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Site Updated: 09/03/2010
| September 3, 2010 Trailcampro continues to perform reviews and tests on cameras as they come in. Check out their review of the long awaited Uway NT50B with true covert black flash. September 14th Trailcampro will be holding their trail camera shootout with results released a couple of days later. In an effort to keep you up to date with our Reconyx HC500 experience, below is a 5 picture series of some turkeys. The camera doesn't seem to miss much but the picture quality needs just a little bit of tweaking. We sure hope they consider a firmware upgrade in the near future. The only editing we did from the original was to change the size to 640 x 480 pixels.
Animated series:
August 21,2010 This is a follow up to the date issues I was having with my 2010 Bushnell Trophy Cam. The cam held the date and time all week so I assume it was the batteries. It is currently running on a set of NiMH. The number of pictures on these batteries in one week: 3,500.
August 20, 2010 Trailcampro is performing their 2010 Trigger Speed Showdown. For you speed junkies keep an eye on this Trailcampro report. Trailcampro has indicated on their Blog that there is a Bushnell Trophy Cam firmware update. Follow this link to the blog. Once there you will find a link to the location of the firmware itself. Everybody should stay in touch with the Trailcampro website and keep an eye on the Uway camera. The engineering that went into this camera is supposed to be extreme. Delivery has been delayed for months until the engineers and manufacturer got things just right. This sounds like a high level of quality control. The picture quality is said to be very good. It comes in both a red flash and black flash option. Visit Trailcampro for more details.
August 10, 2010 For you trigger speed junkies, read this article by Trailcampro. It is from 2009 but tells you who has the speed.
August 7, 2010 The Reconyx HC500 took 2,900 pictures this week. The camera was set on 3-shot burst, 3.1 mp and balanced night mode. Below is a 3-shot series of both color and black and white. Still no shooter bucks at this location.
August 1, 2010 The Reconyx HC500 took 5,100 pix this week. I don't know how it crammed all those pictures on a 2 GB Sandisk card. I'm still waiting for my first mature buck. Below is another 5-shot series in color and some random night mode shots. The night mode setting was "Fast Shutter".
July 24, 2010 Trailcampro indicated on their blog that the Uway NT50 and NT50B Nighttrakkers may actually begin shipping this week. Keep your eyes on this cam as the 'hype' on the web says this camera is one to watch. One of the unique specifications with this camera is sound recording with the video. Below is a 5-shot burst of pictures from our new Reconyx HC500 purchased from Trailcampro. Our location isn't producing any mature whitetails yet but we think it should only be a matter of time. We will give it a couple more weeks before deciding if we need to punt and move it to another location. We anticipate the deer will move from the soybeans to the corn any time.
Below is a single nighttime picture from the Reconyx HC500.
July 15, 2010 Check out the Trailcampro 2nd Annual Trail Cam Photo Contest. Help a brother out and vote for Picture No. 84. There are some very good photos in this year's contest. Top prize is a Reconyx Hyperfire HC600 Ultimate Package. Trailcampro needs to be commended for putting together such an awesome prize package.
July 10, 2010 The Bushnell Trophy Cams have really been pumping out the pictures (knock on wood). One of my I40s takes very nice pictures but the light metering can really be a pain at times. Before I moved my I40 last week, it sat just inside the edge of the woods pointed out into a field with about one fourth of the picture 'horizon'. This caused the the camera to meter perfectly on the sky but during the day, the pictures were extremely dark. I couldn't even make out the little fawns in the pictures. That is one thing I have learned with the Moultrie I40 and I50. This camera isn't smart enough to know to meter on the darker foliage right in front of the camera. The Bushnell does a much better job.
June 5, 2010 My little '09 Bushnell Trophy Cam really did well in it's first week in the field, it took 681 pictures. The Tenergy NiMH rechargeable batteries were still hanging in there. My settings are as follows: Camera, 5 mp, 3-shot, 15 second delay, normal sensitivity, time stamp on. This time of year with warm temperatures it is typical to set sensitivity to high but I was worried about false triggers so I left it on normal. It seemed to do quite well. I'm watching for ants or bugs taking over my security box. So far so good. I may need to stop at the hardware store and get some ant killer if they begin to call my box home.
May 30, 2010 There appears to be a lot of decent looking cameras to hit the market yet for us camera addicts. My friend at Trailcampro indicates they are anxious to run through their trail camera shootout for 2010 but they are waiting on some of the cameras to hit the market yet. One type of cam that seems to have a limited choice in the market place is the nighttime incandescent flash. Trailcampro staff feel the Cuddeback Capture is a very good camera for those people looking for the nighttime color photos. I am saving my pennies for now waiting for the staff at Trailcampro to to
May 7, 2010 Well, I held a new Reconyx Hyperfire HC500 in my hands today. I was in a sporting goods store and they had one in stock. The camera is much smaller than I expected. Trailcampro says Wow!
April 30, 2010 Here's what Trailcampro has to say about the Bushnell Trophy Cam:
April 16, 2010 Trailcampro Low Price Guarantee Buy With Confidence! At Trailcampro we guarantee our customers the lowest priced Scouting cameras on the web. If within thirty (30) days of your purchase you find a lower price on a exact product we will gladly refund you the difference. Please note the following:
April 12, 2010 Trailcampro has a new article that compares the Tenergy NiMH batteries and regular alkaline batteries. Take some time and read the article. Trailcampro says: "So how long will your Tenergy Batteries last? Roughly 1,000 charges. Let's see, you have saved money, increased the battery life of your trail camera, and now you have kept hundreds of batteries from finding their way to the landfill. This is an easy decision!" We all know that individual Owner experiences will vary but it is well worth the time to give it a try.
