cray8705 Posted February 18, 2011 Report Share Posted February 18, 2011 I've been thinking about getting a new trail camera, but there are so many out there and so many brands. The two most important things for me are trigger speed and infrared. Price is also important meaning i'm not gonna buy a cheap piece of crap and i'm also not gonna buy something that shoots deer for me. I was hoping people would rate brands (1 being the highest) and let me know what your top choices would be. I'm also guessing there has been a thread like this before but I didnt have much luck finding any. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bucknut Posted February 19, 2011 Report Share Posted February 19, 2011 How much are you willing to spend?? Top: Reconyx, these are the best of the best but you get what you pay for. Ive also used: DLC Covert: runs around $200 in my area. the battery life is unreal! and the picture quality is above average, also comes in IR Moultrie D-50: $100 .. It was a really good camera for the money. didnt have IR though. Bushnell Trophy Cam: $200.. IR and took really good pictures day and night, however, the cam started to bugger up and started taking pictures that were half day/IR during the day after about two weeks, I most likely got a dud but i wont be spending that kind of money again with things like that happening. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cray8705 Posted February 19, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 19, 2011 I was hoping to keep it around $200. Reconyx and cuddeback are the 2 that most people seem to have success with Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jorden Posted February 19, 2011 Report Share Posted February 19, 2011 www.Chasingame.com www.trailcampro.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flintlock1776 Posted February 19, 2011 Report Share Posted February 19, 2011 Do not spend too much. Varmints and bugs get to mess them up if not the two leg critters too. I have not found any brand yet that has a compelling proposition. I have several brands but nothing I would say really have impressed me. When they die I leave them on the trees to confuse the thieves, they don not know if they are operable or not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hoosierhunter Posted February 19, 2011 Report Share Posted February 19, 2011 Do not spend too much. Varmints and bugs get to mess them up if not the two leg critters too. I have not found any brand yet that has a compelling proposition. I have several brands but nothing I would say really have impressed me. . Then you haven't owned a reconyx. I have the 60 model and they blow my cuddebacks and stealth cams out of the water. I've been running reconyx for three seasons and have taken probably 25,000 plus pictures literally without a false trigger! You won't believe it until you own one. Put a hurricane in front of it and it won't trigger. It has a heat sensor along with motion sensor. Both must register to trigger and the strength of the trigger is adjustable. If you don't want coons put the setting on low. Yeah the camera was 550 bucks but if your ok with only getting one profile pic or your buck and literally 1/3 of the triggers as compared to the cuddeback IR then buy it. I've actually put them on the same tree. I own a cuddeback flash and IR and I won't buy another one due to only one pic every 30 seconds. There are very few hunting products with such a distinct advantage over the competition as the reconyx has. Anyone who tells you different is just flat lying or doesn't know what they are talking about. If you want to test that theory go do a search across the internet and see how many used recoynx cameras you can find and what they are prices at? Then do it for the competition........ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimT Posted February 19, 2011 Report Share Posted February 19, 2011 I have had great luck with my Stealth Cam. I have the 12v battery for it. Lasts a long time. The only "gripe" I have with it is pic quality when it gets cold. Under 15 degrees and the pics come out a little blurry. I actually prefer a flash. The night pictures I get look a lot better then the black and white infrared ones I have seen.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mallard_drake85 Posted February 19, 2011 Report Share Posted February 19, 2011 I've used 4 brands over the years and only recently found one that tops all the others I have used. Bushnell TC is by far the best I've used recently while I will never own another stealthcam again. Their poor customer service and cheap constuction were a constant nightmare. I used several dozen Cuddeback and Moultries while fulfilling the requirements of my Master's Degree. Both had their faults, but it seem that the moultries consistanly had more misfires and problems. Therefore, of the dozens of cams I've used and the 4 different companies, I rate BTC at the top, with cuddeback a second. I really like the battery life of the BTC. I just recently had to replace the AA's in my BTC's, but they have been running nonstop since May. Their compact design make them simple to carry and to conceal. It's not uncommon for me to have a 2g card filled when I check the cams after a 2 week sit. In side by side tests with the other brands I mentioned, the BTC picked up significantly more photographs of not only deer, but also coyotes, bobcats, coons, birds, etc. As a researcher, a collective sample of all species present was important to my research, therefore I always kept my cams on the most sensitive levels. Just my 3 cents. mallard_drake85 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kidd Posted February 20, 2011 Report Share Posted February 20, 2011 i have 5 leaf river cameras...i really like them Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flintlock1776 Posted February 20, 2011 Report Share Posted February 20, 2011 Then you haven't owned a reconyx. I have the 60 model and they blow my cuddebacks and stealth cams out of the water. I've been running reconyx for three seasons and have taken probably 25,000 plus pictures literally without a false trigger! You won't believe it until you own one. Put a hurricane in front of it and it won't trigger. It has a heat sensor along with motion sensor. Both must register to trigger and the strength of the trigger is adjustable. If you don't want coons put the setting on low. Yeah the camera was 550 bucks but if your ok with only getting one profile pic or your buck and literally 1/3 of the triggers as compared to the cuddeback IR then buy it. I've actually put them on the same tree. I own a cuddeback flash and IR and I won't buy another one due to only one pic every 30 seconds. There are very few hunting products with such a distinct advantage over the competition as the reconyx has. Anyone who tells you different is just flat lying or doesn't know what they are talking about. If you want to test that theory go do a search across the internet and see how many used recoynx cameras you can find and what they are prices at? Then do it for the competition........ Take a chill pill and call me in the morning Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hoosierhunter Posted February 20, 2011 Report Share Posted February 20, 2011 Take a chill pill and call me in the morning Flint-no worries not directed at you. I probably should have separated the first sentence from the rest. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
huntermq32 Posted February 21, 2011 Report Share Posted February 21, 2011 He is right reconx is by fare the best. I have the older cudde no flash and they are much better then the new ones . My brother has 2 recox and they are awsome way better then mine but very expensive. As for $200 range I realy couldn't tell ya. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turkeygirl Posted February 21, 2011 Report Share Posted February 21, 2011 Check out ScoutGuard...I had one and was a really decent camera...then it got stolen. I got a Leaf River IR7SS...nice trail cam....but then I got a homebrew trail cam...awesome photos. I've heard Reconyx is really good but way over $200..more like close to $500. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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