Wildlife camera traps
Discussion
I tried one make, claiming 1080p, absolutely rubbish video quality and and fuzzy as hell.
Now on another brand that does 720p (apparently a better named product), advertised as such (720) and pretty much OK for the image quality that I expect for 720. But seems the battery life may be a week instead of the year claimed in the blurb.
Anyone else have one that provides decent image quality day and night, not blurred or fuzzy despite claimed and good battery life?
The initial one I bought seems to have several names applied depending who is selling it (same device) and the web site for the "seller" had a picture of a bike as a member of staff. The only member of staff. Seems there could be a lot of knock offs in this.
Now on another brand that does 720p (apparently a better named product), advertised as such (720) and pretty much OK for the image quality that I expect for 720. But seems the battery life may be a week instead of the year claimed in the blurb.
Anyone else have one that provides decent image quality day and night, not blurred or fuzzy despite claimed and good battery life?
The initial one I bought seems to have several names applied depending who is selling it (same device) and the web site for the "seller" had a picture of a bike as a member of staff. The only member of staff. Seems there could be a lot of knock offs in this.
Cheers.
Funnily enough that is the one I have to replace the other non branded. Think I had 5 days out of half the battery pack on this one. It will cost me more on batteries in a year than the camera. Photo performance is pants.
It was one of the discounted ones from the makers shop front on Amazon so expect it is an older model. For hedgehog etc. spotting it will be fine but there is enough about it to say it will get on my nerves soon, especially batteries. Experience says recharhgebles will go down faster. even with a full pack. 24 days left to test that.
I think as you say, the better ones are going to cost.
Funnily enough that is the one I have to replace the other non branded. Think I had 5 days out of half the battery pack on this one. It will cost me more on batteries in a year than the camera. Photo performance is pants.
It was one of the discounted ones from the makers shop front on Amazon so expect it is an older model. For hedgehog etc. spotting it will be fine but there is enough about it to say it will get on my nerves soon, especially batteries. Experience says recharhgebles will go down faster. even with a full pack. 24 days left to test that.
I think as you say, the better ones are going to cost.
I presume you mean a camera you can leave in the woods or whatever and it automatically takes photos and videos?
If so, the brand you want is 'LTL Acorn'.
Muchlike no one has heard of Nextbase but they make the best dashcams, LTL Acorn make really good (and cheap) wildlife cameras.
I bought a 5210A a couple of years ago, and honestly it's brilliant. I left it in the woods for weeks/months near my Pheasant feeders and I got some really good photos and videos of Deer, Foxes, Badger and suchlike. Even caught videos of strange guys wandering around in my woods fiddling with my feeders and generally acting shifty!
It's amazing what videos you capture in the great outdoors with these type of cameras when people think there is no one watching!
https://www.ukwildlifecameras.co.uk/trail_cameras/...
I can't comment on the battery life as honestly I used it for months and never changed the AA batteries once. They are still in it now for when I use it next. It goes for months on one set.
If so, the brand you want is 'LTL Acorn'.
Muchlike no one has heard of Nextbase but they make the best dashcams, LTL Acorn make really good (and cheap) wildlife cameras.
I bought a 5210A a couple of years ago, and honestly it's brilliant. I left it in the woods for weeks/months near my Pheasant feeders and I got some really good photos and videos of Deer, Foxes, Badger and suchlike. Even caught videos of strange guys wandering around in my woods fiddling with my feeders and generally acting shifty!
It's amazing what videos you capture in the great outdoors with these type of cameras when people think there is no one watching!
https://www.ukwildlifecameras.co.uk/trail_cameras/...
I can't comment on the battery life as honestly I used it for months and never changed the AA batteries once. They are still in it now for when I use it next. It goes for months on one set.
Edited by anonymous-user on Sunday 17th June 22:11
Simpo Two said:
Surely what you want is a trigger for a proper camera?
http://micnova.com/products/Versatile_Trigger/Lightning_Motion_Sound_trigger.htmlor
https://plutotrigger.com
Like that.
