Trail camera recommendations?

[nemesis]

I need a trail camera. I know nothing about them.

All I know is that you need the camera, and something to hold it onto a tree.

Do they have solar batteries? Or do you have to keep changing the batteries?

I'd like a camera that can give decent night time images even though hunting after dark is against the law here. I'd just like to know what game is passing through.

Something that also shows the date and time on the image would be good. I'm likely to not get back to it except maybe twice a month.

Weatherproof is good.

What else should I be looking for? Features?

Finally, what camera can you recommend?

thanx

 

[doctorjj]

Almost all the cameras on the market these days will provide a date/time/temp/moon phase stamp on the pics. They also all take fairly good quality pics, day and night. There are solar chargers for some but the better ones are much better at battery usage. They are all waterproof that I am aware of.

Here's where I will disagree with just about everyone on this site. Buy a Reconyx. I know they are $500+, but I spent way more than that on cheap cameras that stopped working, ate through batteries , etc. I would have, literally, been money ahead if I had bought a Reconyx to begin with. Let alone all the frustration of figuring out the camera is broken or didn't take pics for more than a couple days even though you just put $8 worth of fresh batteries in it. On top of that, no other camera comes close to their trigger speed, so that big buck that walks straight in front of your camera that doesn't stop, with a cheap camera you'll be lucky to get a picture of his butt. With a Reconyx, you'll get 2-3 good shots of him.

 

[nemesis]

By "trigger", you're referring to the fact that the camera is motion activated? Movement "triggers" the camera to take pictures?

Does this camera have a screen that allows you to see the activity? Also, is there a memory card? What happens when the memory card is full? Does it just keep going and taking pictures over pictures that were already taken?

thanx

 

[TwoForFlinching]

I bought a $30 Tasco brand cam from walmart a few years ago... It'll run a year on four AA's, takes both SD and SDHD cards, and hasn't failed me yet. It takes better low light pics than high lights, but for $30, it still takes great pics.

 

[doctorjj]

By "trigger", you're referring to the fact that the camera is motion activated? Movement "triggers" the camera to take pictures?

Does this camera have a screen that allows you to see the activity? Also, is there a memory card? What happens when the memory card is full? Does it just keep going and taking pictures over pictures that were already taken?

thanx

Yes. The motion is the trigger. The Reconyx will take a pic within hundredths of a second after motion is detected. Most other cameras will take a picture 3-4 seconds after motion is detected. That means your monster buck has already walked past and you just get a shot of his butt or nothing.