need advice on first camera
07-29-2007, 12:44 PM
#1
Fork Horn
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: Hunt in SC
Posts: 179
need advice on first camera
i am thinking of buying my first trail camera i have heard good things about the stealth cam v450 because it has a viewing screen to look at the pictures while in the field. do you think this camera is worth 200 dollars? or i have been looking at the moultrie game spy 4.0 because it is only 99 dollars. what are your opinions on these cameras and what would you recommend thanks for the help
08-03-2007, 08:57 AM
#2
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: Greenwood, Missouri
Posts: 65
RE: need advice on first camera
I can't give all that much of advice, since I only have used the cheaper ones wildview .3. It has alright pics for the money! If you can't get any advice on those, look around in this forums on those camera'sand look at some of there pics. Maybe that will help. Go to the search at the bottom and type in those camera's and that may give you some answers. 
08-03-2007, 09:53 AM
#3
Spike
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Central Ohio
Posts: 88
RE: need advice on first camera
If this helps.... I have two different cam with viewing screens. I never use 'em since they're too small to fully appreciate what you're looking at. They can be of use... but by the time you figure out what you're looking at, a deer will walk up on ya...lol. I just like to get in & get out of the woods & view the cards back at home with a bigger screen.
08-03-2007, 10:31 AM
#4
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: Ohio
Posts: 75
RE: need advice on first camera
I would agree totally on the viewing screen not being important. I rarely use them. I switch tapes and get out so I don't spread scent around. But others may find them useful.
I don't like any of the IR cameras I've tried (cudde & Leaf River) -whatever I get next will be regular flash. Good luck.
I don't like any of the IR cameras I've tried (cudde & Leaf River) -whatever I get next will be regular flash. Good luck.
08-03-2007, 10:43 AM
#5
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: Denton, Texas
Posts: 1,335
RE: need advice on first camera
With plenty of trail cameras to choose from, I would consider the five big factors when buying a new trail camera: image quality, trigger speed, user-friendliness, cost, and durability.
Other Options To Consider: battery life, built-in flash range, IR flahs,sensing range (some cameras have a sensor that is more wide and others have a sensor that is more narrow but will sense objects farther out), movie capability, night vision,external battery pack?, rechargeable batteries?, solar panel hook up? megapixel upgrade, memory card capacity, mono-pod holder, Laser and IR aim for quick and precise camera set-up, time lapse mode, multi-shot pictures, upgradeable software, barometric pressure, temperature, moon phase, time, date, and onboard viewing of images. As you can see cameras have gotten very advanced since the old 35mm cameras
When deciding on what camera to buy, first and foremost, where is the camera going to be used? Is it going to be over a feeder, food plots, mineral sites, baited sites, or scrapes? Or is it going to be over trails, bottle necks, junction points, rub lines, transition areas, etc? The difference is, you don’t have to a fast trigger speed if you have deer coming in and stopping, if you are going to use the camera for the trail action then fast trigger time is going to be very important (though I believe it can be gotten around if you setup the camera properly)
How much do you care for the sharpness of the pictures? Trail cameras now run from .3 megapixels to 6 megapixels. Also the quality of lens is important because some cameras will have the same number of megapixels, but one camera may take “nicer” pictures than the other. You need to look at different pictures from different cameras and see where you draw the line in the quality of picture you want. (Look at night time and daytime photos)
How good are you with using electronic devices because you will find some trail cameras are easier to operate than others (in setting up and shutting down). Some cameras show you how many pictures they have taken on the front display while others you have to open up to see how many pictures have been taken (just another example of user friendless).
On durability, you want your camera to last more than a season or two so you want the case to be strong to take the beatings of Mother Nature as well as you want the parts to function properly and be reliable for a long time.
I don’t know if you are putting out your camera where it gets real cold in the winter but powering your trail camera can be an issue. Batteries can be costly, but longevity is important when outside temperatures rise and fall dramatically. Although expensive, good batteries are necessary to ensure that your camera works all the time (if you go the rechargeable D battery route get at least a 2500 mah rating) UPDATE[/b] ON BATTERIES (RECHAREABLE ENGERGIZER D BATTERIES WITH 2500 MAH ARE NOT WORTH THE MONEY LASTED ABOUT 300 PITCTURES).
