Best Bang For The Buck?

[Lawdwaz]

I've probably posted this before (or somebody else has) but these days, what camera gives you the best bang for the buck?

 

 

I like 20 second videos and sound. 

 

Both of my current cams have sound but only one works for some reason....??  Both are Bushnell and other than that little glitch I'm pleased with them.

 

Sooooo, what say the masses?  All reply's welcome of course.

[chiefbkt]

I've got 3 Browning cams that were under $125 each that I'm very pleased with. They have video with sound, only downfall is 10 second night video on certain models of their cameras.

[mlammerhirt]

What model Browning??

Just started the search for a few new cams tonight.

[firehunter48]

U can get a moultrie trace on ebay brand new not a refurbished for $35ish. I have oneas well as my father and all i did was put a vinyl camo wrap on them. We've had them out for about 2 months and they work awesome. The pics are great and takes great video as well. The are based on the 880 platform from moultrie

[phade]

For a dedicated video cam... I'd be looking at specifically the 2015 Browning cams (not 2014). Only downfall as mentioned are the 10 second night time limit (set the day to the time you want, but night vids are 10 seconds). Also, 32gb limit....cams won't accept 64gb.

 

The ten second limit is a battery power saver - the cams stay armed after triggering to speed up the recovery process - which the higher end Brownings have UNREAL trigger and recovery times. It's a trade I'd gladly make.

 

Their blackflash pics suck imo, but for a video cam...solid. 

 

Avoid primos if you like sound. Avoid Bushnells, their blackflash vids still aren't up to par on the 2015 models, even after big improvements. Stealth's G42 takes good vids, but is a battery eater, and has massive file sizes, and some sensing issues. When it works...it works well, though.

 

Moultrie's 2015 line seem OK. Not great, not bad...just OK. 

 

There really isn't a black flash cam that's perfect for vids/sound right now. Kind of shocked a company hasn't nailed it yet. I like my Black 60 night vids, but they can be short due to power consumption and only 720p. Slower trigger and recovery times, too. 

 

Browning is probably top of the heap for vids at the moment.

 

If you are not worried about black flash...the 2015 Recon Force and Strike Force is fan-freaking tastic. If they could slap 940nm ir emitters on those cams...i'd be pretty darn happy. Evidence is starting to show that they use multi spot metering in night pics to adjust the cam picture rather than center weighted average. (this is what creates night shots worth a darn). Model #s are BTC-5HD and BTC7FHD. Be specific about that...2014 model #s are similar, but different.

Edited July 13, 2015 by phade

[Lawdwaz]

Thanks all.

 

Phade; any place special to get those Browning cams?

[phade]

Ebay right now. Browning cams are pretty trendy right now. Deals are rare.

[Lawdwaz]

Hmm.... I just might have some PayPal money stashed away, thanks again.

[chiefbkt]

What model Browning??

Just started the search for a few new cams tonight.

 

I have 2 Browning Dark Ops and 1 Browning Strike Force game camera, all 2014 models.  I am very pleased with the cameras.  Like Phade said, the blackflash pictures aren't the greatest, especially if the animal is moving.  I am still playing around with the camera to find the optimal settings.  So far it looks like the lower resolution setting is working out better at night.  The daytime pictures are really superb.  The trigger speed on the cameras is amazing and the battery life is unreal.  I haven't had to recharge the batteries since the cameras have been out (thousands of pics since April) and there is plenty of life left.  The battery quality was good during the cold months of winter when I had them out too.  I set the cameras on video mode yesterday after I pulled the cards to see how they perform.  Some of the feautres that I really like are the multi shot options (up to , the 4 resolution settings (2,4, 8, 10), and the timelapse.  They were purchased from Trailcampro.com, mainly due to the fact that they came with an 8GB memory card and 2 year warranty from them.  I would buy them again.  

