Ky Bob

Check out this place for refurbished Cuddebacksand they have the same warranty as a new one.

http://www.parkfalls.com/seednfeed/cuddeback.htm

Snoogsdad

No need to put down the homebrew guys. They are a lot of fun to make and with a good camera they do take better pictures than the popular names and all for about $200 and they take a picture when deer walk past.

I've had a lot of problems with both the Cuddebacks and Moultries I've tested.

I'm testing my 15th digital game camera and in my opinion those with real digital cameras in them are the dependable ones.

If your camera is at a high risk of being stolen I can understand wanting to buy a cheap one so I do see the value for the cheaper models.

kevin1

Yes , sometimes you'll get "flare" in a pic if the light hits it . Facing the cam away from the path of the sun and possible reflections usually cures that . The night shots have all been just fine . My one big complaint is the slow triggering time , other than that I've been pretty satisfied with it .
I wasn't putting them down , I just don't grasp putting the money that some of them do into it . I know a guy who makes them as a hobby , the ones he makes for others are priced comparably to commercial units , but the ones he makes for himself are outrageously expensive . Just to screw with him I search them out , let it take a pic of me , then duct tape the lens opening . It's a sickness , I know ...

Redleg92

Four years ago, us "homebrew guys" were able to make digital game cams for less than $200 that were much better than the off the shelf models that cost in excess of $600 at the time. I know that prices have come down and now they are reasonably priced. I don't make them anymore because of that, but I am still using several cams I made years ago.

Back then, you were and idiot to pay $600 for something so easily stolen when you could make it yourself for 1/3 of that, and have a better functioning product to boot.

gators1422

I agree with alot of what has been said. I too have owned both the cuddeback and the Moultrie.I bought the Moultrie and got the cuddeback as a gift. I also got the cuddeback stolen off of private property,(would have made me sick if I had bought it) Any way the Cuddeback is by far better. The battery life is the best and it never misses a pic. All pics on the Cuddeback the deer are in the center of the pic. On the Moultrie the sun blinds some of the day photos and if putting it on a trail you need to look up it or down it or you will have the back end of the deer all the time, but for the money you really can't beat it.

Ross Baker

I've owned 5 Moultries. I currently own 3: (2) 200's and and older 100. One of the 200's is sitting beside me awaiting a freight tag from Moultrie for warranty. I also have a homebrew. Camera and all...including 2 sets of rechargeable batteries, charger, and 2 memory sticks ran me about $270.It cost abouttwice as much as the Moultrie 200's. Of course when I tested them head to head over bait and trail,the homebrew took better than twice as many pictures, so I guess I gotwhat I paid for in both cases!

cybersniper

You get what you pay for with trail cameras. Anyone who puts down the homebrews has never tried one. Sure your moultrie may take adequate pictures, but what about battery life, missed pictures, and quality.

I agree you don't need a cystal clear picture, but when most are blurry is it really worth it?

The big argument seems to be nothing about quality, but based on the fact it may get stolen. I have 13 cameras out right now and have never had one stolen (knock on wood).

I prefer the cameras where the camera can be removed and used outside of the unit. I also like being able to view the pictures in the woods and not needing a card reader or computer.

The chasing game web site will even point out that most homebrews are better than the commercial units.

Most people either love or hate the Cuddeback. Place one next to a trail Ghost or Penns woods and you will see how man pictures you missed. The lowest settings are 1 minute, vs 10 seconds on the trail ghost or Penn's.

You also can't remove the camera, or view the pictures in the field.

Does less than a second shutter speed matter if the next picture won't be for over a minute more??

As I stated earlier, you get what you pay for... If you spend $100.00 you will get $100.00 quality and will probably replace it a short time later.

I have tried almost all of them and like the Trail Ghost P41LE the best, www.trailghost.com and I also like the Penn's Woods www.pennswoods.com . If you want a deal try to pick them up used on ebay, although you will have better luck finding guys selling used Moultrie or Cuddebacks.

Just my 2 cents

murphd3

cybersnyper - just wondering what kind of battery life you get with the trail ghost and penn's woods cameras

Thanks,
Murphy

cybersniper

Hi Murphy,

I'm getting 6-9 months on the control board 9 volt. And I usually swap out two rechargeable AA camera batteries when I check the pictures. Every three weeks or so I check them and have about three hundred pictures and the batteries are still good.

I like the fact I can remove the camera and view the pictures in the field.

Cybersniper

joeycoates

I have a newer Moultrie 100 and while I do have a lot of pictures of pigs, they have to step right in front of it to get the camera to go off. If something walks say 6-7 feet out in front of it then no picture. I have it sitting in front of a feeder right now and you can look at the ground and see that there has been a lot of activity at the feeder, but no pictures. Now to be fair, the pictures that it has taken have been pretty good and I easily get 2-3 weeks out of the rechargeable Moultrie 6v battery. I will have to see how that life stacks up once the cool weather hits here in Texas as I have only had it about three months.