Trail camera recommendations?

my3cents

Can anyone recommend me a good trail camera? I've used some in the past and my main requirements are good battery life, robust build and fast camera activation.

Problem I think with the Busnell ones I've tried is that they are either very slow to trigger so critter has moved on by the time the camera has activated or that the PIR isn't sensitive enough.

Cost is a factor and a cheaper solution I might have is to use an IP security camera. There is mains power near to one possible camera location and I could easily install an IP camera and a wireless router and keep an old low powered laptop on back at the house recording everything?

Half-cocked

I haven't used any of the more expensive models but those sold by Lidl and Aldi have the same trigger time as the €100-€200 range of brand name cameras. I think you have to spend quite a bit to get trigger times under 1 second.

I found the side sensors on the supermarket models quite good, not too many shots of the tip of a tail disappearing off to one side. If you have mains available and are siting in one location then maybe the IP camera is the way to go.

Eddie B

Moultrie 880i no glow! 130 on ebay!

Also Browning no glow, for between 150 and 170! Browning have come on a sight, and their right up there with the well known brands!

my3cents

I spent an hour after posting last night looking online and at price I'm thinking of the Acorn 5210A Wildlife Trail Camera, Covert 940nm Infrared or the Acorn 5210A Wildlife Trail Camera, Standard Infrared are possibles. The covert version seems to have a lower night time range (due to different frequency of light used) but I think that might be the better one to get, both are in my price range while the better 6210MC is more than I want to pay.

The problem with the IP camera is that there is even more choice than with the Trail camera. One cheap one I might try is the HUACAM HCV724 and I don't mind using it as a "proof of concept" device and replacing it later with a better one because I also need to find some sort or recording software to go with it.

I'll look up the Moultrie and Browning ones this evening.

Half-cocked

I've used all 3 of those Acorns. Trigger speed is the same on all of them. The 6210 leaked and packed in after about 2 years. The bottom door warped and water got in and corroded the electronics - this may have been down to rough handling by me rather than bad design. The other 2 are still going strong. The 6210 has (had!) audio and HD video, the other 2 don't. They can be triggered by things as small as mice, even large moths when set to high sensitivity. The 940nm is really only for when you don't want humans to spot the LED's and steal your camera.

TopTec

I use the Acorn 5210A, Standard Infrared.

The Pro's....

You have seen the quality of the pictures which I have posted in the other thread. The stills are superb and I have mine set to take 3 stills and a 10 sec video with each activation. The video is good quality, not as sharp as the stills though. In infrared mode the pics and video are sharp and clear.

The battery life has so far been excellent. I have left mine out for 5 weeks without battery change and if you use the additional built in battery pack it should double the life in theory.

The Cons...

Activation time is a problem at normal sensitivity and when you set this to high you generally end up with a few thousand pics to wade through. I frequently miss animals that just trot through the zone. I try to mitigate this by siting the camera with a head on view if possible.

Low light conditions can sometimes cause a problem as the camera takes a while to decide whether to switch to the infrared.

Setting it up is a doddle although you have to do it by eye. You can always test it then re-adjust. I use mine on a small tripod and if available bungeed to a tree.

All in all for the cost this is a good cam... I have asked my kids for another one for my birthday.

Happy Snapping

TT

my3cents

RE: The water problem in the 6210, spotted this the other night when doing some research http://www.ronburyswildlife.com/2012...rol-panel.html definitely a known issue, which I believe is now fixed?

Half-cocked

my3cents wrote: »

RE: The water problem in the 6210, spotted this the other night when doing some research http://www.ronburyswildlife.com/2012...rol-panel.html definitely a known issue, which I believe is now fixed?