In the summer this is not a big deal. At warmer temperatures, cameras can run for a couple months without much concern. When temperatures drop below freezing, that's when you've got to keep a close eye on your power source. Extreme cold winter temperatures can wreak havoc on battery life. Your will find out long battery life is a very important thing to have (even if you do have your camera close by).
Then, decide how much you care about infra red flashes. With plenty of trail cameras to choose from, I would consider the five big factors when buying a new trail camera: image quality, trigger speed, user-friendliness, cost, and durability.
Other Options To Consider: battery life, built-in flash range, sensing range (some cameras have a sensor that is more wide and others have a sensor that is more narrow but will sense objects farther out), movie capability, night vision,external battery pack?, rechargeable batteries?, solar panel hook up? megapixel upgrade, memory card capacity, mono-pod holder, Laser and IR aim for quick and precise camera set-up, time lapse mode, multi-shot pictures, upgradeable software, barometric pressure, temperature, moon phase, time, date, and onboard viewing of images. As you can see cameras have gotten very advanced since the old 35mm cameras
When deciding on what camera to buy, first and foremost, where is the camera going to be used? Is it going to be over a feeder, food plots, mineral sites, baited sites, or scrapes? Or is it going to be over trails, bottle necks, junction points, rub lines, transition areas, etc? The difference is, you don’t have to a fast trigger speed if you have deer coming in and stopping, if you are going to use the camera for the trail action then fast trigger time is going to be very important (though I believe it can be gotten around if you setup the camera properly)
How much do you care for the sharpness of the pictures? Trail cameras now run from .3 megapixels to 6 megapixels. Also the quality of lens is important because some cameras will have the same number of megapixels, but one camera may take “nicer” pictures than the other. You need to look at different pictures from different cameras and see where you draw the line in the quality of picture you want. (Look at night time and daytime photos)
How good are you with using electronic devices because you will find some trail cameras are easier to operate than others (in setting up and shutting down). Some cameras show you how many pictures they have taken on the front display while others you have to open up to see how many pictures have been taken (just another example of user friendless).
On durability, you want your camera to last more than a season or two so you want the case to be strong to take the beatings of Mother Nature as well as you want the parts to function properly and be reliable for a long time.
I don’t know if you are putting out your camera where it gets real cold in the winter but powering your trail camera can be an issue. Batteries can be costly, but longevity is important when outside temperatures rise and fall dramatically. Although expensive, good batteries are necessary to ensure that your camera works all the time (if you go the rechargeable D battery route get at least a 2500 mah rating) UPDATE[/b] ON BATTERIES (RECHAREABLE ENGERGIZER D BATTERIES WITH 2500 MAH ARE NOT WORTH THE MONEY LASTED ABOUT 300 PITCTURES).
In the summer this is not a big deal. At warmer temperatures, cameras can run for a couple months without much concern. When temperatures drop below freezing, that's when you've got to keep a close eye on your power source. Extreme cold winter temperatures can wreak havoc on battery life. Your will find out long battery life is a very important thing to have (even if you do have your camera close by).
Then, decide how much you care about having a camera with infrared flashes. IR cameras collect high-resolution images without fear of a big white flash spooking the game you photograph (I have been impressed with a lot of the new IR pictures). The infrared flash is invisible, yet capable of capturing quality images of game up to around 30 ft (There is a little red light that comes up for a second or two and supposedly can only seen when you are directly in front of the camera and looking at it). Is the camera going to be on public land or somewhere where a neighbor or passing bystander might see it and want to steal it or deep in the woods on your own private property where you never see anyone ever? If you are worried about it being stolen or spooking wildlife, IR may be the way to go, by your camera not flashing and being as noticed by wildlife as well as people.
Some people go homebrew (there are ups and downs to homebrew), some people like the high end cameras like Camtrakker or Buckeye cam, and some just want the cheapest ones they can find. Saying that, it all comes down to preference (and what your goals and objectives for the camera are), some people will sway you to this camera while another will say this camera, it’s up to you to decide.
