Trail camera?

[Sodo]

I had LOADS of trouble with Bushnells but to their credit they replaced them and send it back, even out-of-warranty. My current Bushnells are rock-solid. I have a couple Moultries, they've been fine, no problems, no warranty.

NOTE: There is one thing I changed during this time that seems feasible. I used to delete the pics I didn't want, leaving the old pics I wanted on the card. I liked that method because It would remind me what days I was there, who was with me etc with the timestamps. Just freeing up space for more pics (and put the card back in).

I don't do that anymore. Now I just copy the whole load of pics and then make the camera re-format the card (onboard). So the ONLY changes to the card, ever, are done by the camera itself. And the camera has a fresh 'format' to work with every time. Also I've paid attn to the mfr's card recommendation of SDcard brand and "class".

However I don't REALLY know which of these two have resulted in my current run of reliability:

1) several warranty replacements resulted in a reliable set?
---- or -----
2) my new regime of ONLY THE CAMERA ever reads/writes currently to the SD card.

But I'm happy with my 2 Bushnells and 3 Moultries (and a new Bushnell that's gonna txt me pics, if there's cell reception)

 

[Fossil Farm]

I have had about 18 of various makes, all seem to have their own issues. Now, I usually buy cheap and lower my expectations. All I want is to know what and when something passed, do not need the HD capability, super sized mem capacity, wireless, etc. I do try to get range of flash as a priority. I also AVOID anything that takes a "C" cell battery. I agree with early post, WGI meets most of my needs, cheap enough and so far, reliable.

Why do most of the trail cameras use 8 AA batteries? They don't seem to last very long. My wireless driveway alarm uses a 9 volt battery and will last all winter or all summer (even with dogs and cats setting it off all the time). Seems like a 9 volt battery or other combination of batteries would be much better than AA's. Just wondering.

 

[nybirdman]

Why do most of the trail cameras use 8 AA batteries? They don't seem to last very long. My wireless driveway alarm uses a 9 volt battery and will last all winter or all summer (even with dogs and cats setting it off all the time). Seems like a 9 volt battery or other combination of batteries would be much better than AA's. Just wondering.

Use Lithium batteries,they are expensive but really last.

 

[gsganzer]

Use Lithium batteries,they are expensive but really last.

I'll second this. It seems these cameras are made for the lithium batteries.

 

[WoodChuckDad]

I have had very good luck with wild game innovation cameras. Last year I bought 5 of Cloak 6 and Cloak 8 models. The batteries last a lot longer than they used to.

As for battery life I have read that lithium is the way to go if you have very low temperatures.

I just bought a Plotwatcher Pro and I have to say that it is really cool. A totally different way to approach wildlife surveillance. On the first day that it was out there, I saw two bucks that would not have been close enough to trigger a motion activated camera.

 

[STx]

I sell Covert and HCO game cameras. I like the HCO Spartan cellular cameras best, they have a great app and good battery life (about 10 - 12 weeks on 12 Lithium AA batteries). Covert makes a good camera that is reliable but, the app has a ways to go yet.

 

[Avondale]

I do not think the AA batt duration is too bad on most of the cheaper cams. but for those that have huge MP and Mem capability, they do go faster. I have an original Plotwatcher, it ate batts at an alarming rate. I see the ads that suggest they are better now but..... Many of the newer cams can also double as a Plotwatcher feature though I don't use them for that purpose.

 

[Lnk]

Funny story, to me anyways. My wife worked at the same place for 30 years, so the company sent her a catalog to pick a gift for her service. She hemmed and hawwed (sp) over the clock/watch/curio etc. and could not make a decision. Well, they offered a Primo game camera, soooo I explained what they are good for and she went for it reluctantly. Now she cant wait to see what kind of critter we heave pictures of. So far mostly deer and coyote. We have it out on our property in TN right now, and next time we go there we are hoping for some good pictures.( assuming it is still there).

Now I can tell you this is the first game camera we have ever had, and I am sure there are many better, but we are pretty happy with it.

 

[rgamble3]

I have had very good luck with my Cudddyback. Batteries last a year. Good pic quality.

Roy G.

 

[Soldier415]

A friend turned me on to the Moultrie Game Spy A-5 Gen 2 Low Glow 5.0 MP Camera, Green. $65 on amazon with free 2 day shipping and amazing picture quality. Takes better photos than my $150 trail cams. Highly recommend

Link: Amazon.com : Moultrie Game Spy A-5 Gen 2 Low Glow 5. MP Camera, Green : Sports & Outdoors