Afraid mine wasn't just condensation, when I removed the control panel there was a pool of water underneath!

my3cents

I don't doubt expect it was more than condensation, because if you look at the sales page on Ron Burys site you'll see he says that the 6210 has been redesigned to get rid of the problem

The 6210 series are now fully protected from water ingress following extensive modifications by the manufacturer.

my3cents

This is quite a funny story. I was in Aldi last week and they had their 5MP Wildlife camera for €90 so gave it a go. Turns out the one I bought was first sold back in July when I posted my question here. How do I know this? It has a load of good quality date stamped pictures of the original purchaser, his kitchen and most of his family :rolleyes:

I was going to take it back but as its actually otherwise perfect I decided to keep it. I'll post back how I got on with it. Currently as a test its setup covering a track that I'm fairly sure a fox uses every night. Once I get an idea of how it triggers and the best camera/target distance I'll give it a go trying to photograph an otter. I've also a notion to try and get a picture of the dipper who uses the same rocks on a regular bases. I'm not expecting anything National Geographic standard but if I get some fun out of it I might get a better one.

Eddie B

my3cents wrote: »

This is quite a funny story. I was in Aldi last week and they had their 5MP Wildlife camera for €90 so gave it a go. Turns out the one I bought was first sold back in July when I posted my question here. How do I know this? It has a load of good quality date stamped pictures of the original purchaser, his kitchen and most of his family :rolleyes:

I was going to take it back but as its actually otherwise perfect I decided to keep it. I'll post back how I got on with it. Currently as a test its setup covering a track that I'm fairly sure a fox uses every night. Once I get an idea of how it triggers and the best camera/target distance I'll give it a go trying to photograph an otter. I've also a notion to try and get a picture of the dipper who uses the same rocks on a regular bases. I'm not expecting anything National Geographic standard but if I get some fun out of it I might get a better one.

Saw one of those hat cams in Aldi the other day! Only 25 euro! Must also be pre- owned!

Great price though!

TopTec

my3cents wrote: »

I've also a notion to try and get a picture of the dipper who uses the same rocks on a regular bases.

I have been trying to do the same with my Acorn trailcam but can't get the camera close enough to get a decent pic. The Dipper is very well camoflaged against the black and white stones and water. Good luck with yours.

Good luck.

TT

my3cents

TopTec wrote: »

I have been trying to do the same with my Acorn trailcam but can't get the camera close enough to get a decent pic. The Dipper is very well camoflaged against the black and white stones and water. Good luck with yours.

Good luck.

TT

The dipper seems to be a creature of habit and likes a couple of specific boulders in the river for diving and one of them is near my side of the bank near a dead tree stump. If the camera will take OK pictures at about 4 feet which I think may be too close for it then I have a very good chance. Some other good dipper spots while on private land have easy public access so won't risk those. I see then about twice a day and more if I don't scare them off, actually normally only one of them at this time of year and two in the summer.

fryup

anyone have the swann outback cam from maplins??

my one has given up the ghost just after a year:(

my3cents

Nothing on the first nights shoot except my wife out feeding the chickens first thing. On the one hand that's a good thing as I'm not getting false positives but I can gauge the speed my wife walks and when walking across the camera about 5m away all I get is her back. Obviously need to try and get a more head on camera location for shots. The really kicker is the quality 5MP! ?? Can't believe how poor the quality is in what I'd call ideal conditions of good but diffuse light. All the shots are over saturated and seem pixilated and the blacks of shade come out as a purple. Reducing the saturation by 25% gets the colours about right but even viewing the pictures on a computer screen at postcard size they still look fuzzy - yes I did check the lens didn't have a cover over it. I'm probably expecting too much of a cheap camera but I still have a good chance of returning it and getting my money back so I'll be ultra critical for a bit and see if I still want to keep it.

TopTec

My3cents - Post one of the best pics and we can compare a similar shot from my Acorn. I cannot fault the quality of the stills off mine.

