Cuddeback Capture review
 

This is an initial review on my newly acquired Cuddeback Capture. As I opened the package, I noticed that the case seemed a bit flimsy and there seemed to be a few gaps between the case and the outer door. This could allow moisture to creep in. Maybe not all of their cases are like this but mine was. I really don't think it will be an issue for me as I put all my cams in security boxes anyway but it is something to consider if you are not going to use a security box. The mounting system for this unit is a strap and bracket system much like the strap used for the Moultrie cams. The only advantage it has over the Moultrie is it uses a metal bracket which you attach that probably won't break as easily as the plastic brackets on the Moultrie. Just a word here about bear safes or security boxes. If you are going to purchase this particular camera, I would suggest buying a security box, as it comes with absolutely no means for security at all. The only security box I could find for it fit the unit like a glove, better than any of my camera/security box combos. I looked on Cudde's site and it was there but I didn't see anyway of purchasing directly from them. Cabelas sells the same box for $34.95. I looked on Trailcampro's website and they didn't list a security box for the Cuddeback so I called them. They did have it but had not listed it on their site. Their price was $29.95 so I purchased it from them. Okay, back to the camera itself. Inside the unit, between the door and the housing, lurks a gasket. I'm sure this gasket was intended to seal out the weather but after my experience with it, I am convinced the only purpose for this gasket was to make me lose my religion. It lies in a groove between the door and the housing and once it "escapes" from that groove, it is nearly impossible to get it back where it goes, thus the loss of religion. More on that later. The controls are so simple that even I had it figured out in about two minutes. There is a dial that you turn for entering date/time etc. and that's about it, a very simple operation. Next, I put it out in the back yard to test it's picture taking ability, it worked flawlessly. It's pictures being very crisp and clear. One thing that I am very dissapointed with in this part is the cameras recovery time. It can only take a picture every thirty seconds. There is no burst or multi-shot mode. So if a doe comes through dragging a buck behind her, unless they linger, there is a good chance you will miss him entirely. Now, off to the woods for some real-world testing, or so I thought.
I had been thinking about a spot where I wanted to hang the camera. It is at the intersection of several good trails, all of which empty into a good food source. I was excited about that spot because when I arrived at the location, I found my initial thoughts confirmed as there were many tracks in the snow where the deer had been using this area. This would be my last happy thought though as my difficulties with the camera were just about to begin. I mounted the security box to a tree that overlooked the trails and then went to put the camera inside it but the camera would not power up. A closer inspection revealed that the batteries were not making contact with the little metal clips, thus, no power. My fingers were to big to slip under the clips to try to bend them back into place so after about 40 minutes, thirty of those trying to get the aforementioned gasket back into it's groove, I gave up. I went ahead and went to my stand to finish out the night hunting and to be frustrated. As I sat there, I tried to come up with a reason that those battery contacts were not making contact anymore. Afterall, I had the thing powered up in my yard before I brought it out to the woods. It just didn't make sense to me. Then it occured to me what had happened. When I carried it to the woods, I placed it in the security box and carried it upside down. The weight of the batteries must have pushed the contacts back far enough that they no longer were connected to the batteries. When I got home I had my wife work her considerably smaller fingers behind the contacts and bend them back to their original position, the camera worked fine again. I took some pictures inside the house and everyting seemed right. So I will attempt to put the camera back out into the woods after Christmas so that I can see how it performs in the field. I will keep you all updated. Below are my likes/dislikes about this unit so far.

I liked:
a. The simple programming
b. The crisp clear pictures
c. The way the camera fit into it's security box
d. The instant trigger

I didn't like:
a. That darn gasket
b. The thirty second recovery time (this is a biggie)
c. The flimsy case
d. The batteries were difficult to remove
e. No built in means for security
f. That darn gasket (I know I already mention that but I really didn't like it)

Blessings.....Pastorjim

PJ, i havnt had any issues with my gasket yet. Do you think that since you got the camera for so cheap it was a reject or knockoff model? i always wonder about great deals like that because they seem to be the ones that have the problems. What kind of package did it come in? My batteries are really hard to remove to but my contacts have never moved. The recovery time does suck.

