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2017 Cams

phade

By phade,
in Trail Camera Reviews and Info

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phade Mentor

phade

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A lot of the trail cam companies are announcing their new models.

A few highlights -

Spartan is scheduled to release a 4g cell cam for Verizon in September timeframe. They did do a late year release for US Cellular - not an impact here unless you hunt in the Midwest where this is a much asked for option.

Browning has some new/updated models, including the Defender which uses CR123 batteries and has Bluetooth and wifi. It likely includes the use of a new CMOS sensor that Browning has not used before - usually they use a 2MP reliable one. Cam looks different from their usual shells.

Moultrie has done what they normally do and come out with laundry lists of bullet points. Sometimes they hit home and sometimes they do not. They have re-tooled their line by letter series, A, M, S, etc. S is their signature series cam and comes with a price tag to match.

Bushnell has a redesigned user interface with screen/buttons and some presets that will be set and forget kind of easy. Improvement on re-arm rate.

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phade Mentor

phade

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1 hour ago, Jeremy K said:

AT&T spartan cams still gonna be the ones to get this year?

Spartan seems to be leading the pack going into 2017 again. They tend to slow roll releases - meaning some people thought they might have a video cell cam in the works. I don't have that info, but I would guess they are working on one quietly, and when they do release it (who knows when), it's going to be pretty solid right out of the gate. Most of the other cell cam companies released their cams and did a lot of beta testing on actual users, whereas Spartan did beta testing before mass market, reducing the bugs or tweaks necessary - and the reduced pain felt by owners of the cams.

Are they perfect? No, they could have slightly improved trigger speed or a slightly better matched sensing zone (done on purpose as most cell cams are set at stationary points - beds, scrapes, feeders). They could also offer the premium app for free, but they don't middle man the data like Moultrie, Bushnell, or Covert, so it's about even.

Honestly I am kind of shocked that Bushnell didn't revamp or come out with something new for cell cams. I thought Browning might dip their toes in wireless, but Bluetooth and wifi is a start.

If I had my wish, I would like to see a video cell cam with sound. My second wish would be a cell cam that has options for transmitting. Example would be to have the cam take pics as if it were a regular trail cam, store, and then transmit to the app at a designated time, or have them take a pic, send, as they do now. Benefit would be the ability for pic sequences to be taken and sent similar to a regular cam rather than being limited to one pic every 30-60 seconds with transmission time built in.

 

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grampy Veteran

grampy

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Thanks for the 2017 trail cam preview phade! We are lucky to have you here to answer all our trail cam questions and get sound advice. And I appreciate the no BS, good and bad info on the cams as well. I know, for myself and many others here, you are "the" go to guy, for trail cam advice and purchases. Again, Thank You!

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Adkhunter1590 Newbie

Adkhunter1590

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X-2 ! It's been on my mind since last season. Sure would be nice to have one for this season!


Same here. A few buddies have started using them and I'm jealous when they are like hey check out this pic I just got. Lol.

Would love to have one or two to use in those areas I don't want to keep walking back into
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Jeremy K Veteran

Jeremy K

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29 minutes ago, Adkhunter1590 said:

 


Same here. A few buddies have started using them and I'm jealous when they are like hey check out this pic I just got. Lol.

Would love to have one or two to use in those areas I don't want to keep walking back into

 

It's like opening a small gift every time you get a text message and the sender is TRAIL CAM.

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phade Mentor

phade

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14 hours ago, sbuff said:

Anything new from spy point , I like their idea of those solar panels.

Does browning change the 2016 version the strike force elite HD?

The model will be carried over and there will be a "Pro" series of that cam with even faster trigger/re-arm rates. I am curious to get my hands on the new Brownings.

New models can always be a little scary to buy, but Browning has only had one down year with new models. I am hopeful these new models are burners - fast performing and reliable. The Defender has a different shell and body than the other cams. The array looks like it'll blind someone - hopeful they are dim lit.

Nothing on Spypoint that I have looked into. The solar panels are nice, but you can buy them for much less than the cost of the cam with the built in panel.

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sbuff Experienced

sbuff

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The current 2016 browning strike force elite HD is very impressive. Other then the one issue I discussed with you I love it. It's been up at camp in snow and sub zero temps of the tug hill since December 1st, I'll be checking on it come April to see how she faired over the winter .

Can't wait to see the lineup, any idea when that will be .

 

Can one add a set of solar panels to any cam ?

Steve

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phade Mentor

phade

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As long as there is an external power hook up, yes there is.

Did you use lithium in the Browning? Cold temps over winter for a long period of time is one of the few times where I would suggest it.

There are pics out already on the cams, and I am working with my rep to get the pics for me to update the website.

Covert does have a revamped lineup, looks like a model in between the MP line and the red 40/Black 60 families. Hopefully these cams are performers - reviews were mixed the past year or two. Their cell cams also have some upgrades, but nothing that is earth shattering, as they're playing catch up now.

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sbuff Experienced

sbuff

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Phade I actually did an experiment at camp, I left the 2016 browning and a moultrie 990 out . I put Duracell in the browning and energizer in the moultrie( I think it might be reverse) Last year the moultrie still had 61% on April 1St , I forgot the photo count. So I'll keep you posted come spring with my results. 

Thanks for the update on camera line ups, I'm sure I speak for all of us and we appreciate it .

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phade Mentor

phade

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15 hours ago, sbuff said:

Phade I actually did an experiment at camp, I left the 2016 browning and a moultrie 990 out . I put Duracell in the browning and energizer in the moultrie( I think it might be reverse) Last year the moultrie still had 61% on April 1St , I forgot the photo count. So I'll keep you posted come spring with my results. 

Thanks for the update on camera line ups, I'm sure I speak for all of us and we appreciate it .

Might be tough - one of the challenges for Browning is that the cam you use only has 6 batteries and they tend to need more juice during winter. Still an interesting test, but I would expect lower pic count on the Browning as a result since it'll reach the point of cut-off quicker than the Moultrie will.

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phade Mentor

phade

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16 hours ago, grampy said:

phade, do you have a cam related website? If so, could you post a link? I'd be very interested in checking it out, if you do! Thanks.

Yes - I keep the site very very basic right now as most of my sales are via word of mouth. I will be adding some content to it over the late winter, early spring time.

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