)
 

by JAL on Thu Nov 26, 2020 1:50 pm
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Thank you for the help Steven.

E.J., I'm not exactly sure of my definition.  I am looking for a way to photograph what may be in the woods behind my house (and maybe other locations) during the day and night.  Initially the goal is to see what is there.  This is really a description of purpose instead of a definition of trail camera.  Could you describe the possibilities you have in mind?  Thanks.

JAL
 

by Wildflower-nut on Thu Nov 26, 2020 3:42 pm
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I believe he is looking for a camera trap.  Animal walks through and takes its own picture.  These are made as a integral unit and sold by people like cabelas I guess.

You can also set up a beam to trigger an SLR like I've done with birds, bats etc.  That sort of thing is ok if you are going to be watching it all the time otherwise it becomes a big temptation for theft. 

I thought he was talking about a camera to carry on the trail like my canon SL2 but I don't think so anymore.
 

by JAL on Thu Nov 26, 2020 4:26 pm
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Yes, maybe I should have said camera trap, like what Lerkes suggested.  Any recommendations or advice?
 

by Lerkes on Thu Nov 26, 2020 5:39 pm
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the ones I have are very simple and affordable. Color during the day, B & W at night. Nothing you'd want to frame and hang on the wall but they let you know what's out there

Steve
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by OntPhoto on Fri Nov 27, 2020 1:56 am
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Another nod for Browning Trail Cams.  Batteries do last a long time.  I recommend using Energizer Ultimate Litium.  The rechargeable Eneloop Pro do not work as well in these cameras (the battery meter in the Browning does not show 100% when using these rechargeables).  I have the Dark Ops models which makes the light coming from the camera much less notieable.  I use these trail cams for monitoring vehicles day and night in case of vandalism.  Quality is quite good especially when there is good light but these cams also take photos and videos in the dark.  Most people use the cams for capturing wildlife (on video or photo). I may use to monitor owls and maybe foxes too. 
 

by Jeff Pearl on Fri Nov 27, 2020 7:14 am
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I've been using Moultrie trail cams. They have a variety of models. You might want at least 2. Cabelas probably has them in stock. Most take daylight and infrared photos around the clock when activated by movement. if you don't have to walk far, the lower end models that cost around $69.00 or so will work for stills. You just have to manually remove the memory card , then download to your computer. When you put card back in camera, you go through a process to delete old photos. https://www.moultriefeeders.com/

Sample below from my public facebook profile:

https://www.facebook.com/jeffreykpearl/posts/3793972817301123

Sample of Infrared below. Came out of camera 4992x2808
Image


Last edited by Jeff Pearl on Fri Nov 27, 2020 7:35 am, edited 1 time in total.
 

by jnadler on Fri Nov 27, 2020 7:25 am
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Remember, you have a choice of recording stills or HD video with most of these cameras. Nigh-time is typically black and white.  I use Browning with positive experience.

Near my home, this moose compilation from my Browning models.

https://youtu.be/yzd026EXUEA
 

by ChrisRoss on Fri Dec 18, 2020 6:33 pm
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OntPhoto wrote:Another nod for Browning Trail Cams.  Batteries do last a long time.  I recommend using Energizer Ultimate Litium.  The rechargeable Eneloop Pro do not work as well in these cameras (the battery meter in the Browning does not show 100% when using these rechargeables).  I have the Dark Ops models which makes the light coming from the camera much less notieable.  I use these trail cams for monitoring vehicles day and night in case of vandalism.  Quality is quite good especially when there is good light but these cams also take photos and videos in the dark.  Most people use the cams for capturing wildlife (on video or photo). I may use to monitor owls and maybe foxes too. 
Sounds like the battery capacity meter works on straight voltage, so not surprising that the meter shows a lower value.  The Lithium batteries have about 1.5-1.6V fresh and eneloops 1.3V.  Both of them maintain their voltage on a fairly flat curve.  The low initial reading on the curve does not necessarily indicate that the eneloops have less capacity.