Thanks for the review PJ! I am planning on picking one of these up right after Christmas. Hopefully I have better luck with mine. The 30 second recovery time is a big deal to me too, but as long as the trigger speed is better then my Moultrie, I shouldnt miss alot of pics. I know I miss a ton of them with the Moultrie.

Wow, I haven't experienced any of that with my two Captures.
Neither of my dad's either.
I'm with Simon where it be a knockoff or reject.

The only thing I don't like about it is the 30sec recharge but that's a known spec before you even buy the thing.
Did you take pictures of the thing from package to setup?
I'm curious if the package and cam look the same as mine.
I bought my 08' and 09' Captures from Bee Busy Outdoors for $189 a piece and they are the real deal.

The trigger speed and photo quality are what makes the Cuddeback Capture an elite $200 market camera. It's #1 in both catagories, and its not even close.

Trigger Speed:








And the photo quality. Soemtimes during the day it will blur if the animal is moving fast (all cameras do because of shutter speed), and sometimes you have to adjust the hue because the flash gets yellowish (very simple with Picasa):






Even does well in the rain/fog:





Daytime:

PastorJim08:
Thanks for sharing the information and review. Just an idea on the gasket problem. Remove it. Now put a drop or two of Crazy Glue or Contact Cement on a tooth pick and spread a thin a mount in the bottom of the gasket groove. Carefully reinstall the gasket and firmly seat it. Do not close the door at this time, until the glue dries. The reason I say not closing the door: if a bit of glue came around the gasket, closing the door would permanently close it. Also very careful not to get glue on your fingers as they will stick instantly. Hope this helps. Have a good holiday Season.

Siman08/OH:
Thanks for sharing the pictures. Have a Happy Holiday.

i am glad you posted this review. I have three I40s and get a lot of blank pics because of trigger speed. I am thinking about trying cuddeback.

I dont understand why these companies make their cameras with the 30 sec and up recovery time and some with no multi shot or burst mode. Surely they know that not a lot of people care for it. Same with security features. I dont get it.

Keep in mind that these are low to medium price cams. My Scoutguard has features I like over the Capture but also visa versa. Remember that they are only $200 cams. The higher end cams have all these things and more but I'm happy having a few of each in the $200 range.

I find it funny all the posts on here of people wanting to try out the 2-for $89 packs of wildviews, remingtons or the equivalent but wanting all the percs of the cams that are triple the price for just one cam.
If you're only willing to drop $200 on a cam then you just have to deal with the 30sec recovery because the pics look great.
I love my Scoutguard and it does 3 pic bursts and video but I'm just not a huge fan of IR.

I do know for a fact that the 2 best 1min videos I have are at night of good bucks and a mature deer would not have stayed for 1min with a bright ass flash on it for that long so I take it with a grain of salt.

Here is the best night video from my scoutguard this year.
http://s374.photobucket.com/albums/o...t=IM000004.flv

Husband and I own 10 Cuddeback Captures and 2 Cuddeback Excites and these cameras stayout all year long. We have had no issues with these cameas yet, take awesome pictures day and night. Have not had any issues with these cameras. We are very pleased with their performace.

I'm not sayin yet whether this is a good or bad camera, just sharing my experiences so far with it. Matter of fact, I got up yesterday morning, Christmas eve, and found that it hadn't kept the correct time overnight. That was enough for me. I took it back where I got it and exchanged it for another. This week I will be putting it out in the woods and then we will see what it does in the real world. I hope it is good cuase I really prefer the white-flash cameras anyway and so few companies are making them anymore. I'll be letting you all know.

Blessings and Merry Christmas to all......Pastorjim

Where does PJ mention that he got this Capture "cheap"? I don't see that. Anyway, my Capture that I just got in August has been working the way Cuddeback cams are rumored to work, beautifully! I don't know why you think the case isn't durable? As far as the batteries go, I've no issues with them coming loose or any loss of connection. They're in nice and snug. Also, no issues with the gasket at all. You had to have pulled it out somehow, and now it doesn't want to go back properly? Otherwise, I go with most everything else you've said.

The only legit gripe I have is the BOGUS security system, or lack there of! You might as well just bungee 2 one hundred dollar bills to the friggen tree and walk away!! What a joke!!!! Also, this stupid strap is in the middle of the cam, so it's much more prone to moving. It should be secured top and bottom.

