Im going to get a trail cam, im looking at the moultrie ones with the IR flash. Do you really need to spend the extra money for the IR or does the flash spook everything. Anybody with any experince with any brand let me know which one is the best all around, pro's and con's. Thanks!
What the best trailcam?
- Thread starter saskboy
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bobby n.
Member
cabelas has the best cams at reasonable prices. deer eyesight is questionable at i r flash, all the hype and no one knows for certain whether deer see in the i r spectrum or if the can detect orange or not. or if its just movemet ,, any way check out cabelas and see if they have any new years sales in trail cams have fun and be safe
Double Naught Spy
Sus Venator
Regular flash will net you sharp color pics at night, but will spook animals more than the glow of the IR illuminators. Animals don't notice the IR illuminators unless they look at the camera, which they may do because the camera will make a noise (most brands) when it takes a picture. With the Moultries, it is when it moves a lens (I think). With regular flash, animals not looking at the camera will still notice the flash and potentially be scared off by it.
Asking what is best is really vague and won't yield you meaningful results. There is a LOT of variation and a huge price range. With the Moultries, you get an intermediate lag/reaction time between sensing movement and taking the picture. I believe it is 2.3 or 2.5 seconds (at least on the IR models). On the Stealthcam like Sportsmansguide has for about $100, the lag/reaction time is slow and is closer to 5 seconds. It is good for things like watching feeders, not watching trails.
Illumination is an issue. My Stealthcam has a round illumination that does NOT occupy the whole image. That is a bad thing. It has good range/throw, but not much scope. The Moultries have slightly less range, but much better illumination across the entire image.
Then you can consider things like multiple images. Several claim to have burst modes. The Moultrie burst mode will do up to 3 images, but they are about 13 seconds apart. The Stealth will do up to 9 and they are about a quarter second apart - huge difference.
Then there is image quality. Honestly, I don't think that 5 or 6 megapixels is significantly better than 4 for game images. You can spend an extra $100 and get the I60 by Moultie and get two more megapixels, but I don't think the difference is worth it (compared to the 4 megapixel I40). The Stealthcam is 5 megapixels and takes great daylight shots, better, I think, than either Moultrie, but the night shots are poor because of the poor illumination.
The I60 also has a tiny view screen. It is not very useful. Don't buy the camera for the view screen.
I find the Moultries easier to use than the Stealthcam. So that is another issue to consider, ease of use.
I find the Moultries mounting hardware to be more user friendly than the Stealthcam as well. So ease of mounting...another issue.
Then there is battery life. The Moultries use D batterys (6) and the Stealth uses C batteries (9, I think). The D batteries seem to last longer and so are a bit more cost effective.
Those are the two brands I know about. I have 4 I40s, 1 I60, and one Stealthcam. There are other brands. Some may have a better reaction time, but most all will claim to be quick. I think the fastest was a half second. I found once (and don't recall where) a site that reviewed a half dozen models and tested reaction time, flash distance and spread, and gave some general descriptions. For general purposes, the Moultrie is pretty good without spending a lot.
Interesting thing about reaction times on the cameras. If too fast, the animals you with to photo may not have time to move fully into the image. If too slow, the animals may pass all the way through before the camera takes the image. With the Stealthcam, I can't use it for a trail cam and expect it to do a good job because of the lag. The Moultrie does pretty well, but you don't want it shooting across a trail, but down the trail.
One thing to look at is the number of IR LEDs. Several cameras have only a few LEDs like the Stealthcam. This tends to have a negative impact on the camera's ability at night. More is better as a general rule.
Asking what is best is really vague and won't yield you meaningful results. There is a LOT of variation and a huge price range. With the Moultries, you get an intermediate lag/reaction time between sensing movement and taking the picture. I believe it is 2.3 or 2.5 seconds (at least on the IR models). On the Stealthcam like Sportsmansguide has for about $100, the lag/reaction time is slow and is closer to 5 seconds. It is good for things like watching feeders, not watching trails.
Illumination is an issue. My Stealthcam has a round illumination that does NOT occupy the whole image. That is a bad thing. It has good range/throw, but not much scope. The Moultries have slightly less range, but much better illumination across the entire image.
Then you can consider things like multiple images. Several claim to have burst modes. The Moultrie burst mode will do up to 3 images, but they are about 13 seconds apart. The Stealth will do up to 9 and they are about a quarter second apart - huge difference.