TT

Half-cocked

I bought a Maginon cam a while back in Aldi. It's rubbish because you can't set the trigger sensitivity and the setting is too low. At one point I drove a Landrover past it at a range of 10 feet and it failed to trigger. It did pick up a Sika stag and some pheasants though, I think the targets have to be moving around in front of it for a while for it to wake up and take a shot. A real pity as it takes full HD video with audio. The earlier Maginon model sold by Aldi which looked identical to an Ltl Acorn is much more reliable but lacks HD and audio. I suppose you get what you pay for.

my3cents

Tigger sensitivity seems to be one problem same again today my wife walked in front of it about 15ft away and the only part of her I can see is the heel of a boot. Will keep at it for a bit though to see how it goes.

my3cents

TopTec wrote: »

My3cents - Post one of the best pics and we can compare a similar shot from my Acorn. I cannot fault the quality of the stills off mine.

TT

I'll try and build the suspense up here a bit. I put the camera trap in an ideal spot for otter last weekend and haven't touched the camera since. Its facing a large rock in a river that is regularly marked by an otter and the camera is at about a 45 degree angle to the way I guess the otter approaches the rock. Hopefully the otter will be in frame long enough to set the camera off. Tomorrow or Sunday I'll check and see if I've got any result.

my3cents

OK so you can guess what I got........ a nice few pictures of a rock in the middle of a river I didn't notice any new otter spraint. I'll pop the card back and clean off the rock when I go back out in a minute so I'll know for sure if it gets marked again.

I will say I'm happy enough with the quality of the black and white night time pictures. One of a very picturesque rock attached if anyone's interested.

Half-cocked

All those branches may have triggered the camera if they moved in the wind. I once got 2000+ photos of reeds swaying in the breeze. Another time I got 100's of photos of nothing until I realized that bats were zipping past and triggering the camera, by which time they were long gone. Large capacity memory card and fresh batteries and you'll eventually get your otter.

my3cents

Half-cocked wrote: »

All those branches may have triggered the camera if they moved in the wind. I once got 2000+ photos of reeds swaying in the breeze. Another time I got 100's of photos of nothing until I realized that bats were zipping past and triggering the camera, by which time they were long gone. Large capacity memory card and fresh batteries and you'll eventually get your otter.

I don't think the tree is triggering the camera. I actually cut some of that willow back to give a clear view of the rock and cleared long grass and brambles from near the front of the camera then tested by shaking the branches.

It only triggered once in a week and we have had really strong winds since that so fairly sure I'm safe from the tree branches triggering it.

Only thing I'm not sure of is because the shot was taken 4-5days back is if it was an otter that triggered it. No obvious new spraint but with all the rain it would be hard to know so I've cleaned off the rock (the spraint and smell were 110% otter) so I can keep an eye out for it getting remarked.

Half-cocked

my3cents wrote: »

I don't think the tree is triggering the camera. I actually cut some of that willow back to give a clear view of the rock and cleared long grass and brambles from near the front of the camera then tested by shaking the branches.

It only triggered once in a week and we have had really strong winds since that so fairly sure I'm safe from the tree branches triggering it.

Only thing I'm not sure of is because the shot was taken 4-5days back is if it was an otter that triggered it. No obvious new spraint but with all the rain it would be hard to know so I've cleaned off the rock (the spraint and smell were 110% otter) so I can keep an eye out for it getting remarked.

Time of photo is 16:51, there would have been birds still heading off to roost then, maybe something flew past.

TopTec

my3cents wrote: »

It only triggered once in a week and we have had really strong winds since that so fairly sure I'm safe from the tree branches triggering it.

Are you able to turn the sensitivity up on your machine? If it were my Acorn in the position you have yours I would of had 100's of triggers. I try to avoid branches and twigs if at all possible.

I put mine out about 10 days ago on a tributary of the stream I have found the Otter in the past. I checked it after 3 days to see what I had, (I have a spare SD card so don't need to mess about at the spot), and there were 34 triggers, mostly blank. It appears to be a regular motorway for hares and foxes just slipping straight past the camera position. I have adjusted it slightly to try to catch the traffic.

I would rather have a 999 blanks and one good picture on a sensitive setting than nothing on a lower setting.

My record so far is 3,200 pictures in 8 days..... bleedin sheep!!

