Good trail camera brands?

[Timmer]

Hi all,

I am looking to get a couple new trail cameras.  I have had experience with a few brands:

- Browning - 9+ years without fail, still going strong. Not cellular so I have to go out and collect the memory card. 

- Cuddeback - 8 years without fail, still going strong. Not cellular so I have to go out and collect the memory card. The picture quality and timing of the picture are great. 

- Stealthcam - On a whim my wife got me a two pack as they were on sale for something like $99 for the two. Not cellular so I have to go out and collect the memory card. I had very low expectations given the price. I have had them deployed for 2 years and they work surprisingly well, with one big exception. They don't work at all in cold temperatures. I didn't track the exact data but something like around 25 degrees and under they just flat out don't take any pictures. So they are my warm weather extra cams. 

- Spypoint - My first experience with cellular cams. I own 2 and they are constantly having issues. I have had 3 dead units in less than 2 years. Most of the time I have had one deployed in the field and the other inside for factory reset and firmware updates to solve one problem or another such as not transmitting, not taking pictures, or eating batteries within a few days. Yesterday I was told there was a fix for my unit not taking pictures if I were to send it in, but because I was no longer under warranty it wasn't an option for me. Instead they wanted me to buy a new camera from them and they would give me $15 off the purchase for my trouble... whoopee. I told them no and to cancel the subscription for my working camera as well. I will just go collect the data card from it until it fails, which I'm sure will be weeks to months

I'd like to get back into cellular cameras and am looking for recommendations. I really like my Cuddback and would lean towards that brand based on my experience, but I'm not seeing much of anything for current reviews. I'd hate to learn the hard way that their quality has gone down over time.

[wchadw]

I've used SPYPOINTs and moultire mobile
I don't recommend SPYPOINTs
Moultire cameras work well but I have noticed they don't trigger on movement right in front of them sometimes and then sometimes they will trigger on a butterfly or trees blowing
Moultire is $10 a month per camera
I think once you get to a certain number you can do an unlimited


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[blake_08]

I own 2 Tactacam Reveal X cameras and I've been very pleased with them over the last year. 2 cameras and unlimited pictures is $25/month so I'm pleased with the service plan pricing too.

[guesswho]

I have nine of the Cuddebacks.  Going on year three with zero issues.   The only complaint I have is the pictures that are sent to your phone aren't the best quality, but they do that because of the data usuage.  The pictures on the cards are great.    A big advantage with Cuddeback is their  cuddelink system.   All nine of mine are under one cell plan.    You have one home camera and up to I think 23 remote cameras.   The remote cameras send their pictures to your home camera, and then the home camera sends them to my phone.   My cell plan runs $20 a month for 2000 pictures, and if it goes over that I pay $5 extra for another 2000.   And you can have the pictures sent to 10 different phones that doesn't go against your monthly count. 

If you wanted to see some test pictures, pm me your cell number and carrier AT&T, Verizon etc. and I would be happy to add you to mine for a couple days.   Good luck

[MISSISSIPPI Double beard]

I have used spypoint and covert wireless cam's. I had too many problems with the spypoint. I fully recommend covert. The AA batteries don't last long if you are taking a lot of pics. You can add rechargeable batteries and a solar panel to the covert cam for longer life.

[BDeal]

Tactacam reveal. Best camera at a reasonable price point. You're welcome

[HookedonHooks]

Spypoint is garbage. I would use Walmart cheapies and go in and out pulling cards often way before ever buying  a Spypoint.

Get a Tactacam Reveal, or two, or three, or how many ever you need.

They will replace camera's that have issues and have great customer service.

[tracker#1]

I sell trail cams in retail. That being said, for conventional cameras, I recommend Brownings and get on trialcampro.com for the reviews. They field test trail cameras and they have all the information you need. Cellular? stay away from Spypoint. I only know one person that has had no issues. So far any of the tatacams are the best for the money.

[cuttinAR]

I have nine of the Cuddebacks.  Going on year three with zero issues.   The only complaint I have is the pictures that are sent to your phone aren't the best quality, but they do that because of the data usuage.  The pictures on the cards are great.    A big advantage with Cuddeback is their  cuddelink system.   All nine of mine are under one cell plan.    You have one home camera and up to I think 23 remote cameras.   The remote cameras send their pictures to your home camera, and then the home camera sends them to my phone.   My cell plan runs $20 a month for 2000 pictures, and if it goes over that I pay $5 extra for another 2000.   And you can have the pictures sent to 10 different phones that doesn't go against your monthly count. 

