Black flash Cell Cam Recommendation

[TN Larry]

Besides Tactacam, what other black flash cell cams would you recommend? I'm running three Tactacams. I really have no complaints but the pics could be better and the cams sometimes click when taking a picture. Just looking to try something else whether right or wrong.

 

[Hunt4]

If you are wanting to stay in that price range the Stealth Cam Deceptor has been good for me the past few months. The pic quality it sends is very impressive compared to the Tactacam. I've been very pleased with it.

 

[CrossVolle]

Browning Dark Ops

 

[PickettSFHunter]

Spartan for sure.

 

[East TN Bowhunter]

Tactacam XBs don't click and have black flash. My Tactacam X Gen 2.0 clicks and has IR flash so yea it sucks but the XB is where its at!

 

[TN Larry]

Tactacam XBs don't click and have black flash. My Tactacam X Gen 2.0 clicks and has IR flash so yea it sucks but the XB is where its at!

I have three XBs, and they all click sometimes. It's not always but will randomly click sometimes when taking a picture. I noticed it when I had them set up in the house testing them.

 

[Andy S.]

Spartan for sure.

Ditto! The two make/model cellular BF cams I run are Tactacam XB and Spartan GoCam GC-A4GB2 AT&T 4G LTE. Both have been great over last few years. I'd buy both again if they were available and I needed one.

 

[PickettSFHunter]

I have alittle more time to elaborate on why I say Spartan. I have Spartans and tactacams. I bought tactacams when they came out because the Spartan gocams were $400 so I only bought 2 Spartans early on just due to the cost. Spartan go cams are now $200 and you can find a 10% off code pretty easy. For me, it's a no brainer to go Spartan now. I've yet to have one die or leak. I've had plenty of Tactacams leak or die after a few years now. Just my opinion and my experiences.

 

[TheLBLman]

I had, have had, or have 3 Tactacams (one of which is the Reveal X-Pro).
They all have slow trigger speeds, and are the least liked cell cams in my arsenal.
Tactacams eat batteries.

I'm running mostly Brownings but do have several true black-flash Ridgetecs.
The Ridgetecs are more reliable and more feature-rich than the Brownings.
Ridgetecs cell plans are lower cost than either Browning or Tactacam.

I have friends who "like" numerous other brands such as Spartan & Reconyx.
Most of my friends were INITIALLY favorably impressed with Tactacams.
All have lost their enthusiasm and are now replacing Tactacams with other brands.

The issue of "best" is a matter of perspective.
"Best" what? Up-front price at point of purchase?
Lower up front cost can be negated by cheaper cams having
shorter batter life and more expensive cell plans.

Lastly, it's hard to put a price on reliability to capture the most important pics when something trots past your cam. Those with slow trigger speeds tend to miss a lot.

I have friends making the case that Reconyx actually costs less over several years than most other options. Closest thing to Reconyx's reliability and long-term value might be the Ridgetecs & Spartans.

Unless I'm mistaken (good chance) Browning's current 2023 cell cam offerings do not include a true black flash model. However, their red-glow models set to "low" or "economy" generally will not be noticed by deer.

 

[BSK]

Personally, I rarely use cell cams. So when it comes to cell cam knowledge, I really don't know anyone who has tested more cell cams than TheLBLman. When he speaks about cell cams, I listen.

 

[Andy S.]

So when it comes to cell cam knowledge, I really don't know anyone who has tested more cell cams than TheLBLman. When he speaks about cell cams, I listen.

Check out Mike Kirckpatrick with Herd360, he's my go to guy for cell cam and solar power discussions. He's likely has the most breadth and depth East of the MS River when it comes to cellular cameras. He was messing with them before they were cool. He's tested/used/reviewed 8-10 models, if not more. Not only does he sell them, he uses them year round in the woods as he is a big hunter/outdoorsman in South Carolina.

 

[Andy S.]

Tactacams eat batteries.

IMO, this is painting Tactacams with too broad of a brush. My experience with Gen1 and XB model Tactacams has been just the opposite. I routinely get 10-12 months of continuous service (in the woods year-round) with Energizer Lithiums and 6 months with Duracell Coppertop/Energizer Max alkaline batteries.

 

[BSK]

Check out Mike Kirckpatrick with Herd360, he's my go to guy for cell cam and solar power discussions. He's likely has the most breadth and depth East of the MS River when it comes to cellular cameras. He was messing with them before they were cool. He's tested/used/reviewed 8-10 models, if not more. Not only does he sell them, he uses them year round in the woods as he is a big hunter/outdoorsman in South Carolina.

I would bet TheLBLman has tested more than that!

 

[TheLBLman]

I would bet TheLBLman has tested more than that!

Probably not, as I'm not in the business of selling them, just trying to get the best value for myself and a few friends.

I started the cell cam testing when Covert came out with their first unit a few years ago. That soured me on cell cams, as it ate thru its lithium batteries monthly, and simply didn't reliably work. As I understand it, Covert's newer models are ok. Within a few years, there were many reasonably reliable brands/units on the market. At present, I'm personally only using 3 brands, but yes, have tested/messed with a few others.

