Okay, so after being badmouthed in another thread and remarks made about my poor camera setups, I figure a thread on proper camera set up would be something useful to the forum and to me. I don't see how my complaints on my MP8 black Coverts are caused from my setups. Maybe the experts can chime it. gutone4me, I'm calling you out, you made the remark so here's your chance to explain to us all what I am doing wrong with the pics you've seen me post in the past. This is about self improvement and education, not some personal conflict between past posts. I'm not happy with my MP8 night time pics, if there's something I can do to improve their quality I'd like to know and the authority on coverts should know. I run several cams but don't claim to be any expert so improve me. I don't know what else I can do to give these MP8's a "fair shake" so help me out. Hopefully some good info is shared with everyone in the process. What am I doing wrong, how do I correct it? How do I get the most out of these Coverts (if I'm not)?
Doubt he can see this Covey...seeing as how he ignored you. I'll state this much, when I purchased and decided to utilize some Black LED cams (MP8blacks) I did so fully expecting and understanding that night time pictures were not going to be hold the same potential for clarity as cameras with redIR or flash...this simply is the cold hard facts of the black camera technology...atleast in my research into the concept/technology. With that stated though my black camera set ups were primarily for 2 main set ups due to this common understanding to not expect as far of flash range or as crisp image on images as they got farther away (images say my Mpe5 or MP^ or MP8 or Red40 would easily capture "better").....those two set ups were close quarter shots in bedding areas or along tight trails & scrapes. Both spots are placements cameras are up close and personal with the deer and I didn't desire to tip them off to the camera (that's if they even notice the redIR at all anyways). Just my .02 but than again I willingly admit I only use Coverts now...as do a lot of my friends since they look through my pics...they pay me ZERO for my support...they pay ZERO to Small Acre Hunting for posting their link on my site. Just wanted to be crystal on that.
I just bought a Stealth Cam G42NG this fall. Amazing day time pictures but the night pictures lack tremendously in my opinion. I expected that though from a black flash cam.
Yeah I posted that to show the difference between the day and night pics, it looks okay to me too but it is representative of my experience with the mp8 blacks that started the conflict in the other thread. I get okay to really good day pics and crappy night pics with an occasional okay'ish night pic...which is exactly what I indicated in the other thread when I was told I sucked at setting up cameras. I bet he'll see it and I wanted him to see it since he's the expert and I want to know details of what I do wrong from the authority. You're absolutely right about comparing IR to black flash but try a G42 stealth cam and you'll see why I'm down on the covert black. Neither compare to the IR's (or the good IR's) but the G42 takes far and away better proportions of good vs crappy night pics for me and both are no-flash/blackflash/whatever...no red glow cameras. The G42 also has at least as good a quality day pics as the covert blacks too...even though I suck at camera setups I assume all brand setups would be consistently crappy and would in turn give consistent results between brands. I've even swapped cams in the same locations, the coverts blacks still were on the bottom. They are good cameras all around, battery life, day pics, etc...just rank third in what I use to my eye. Because they are black flash cams. I still get a much higher percentage of good clean night pics from it and I cannot say that about the MP8 blacks I run and it doesn't seem to matter the setup...backdrop, no backdrop, near, far.
That's something I need to work on being it's my first black flash camera. I'm sure they could be improved and also get a lot worse than they are.
Me too, that actually is why I started this thread, not to argue with people in a camera vs camera debate...honestly it is. If there's something I can do, even if I consider it a PITA to have to do for a covert, to get better performance from them then I'll do it no matter who suggests it. I'm no expert, I try to relay what experiences I have...in some cases that's quite a bit and sometimes it isn't but I always try to be honest about it. Sometimes it twerks people and if my honesty twerks someone then that's life but if there's a way to better my knowledge I'm all ears.
The G42NG if I'm not mistaken would be a better comparison to Covert Black60 more so than the MP8Black....in more ways than not. Stealth's offering more like the MP8B would be the E38NG. I can't compare because I don't own both. Just an observation.
