Recently I had my Moultrie A-5 first generation stolen by trespassers and this had been my favorite model trail camera that I've used so far. Now I'm putting trail camera on my Christmas list, what trail cameras do you guys prefer? Any particular reason?
When it comes to a commercial cam I have recently fallen in love with the Browning Strike Force HD. Go to trailcampro.com to see alot of different cams and read their reviews. Trailcampro.com is a great place to purchase a camera. They are solid people. Blessings..........Pastorjim
I'm actually in the market for some new cams. My prerequisites are pretty basic. I need a decent cam with fast trigger, ease of operation and for around $100. I don't really need anything more than 5mp. I use mine to scout, not take pictures to hang on a wall. I can't justify spending a lot more than that on cams as the bears here have a field day with them if they find it. With that said, I've read quite a few good things about the Browning cams as mentioned above. They have one for around $100. I've also read good reviews on the Spypoint cams as well. Would love to hear what others say as well.
I like Moultrie but have had problems, usually right out of the box. If you get one that works out of the box it should work well for a couple of years.
The only brand of cams that have been consistent for me have been reconyx. Everything thing else been hit or miss.
I have had great luck with Covert cameras.. I have 4 of them now and knock on wood no issues yet and they are 3 or 4 years old! I also picked up two Moultrie Trace cams on eBay brand new for $60 total, they have worked flawlessly for the last couple months and the picture quality for a $30 camera is unbeatable!
I love that they are made in the USA (or used to be last I checked) but or $500 they should work consistently.That is too big of a risk for me with all the dirtbag thieves out there.
Roconyx makes a very good camera. But, as I said and Coop mentioned, thats a lot of money to hang off a tree at the risk of thieves, or mainly in my case, bears destroying them. I usually have one camera a year knocked off a tree by bears. I started attaching them to the tree with cheap little bungee cords so they can be pulled off easily by the bears. It seems they're content with pulling them off the tree and then leaving them alone. When I really secured them to the tree, they'd pried and pried until they broke the camera.
I have mostly homebrew's, but I've started adding more commercial cams to my collection simply due to battery life. I've only run Coverts in the last two years (Red 40, Mpe5, and MP6 Black). Covert battery life is phenomenal. Daytime pictures are solid (oddly enough, I feel the budget MPe5 does the best in the daytime), but night time photos are horrendous. I just picked up a Stealthcam G30 a few weeks ago to try out based on what I'm seeing posted over the past few months. I haven't had a chance to get it out yet, but I will soon. The browning has peaked my interest as well. I still use my homebrew's when I'm looking for quality, though. They can't be beat for the price.
I've been running covert for a few years. They were great in the beginning but I feel like quality has decreased since they started getting more attention. The early cameras I bought are still going strong after 4 years of use while the newer cams have been hit or miss. I'll most likely be transitioning to other cams starting this spring. The Exodus cam has really caught my eye. No questions asked 5 year warranty is fantastic when cams have an average life of 2 years. Also, you never know what will be coming out when the trade shows come around.
Currently working I have Stealth Cam g42s, Covert MP8 black, Primos Truth Cam 35 and a Moultrie A5. If you like the A5, there are a ton of choices out there with many more options than the A5. I don't have any problems with mine but every so often it takes continuous pictures with nothing triggering it. I have had a few M80s in the past and they were complete junk. I don't ever see myself buying another Moultrie after getting a few G42s this past year. In order of my favorites from what I've ever ran, G42 - above and beyond the rest by far MP8 Truth 35 A5 M80 Plan to get a G30 this year, or like others have mentioned, may try Exodus or Browning.
We have a wide range. Covert and Moultrie seem to be the most reliable at this time. I used to really like my Wildgame ones - the price was great and the ease of use was even better. But, they started not recording and giving us problems (However, they are 4-5 years old). Also bought an Eyecon that had a camera card review screen built right in. Nice camera - but every night time picture is black.
We have a 2nd generation A-5 and after 3 months it still works great.Picture quality is actaully really good for a $60 camera.And everthing feels quality built.We also have a Primos Bulletproof cam and let me tell you this thing is JUNK.The night pics are absolutly TERRIBLE and day pics are poor at the best.We also have a Stealth Cam P22 that works great,takes good night and day pics.Got the Stealth for $90 at Cabelas.
Or if you want to spend more you could get a Stealth Cam G-30.I personally havent had experense with them but have heard nothing but good things about them.
The best is Reconyx. We do have a few home builds and 3 Spypoints. If money is no object definitely go with the Reconyx.
My covert mp8 has been reliable all year(outside since march). But it has a slower trigger speed and I know it doesn't capture every photo. The last doe I shot was right by the camera and it did capture her walking up or running away. I think I will try a stealth or strike force next.