April 6, 2010 For those of you looking for rechargeable batteries. You need to take a look at the Tenergy NiMH. I for one get sick of buying batteries, especially when the weather turns cold. This is definitely an option for cost-conscious trail camera addicts. Trailcampro has sample 2010 BTC photos posted for your review. All I can say is nice!
April 1, 2010 Reconyx is at the top of the list with BEC when it comes to quality and dependability. Reconyx has a new line of cameras coming out in 2010. These "HyperFireTM" cameras will use SD cards in lieu of flash cards and AA batteries in lieu of C or D batteries. This camera is priced around $550. What really intrigues me about this camera is the fact that the camera will accept a python cable. I look forward to Trailcampro's review of this camera.
March 12, 2010 The 2010 Bushnell Trophy Cam XLT trail camera has some changes that can definitely be considered improvements. It will have 32 LED's for extended IR flash and improved image quality after dark, improved picture sensor, ability to handle 16 gb SD cards and a molded receiver on the back for a python cable. That sounds like the perfect camera to me. We'll see how it turns out. I still haven't seen any reports on the ideal incandescent flash cameras. I want decent picture quality and a camera that doesn't eat batteries like my yellow lab eats dog food. One thing that absolutely drives me crazy is the hype that goes with new cameras coming to the market then end up being a big dud. There were a couple of models in 2009 that had many game camera consumers giddy with anticipation. The cameras were a flop. I refuse to preorder just because of this. I want to read some testing and feedback information on any new model before I make a purchase. There are a couple of cameras right now that looked great when their advertisements hit the internet last fall but they still aren't in the market. Go to this website for excellent trail camera information:
February 6, 2010 Take a look at what's new in 2010. Well, time to start looking for the next great trail camera. Right now the Reconyx Camera is by far the best in the industry. But unless somebody sends one to me in the mail, I am not going to spend the $600. It's just too much of a risk in the areas I hunt. There are some new things coming out and I am anxious to read the reviews and add one or two to my inventory. The Moultrie I45 and I65 were a bust in 2009. The cameras never lived up to the hype. The word is Moultrie is already revamping the line-up. I plan to "go small" in my inventory. I really like the Bushnell Trophy Cams but have ran into a situation where a bad batch at Cabela's required me to go through 5 different cameras before I found one on the fifth try that didn't have problems with the LCD screen. I plan to really consider a camera that has audio with video. Some already exist. My ideal camera will include:
I learned in 2009 that the large cameras spook the deer when they see them on the side of a tree especially when the cameras are in a security box. So if anybody wants to send me a camera to try in 2010, I'm sure I can find a tree that a nice Iowa whitetail walks by every now and then. See our photos page.
2009 Bushnell Trophy Cam
Wanted one of the new, small cameras that could run on AA batteries. Decided to purchase a Bushnell Trophy Cam due to its somewhat positive reviews. Have been putting it through the home testing regimen. So far so good except the switch is a little touchy when going from the On to Setup mode. Pros
Cons
On a scale of 1 to 5, I would rate the camera a 4 so far. The week IR flash is the only reason we would rate this camera below a 5.
Stealth Sniper Pro - I850
I wanted a night color game camera to add to my Moultrie IR collection. I decided to try a new Stealth Sniper Pro, 8 mp camera. I had always liked the picture quality of the Stealth cameras. My home 'getting acquainted' testing identified that the camera required standard SD cards. High speed cards would not work in the camera. With standard 2 gb SD cards the camera seems to function just fine. The incandescent flash is quite powerful and lights up the night pretty well. The Stealth security bracket is somewhat loose. The second week of field testing has shown that it can come loose and slide in front of the lens. The bracket will require some clamps or tie straps to keep it from sliding in front of the lens. I did purchase a 12V external battery and this camera performs pretty well with the 12V. I would not recommend the camera if you only plan to use the internals. Pros
Cons
On a scale of 1 to 5, I would rate the camera a 4 with the use of the 12V battery. I would rate the camera as a 2 if you only plan to use internal batteries. It is a battery eater.
Moultrie I40
This was a very popular camera in 2007 due to its dependability and price. It boasted of a 1.5 second trigger. A problem with this camera were "whiteouts" at dawn and dusk. A firmware upgrade fixed this issue for the most part. The camera can be purchased for $200 at Cabela's. Security for this camera generally costs in the $40 to $50 range for a box. Battery life is outstanding. You can go an easy 4 months or more on 6 D-cell batteries. The brass thumb screw receivers easily separate from the molded plastic (i.e. the come loose, don't over tighten). The best fix we have found is super glue to reset the brass receivers or to send the camera back to Moultrie. For the price, this camera is hard to beat if you like nighttime IR photos. It is difficult to reach the SD card for removal and exchange for a new one. Sent an I40 back to Moultrie on December 30, 2008. We will get first hand experience with customer service and be able to report it here. Received a replacement camera on January 14. Customer service performed very well.
Cabela's I50 by Moultrie (5 mp version of the Moultrie I40). We've totally committed to the I40 and I50 for now. they seem to be the only cameras in the $200 price range we can count on.
This camera is made by Moultrie for Cabela's. We really like this camera not so much for its 5 mp rating but because it just continues to take pictures. The trigger time is around 1.5 seconds by our estimation. We prefer still photos. We typically set the camera on High or Enhanced quality and 3-shot mode. The 13 second spacing between shots on this and the I40 is poor in our opinion. The camera operates pretty well in cold weather but the display screen is slow. This is understandable when the temperatures get below 30 degrees F. Like the I40 the SD card excess is a pain in the behind for fat fingered people like me.
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Prairie Images, LLC resulted from 33 years of a passionate pursuit for the Iowa Whitetail. Copyright © 2008, 2009, 2010 [prairieimages.com]. All rights reserved. All photos and images are property of Prairie Images or our contributors.
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