[landtracdeerhunter]

U can get a moultrie trace on ebay brand new not a refurbished for $35ish. I have oneas well as my father and all i did was put a vinyl camo wrap on them. We've had them out for about 2 months and they work awesome. The pics are great and takes great video as well. The are based on the 880 platform from moultrie

Lowest I bought one for was $45. Really are a good camera for the $.

[phade]

Academy sports has the Trace for $39.99 now on their site. Don't fool yourselves thinking this is a great cam, but it is a good cam for the money.

 

It has an audible click, no delay, and night range isn't great. I have 6 of them for high risk areas or areas where I can cover the sound (say a creek). I lucked out and bought most of mine @ 2 for $59 shipped. Should have bought more just to have since they its pretty much a throw away cost.

[phade]

This is a pic of a pic of the Trace...I hate doing that, but whatever.

 

This buck is literally on the edge of the flash range right around 30 feet. It required adjusting some of the contrast in the pic to grab his antlers. at 35 feet at this spot, I probably would not have even seen him. Again, decent cam for the money, but not one I would want to entrust my season to, if that is understandable.

[njg0621]

Moultrie...I have had several inexpensive models with no issues.  The two brands that I ALWAYS have problems with are Wildgame Innovations and Primos...everyone I know has issues with them.

[firehunter48]

This is a pic of a pic of the Trace...I hate doing that, but whatever.

 

This buck is literally on the edge of the flash range right around 30 feet. It required adjusting some of the contrast in the pic to grab his antlers. at 35 feet at this spot, I probably would not have even seen him. Again, decent cam for the money, but not one I would want to entrust my season to, if that is understandable.

I really have to disagree with you on this one. Like I said before, we have two of them out right now and have nothing but great results with them both. Both during the day AND at night. we have them set at the simple settings of 4mp for the camera so we can get the most pics out of the cards (not that we should worry with 32gb cards in them) and I dont have them set up for video.

 

As far as the audible click, I havent noticed anything like that. And as far as I can tell, neither have the animals. We have had the same animal stick around for 30-45 mins at a time taking anywhere from 60 to 100 pictures. If there was an audible click when the camera shot a pic, I'm pretty sure they wouldnt be sticking around for as long as they do.

 

Then as far as the flash, I will say that I am not sure about the flash range, but again, we have plenty of night shots of all different kinds of animals and none of them have seemed to concerned about a flash.

 

These are just a few samples of the pics we are getting with our Trace cam's

[phade]

I have a half dozen of these cams. Every one clicks. Lots of people reporting the click. Its the IR filter. The IQ of the cam is off and its light metering isnt precise, causing alot of pics moving back and forth at transition. Each is an audible click.

Be careful of using vids on this cam. The lack of delay causes power delivery issues when using alkalines. Youll see this in vids where the IR array isnt firing.

Edited July 16, 2015 by phade

[Lawdwaz]

I ordered a Browning Trail Camera last week and it came in yesterday, the Dark Ops HD model.

 

Simple enough to set up and get working but I have a slight problem; I set it for 10 second video with a one minute reset but the videos were 30-60 seconds and chewed about 70% of the battery life overnight and it didn't take more than 20 videos.  Hmmm............

 

After viewing the 20 clips of some odd late night family life (G rated for the most part ) I reset all the settings and turned it on for some quick breakfast/chaos clips.  It seems to be working in 10 second increments now.  Time will tell on that issue........

 

One other little thing, when I went to turn it off this morning it appeared to stay ON.  I'm not sure if that is something common on this type of camera, like a slow shut down or something??

 

I still have faith though............

[Lawdwaz]

Maybe these cameras need a break in like .........Robs new semi auto???

[chiefbkt]

After being triggered, I know mine don't turn off until they're done capturing the picture sequence or video footage. That could be the delay you saw.

[phade]

Yes, thats the delay in turning off. Some Moultries do that too.

Law...the vids, longer than 10 sec at night? I must not be following the problem you had. You set a 10 sec. Video but get longer?

These cams cant take vids longer than ten sec at night.

Edited July 19, 2015 by phade