Browning Vs Bushnell
 

Hi all...rookie here. I'm looking for a quality trail camera to buy. Don't have a specific model in mind but these two brands are the ones most of you mention. What's the general opinion on good vs bad side of each?

As I said no model in mind yet but do have a price range $100-$150....any input is more than welcomed...thanks!

I have 7 of the 2009 Bushnell Trail Cameras. Some of these have been run all year while others were not run due to deep snow and few animals in that area in the winter. I have these set up for video which is my interest and picking out the good quality videos, editing etc. I save them to a DVD. These cameras are easy on batteries. Due to the year, they are limited to 2GB SD cards. I found the battery springs very thin and any corrosion quickly ruins them. To prevent corrosion: 1)use good quality batteries and 2)apply a thin coat of Lithium grease to the spring. I have one that the clock can not be up dated but all the other settings can be changed. When any one battery drops to 1.0 to 1.2 volt, then the camera can malfunction. Newer cameras malfunction around 1.38 volt due to the excessive information they can store.

Browning: I have 2 each Browning Strike Force BTC 5. There is no up grade for this series. The camera is very well constructed. Converting the U.S. dollar to China currency (camera built in China) you will see the cost is equivalent to a Reconyx made in the U.S.A. These cameras have to use a class 10 SD card. I use an 8GB which is good for up to 2 weeks set for video unless setting over bait where one gets lots more animals. When battery voltage drops to 1.38 volt, then the camera malfunctions.

Browning: I have 4 of the Browning Strike Force BTC 5HD. There is an up grade for this series. What it does is reduce the amount of kilobyte information that can be recorded. I would not advise using this up date as one can not change back. Instead go to a lower sensitivity setting (high to medium etc.) One can change these settings. I made Browning aware of this. In extreme night activity, the up grade was to help prevent black video or picture by cutting back the amount of information that could be recorded. I did a lot of testing in house during the winter with these cameras. I set up facing my cat food dish. Everything recorded properly at night except if the cat triggered the camera while my furnace was running. This is where I got the extreme kilobyte reading causing black night video.
To explain the kilobyte reading: if you put an SD card in your computer with video recordings, open to see the list of videos. To the right hand side of each video, you will see the amount of kilobytes for that particular video. The upgrade for the BTC 5HD reduced this amount by 30,000. If the camera is set up in a quiet area (not much activity with little or no background noise or movement) you would not likely have this problem and the camera would record properly. This is why I stress " not to do this upgrade" as there is no changing back. Browning cameras are very sensitive to movement and the newer the series the higher the sensitivity.

For what ever reason all 6 Browning cameras will not power up properly on Lithium Ultimate batteries. Lithium batteries test 1.79 to 1.83 volt using a digital meter. Normal batteries test 1.50, 1.55 and some 1.60 volt. Due to these cameras malfunctioning when the battery level drops to 1.38 volt, using standard batteries one has very little working room.
I contacted Trail Campro and Browning. Both felt there could be an internal problem when they would not power up properly with Lithium. Browning offered to have them returned for a check out. If found faulty, they would issue new ones under warranty.
This offer was appreciated, but due to import fees, shipping and currency conversion, I declined. The main reason I declined, they send me a new camera in a sealed package. They hope it works and so do I. Suppose I open the package and then this camera will not power up properly. I am back to square one. This is why I ended up with 6 cameras, buying two each from different Browning sellers with the hope of getting cameras from different batches. The serial numbers were far enough a part to warrant different batches, but for me this did not pan out.
All the best in what ever you choose.

I have several of both brands and they are at the top of the heap. Cant go wrong with either one as long as you get the trophy cam (brown) and not the small camo bushnell. I have cams of all brands and browning bushnell and spypoint have been the best

littlearrow......thanks for for sharing your experience....very insightful.


jakhammer125 .... did not take spypoint into consideration. will check out...thx

both r great cameras!!! if u r looking for video though my browning black flash only does 10 second videos!! like i said they r both good cameras though!! i guess it would come down too if u want videos or pics. i still have my browning and still use it just have too use the 10 second videos

Both Bushnell and Browning are well, but in price range $100-$150, Browning have higher ratings and recommendations. I recommend you the new model Browning STRIKE FORCE ELITE BTC5HDE, my best trail camera under $150. If you need to read the review and comparison, checking here: http://www.trailcameraexpert.com/bes...amera-reviews/

I bought a Spypoint Solar this year. So far I am reasonably satisfied with the daytime photos but night photos are not as good. If the deer are moving the reflection from their eyes is distorted. I might need to make more adjustments to picture quality. There have also been a few "blackouts" which I don't understand. Could have something to do with the solar power fading while it switches over to battery backup...not sure.