But the issue is leaving your DSLR or a decent camera in the woods somewhere... water ingress, damp, theft, eaten by animals. You would have to make some form of waterproof enclosure box for starters.
When I use my wildlife camera, I can leave it there for days or weeks and at £100 or so, I couldn't really give a s
t if I found it destroyed or stolen.Thanks for the info.
It would be nice to be able to trust no one to "borrow" the DSLR
Problem with the last branded at the lower end of the price bracket.
Battery life, it had half the full load but was five days or so. Daytime picture quality poor (abysmal). Activation time slower than claimed. Often the subject was way past where it should have been initially captured. Converting video files to run on a mac (I suspect it was an earlier model around 2013 after a bit of research).
Can I ask if you have tried any daytime images rather than film on the ltlacorn? The one I sent back was way underexposed and pixelated to hell and it was fixed to a concrete slab using a camera bracket so no movement to upset it.
What I have noticed is the branded one did a far better job of "illumination" on the night time film than the first el cheapo one that seemed to glow the centre portion of the film.
My use is for hedgehogs, foxes etc. around the property.
Edit. I don't want to compromise anyones locations or anything. Just a yeah or nay on the quality rather than a show and tell.
It would be nice to be able to trust no one to "borrow" the DSLR
Problem with the last branded at the lower end of the price bracket.
Battery life, it had half the full load but was five days or so. Daytime picture quality poor (abysmal). Activation time slower than claimed. Often the subject was way past where it should have been initially captured. Converting video files to run on a mac (I suspect it was an earlier model around 2013 after a bit of research).
Can I ask if you have tried any daytime images rather than film on the ltlacorn? The one I sent back was way underexposed and pixelated to hell and it was fixed to a concrete slab using a camera bracket so no movement to upset it.
What I have noticed is the branded one did a far better job of "illumination" on the night time film than the first el cheapo one that seemed to glow the centre portion of the film.
My use is for hedgehogs, foxes etc. around the property.
Edit. I don't want to compromise anyones locations or anything. Just a yeah or nay on the quality rather than a show and tell.
jmorgan said:
Thanks for the info.
Can I ask if you have tried any daytime images rather than film on the ltlacorn? The one I sent back was way underexposed and pixelated to hell
I always used my LTL for photo and video, and I was always very pleased with the quality. Especially on photos.Can I ask if you have tried any daytime images rather than film on the ltlacorn? The one I sent back was way underexposed and pixelated to hell
I think I lost all my LTL images during the Photobucket debacle, but I'll have a look later as they may still be on my laptop.
The LTL has 'pre sensors' as well, which are sensors that point out to the sides which ready the camera to take a photo. So when the animal or person moves in front of the unit, it's already primed to take a photo and almost never misses.
Lord Marylebone said:
I always used my LTL for photo and video, and I was always very pleased with the quality. Especially on photos.
I think I lost all my LTL images during the Photobucket debacle, but I'll have a look later as they may still be on my laptop.
The LTL has 'pre sensors' as well, which are sensors that point out to the sides which ready the camera to take a photo. So when the animal or person moves in front of the unit, it's already primed to take a photo and almost never misses.
Don't worry about finding them, the review so to speak is OK. Appreciate the input.I think I lost all my LTL images during the Photobucket debacle, but I'll have a look later as they may still be on my laptop.
The LTL has 'pre sensors' as well, which are sensors that point out to the sides which ready the camera to take a photo. So when the animal or person moves in front of the unit, it's already primed to take a photo and almost never misses.
Eyes are down to the 6310, FOV 100 vs 52 and 1080p but the last 1080p was dire.
I had seen that web site before but wary when I am buying from somewhere I have no knowledge of.
I've got a Browning Special Ops Extreme (talk about OTT product naming!) from NatureSpy (very helpful to deal with)
Night videos are limited to 20 seconds but the quality is quite good. I'm using some older AA rechargeables in it, but Nature Spy recommend one-shot Everyready Lithium from memory.
