Trail cam advice and recommendations please

footman

footman

Suspended / Banned
Messages
4,914
Name
Laurence
Edit My Images
No
Until recently I have been using an Acorn 5610a cam in the garden but the the absence of any means to control the exposure is rendering night time use very difficult.
After much consultation with Pakatak who supplied the cam it seems that this model is unable to have exposure control updated by firmware.
So I'm looking for a new one. Is it simply the case that you get what you pay for?
 
I think the answer to your question is generally yes.

Two names that come to mind are Bushnell and Browning.

I have an old Bushnell. It is only 720x480 so the images are not of high quality but it is good enough to identify animals from the size of a mouse. It has also lasted well in some atrocious weather in NW Scotland and survived being walked through by a badger. The IR lights emit a fair bit of visible red light which I have read can spook some animals but so far the mice, foxes, pine martens, badgers and roe deer that have been captured by it seem unaffected by this light.

I have no personal experience of Browning camera but Gramps on here has one and the video quality is very good. Previously I think he had a cheap trail camera which did not prove successful.

If he sees this he will be able to advise better than me.

Have a look at this thread - https://www.talkphotography.co.uk/t...ve-even-more-cubs.709572/page-12#post-8739566 to get an idea of what to expect. It contains plenty of videos.


Have a look here - https://shop.naturespy.org/camera-trap-chooser/. They do sell the cameras so caveat emptor is probably the order of the day, though I have heard on another forum they are pretty good with advice.

I've found getting one that can take rechargeable batteries is a good idea(or one that will also run from a larger battery than AAs - some have a jack socket to allow this). I found mind ate alkaline AA batteries like there was no tomorrow. I also found buying a small tripod was very handy. I have used the strap that comes with most cameras to attach it to a tree, but a tripod makes things easier.

Dave
 
I use this Browning which I am very pleased with, the video is extremely good and there is no 'white-out' that you get with cheaper trailcams when something gets nearer to the I/R source. The range of the PIR sensor and the I/R are adjustable from standard to long range (120' IIRC) and you can set a time period that you want it to be active, e.g. 7pm to 7am ... it can also do timelapse if that's your thing.
I use it with rechargeables (Ladda from Ikea at £10 for 8 and every bit as good as Eneloops) though that isn't recommended ... I just don't let them go below around 35% before replacing/recharging them and an optional external battery pack is available if needed.
It's a very well made piece of kit and I'm watching Foxes, Badgers, Cats & Mice in the garden. :)
 
gramps said:
I use this Browning which I am very pleased with, the video is extremely good and there is no 'white-out' that you get with cheaper trailcams when something gets nearer to the I/R source. The range of the PIR sensor and the I/R are adjustable from standard to long range (120' IIRC) and you can set a time period that you want it to be active, e.g. 7pm to 7am ... it can also do timelapse if that's your thing.
I use it with rechargeables (Ladda from Ikea at £10 for 8 and every bit as good as Eneloops) though that isn't recommended ... I just don't let them go below around 35% before replacing/recharging them and an optional external battery pack is available if needed.
It's a very well made piece of kit and I'm watching Foxes, Badgers, Cats & Mice in the garden. :)
Click to expand...
How funny, that’s the one I was going to get your views on! Thanks for that @gramps
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top