If you wanted to see some test pictures, pm me your cell number and carrier AT&T, Verizon etc. and I would be happy to add you to mine for a couple days.   Good luck

How does the cuddelink work for you?  I'm looking into them and the reviews aren't positive for the link distance between cameras?  Some say they don't go much further than 100 yds in wooded areas.  My property is wooded and in the hills so connectivity is a concern.

[guesswho]

My property isn't flat, but it's not big hills either, and mostly big mature hardwoods.    The farthest camera from my home camera is about 3/4 of a mile, and about 300 yards to the next camera.  I've never had any issues, the farthest I've had one camera send directly to the home camera is probably 600 yards.   They will send pictures directly to the home camera if in range, if not they will piggy back off another camera closer by.  I honestly haven't had any issues, but have read where some have had connectivity issues in some situations.   If you just had a home camera and one remote camera I can see where hills and thick vegetation may hinder the performance.   But I run 9 so I can cover a large area no problem.  If you have cell coverage on your phone your home camera should work.   

[cuttinAR]

My property isn't flat, but it's not big hills either, and mostly big mature hardwoods.    The farthest camera from my home camera is about 3/4 of a mile, and about 300 yards to the next camera.  I've never had any issues, the farthest I've had one camera send directly to the home camera is probably 600 yards.   They will send pictures directly to the home camera if in range, if not they will piggy back off another camera closer by.  I honestly haven't had any issues, but have read where some have had connectivity issues in some situations.   If you just had a home camera and one remote camera I can see where hills and thick vegetation may hinder the performance.   But I run 9 so I can cover a large area no problem.  If you have cell coverage on your phone your home camera should work.

Thanks for the info.  I'm gonna give it a shot, I've got big hardwoods but also big hills.  In the hollers I get no reception.  Up top 2-3 bars of Verizon LTE but for whatever reason it doesn't work well.  Planning on the ATT option.

[Mathews.1]

We've started using spartan cellular cameras and they are very good. Great pictures and using lithium batteries they last a long time.

[guesswho]

My property isn't flat, but it's not big hills either, and mostly big mature hardwoods.    The farthest camera from my home camera is about 3/4 of a mile, and about 300 yards to the next camera.  I've never had any issues, the farthest I've had one camera send directly to the home camera is probably 600 yards.   They will send pictures directly to the home camera if in range, if not they will piggy back off another camera closer by.  I honestly haven't had any issues, but have read where some have had connectivity issues in some situations.   If you just had a home camera and one remote camera I can see where hills and thick vegetation may hinder the performance.   But I run 9 so I can cover a large area no problem.  If you have cell coverage on your phone your home camera should work.

Thanks for the info.  I'm gonna give it a shot, I've got big hardwoods but also big hills.  In the hollers I get no reception.  Up top 2-3 bars of Verizon LTE but for whatever reason it doesn't work well.  Planning on the ATT option.

Put your home camera up top and you should be fine.   The remote cameras aren't dependent on cell coverage, just built in WiFi to communicate with each other.

[ElkTurkMan]

RECONYX pricy but worth every penny.  5 year warranty, made in the USA and performance is flawless. Plus if you ever do need anything you can get them on the phone.

[RutnNStrutn]

Whichever brand you pick has to be better than Campark. I chose them because of small size and only using 4 AA's. They worked great and took good pictures...... INITIALLY.
Then the rainy season came and they started leaking. The water that got in ruined 2 of the 5 cameras I purchased. The other ones suffered from fogged up and pixelated pictures. I contacted Campark because the cameras were only 6 months old.
I emailed them and they sent me back a detailed list of questions they wanted answered before they would warranty the cameras.
I sent them a reply email with as much information as I could provide. To make a long story short the email exchange dragged on for 7 months, and the contact person changed 3 times. Each time the process started anew with the exact same set of questions.
They dragged it out until a year had elapsed and they stated the warranty had expired, and told me there was nothing they could do. They refused to warranty their defective product.
DO YOURSELVES A HUGE FAVOR AND STEER CLEAR OF CAMPARK GAME CAMERAS!!

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