Ya pat won't see your ramblings. G42 is crap. I had three of them and finally got my money back. Everyone is jumping ship on the g42 that used to be a cheerleader for it.They don't stand behind water leaks. Ir burn up close and it misses stuff among a few things. On that set up I would lower the camera and get rid of the weeds in front of it. I run mine on two picture mode or three in case one pic isn't the best.
Same reason I haven't bought a covert yet. Just like anything, there's good and bad. Only way to find out is experimentation.
Nice, thanks. Run and gun tactics are practical I guess...he never has to backup anything he spews that way. I've only had my oldest ones since September but have not experienced any of these things except the IR burn, which I get from every camera I have on occasion. No history with their customer service yet. Thanks for the input, I'll use your recommendations..thanks. Lowering the camera, do you mean lower on the tree or point it lower (angle it more downward)?
I know videos are a pain and the *** to run through and this doesn't totally answer your question. But I will have the same issues you are having without fail ever season and I run Coverts. I just put them on video mode and let them run videos. I mean anytime you run cameras you are going to get the good with the bad - everyone gets good and bad photos and that doesn't matter the setup. For this reason, I usually only share "good" photos even if its a big deer, its just not the same...
I will also express me personally.....I don't desperately need crystal clear images....while they're great and cool to have I'm not framing any of my nighttime photos (unless a freaking freak shows). I just need clear enough to at minimum know mature or not and directional orientation for my excel spreadsheet logs. That said though I don't notice a ton of issues with even my black coverts, outside of the normal issues expected from cameras in general and especially black ones.
This is absolutely right, it's just that I get a very high proportion of the bad pics from my Coverts. Higher proportions than I do with the other cameras. Even my IR moultries take an occasional blurry image (not grainy) from motion but these mp8's as you can see, throw out a lot of them and so does the second one. I seem to only get about 20% of the night time pics that aren't blurry.
I wouldn't be totally livid over it but when I pay $130 for a camera it should be as good as another $130 camera and do so without being babied more than the other camera. Yes the Stealth Cams are 10mp while the Coverts are 8...which brings to question why bother with the covert at the same price. Either way, the images I get that I'm complaining about aren't just poor but the motion blur is too bad in many cases to even count points or age the deer.
I would run it about waist high or a little less and aimed straight out. If you are getting night pic flash on the ground mainly angle it up slightly. Ideally too get yourself a stic n pic. Them are very nice and versatile. Love them. A tad closer to them trees as to use them as a backdrop so the flash can bounce off of. But that isn't possible perhaps with one tree to use. If on a trail run the cam on 8mp (not sure what you are on) a 5 second delay and 3 picture mode. I normally run all my cams 2 pics every 10 seconds.More pics the better I say. You will get bad pics yes as not every pic will be picture perfect. Also make sure that you peeled the clear plastic cover off the front of the camera that is over the flash array.
I'll give it a try thanks. May have to go with a stic because with both cameras they are on the only tree that's practical to use. Both overlook areas that are pretty narrow. I think the opening in front of either camera is about 40 feet max. I thought I was providing a good back drop for the flash that way, as per remarks made in an older thread earlier this fall. Yes, both Covert blacks are set on 8mp. I'll double check there is no plastic cover over the flash plates but pretty sure I removed those out of the package. If there is a plastic film it's damn tight but could certainly cause the problems I'm having. Sure, every camera is going to puke out some poor pics, that's one of the gauges I use to judge a camera. I'm not brand loyal to any one camera or I'd never try anything else, instead I have five different brands I've tried the last two years. Moultrie, Covert, Stealth, Bushnell and Primos truth cam. Far and away the worst was the Primo's, Bushnell was the most unreliable but really good pics (unreliable). That leaves me with the other three for now, I'll continue to experiment with other models and other brands along the way though.
