Tags

Trail Camera Test/Review results

Posted by on 12/20/2011 in archery, hunting | 2 Comments

The time has come to reveal The Hunting Channel’s best trail camera’s of 2011 review and this year’s number one camera.
After 6 months of testing and punishment we rated the following cameras The results are in, we have two categories really two price points: $250-400 and $150-250

In the $250-$400 category we have the following competing:
SPYPOINT PRO-X Plus
Bushnell trophy Cam HD
Stealth Cam, Prowler HD IDVR
Cuddeback Attack IR

In the $150-$250 category we have the following competing:
Stealth Cam, Sniper IR
Bushnell Trophy CAM
Spypoint IR-6
Cuddeback Capture IR

They were rated in the following parameters:

Ease of use: Is the interface user friendly is it easy to read and is it functional
Security: Can the camera be secured so that it wont be stolen on public land. Does it need a separate security box.
Ease of installation: How easy is it to hang
Picture Quality: How clear are the subjects, does it work in all lighting scenarios or does it wash out in bright light
Trigger Speed: Does the camera catch the full subject in frame
Video Quality: How good is the video, are there different settings, how adjustable are the settings
Special Features: Extra features and there “usability” in the field
Sensor Distance: How far out will the camera trigger
Night Time Capture Distance: What’s the range of infra red
Overall Design: How is it constructed, is it ergonomic? Is it conspicuous ?
Toughness: Will it stand up to punishing weather and conditions
Battery Life: How long will standard batteries last
Capacity: how large of a SD card does it except, and will it perform with all types of cards
Does it malfunction: Does it have any quarks
Warranty: What’s the warranty
Customer Service: Is there someone to help you when you need it

SPYPOINT PRO-X Plus
This is a very good camera we liked it a lot: it had very good picture quality with a 12 mp pic it has very nice accessories like a rechargeable lithium battery a trickle solar charger and even a larger battery you can use. The locking box was very user friendly and easy to install and had the proper holes for the accessories. The draw backs to this camera were it switch back and forth from black and white to color whenever it wanted. The trigger speed was kind of sluggish and lastly even with the lithium battery and solar charger it did not last as long as we had hoped. But the interface was relatively easy to use the viewing screen inside was large and high quality, so it gained some point with us in the end.

Stealth Cam, Prowler HD IDVR
This is the toughest camera you will ever buy, one of the trees we had this camera on blew over in a storm and smashed it in late November and with a little duct tape she kept on taking pics just as well as she did before for the rest of the test. However, Trigger speed and trigger distance were this camera claim to fame. But battery life sucked plain and simple we changed batteries 4 times in 6 months, it is very big and bulky, the locking box is after market and like a truck box, the interface is very confusing and has a larger learning curve then others. Plus it doesn’t like all sd cards it only would take pics and video on certain class cards and certain sizes.

Cuddeback Attack IR
Very fast trigger speed and the interface is simple stupid for ease of use, battery life is “so so” trigger distance was again “so so” quality of pics was very good but video not so much, plus the video files do not play on older computers. The mounting system is great if you own your own property and are not worried about getting it stolen, otherwise there is no way to lock it to tree unless you buy a security box which by the way is very bulky and heavy. I had higher expectations for this camera. I really hate that it used c batteries too.

Bushnell trophy Cam HD
There’s a reason why this is our number one pick in the $250-$400, the video and pic quality is amazing, trigger speed and distance score very high as well, batter life is very good especially if you use the lithium batteries. The unit is small easy to carry, we did find that it works better in video mode then picture mode and we don’t like the fact the lock box is top mounted door because when you attach it to the tree the cover hits the tree bark and makes it difficult to remove and access camera but the aftermarket front door style box eliminates these problems. The special features like sound and field scan are a very nice asset, especially since you don’t have to forgo the normal trigger modes. I really like the fact that you can adjust down to the second how long you want in between pics/vids and have the same adjustment capability for video length. Bang for the buck this is the best camera in this price range.

Stealth Cam, Sniper IR
This unit worked half the time and half the time it didn’t it was the most temperamental of the bunch as a matter of fact we placed a much less expensive camera ($45) next to it make sure it wasn’t just a bad spot for game traffic. I don’t know what the deal was with this thing and I couldn’t get them to replace it for me because I had lost my purchase receipt and they wouldn’t warranty it without it.. Plus it had all of the same issue we didn’t like about the prowler crapy battery life, confusing interface, big and bulky. However when it did work it took nice photos and it triggered out further than any other camera we tested, go figure!

Spypoint IR-6
This is a very good camera, very sound, never malfunctioned, battery lasted up to our expectations, trigger speed is good, and pic quality is very nice. It triggered at 3rd longest distance of the bunch, and was one of the best at night time shots. It is relatively small and extremely easy to set up. However, the mounting is kinda of backwards the holes in rear for a cable lock or python lock are on the bottom, so the unit actually mounts better upside down. Again if you have a security box this eliminates the problem, we had nothing bad to say about this camera it’s a good solid choice for the consumer and its priced right

Cuddeback Capture IR
Like the attack the trigger speed and distance is very good, and night shots are very clear and consistent. However, we had issues with this unit as we had with the attack bulky, clumsy, short battery life malfunction a lot if you didn’t use the cards that it likes, and we had to change batteries very often. We called customer service and didn’t get a straight answer as to what cards to use. Very frustrating! Again they were designed in a way that if you wanted secure your unit you are forced to buy a security box.

Bushnell Trophy CAM
THE WINNER IS!!!!
Hands down pound for pound our favorite unit, its priced right, very dependable, one of the few units we tested that had zero functioning issues, battery life was the best out of all the units, trigger speed was slightly lacking not that it was too slow but almost seemed too fast and would trigger some times before the deer was in complete view, this was easily over come by putting it in burst mode or video mode. And let me tell you in video mode this thing rocks!!! Takes great videos and you can get thousands of them on one card, it accepted every card we threw at it, and it was the only unit that wasn’t brand new when we tested it. And like its bigger newer brother it has all the fine adjustments you could ever want. Plus it was the smallest and took the least expensive batteries of them all. Just a little work horse! And all though we liked the HD version with its added features we still had to crown this little guy king of the trail cameras. But if he is King the Bushnell trophy Cam HD is definitely prince.

So in order of best to worst I give you our picks:
Bushnell Trophy CAM
Bushnell trophy Cam HD
Spypoint IR-6
SPYPOINT PRO-X Plus
Stealth Cam, Prowler HD IDVR
Cuddeback Attack IR
Cuddeback Capture IR
Stealth Cam, Sniper IR