RE: Want to know what are the best trail cams
For deer patterns I think a good flash camera would do just fine, better in my opinion. Unwanted visitors are a whole different subject and I can see the desire for the IR.
We've been testing the Reconyx RC55 and it has done a pretty good job so far. We have also tested the Predator and it is similar to the Reconyx but the picture quality is not quite as good.