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Which Camera

Old 08-03-2007, 08:25 AM
  #1  
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Default Which Camera

Hi,
I am looking to get my husband a new trail cam for our anniversay? What would you all say is a good afordable digital? Also want something that has a decent battery life. Thanks for any help!
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Old 08-03-2007, 10:50 AM
  #2  
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Default RE: Which Camera

ORIGINAL: xlilcntrygrlx

Hi,
I am looking to get my husband a new trail cam for our anniversay? What would you all say is a good afordable digital? Also want something that has a decent battery life. Thanks for any help!
What a great wife!!!

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

Moultrie IR-4 $200 at Academy Sports andWal-Mart online
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Old 08-03-2007, 11:39 AM
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Default RE: Which Camera

Thanks for the great info!! And I have to be a good wife, he just bought me a Bowtech Diamond for our anniversary, lol!
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Old 08-03-2007, 02:30 PM
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Default RE: Which Camera

They say "diamonds are a girls best friend" .

I have a Moultrie trail cam and I am really like it. It has good picture quality and it also has an external solar panel connections. If you get a solar panel ($25) and rechargable battery ($10), the charge should last upwards to 4 to 6 months (that is what I have read). I just put my camera / solar panel / rechargable battery out about three weeks ago, so I can't comment on life...yet!
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Old 08-03-2007, 02:36 PM
  #5  
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Default RE: Which Camera

Moultrie i-40.

Takes nice video day and night to boot. Great intro, and the company turned around their past this season. You can get it under $200 shipped. Infrared is better than I expected.
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Old 08-03-2007, 05:21 PM
  #6  
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Default RE: Which Camera

try the moultrie game spy 4.0. Has good battery life(had mine out for 6 days and itstill has 85% battery) and takes good pics.(look for my other post"finally buck pics" to check out the quality.And to top it off the trail camonly costs around $99.
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