Go to www.chasingame.com to check out pictures and reviews of different cameras.
For me, I would check out the New 07’ Moultrie Line
Other Options To Consider: battery life, built-in flash range, IR flahs,sensing range (some cameras have a sensor that is more wide and others have a sensor that is more narrow but will sense objects farther out), movie capability, night vision,external battery pack?, rechargeable batteries?, solar panel hook up? megapixel upgrade, memory card capacity, mono-pod holder, Laser and IR aim for quick and precise camera set-up, time lapse mode, multi-shot pictures, upgradeable software, barometric pressure, temperature, moon phase, time, date, and onboard viewing of images. As you can see cameras have gotten very advanced since the old 35mm cameras
When deciding on what camera to buy, first and foremost, where is the camera going to be used? Is it going to be over a feeder, food plots, mineral sites, baited sites, or scrapes? Or is it going to be over trails, bottle necks, junction points, rub lines, transition areas, etc? The difference is, you don’t have to a fast trigger speed if you have deer coming in and stopping, if you are going to use the camera for the trail action then fast trigger time is going to be very important (though I believe it can be gotten around if you setup the camera properly)
How much do you care for the sharpness of the pictures? Trail cameras now run from .3 megapixels to 6 megapixels. Also the quality of lens is important because some cameras will have the same number of megapixels, but one camera may take “nicer” pictures than the other. You need to look at different pictures from different cameras and see where you draw the line in the quality of picture you want. (Look at night time and daytime photos)
How good are you with using electronic devices because you will find some trail cameras are easier to operate than others (in setting up and shutting down). Some cameras show you how many pictures they have taken on the front display while others you have to open up to see how many pictures have been taken (just another example of user friendless).
On durability, you want your camera to last more than a season or two so you want the case to be strong to take the beatings of Mother Nature as well as you want the parts to function properly and be reliable for a long time.
I don’t know if you are putting out your camera where it gets real cold in the winter but powering your trail camera can be an issue. Batteries can be costly, but longevity is important when outside temperatures rise and fall dramatically. Although expensive, good batteries are necessary to ensure that your camera works all the time (if you go the rechargeable D battery route get at least a 2500 mah rating) UPDATE[/b] ON BATTERIES (RECHAREABLE ENGERGIZER D BATTERIES WITH 2500 MAH ARE NOT WORTH THE MONEY LASTED ABOUT 300 PITCTURES).
In the summer this is not a big deal. At warmer temperatures, cameras can run for a couple months without much concern. When temperatures drop below freezing, that's when you've got to keep a close eye on your power source. Extreme cold winter temperatures can wreak havoc on battery life. Your will find out long battery life is a very important thing to have (even if you do have your camera close by).
Then, decide how much you care about infra red flashes. With plenty of trail cameras to choose from, I would consider the five big factors when buying a new trail camera: image quality, trigger speed, user-friendliness, cost, and durability.
Other Options To Consider: battery life, built-in flash range, sensing range (some cameras have a sensor that is more wide and others have a sensor that is more narrow but will sense objects farther out), movie capability, night vision,external battery pack?, rechargeable batteries?, solar panel hook up? megapixel upgrade, memory card capacity, mono-pod holder, Laser and IR aim for quick and precise camera set-up, time lapse mode, multi-shot pictures, upgradeable software, barometric pressure, temperature, moon phase, time, date, and onboard viewing of images. As you can see cameras have gotten very advanced since the old 35mm cameras
When deciding on what camera to buy, first and foremost, where is the camera going to be used? Is it going to be over a feeder, food plots, mineral sites, baited sites, or scrapes? Or is it going to be over trails, bottle necks, junction points, rub lines, transition areas, etc? The difference is, you don’t have to a fast trigger speed if you have deer coming in and stopping, if you are going to use the camera for the trail action then fast trigger time is going to be very important (though I believe it can be gotten around if you setup the camera properly)
How much do you care for the sharpness of the pictures? Trail cameras now run from .3 megapixels to 6 megapixels. Also the quality of lens is important because some cameras will have the same number of megapixels, but one camera may take “nicer” pictures than the other. You need to look at different pictures from different cameras and see where you draw the line in the quality of picture you want. (Look at night time and daytime photos)
How good are you with using electronic devices because you will find some trail cameras are easier to operate than others (in setting up and shutting down). Some cameras show you how many pictures they have taken on the front display while others you have to open up to see how many pictures have been taken (just another example of user friendless).
