The question has been asked several times this year of "What's the best trail cam" so I already know the top two answers will be Stealthcam and Browning. I've ran the SC G42NG's for a couple years now and have really liked them but I'm getting a lot of trouble with them now getting water in them and battery connectors getting crappy. They've done pretty well considering ours are out 24/7/365 but as I'm thinking about upgrades and replacements I'm wondering how well everyone elses cams have held up by brand and usage. Probably be replacing at least 10 so Reconix's multi-hundred dollar each cams are out of the question. I'm looking at going back to the G42's and the Brownings...not sure which Browning as I've not used them before. Also starting to see some appeal to cheap off brands on Amazon and just expect to replace them in a couple years, not sure.
You don't hear much about them on here but I have been really happy with my Cabela's cameras. My first one is going on 5 years with absolutely no problems and they have great battery life. If you watch for a bit they usually put them on sale for $100.
I suppose I have always leaned towards cheaper cameras like the Wildgame Innovation cameras. I have always been happy with them. Have a couple Moultrie cameras that get the job done as well!
Yeah, I've always had cameras that cost in the $112-$130 range. I see some off brands on Amazon touting 12-16MP that cost in the $60-$70 range and those are getting very tempting with an add on 2-3 year coverage plan. I'm thinking of buying a couple of these and testing them out.
I know camofire runs deals on g26 pros. Haven't had them long enough to say how durable but a sweet little camera and enjoy them so far. Small than my iPhone 6 Plus and at $100 and comes with batteries and an sd card is a pretty goo to price. Sent from my iPhone using Bowhunting.com Forums
My first browning lasted 2.5 years. I broke the latch that holds the door closed and tried to fix it myself and broke it worse lol I kept meaning to get Velcro or something for it but all I ever did was put a piece of duct tape on it. Well eventually the wind blew it open and rain got in it and fried it. I bought 3 browning strike force pros this year and really like them. They have a hardier latch too. I also have a covert and and bushnell essential e2. I bought the e2 for $75 dollars on eBay last winter and have been very impressed with it so far. Covert is fine but my favorite is still the brownings. Sent from my iPhone using Bowhunting.com Forums
Avoid the Browning Command Ops. Doesn't take very clear pictures. The others seem great and well made. I run mostly Coverts with a few Browning mixed in. The Coverts are pretty good but their detection circuit is not top notch. It's ok just not great. I know the owner and key people at Covert personally so that no doubt enhances my experience using their cameras. If you are like me and can't afford to run Reconyx then all I'd say is avoid Cuddeback and Wildgame Innovations and you will probably be ok.
I have a couple Covert MP 8 blacks that are dependable but meh quality pics. Good day pics but not as good as the G42's but not exactly comparable cameras either. Covert's availability doesn't seem great on amazon.
Just recently swapped to the StealthCams so have to see whats going on. I can recommend against the Bushnell Cams. They would consistently have pictures with no animal and usually only lasted 3 years. The new ones may be better but I don't know. I am considering just getting StealthCam G30s going forward as they seem to take decent pictures
I had a couple of Bushnell trophy cams at one point and really got soured on them, they were totally junk and they weren't cheap either.
I have always used Moultrie they are a little cheaper but have never let me down. The first 2 I had 1 had last me 6 years and the other lasted 5. Lost that one to a hurricane flood. But it still took pics all the way up till when the water covered it up. I have 3 smaller ones now and I've paid anywhere from $49 - $89 for them.
The last set of Moultries I got sucked, poor pics and completely unreliable. I had a set I bought in 2012 and still have some of those going as replacements for the G42's and the newer Moultries that pooped out.
Are they on your PC? In the box where you type your post there are three red boxes in the lower right hand corner, the middle one reads "upload a file". Choose that one and then choose your file after it loads it'll give a prompt for a thumbnail or a full version to show on the forum.
2014 after I got the last M880's and realized they had screwed them up by changing them from the old version. That's when I bought the 2 Coverts and the first of the G42NG's. The coverts are still going strong but are just 8MP and the 12 MP stealthcams have spoiled me.
I just ordered four of these on Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06Y666514/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 I'll probably regret it but oh well. I'll give them a fair go and see how they do. I would have only gotten one to try out but they had a four pack in stock I could get by Monday or so and didn't want to wait until the end of the week for a single. Needed batteries anyway. I'll post a review thread here when I get them and keep it updated as we go. Looks like the range on them is on the poor side at 65' but I don't need anything past that. I think the G42's are 100'. Honestly I think it's going to be hard to beat the G42's and probably the Brownings but I'm ready to look at cheap cameras under $100. Throwing out over a grand each time gets old.
Really? Wow, I didn't expect to see so many people giving bad reviews of the browning cams, seemed like there is a lot of love here on the forum for them. Good to know. I have sure been disappointed in the M880 Moultries I bought the last time. I bought 15 and straight away a third of them had serious issues. Pink pics and no IR light at night...just black night pics. I have 6 of the remaining 10 left in the field, two crapped out completely and two still laying new in the packages on the shelf. Two of the six still in the field were only put into use a month ago.
Yeah the Moultries arent working as well as older models did. We have Covert, Radix, Stealth, Browning, Snyper, Exodus and Moultries out right now and the only ones I havent wanted to smash so far are the Covert, Radix and Stealth.
