Wind Gypsy
Well-known member
- Joined
- Mar 12, 2017
- Messages
- 3,114
Exodus is another i'd consider trying.
Best Value Trailcam brand/model
- Thread starter VikingsGuy
- Start date
reallyoldman
Well-known member
- Joined
- Oct 6, 2021
- Messages
- 221
I have had excellent luck with StealthCam GS-42. I have 8 of them after trying several other makes.
std7mag
Well-known member
I have 4 Wildgame cameras & 2 Moultries.
The wildgame are cheap, comparitively. They work, but aren't the best. Seems like slow trigger times. Lots of pictures of nothing, or the butt of an animal as it walked past.
Battery life is decent, IF it's not on video.
The Moultrie is a good camera. The 3 picture mode lets you see better whats going on, while giving good battery life.
Trigger times are good.
You can get pictures of deer running past.
I'm looking to upgrade some with the Moultrie 900s.
80' distance with much higher resolution pictures.
My friend has 2 & there is a real difference in picture quality, trigger time, and distance.
The wildgame are cheap, comparitively. They work, but aren't the best. Seems like slow trigger times. Lots of pictures of nothing, or the butt of an animal as it walked past.
Battery life is decent, IF it's not on video.
The Moultrie is a good camera. The 3 picture mode lets you see better whats going on, while giving good battery life.
Trigger times are good.
You can get pictures of deer running past.
I'm looking to upgrade some with the Moultrie 900s.
80' distance with much higher resolution pictures.
My friend has 2 & there is a real difference in picture quality, trigger time, and distance.
BoulderBulls
Well-known member
I've always bought cameras on black Friday specials ~$30 apiece. Muddy, stealthcam, and wildgame innovation. I've had to trash 1 or 2 wildgame and stealthcams but no muddy's yet. Overall I'd say I'm pretty happy with the ultra budget cameras with the understanding I put out a dozen each year and maybe 1 won't do anything for me. I always use lithium batteries and the biggest SD the camera will take as a security blanket, some cameras seem to be extra wind sensitive and this way I still come back to a working camera and sift thru a zillion empty pics. I've learned to really clear all the brush grass and leaves you think might trigger the camera and don't mount it on a tree that will shake in the wind. I always reformat to fat32 after each card pull, not sure if that helps but can't hurt.
If you want to go for the cheapest I'd say give the muddy's a go and or understand you got 3 cameras for the price of 1 and after 5 years you'll have junked one but the other 2 will be chugging along.
We got dad a couple GardePro A3 for Christmas, they have rave reviews on Amazon. I was real happy with the interface but we just set them a few months ago and have yet to do a card pull so no comment there, yet
If you want to go for the cheapest I'd say give the muddy's a go and or understand you got 3 cameras for the price of 1 and after 5 years you'll have junked one but the other 2 will be chugging along.
We got dad a couple GardePro A3 for Christmas, they have rave reviews on Amazon. I was real happy with the interface but we just set them a few months ago and have yet to do a card pull so no comment there, yet
Mallardsx2
Well-known member
- Joined
- Apr 4, 2015
- Messages
- 3,590
Spartan has worked well for us.
FOR SURE, don't buy a spypoint. Terrible company.
FOR SURE, don't buy a spypoint. Terrible company.
jpc01101
Well-known member
- Joined
- Jan 14, 2021
- Messages
- 1,023
Muddy cellular cams are buy one get one so $75 each right now, not a bad deal. Seem to work fine.
Hilljackoutlaw
Well-known member
- Joined
- Jan 15, 2019
- Messages
- 7,464
I've had every camera brand I can think of. For the price browning has been bulletproof for me. I have 5 up that have not come down in 4 or 5 years all I do is change the batteries. Night and day pic quality is great. I have other brands that have worked for years to but the browning are just better for the money. If going cellular I have spypoints and cuddebacks. Spypoints have been great for me plans: 100 pics a month/free
250 pics a month/$4
1000 pics a month/$7
Unlimited pics a month/$10
These plans are per camera. Put solar on two of them and been running for 2 years non stop at 99% battery life.
Cuddeback extremely overpriced for the quality. Would not recommend plus when I hang the 5 I got I need to use my pack goats because they weigh a ton and weigh two tons with the lock boxes.
250 pics a month/$4
1000 pics a month/$7
Unlimited pics a month/$10
These plans are per camera. Put solar on two of them and been running for 2 years non stop at 99% battery life.
Cuddeback extremely overpriced for the quality. Would not recommend plus when I hang the 5 I got I need to use my pack goats because they weigh a ton and weigh two tons with the lock boxes.
I have run several brands of cams. I currently have 20 spypoints microlink, 10 G cam cuddelink, and 12 browning dark ops. The spypoints have been flawless. I have run one of them for over two years and counting continuously, 1 for over a year continuously, and the rest have been used from August thru Feb. Battery life has been great, several thousands of pics per set. I have well over 50 thousand pics on the 2 year one and over half that on the one year. The others are in double digit thousands as well. Pics are good for thumbnails sent to me and are great when taken from the card. I do use 12 volt systems on 7 of them in areas I don't want to go into unless I absolutely have to.
Cuddelink has been so so and have been used the same as the spypoints. I've had to return 4 of them but they stood behind them and replaced although begrudgingly the last one as they didn't believe it when I said I had good service where I put the cam. They are a good tool for where one would like relative instant recon where one can't put cell cams and work good as cell cams when used that was also. Pics are good for thumbnails and the ones of the cards are great.
Of the 12 non cell brownings I have, they are between 3 and 6 years old. I have some deployed year round but the majority are the Aug thru Feb frame. They just plain keep working. Pics are ok to good depending on the pixel I go with.
The spypoints and brownings have averaged under a 100 per cam and IMO are a great value. It will take a few years to equate the same value out of the cuddes and I don't plan on replacing them when they do go bad and are out of warrranty.(unless price comes down quite a ways)
Cuddelink has been so so and have been used the same as the spypoints. I've had to return 4 of them but they stood behind them and replaced although begrudgingly the last one as they didn't believe it when I said I had good service where I put the cam. They are a good tool for where one would like relative instant recon where one can't put cell cams and work good as cell cams when used that was also. Pics are good for thumbnails and the ones of the cards are great.
Of the 12 non cell brownings I have, they are between 3 and 6 years old. I have some deployed year round but the majority are the Aug thru Feb frame. They just plain keep working. Pics are ok to good depending on the pixel I go with.
The spypoints and brownings have averaged under a 100 per cam and IMO are a great value. It will take a few years to equate the same value out of the cuddes and I don't plan on replacing them when they do go bad and are out of warrranty.(unless price comes down quite a ways)
Bowedark
Member
I get great photos out Tasco over 40 bucks I am have 12 set out i use rechargeable batteries change out the batteries each time I visit it about once a month I have the cameras set out whole year sometimes I don’t check for 3 or 4 months cameras up and running and over 4000 pictures
