Curious to hear what everyone's thoughts are on this. I started building my own camera's about 3-4 years ago. I did it because at the time, commercial cams were junk for the most part, unless you were willing to shell out big $$ on Reconyx. I didn't want to shell out $$ only to have the camera either under perform or simply die on me a year or two later. I found that building a camera gave you great quality photos (totally different imaging sensor technology), but often requires using bigger external batteries for longer life. Not to mention that it does take some time to buy the parts, build, paint, and assemble. I still enjoy building them, and they are very reliable. However, I REALLY have grown to like the battery life in the few commercial cams I've bought. My only concern is with longevity. Some of these commercial cams are so cheap (in price) it really makes me wonder how long we can expect these things to last in the field. I really think some people are ok with a year or two of service life and then buying a replacement if necessary. It almost seems that the price point seems to indicate that. I'm not one to buy throw away items in the sense that I would like to get my money's worth. I think even 5 years of reliable service, to me, at the sub $120 price point would be reasonable. So, what are your expectations? Do you expect a modest life and hope for the best?
I don't spend big money on cameras because of this, and because they can also be stolen at any time. I buy cameras for under $100 and hope for the best. At that price point I'd be happy with maybe 2 years before replacement, but to be honest every camera I've bought in the past 5 years still works. I usually retire a camera because I bought something better vs. having it die or not work anymore. Example - I still have a bunch of Moultrie D-40's that work great, but the cameras made over the last year or two are so much better that the D-40's are sitting in a box unused. I currently have a bunch of D-55IRXT's that have been in the woods for 9 months straight that I'm pretty happy with, I bought them as refurb's @ $60 or so apiece and they have been great for me. There is a chance I'll have two leases next year and will need to add some cameras to the fleet, I'll likely pick up some G30's at that point. They cost a bit more but seem to have less blur at night with IR photos and of all the cams the BH.com team has on the farm I'm currently hunting I haven't heard of a single issue with them. For roughly $100 they seem like a great deal.
I don't have a lot of money to spend on hunting stuff, with my wife in school and 2 kids at home. I was very nervous buying a camera because my brother had gone through 4 wgi cameras in 2011 alone because they failed. I bought a moultrie m-80 in 2012 and have had it out in the field since. The only complaint I have with it, is that the lock part broke, but I have a bear proof box for it. I honestly don't see it dying anytime soon so I feel I could get a good 5 years out of it. The price point on that cam at the time was 160, but you can get them on sale often around 100, and refurbished from moultrie even cheaper. One question for you? Since you do build your own cams, could you potentially repair a commercial cam if it were to break on you? In the long run it would probably be cheaper that way.
I have 2 different camera makes. One is Bushnell and the other is Reconyx. As for the Bushnells I'm hoping for at least 3 years. Since getting both of my 2 Bushnells replaced free of charge 2 years ago because they weren't working properly they've been awesome since. So next year will be three years and from what I'm seeing with performance of them now I see no problem for them to go past 3 years. As for my Reconyx cams I didn't know what to expect when I started buying them 7 years ago. So far my 1st 2 Reconyx cams I bought back in September of 2007 still work top notch. One has been sent in once for repairs well after warranty was up (didn't cost me none) and the other one has been sent in twice well after warranty (the one time I paid a 50.00 fee which I'm still pissed about). So I'm guessing 200,000+ pictures later in each cam their still going strong. I don't see them quitting on me anytime soon and if they did I'd have no reason to complain about it. I've bought 2 other Reconyx cams since so we'll see if these newer ones will be as good as the older ones and get me 7 years.
I'm not sure as I've never had to open one up. Also would depend on what went bad and if I could diagnose the problem. I can solder anything, so if it was a matter of a circuit component going bad, yeah most likely. The nice thing about homebrews is there is a well documented community following. If you have a problem, most likely at least several others have had a similar problem before and can tell you what to look for. I've had to fix a few things on my homebrews, but it was simple.
I am currently running (Moultrie) (1) - A5, (2) - D-55, (1) D-55IRXT & (1) - M-880c. I will be adding (1) - M-1100i shortly. I have lost a couple Moultries to thieves and floods, but have never had one go bad and have not even contacted customer service ever. I keep the A5 (has went under water and keeps working) & D-55 in iffy places and feel it is a good idea to have a mixed price range of cams so your not risking money on certain areas. I expect 3 to 5 years out of everything I buy.
I'm a walking EMP or something. Electronic things I own usually die untimely deaths. So, I'm happy if the thing is still working after two years. I had a camtrakker from way back when ($400.00 for the cam, plus you had to buy 35mm film and pay to get it developed). That camera lasted two years before I had to send it in for repairs. I had a AC stealthcam that had battery issues and and lens filter issue right off the bat. I found that it would work if I hung it upside down and fed it a lot of batteries. But after a year and a half it was useless. I now have some Coverts that are doing good. (knocks on wood) One I've had for a few years now but the others are only a year old or so. We'll see if I can fry them. :D
i've owned about 20 totall cams over the years. so far moultie has been the best overall. I WILL NEVER BUY A CUDEBACK AGAIN. i've had 12-13 of them and have YET TO have one last 2 years!!. the best is a homebrew with a sony camera. i have a stealthcam 1390 that is about 8-10 years old. the thing is a beast!!. can't even imagine how many pics its taken as its out 7-8 months each year but it still takes great pics.
I have a Cuddeback from 2008 that is still rolling strong. My other 2 were as well before they were stolen. Had a Primos quit on me this year after only 3 years. Both my Moultries quit after 2. Hoping with the investment made with Coverts buying 4 of them in 12 months now, they have some good life.
I never expected my old Wildview EZ Cam to last coming up on 8 years. I still run it even though it takes C batteries, it doesn't last more than 2 months, and the quality isn't that good but it does the job. I expect them to last at least 5 years.
My 2012 Coverts are still performing great. Had some Primos cams that were 4 years old or so, but they ate batteries like crazy so I gave them to a buddy. As far as I know, they are still taking pics for him. The pic/battery ratio is another story though
It would depend on what I spent for the camera that would determine my expectations. If I spent $100 or less I would expect about two years. Cameras that are in the $150-$200 range I would expect a much longer life. I have a Moultrie M80 that is about 5yrs old that has never been back to the house since I put it out. I've got a ten year old Stealthcam that just this year started acting up and it's probably toast. But I only gave about $90 bucks for it, so I definitely think I got my money's worth. My Reconyx is about 8yrs old, and like Steve, I really don't see and end in sight for it. Blessings........Pastorjim
