So this has been driving me crazy ever since I started buying trail cams. Why is it for EVERY camera there are 10 bad reviews for every 1 good review? Is it that people only report bad feedback? No news is good news right? I am not so much of a gambling man. Sure does seem like picking trail cams is a crap shoot every time. I see no clear winner(s). It just annoys the pooo out of me! It’s difficult to identify good camera even by looking at the so called trail camera review sites... I know this subject has been beat to death but I have to ask... Which cameras do you feel are the best for the money? Which cam co. do you feel offers the best warranty and customer service?
Primos customer service has been pretty good to me and my friends, but I know you're not a fan of them lol. I have only had Primos (pleased), Moultrie (they suck after one year), and Cuddeback (good pictures when it takes them, but that's few and far between). I have 4 Primos cameras now for what it's worth...
Ive got a stealth cam v450. Serves me well until the batteries die after two weeks. So i bought the 30 dollar adapter and an old car battery keeps her going all winter with good clear pictures.
I think your on with no news is good news. I know I am guilty of it. If someone makes a good product that I like I usually won't bother going to make a review about it and I'll reserve my feedback for when people ask for it. On the other hand if I get something thats crap I'll scream it from the mtn tops. I know other people that are this way as well. I don't know why. Only thing I can think of is if something works correctly I don't ever really think about since I don't have to mess with it and if its crap I'm alway messing with it trying to fix it, getting frustrated and always being reminded about it. As far as what cameras are good I have had good luck with Moultrie and my dad has a couple of Bushnell Trophy cams we like pretty well. I think the Moultrie takes better night picture though. I had a Moultrie D50 that lasted me 5 years. It still takes daytime pix but the flash is out. I know have two M80s. Can't complain so far. Only had them since November though. One has probably taken around 10000 shots the other around 25000 and the batteries still say well over 50%. Have had one of the Trophy cams for a year now. And with the exception of a dog getting a hold of it we have had good luck with it. Flash range is a short though. Really the only complaint I can find.
I think you see that trend in any sort of review because it only takes one bad experience to make someone unhappy. When I look at reviews, like customer reviews on Bass Pro, Cabelas and etc. I try to look for the common complaint. If you get 10 guys complaining about the same problem, chances are, it's legit. When it comes to companies reviewing a product, the first question I ask is the company going to profit from it's review of this item. If so, I don't let their review have that much of an influence on me. The one exception is Trailcampro.com. They will tell you in their reviews the strengths and weaknesses of the product. And if you call them, they will explain to you exactly why or why not THEY would purchase a camera. That's rare in a company that sells those same products. I like chasingames reviews and I always read them if I am considering a particular camera. But sometimes they are too technical and will slam a product for things that really don't matter to me. As far as recommending a camera, the only one I would recommend without reservation is Reconyx. They are expensive but everything about them is the best. From their product to their customer service. I have yet to find a camera that is perfect and that includes Reconyx. Here are my experience with the units I own or have owned. Reconyx...Simply the best overall but IR pics are grainy Bushnell Trophycam...Very fast but field of view of sensor is wider than cameras field of view, this causes blank pics. IR pics are terrible. Moultrie I40s...Best daytime and IR pics of any commercial cam I have ever owned. Trigger speed was slow. Moultrie M80...Love the size and daytime pics and vids with audio. IR pics are very grainy with lots of blur. Leafriver IR7SS...Beautiful daytime videos with audio. Absolutely horrible IR vids. Very very hard to program. Stealthcam I590... Surprising picture quality, day and night. Very reliable but very very slow trigger. Cuddeback Capture...Fuhgetaboutit. Nothing good to say about this camera or their company. Hope this helps. Blessings.......Pastorjim
The website reviews are all biased some sort, because you don't know the business dealings behind the scene. There are many good cameras, like the Long Range Scoutguard camera, that the review websites don't even dare to review. So trust more on the end-user's reviews. A bad experience somtimes is just a single mishap and usually an exchange or return will solve the problem. What matters is whether a Good Camera serves your purpose.
I have had great luck with DLC Covert cameras. Even if you run into a camera problem, (if you have a number of cameras you will) they are great about taking care of you. Plus they have some great selections under $200.
I have had pretty good luck with the Scoutguard line. I have (3) Scoutguard SG550V's and 1 Scoutguard SG580M. The big thing for me is the battery life. I am almost up to a year on batteries in my SG580M which texts me the picture when it takes it. I only use Energizer Ultimate Lithium batteries. I actually had one of my cameras go halfway under water and wouldn't work. Sent it back and the compay called back to say it would need most new parts or they would send me a whole new camera for like $100. I felt that they basically cut me a deal on a new camera even though the mishap was in no way their fault. I also had ants infest another Scoutguard and sent it back to them and they sent a new, better model, to me for no charge. I really like them and their lock boxes are basically irremoveable from a tree unless you cut the tree down.
This year, Scouguard has added a few new dealers in north America: http://www.everest1stop.com http://www.camera4life.com These are the first dealers that carry Long Range cameras in Canada and US. There is no comparison when it comes to the range of detection and illumination.
Have you ever seen the making of a toy commercial? It takes about 50 toys to perfect a commercial, due in part that all of the toys don't function exactly as advertised. I believe some Game Cams can be duds and the user unfamiliarity with the equipment along with impatiences post negative reviews. A friend of mine works for ABC News affiliate and he told me once they had to do a 100 takes to get a spot right on a malfunctioning gadget.
What price range is in your cam budget? Are you wanting a blackflash or does the cam need to have plot mode or videos?? or are you just wanting a working cam at a good price. The dlc covert 3.0 cam online for around $90 to your door. Best $ cam on the market, fast trigger,great battery life.
As the industry gets sophiscated, there are many different types of cameras in different price ranges. You have white flash, red flash, and black flash. You have wireless camera and non-wireless camera. You have low resolution and high resolution. You have HD and Non-HD. And then you have long range and regular range. As the competition gets tougher and tougher, you will see new stuff every year. Chances are that before the "Best camera" gets crowned, it is is overthrown by another camera from the same or a different brand.
If you go to google and search dlc colvert 3.0 and click on shopping a whole list pops up with different sales.I see all types of cams at different times of the year go up and down. I am always checking my fav cams. http://www.wingsupply.com/game-came...3-0-mossy-oak-bottomland-camo-ir-game-camera/
As for being a winner... I was refering to the camera(s) operating as advertised. Meaning doing what they say they will do without error or a bunch of grief to go along with it. I do understand that cameras have different feature sets. As far as budget, I don't like to spend more then $250 on a camera however I will if I think it's going to be to my best interest. I will most likely purchase a couple Covert Special Ops cams and give them a try. They should save me a lot of time and gas money in the long run being I won't have to drive anywhere to check them assuming they work as advertised. I also think it would help with theft as I should know right away if someone is jacking with my cameras. Jump in my truck with guns a blazing if I catch someone jacking with them!
Yeah I have a Scoutguard SG580M with the texting and its a property 1 hour away. Makes it really nice to not have to go check my camera to see whats been going on.