In my core group of hunting buddies, there are well over 100 Tactacams currently in use. They initially bought them in quantity because they were lower in price (up front), and their image quality is good. But we have found trigger speed and battery life to be sub-par.

I don't "hate" Tactacams, don't sell or get paid in any way to share my findings & thoughts. I have one hunting buddy in particular who swears Reconyx is the lowest cost cell cam on the market, over time. Brownings & Ridgetecs have been the best overall values for me.

At the least, "Value" should be measured by the balance of upfront price, reliability to function as needed, monthly operating costs, and longevity as a working cell cam. Cheaper (up front priced) cams tend to have lower quality everything, including movement sensors (slower trigger speeds) and may not "function" well enough to get pics of everything that passes in front of those cams. Then it doesn't matter how "clear" a pic might be, if you don't get it in the first place.

Most of the cell cams on the market today (regardless of brand) are far superior, and at lower overall costs (up front & ongoing) than what was available only a year or two ago. That said, my (no longer manufactured) Browning Pro Scout cell cams (which are 3 to 4 years old) require only 8 AA lithium batteries, and the battery life is typically 9 to 12 months when used year-round. Another issue on ongoing costs is not just battery life, but how many batteries does the cam need, i.e. 8 vs 12 vs 16.

One of the best sources of level-field comparative testing I've found is
www.trailcampro.com
Their testing is much more science based than my "field" testing.

Their testing (and technical reviews) has prevented me from buying (and field testing) several cams that I would have found to be junk. I particularly appreciate their comparative testing of battery life and trigger speeds.

 

[Andy S.]

I would bet TheLBLman has tested more than that!

How much you want to bet? (based on his reply above).

 

[Andy S.]

Brownings & Ridgetecs have been the best overall values for me.

Mike has repeatedly spoke highly of Ridgetecs too.

I started the cell cam testing when Covert came out with their first unit a few years ago. That soured me on cell cams, as it ate thru its lithium batteries monthly, and simply didn't reliably work.

My starting point with cellular cameras as well. Same experience here with them, and same perception of them to date. Not a fan, but have not tested any of the newer models.

 

[BSK]

Hate to think of the number of different cams I've tested over the years. Because I'm such a heavy user of cams, back when trail-cam technology was advancing by leaps and bounds every year, manufacturers used to send me their latest models for testing. Unfortunately, I think some of the manufacturers thought - because they had sent me a free trail-cam - that I would sing it's praises online no matter what. Ummm, nope. I told the truth, and a lot of those newest version cams were junk and I said so online. Manufacturers stopped sending me free cams!

I just have little to no use for cell cams, so I haven't tested many. Just the Spypoint and Spartan.

 

[Andy S.]

^^^ The one that sticks out in my mind is Uway.

 

[BSK]

I think I tested cams for every early manufacturer. Some were great (like Reconyx). Some were trash. The strangest aspect of the market was the Chinese produced cams. Their copyright laws are basically nonexistent, or at least not enforced. A Chinese company would start building a cam (for an American seller), then one of the engineers would steal the technology and start a new company selling the same product under a completely new name. This would occur over and over, and you would see all these identical cams being sold under any number of American product names. At one point, I had an engineer associated with a Chinese builder tell me he could get me any Chinese made cam I wanted with any name I wanted on the outside. I could sell Uways, or Bushnells, or Coverts, or Stealth cams with "BSK's Trail-Cameras!" on the front. And he wasn't kidding. He gave me a price list. Discounts available for high-volume orders!

In fact, that's why most manufacturers stopped having their cams made in China. Intellectual property theft is standard practice there. Now most are made in the Philippines or Thailand.

 

[Ski]

I think I tested cams for every early manufacturer. Some were great (like Reconyx). Some were trash. The strangest aspect of the market was the Chinese produced cams. Their copyright laws are basically nonexistent, or at least not enforced. A Chinese company would start building a cam (for an American seller), then one of the engineers would steal the technology and start a new company selling the same product under a completely new name. This would occur over and over, and you would see all these identical cams being sold under any number of American product names. At one point, I had an engineer associated with a Chinese builder tell me he could get me any Chinese made cam I wanted with any name I wanted on the outside. I could sell Uways, or Bushnells, or Coverts, or Stealth cams with "BSK's Trail-Cameras!" on the front. And he wasn't kidding. He gave me a price list. Discounts available for high-volume orders!

In fact, that's why most manufacturers stopped having their cams made in China. Intellectual property theft is standard practice there. Now most are made in the Philippines or Thailand.

The cheap Tasco cams and some of the cheaper Bushnells are same as old generation Moultrie. WGI and Muddy have several overlapping models, one in the same with different branding. Unfortunately it's not only trail cams. It's an issue the permeates nearly every corner of merchandise, especially but not limited to electronics.