On durability, you want your camera to last more than a season or two so you want the case to be strong to take the beatings of Mother Nature as well as you want the parts to function properly and be reliable for a long time.
I don’t know if you are putting out your camera where it gets real cold in the winter but powering your trail camera can be an issue. Batteries can be costly, but longevity is important when outside temperatures rise and fall dramatically. Although expensive, good batteries are necessary to ensure that your camera works all the time (if you go the rechargeable D battery route get at least a 2500 mah rating) UPDATE[/b] ON BATTERIES (RECHAREABLE ENGERGIZER D BATTERIES WITH 2500 MAH ARE NOT WORTH THE MONEY LASTED ABOUT 300 PITCTURES).
In the summer this is not a big deal. At warmer temperatures, cameras can run for a couple months without much concern. When temperatures drop below freezing, that's when you've got to keep a close eye on your power source. Extreme cold winter temperatures can wreak havoc on battery life. Your will find out long battery life is a very important thing to have (even if you do have your camera close by).
Then, decide how much you care about having a camera with infrared flashes. IR cameras collect high-resolution images without fear of a big white flash spooking the game you photograph (I have been impressed with a lot of the new IR pictures). The infrared flash is invisible, yet capable of capturing quality images of game up to around 30 ft (There is a little red light that comes up for a second or two and supposedly can only seen when you are directly in front of the camera and looking at it). Is the camera going to be on public land or somewhere where a neighbor or passing bystander might see it and want to steal it or deep in the woods on your own private property where you never see anyone ever? If you are worried about it being stolen or spooking wildlife, IR may be the way to go, by your camera not flashing and being as noticed by wildlife as well as people.
Some people go homebrew (there are ups and downs to homebrew), some people like the high end cameras like Camtrakker or Buckeye cam, and some just want the cheapest ones they can find. Saying that, it all comes down to preference (and what your goals and objectives for the camera are), some people will sway you to this camera while another will say this camera, it’s up to you to decide.
Go to www.chasingame.com to check out pictures and reviews of different cameras.
For me, I would check out the New 07’ Moultrie Line
08-04-2007, 05:59 AM
#7
Fork Horn
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Germantown , WI
Posts: 249
RE: need advice on first camera
I have the D40 and I think that for the money it's the best starter cam . I get 6 weeks on the batteries and it will work well as a trail cam or if you use it to watch a bait site . Also the wildview's work well but the triger time can be a little to long my Extreme2 triger time is about 6 seconds . Here's a picture from each one the one with red numbers is the D40 .
Charlie
Charlie
08-04-2007, 08:36 AM
#8
Spike
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Central Ohio
Posts: 88
RE: need advice on first camera
I kinda wanna laugh at times when a newbie will ask for input on which cam to buy. Everyone jumps right in with what they think is the cam to have..... & rightly so ! Cams today are everywhere & with all sorts of makes & models available, it would have been hard to comprehend this perhaps 5 years ago. Sure there's variences among the cams, but it's pretty hard to tell which one's you really DON'T want ! Battery life, trigger speed, sensitivity & other things as well make it mind bending for the newcomers. What IS different among all this , is the expectations of the individual buyer. Just keep in mind, whatever cam you do end up with, the one thing that is the same for all ( for the most part ) is a combination of fun,becoming addicted&..... aggravation as well. Case in point: Two years ago, you would see more things said about how great the Cuddebacks were & with Moultrie, you hear of nothing but complaints it seemed. Well well well.... things have certainly turned around. So, with what cam to buy... I'll add my two cents worth on that as well....... lotsa luck !