This article suggests that the eneloops have slightly more capacity at low current draw: 

https://lygte-info.dk/info/BatteriesLow ... %20UK.html

The lithium drops off a cliff after 14 days and the eneloops at 16 days - whether this is seen in reality in the camera is a question - I would guess them to pretty much equivalent - it depends at which voltage the camera calls quits - if they are designed to run regular alkalines then 1.2V should not be a problem for them

The eneloops however are more environmentally friendly than disposables and cheaper over the long run.
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by Neil Fitzgerald on Tue Dec 22, 2020 2:24 am
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We have hundreds for research work. I never expect great image quality (I want accurate records and they all disappoint compared to dslr image quality) but rather look for reliability, trigger speed, ability to survive wet weather, and battery life. They might be in the field for many months at a time and see many meters of rainfall. The IR flash wavelength vary between models. In some it may be visible to us as a faint red glow if you look at the diodes, others are completely invisible. There is debate about how visible it is to animals, but this is probably not a big concern anyway if you don't mind some animals maybe showing slightly unnatural behaviour when it's triggered.
In general, as far as brands go, Reconyx are great but pricey, Bushnell are good at a better price. I haven't used Moultrie but have heard good things. This past year I got a stack of Bushnell Core DS No Glow and they have done well so far with months of wet weather. I also have some Bushnell NatureView Cam HD which I like because they come with a couple of close focus diopters that will focus it down to ~400mm. Great for small birds on perch/feeders. Most other trail cams are fixed focus from about 2m-infinty.
Many trail cams don't work with rechargeable NiMH batteries, so if that's a concern, check the specs first. It's unfortunate, but they just about all seem to need >1.2V per cell to work reliably.
I recommend https://www.trailcampro.com/ to compare specs, good reviews, and great service.
 

by OntPhoto on Wed Dec 30, 2020 6:46 pm
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ChrisRoss wrote:
OntPhoto wrote:Another nod for Browning Trail Cams.  Batteries do last a long time.  I recommend using Energizer Ultimate Litium.  The rechargeable Eneloop Pro do not work as well in these cameras (the battery meter in the Browning does not show 100% when using these rechargeables).  I have the Dark Ops models which makes the light coming from the camera much less notieable.  I use these trail cams for monitoring vehicles day and night in case of vandalism.  Quality is quite good especially when there is good light but these cams also take photos and videos in the dark.  Most people use the cams for capturing wildlife (on video or photo). I may use to monitor owls and maybe foxes too. 
Sounds like the battery capacity meter works on straight voltage, so not surprising that the meter shows a lower value.  The Lithium batteries have about 1.5-1.6V fresh and eneloops 1.3V.  Both of them maintain their voltage on a fairly flat curve.  The low initial reading on the curve does not necessarily indicate that the eneloops have less capacity.

This article suggests that the eneloops have slightly more capacity at low current draw: 

https://lygte-info.dk/info/BatteriesLow ... %20UK.html

The lithium drops off a cliff after 14 days and the eneloops at 16 days - whether this is seen in reality in the camera is a question - I would guess them to pretty much equivalent - it depends at which voltage the camera calls quits - if they are designed to run regular alkalines then 1.2V should not be a problem for them

The eneloops however are more environmentally friendly than disposables and cheaper over the long run.
Interesting.  I will read up on that.  I know the Energizer batteries in my trail cam lasts a long time.  At least 2 to 3 months because I use video.  This beats the battery life of any other cam used to monitor activity 24/7 with very good quality.  Videos can run for 30 seconds and will start up again as long as motion is detected.  I will try the Eneloop Pro and see how long they last.  

Great review site for Trail Cams.

Trail Cam Reviews
 

by Cynthia Crawford on Sat Jan 23, 2021 5:56 am
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"Trail cameras" are often used by hunters to find game.  I just like to see what lives here besides my and my birds. I have 4 trail cameras out in my woods (About 25 acres). Browning cameras  been very reliable for some years now. I just use Duracell AA batteries, which last 4-8 months depending on the weather. I wish I didn't have to recycle so many batteries. I have one Spypoint Dark force camera. It has it's own rechargable battery pack. Great idea , but the video quality is a bit jerky.
Dark force ctrail camera


Here's are some recent pictures from one of my Brownings:
Trail cam videos

I leave them unattended sometimes for several weeks, then change the cards and or/batteries. Always fun to see what is out there: black bear, red fox, fisher, deer, ermine, turkeys, porcupine, raccoon,coyote, even mice and voles, squirrels and some birds show up...and my neighbor's dogs....and my neighbors, who ski and walk our trails, and the occasional hunter during deer season. I also used one to monitor a stray cat that was lurking under my bird feeders. I eventually caught the cat and took it to the humane society. It now has a new home.  Fun stuff. Most are night pictures, but recently I got a lovely fox in the daytime. Nooooo....these are not NSN quality photos!
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by Ron Niebrugge on Sun Jan 24, 2021 1:26 pm
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Another vote for Browning.  It is pretty fun seeing just what goes on at night - sometimes it is surprising!  I started with some lesser expensive models off of Amazon, but they just didn't last.  I can leave my Brownings at for months at a time in the Arizona summer, and they will keep on working. 
 

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