They also need to make EVERY CUDDEBACK with that long screw that secures it from the inside like the Excite cam has. It too, is a hassel, but at least the cam is truely "secured" to the tree. At least they have to break the cam before they can steal it.

I think for the money, the Cuddeback Capture is at or very near the top. I'll be getting another. Oh, don't forget they also have great battery life! :happy0001:

EI,

Me and Jim have talked, he got his camera at a greatly discounted price for a sale of some type.

have a capture and an expert. capture is awesome no complaints never had any issues. the expert has horrible battery life. great camera in the summer but worthless in the winter.

Was it one of those "demo" cams sold cheap by Trailcampro, the guys who do the cam tests that he mentioned in another thread?

No, I think he mentioned that he got it from a Big R store. We dont have any of those stores around here, but I think it is kind of like a Fleetfarm, but not 100% sure.

On a side note, I am $40 closer to getting myself a Capture!:barmy: I should have enough saved up after my Birthday January 9th.

I purchased the camera at a Big R store which is like a gigantic Tractor Supply. I returned the original camera to them on Christmas eve because of all the issues it was having. I exchanged it for another Capture. I can already tell that this camera does not have the same issues as the first one. Maybe that first cam was just a bad one, I don't know. Anyway, I will be putting the cam out this weekend and then we will see what happens. I really want it to work because as I said before, I really prefer the white-flash cams.

Blessings.....Pastorjim

What a shame an honest and respected member of this board can not write a simple review without folks implying he doesn't know what he's doing. :nonono2:

Evidently you didn't read his other post where he stated that he got his camera at quite a discount. This is why Simon and I questioned if the camera was a refurb, reject or knockoff. No one said anything about the Pastor not knowing what he's doing.
I own two Captures and know what kind of cams they are.

Well said pnut. I've read every post in this thread and have kept quiet so far and will continue to do so until PJ finishes his "review". I own 8 of these cams and think i know as well as anyone in these forums how well they perform for a 200.00 cam.

PJ knows i was just stating my opinion. I went from the #1 Cuddeback hater on this website to the #1 biggest Cuddeback fanboy just because of this camera.

I believe the camera he received first was probably a refurb or a lower quality model. I have no doubt he'll enjoy his Capture camera.

And for the record PJ, i dont think you're taking any heat for your review, i just think some of us are concerned that you didnt get what you paid for.

This......

That's exactly it.

Not sure how you were able to conclude this, when is own words were..."Although I seem to be taking a little heat for my review, I am just trying to be as honest as I can"

LOL! I'll do my own thinking and PastorJim needs no help with his......



Actually I did read it and if I were as presumptuous as some, I would have concluded the reason for this thread. If others purchased or was about to purchase the same camera from the same location....a "heads up" is appreciated by most folks.

I've also lived long enough to know that no matter what the product and regardless of the manufacturer, there's going to be defective products make it through. Whether it be $200 dollar trail cams or $200,000 dollar tractors made by John Deere, that doesn't mean they're all defective or bad investments.

haystack all pnut and simon did was question if the camera was a refurb, reject or knockoff. No one said anything about the Pastor not knowing what he's doing. They offered their advice and experiences with this camera, thats it. But you go on and continue to do your own thinking and keep on being presumptuous. Meanwhile, myself, pnut and simon will continue to help and offer advice to PJ and other 1st time capture users.

Fellas please, I am not offended by anyones post to date. There was a part of one that suggested I caused a problem I was having but really I am not offended because I know what happened and that's good enough for me. Maybe I posted the review a little too quickly before I found out that the first camera I had seemed to have several issues. To address one point, I don't think the Cudde's were seconds or knock-offs because this particular place had all their cameras on sale and there were approx. 7 different brands. I also was not attacking anyone who owns a Cudde because if I were, then I would be attacking myself since I just bought one. In retrospect, I think the particular camera I bought was just bad because it had other issues that I didn't even mention in the review. It is true that when I opened the case, the gasket just jumped out and was nearly impossible to put back in it's place. It was also true that when I closed the case, I could see a few gaps between the case and the door. This new camera that I exchanged for, so far, has none of those issues. If I have offended anyone by the things I said in my review, I certainly apologize as that was not my intent. I will continue the review once the cam has been in the field for a while. :):):):)

Blessings and smiles to all......Pastorjim