I need some help
06-09-2007, 08:19 PM
#1
Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 22
I need some help
Hello everyone, my name is Chris and I need some help. I have a non-typical DC-200 I bought a couple of years ago and have gotten hundreds of pictures and I LOVE getting pictures of game. I actually got one of the bucks I had been getting pictures of last year with my bow which was pretty cool because I was 500 yards from where I was getting the pictures. Anyways, here's my problem. While setting up the camera, it fell out of it's little hole in the case as I was closing the cover and the whole plug assembly broke off of the camera so now I have no way of attaching the camera to the unit. I would like to get it fixed but I heard that dealing with their customer service to get things repaired is a nightmare and expensive. So, what would you do?
Also, I would really like to get a new digital trail camera because the convenience is unreal! I can leave the camera out there a little longer because I'm not relying on 24 photo's and I get to see that the camera is in the right spot while I'm there and that it's not too high or too low.Would I be better off buying a commercial one or playing around with a home-made one using products from whitetailsupply.com? I looked at their website from a previous post and they seem to have some cool stuff. I really want a camera that works well, is very reliable, can last a couple of weeks in the woods through heat and cold and rain and snow. I want it to take decent pictures, clear so I can see what's what,and I want decent trigger speed, the rear end of the deer doesn't help me too much. What are your thoughts and suggestions? Thank you very much for taking the time!
-Chris
Also, I would really like to get a new digital trail camera because the convenience is unreal! I can leave the camera out there a little longer because I'm not relying on 24 photo's and I get to see that the camera is in the right spot while I'm there and that it's not too high or too low.Would I be better off buying a commercial one or playing around with a home-made one using products from whitetailsupply.com? I looked at their website from a previous post and they seem to have some cool stuff. I really want a camera that works well, is very reliable, can last a couple of weeks in the woods through heat and cold and rain and snow. I want it to take decent pictures, clear so I can see what's what,and I want decent trigger speed, the rear end of the deer doesn't help me too much. What are your thoughts and suggestions? Thank you very much for taking the time!
-Chris
06-09-2007, 09:14 PM
#2
Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Indiana PA USA
Posts: 3,656
RE: I need some help
Well, I have messed with alot of different game cameras, digital and 35mm. So far, my favorite camera has been the Cuddeback. I plan on giving the CamTrakker Digital Ranger a try too as I have heard great things about them.
Building a digital game camera by yourself will save some money and it will usually allow you to customize the camera to fit your needs but there are a few problems with this idea. First, it takes some time and you have to know what your doing. Also, alot of these cameras have seperate batteries for the sensor and the camera. Usually the camera will run off of two AA's and the sensor off a different arangement. This means that the sensor will have great battery life, but the camera batteries will not last nearly as long.
I would suggest that if you want to go with a commercial digital camera that you don't go cheap. You will have alot of guys tell you about the Moultries and the Stealth Cams and they do work, but I personally don't trust them after having used them. The trigger speed is slow and this means that alot of times the deer can pass by the camera entirely before it takes a picture. It will work if you want to put it over a feeder, mineral lick, or some other food source that will keep the deer in front of the camera for a longer period of time, but if you just set it on a trail, chances are you won't get nearly as many pics as you should. Also, the battery life on these cameras isn't that great. Alot of guys will talk about these cameras having month long battery life but I never found this to be true. I could get two weeks tops and that was simply because it wasn't taking nearly as many pics. Picture quality on the Moultries and Stealth cams is also nowhere near what the higher priced models have. Granted, if you just want to know whats in the area it will work, but for the best detail... you gotta go with something higher priced.
I would suggest either the Cuddeback Expert or Cuddeback C3000 (if you can find one) or the CamTrakker Digital Ranger. My Cuddeback has been amazing and the battery life is insane. I can get hundreds upon hundreds of photos off the batteries. I am talking in the range of 800-1,000 pics! Also, the trigger speed on the Cuddeback is very fast and it provides some great quality pics.
For referance, here is a Cuddeback pic compared to a Moultrie Digital...
Cuddeback...
Moultrie Digital...
TrailMac Digital...
Building a digital game camera by yourself will save some money and it will usually allow you to customize the camera to fit your needs but there are a few problems with this idea. First, it takes some time and you have to know what your doing. Also, alot of these cameras have seperate batteries for the sensor and the camera. Usually the camera will run off of two AA's and the sensor off a different arangement. This means that the sensor will have great battery life, but the camera batteries will not last nearly as long.