TT

my3cents

Sensitivity is as high as it goes, the only setting I know of is to have the side sensors on or off, I have them on. Its the response time that seems to be slow. I will take a read of the manual in case I've missed something.

Its a good spot chosen because there shouldn't be too many false triggers. Its not on a track and unless river borne its unlikely anything will go past the camera. No stock in the adjoining field until April. The far bank is a very steep drop and the heron would have trouble landing. Its also quite sheltered so even when its very windy you don't get much movement in the branches. I'll give it a month in that spot and see what comes of it. Not really ideal for otter anyway this time of year as we seem to get the most obvious activity on the river September, October and November.

my3cents

Well that's it, I've had enough wasting my time with this piece of crap I've taken it in and I'll see if I can get my money back on it. Shouldn't be an issue as I have an email from Aldi saying return it for a full refund because it was a return that had someone else's photo's on it.

Checked it again today but before actually checking if anything had been recorded I went and stood on that rock and despite the cold weather the Newfoundland x jumped around in the water (well he would really wouldn't he) in front of the camera. Result - nothing. It just doesn't seem to be tripping at all unless you put your hand directly in front of it. I even made a close inspection in case I'd done something really dumb and left a cover over the PIR detectors but no I hadn't. Only photo's it takes are when you open the camera to get at the SD Card or occasionally about 4-5 seconds after you have walked past it within 3m.

Forget to mention the rock was freshly marked and that whole area had a smell like a couple of otters were trying to out do each other marking out their territory.

TopTec

Thats a shame. Hope you are able to get back into the action again soon.

TT

my3cents

Just back from town and no problem getting refund. Told them the camera didn't work so will keep an eye out and see if it goes back on sale.

I'll wait a bit until the euro is in better shape (compared to the pound) and get an Acorn of some kind from Amazon.co.uk.

fryup

i'm on the look out for a new trail cam (one with sound)....but looking online most of them take up to 8 batteries :eek:

so any of you out there got one with sound ? any recommendations?

OpenYourEyes

Not exactly a trail camera but related nonetheless - has anyone here got any experience with GoPros's or that type of small, tough camera?

I'm considering getting one, partly to use as a trail camera where I can leave it down for an hour or two and come back to it later and see what it picked up?

fryup

Lidl have a trail cam for sale this friday

http://www.lidl.ie/en/Offers.htm?action=showDetail&id=26315

anyone buy one before? any good?

my3cents

fryup wrote: »

Lidl have a trail cam for sale this friday

http://www.lidl.ie/en/Offers.htm?action=showDetail&id=26315

anyone buy one before? any good?

From the pictures (including the pictures of the deer which appear on the box) its identical to the one the Aldi had last year. If thats that case I would warn people off it. Buy and try it and don't be afraid to take it back. Problem I had with the one from Aldi was triggering was not only very slow with a short range but mainly that it rarely triggered at all.

Half-cocked

^^^^

The Lidl one has 3 sensitivity settings whereas the Aldi camera only had one, which as stated above, was useless.

Pretzill

fryup wrote: »

Lidl have a trail cam for sale this friday

http://www.lidl.ie/en/Offers.htm?action=showDetail&id=26315

anyone buy one before? any good?

Yes, I bought one. Have also got the Bresser one which I think was an Aldi (could have been lidl, purchased a couple of years ago) I do find the sensitivity a little slow on the new one - but I think it's because I had set it to medium (you can change the levels - I think default is low)
Use both along a trail in the garden, caught a fox wandering past the bresser - at various times in the night but on the new camera he only triggered it once further down the field though and further in the distance. Now this new one makes a series of clicking sounds when it triggers, and I think that is frightening animals out of shot. I have a picture of my dog looking straight at it (as if to say wtf was that?)

So the juries still out on how good this is, though I think that's because I'm not used to it - I do like the fact that you can set it up in situ and test the view before etc.

However though I haven't had a huge amount of success catching wildlife on camera with it yet - the images I have caught (mostly under the chin shots taking it down to check it ) are very good quality - better than the bresser but not as successful yet.