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.