I would suggest that if you want to go with a commercial digital camera that you don't go cheap. You will have alot of guys tell you about the Moultries and the Stealth Cams and they do work, but I personally don't trust them after having used them. The trigger speed is slow and this means that alot of times the deer can pass by the camera entirely before it takes a picture. It will work if you want to put it over a feeder, mineral lick, or some other food source that will keep the deer in front of the camera for a longer period of time, but if you just set it on a trail, chances are you won't get nearly as many pics as you should. Also, the battery life on these cameras isn't that great. Alot of guys will talk about these cameras having month long battery life but I never found this to be true. I could get two weeks tops and that was simply because it wasn't taking nearly as many pics. Picture quality on the Moultries and Stealth cams is also nowhere near what the higher priced models have. Granted, if you just want to know whats in the area it will work, but for the best detail... you gotta go with something higher priced.
I would suggest either the Cuddeback Expert or Cuddeback C3000 (if you can find one) or the CamTrakker Digital Ranger. My Cuddeback has been amazing and the battery life is insane. I can get hundreds upon hundreds of photos off the batteries. I am talking in the range of 800-1,000 pics! Also, the trigger speed on the Cuddeback is very fast and it provides some great quality pics.
For referance, here is a Cuddeback pic compared to a Moultrie Digital...
Cuddeback...
Moultrie Digital...
TrailMac Digital...
06-10-2007, 08:36 AM
#3
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Fulton county IL USA
Posts: 4,271
RE: I need some help
Chris, concerning that DC-200 of yours.... call NonTypical and they'll take care of ya. That wire costs next to nothing and they'll probably send you one for free.
However, as you mentioned in your post,you only get 24 pix froma film unitso a digital would be soooo much better. Also, you won't have to worry about camera noise from the film advance sppoking many of the deer you get photos of.
As Jason has explained pretty well, it hard to beat a quality digital but remember the ol' saying "you get what you pay for" seems to hold true for most of 'em. I also vote for the Cuddeback Expert and the Can Trakker Ranger. However, it shold be noted that you won't have a date/time stamp on your images with the Trakker... it only brands the date and time on the memory card so you'd have to tranfer these times and dates. I do love the Cuddebacks labeling system.
However, as you mentioned in your post,you only get 24 pix froma film unitso a digital would be soooo much better. Also, you won't have to worry about camera noise from the film advance sppoking many of the deer you get photos of.
As Jason has explained pretty well, it hard to beat a quality digital but remember the ol' saying "you get what you pay for" seems to hold true for most of 'em. I also vote for the Cuddeback Expert and the Can Trakker Ranger. However, it shold be noted that you won't have a date/time stamp on your images with the Trakker... it only brands the date and time on the memory card so you'd have to tranfer these times and dates. I do love the Cuddebacks labeling system.
06-10-2007, 07:24 PM
#4
Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 22
RE: I need some help
Hey, thanks for the quick response and taking the time to help me out guys. Those are some nice pictures! That buck is beautiful! Do you have any problem with the flash scaring them? I really like the cuddeback and the pictures I've seen from it all seem to be good quality. I just get scared because I've heard a lot of horror stories from them. I guess you either get a good unit or a bad unit? I do like the date and time stamp on the photo's so the cuddeback has a leg up on the Camtrakker in that regard.
The fix for my deercam seems like it will be a problem because I can't plug it into the camera because it ripped off of the camera completely. If one was to look at the camera they would have no idea it's anything special because there's no sign of a plug attachment because it ripped off from where the two parts of the camera come together. Maybe the camera just comes apart and you can put the new attachment on? I haven't really checked inside because I don't want to break it beyond repair becausewhenI bought it,it was a very expensive unit. Thanks again!!!
-Chris
The fix for my deercam seems like it will be a problem because I can't plug it into the camera because it ripped off of the camera completely. If one was to look at the camera they would have no idea it's anything special because there's no sign of a plug attachment because it ripped off from where the two parts of the camera come together. Maybe the camera just comes apart and you can put the new attachment on? I haven't really checked inside because I don't want to break it beyond repair becausewhenI bought it,it was a very expensive unit. Thanks again!!!
-Chris
06-10-2007, 07:37 PM
#5
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Wisconsin
Posts: 1,772
RE: I need some help
NHdeerhunter...try this link and he will hook you up with a refurbed Cuddeback. He is located just south og NT factory. Last I checked he had the 1.3 mps and the original 3.0. I own a 2005 3.0 and I love it. Have had a couple problems and they took care of me at NT. Two words for you..........go digital!
http://www.parkfalls.com/seednfeed/index.htm
http://www.parkfalls.com/seednfeed/index.htm