Night videos are limited to 20 seconds but the quality is quite good. I'm using some older AA rechargeables in it, but Nature Spy recommend one-shot Everyready Lithium from memory.
I have a couple of camera traps - a mid-range Bushnell (VGA res) and a no-name knockoff (HD res). Neither give particularly good images - probably because they are primarily designed for the USA hunting brigade to identify game trails, not for "photography".
In general they have cheap fixed-focus wide-angle lenses. I don't think it's possible to focus visible light and infra-red on the sensor with a fixed focus lens as they refract differently. Focus is set somewhere between the two so can never be sharp for both day and night images.
In general they have cheap fixed-focus wide-angle lenses. I don't think it's possible to focus visible light and infra-red on the sensor with a fixed focus lens as they refract differently. Focus is set somewhere between the two so can never be sharp for both day and night images.
Harpoon said:
I've got a Browning Special Ops Extreme (talk about OTT product naming!) from NatureSpy (very helpful to deal with)
Night videos are limited to 20 seconds but the quality is quite good. I'm using some older AA rechargeables in it, but Nature Spy recommend one-shot Everyready Lithium from memory.
We will want longer than 20 seconds though, thanks for the info.Night videos are limited to 20 seconds but the quality is quite good. I'm using some older AA rechargeables in it, but Nature Spy recommend one-shot Everyready Lithium from memory.
I popped in a fresh pack of AA, four only thinking a few months at least. Seems a few will take 4 or 8. But it would be rechargeable when I get the right one.
jmorgan said:
We will want longer than 20 seconds though, thanks for the info.
I popped in a fresh pack of AA, four only thinking a few months at least. Seems a few will take 4 or 8. But it would be rechargeable when I get the right one.
It all depends on what sort of quality you want.I popped in a fresh pack of AA, four only thinking a few months at least. Seems a few will take 4 or 8. But it would be rechargeable when I get the right one.
The LTL and Bushnell ones are very decent, and will last for months on 8 AA batteries, and give pretty good videos and photos.
If you want to simply observe wildlife, they will be fine.
If you want proper high quality photos and videos of wildlife for 'art' purposes, then Simpo's suggestion of a DSLR and trigger system is the only way.
jmorgan said:
We will want longer than 20 seconds though, thanks for the info.
I popped in a fresh pack of AA, four only thinking a few months at least. Seems a few will take 4 or 8. But it would be rechargeable when I get the right one.
If you've got good batteries, the camera should be good to go again in one second and then record another clip.I popped in a fresh pack of AA, four only thinking a few months at least. Seems a few will take 4 or 8. But it would be rechargeable when I get the right one.
My cam has a 12v DC input on the bottom so I guess you could use a big USB power bank. I'd have to check if a solar panel would trickle charge AA batteries.
Lord Marylebone said:
But the issue is leaving your DSLR or a decent camera in the woods somewhere... water ingress, damp, theft, eaten by animals. You would have to make some form of waterproof enclosure box for starters.
Meh, the young Simpo landed a timelapse project. It involved four SLRs in two hand-made enclosures, ran for three months on car batteries and paid for his first Jaguar 
Simpo Two said:
Lord Marylebone said:
But the issue is leaving your DSLR or a decent camera in the woods somewhere... water ingress, damp, theft, eaten by animals. You would have to make some form of waterproof enclosure box for starters.
Meh, the young Simpo landed a timelapse project. It involved four SLRs in two hand-made enclosures, ran for three months on car batteries and paid for his first Jaguar It's far easier to pay £100 for a purpose built wildlife camera and strap it to a tree, and not worry about it.
But like I said above, the level of cost and effort depends entirely on what sort of photos the OP wants from his setup.
I just wanted some decent watchable videos and photos of wildlife, so an LTL camera was brilliant. Can't fault it. Went to it once a month to swap the SD card and see what images I had.
But for some real quality images, he will have to do what you did and stick a DSLR or Mirrorless camera in a weather sealed box and buy a £100 trigger sensor, plus a battery pack etc etc.
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