Then there is image quality. Honestly, I don't think that 5 or 6 megapixels is significantly better than 4 for game images. You can spend an extra $100 and get the I60 by Moultie and get two more megapixels, but I don't think the difference is worth it (compared to the 4 megapixel I40). The Stealthcam is 5 megapixels and takes great daylight shots, better, I think, than either Moultrie, but the night shots are poor because of the poor illumination.
The I60 also has a tiny view screen. It is not very useful. Don't buy the camera for the view screen.
I find the Moultries easier to use than the Stealthcam. So that is another issue to consider, ease of use.
I find the Moultries mounting hardware to be more user friendly than the Stealthcam as well. So ease of mounting...another issue.
Then there is battery life. The Moultries use D batterys (6) and the Stealth uses C batteries (9, I think). The D batteries seem to last longer and so are a bit more cost effective.
Those are the two brands I know about. I have 4 I40s, 1 I60, and one Stealthcam. There are other brands. Some may have a better reaction time, but most all will claim to be quick. I think the fastest was a half second. I found once (and don't recall where) a site that reviewed a half dozen models and tested reaction time, flash distance and spread, and gave some general descriptions. For general purposes, the Moultrie is pretty good without spending a lot.
Interesting thing about reaction times on the cameras. If too fast, the animals you with to photo may not have time to move fully into the image. If too slow, the animals may pass all the way through before the camera takes the image. With the Stealthcam, I can't use it for a trail cam and expect it to do a good job because of the lag. The Moultrie does pretty well, but you don't want it shooting across a trail, but down the trail.
One thing to look at is the number of IR LEDs. Several cameras have only a few LEDs like the Stealthcam. This tends to have a negative impact on the camera's ability at night. More is better as a general rule.
Double Naught Spy
Sus Venator
I realize this is a late update, but is relevant to the thread. Within 15-18 months of purchase, all of my Moultrie cameras have developed problems with the LED displays. Since they are then out of warranty, they cost $40 plus shipping to have fixed.
Two on the neighbor's property have developed the same problems.
So, buyer beware.
Two on the neighbor's property have developed the same problems.
So, buyer beware.
I've used the CuddeBack Capture IR for about a week and a half now... my first venture into game cams... and I must say I'm very happy with it. As for if IR will spook deer.. I'd say no... see my several images for reason why...
I'm guessing they may have been up sniffing the camera.
And yes that last pic seems to be about a 10pt mature buck right up on the camera... and as we all know they are very weary of just about everything.
-Brian
I'm guessing they may have been up sniffing the camera.
And yes that last pic seems to be about a 10pt mature buck right up on the camera... and as we all know they are very weary of just about everything.
-Brian
IllHunter
Member
I'm sorry, I missed it
exactly where did you say that camera was Brian?
exactly where did you say that camera was Brian?
Grayrock
Member
The 8MP Bushnell Trophy Cam seems to have good reviews- anyone have personal experience with it? Amazon has them for $169
Starter52
Member
I have a Bushnell Trophy Cam and I am quite satisfied with it. A good camera for the price.
C2C
Member
Bought the Primos Truth cam 35 ... inexpensive , good battery life and decent pictures .. If I'm going to donate it to some lowlife stealing it I don't want to spend much more than I did .. I'm happy with it .
BADUNAME37
Member
- Joined
- Aug 10, 2008
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I got a Leaf River DC-6SS several years ago, and that camera has been working well for me! I got it at Midway on a pretty good sale! I think I might have saved over $100 than the actual total cost. It seems it was around $250 and I paid around $150.
I have Sandisk Memory Cards in 2 GB that I use with it. I have NEVER had the card fill up on me, even though I have had like 50 to 70 pictures on there after not checking it for some time. Typically, the batteries will need replacing (Duracell Copper-Tops) before the memory stick fills.
With the memory sticks, I just walk up to the camera, turn it off, open the door, pull the existing stick and insert new one, turn it back on and check both C and D batteries. If you replace the batteries one row at a time, you can do it without having to reset the clock, date, settings, etc!
I have Sandisk Memory Cards in 2 GB that I use with it. I have NEVER had the card fill up on me, even though I have had like 50 to 70 pictures on there after not checking it for some time. Typically, the batteries will need replacing (Duracell Copper-Tops) before the memory stick fills.
With the memory sticks, I just walk up to the camera, turn it off, open the door, pull the existing stick and insert new one, turn it back on and check both C and D batteries. If you replace the batteries one row at a time, you can do it without having to reset the clock, date, settings, etc!
Grayrock
Member
Great tips- thanks for sharing.
newbuckeye
Member
I have the bushnells too and love them!
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