Trail cam help

Remington700

Well-Known Member
Joined
Dec 22, 2016
Messages
2,364
Location
West TN
I am sure this is like the Chevy / Ford debate, but which trail cam would be best. I am looking at getting a few for my farm. I need a cell phone one because I live too far to pull cards. What is the best price and most reliable one you've found.
Thanks in advance!
 

rem270

Well-Known Member
Joined
Nov 15, 2002
Messages
38,622
Location
#sfmafia
Like you said there will be different opinions. I have 6 tactacam Reveal X and they all have been great. Did have one mess up a couple weeks ago and I went and pulled it down. Got around to changing the SD card last night and that fixed the problem. Battery life is excellent, I like to run the Energizer Max batteries. I know some run the lithium and I'm sure get more life than I do with the "regular" ones. Pics can be grainy at times but if it's a buck I want to see better I request an HD pic and it clears it right up.

I started out with a spypoint and pics were so grainy I couldn't tell much of anything. On top of that the battery life sucked.
 

TheLBLman

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jun 12, 2002
Messages
38,039
Location
Knoxville-Dover-Union City, TN
. . . . which trail cam would be best.
I need a cell phone one because I live too far to pull cards.
What is the best price and most reliable one you've found.

"Best" will always be a matter of perspective.

To a large degree, you will get better by paying more, up front.
Some of the lower cost options (at time of purchase)
have higher monthly cell fees (costing more over time).
With cell cams, battery life is a huge part of the cost issue as well.

I highly recommend studying the comparative tests performed by
www.trailcampro.com
as well as reading their user reviews.

Personally, I'm currently using 3 different brands of cell cams (and many different models within those brands). Am using Tactacam, Browning, and Ridgetec.

Of these 3, Tactacam is the least reliable, and most costly to operate ongoing (after purchase).

Most reliable and least costly to operate (ongoing after purchase) are the Ridgetecs (which appear very similar to Spartans). If I were adding any more cell cams at present, I would be adding more Ridgetecs.
 

Planking

Well-Known Member
Joined
Sep 18, 2013
Messages
6,792
Location
Tennessee
I'm using 3 tactacam reveal x and I love them. I don't have any complaints so far. I haven't used any of the other ones so I would listen to LBL man.
 

TheLBLman

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jun 12, 2002
Messages
38,039
Location
Knoxville-Dover-Union City, TN
One other thing, imo, you really NEED to use lithium batteries for winter use in cell cams.

Some models require 8 AA's, some 12, some 16.
Batteries will die with some within 3 months,
while batteries may last a year in other models.

The battery life comparison at www.trailcampro.com is well done,
and fairly shows the differences. Personally, I usually beat their projections,
but those projections they make are under very fair & same assumptions for all models tested.

If running video mode on cell cams,
battery life may be less than half what you'll get will regular still pics.

And like the monthly cell service fees,
replacing batteries is an ongoing user cost of operation.

I'm using 3 tactacam reveal x and I love them. I don't have any complaints so far.

No doubt, Tactacams work, and are among the cheapest (up front) cell cams.
I suspect most Tactacam users have not tried many other brands/models, especially something like a Spartan or Ridgetec?
 

Spurhunter

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jun 9, 2008
Messages
15,334
Location
Munford, TN
TheLBLman is the authority on cellular trail cams on this site IMO, but I'll throw in my $0.02. I've had Spypoints and Moultrie Deltas and they were garbage. The new Moultries might be better, but I wouldn't take a chance. I currently have 4 Brownings (recommended by TheLBLman) and 2 Tactacams out. The Brownings have a lot more features, settings, take less batteries, are a lot better on batteries, but cost a little more. Right now Trailcampro has a really good deal on the Brownings I use.

 

Shed Hunter

Well-Known Member
Joined
Oct 11, 2011
Messages
4,275
Location
Henderson County
I bought another reveal and I'll tell you what-I really don't like them for basic reasons. There's no reason for the camera to only send the second picture in the sequence and the video is even worse. It won't just take a video. It takes a picture before it will take a video. Therefore you essentially have a video from a camera with terrible trigger speed
 

TheLBLman

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jun 12, 2002
Messages
38,039
Location
Knoxville-Dover-Union City, TN
I've been told the new PRO models will send every pic, but mine are like yours. Only the second pic.
I have one of them in testing now.
While this is true, BUT ONLY IF you're willing to pay a higher monthly fee for the Tactacam cell service.
I believe this is an EXTRA $9 monthly on top of their regular monthly fee.

This add-on "feature" is called "Pro Xtra".
It also provides for unlimited HD photos as well as some other "perks".
I think that's "too much" extra,
and will not be testing this particular "feature".
(Compared to the Ridgetec service plans, Tactacam is highway robbery.)

Another Tactacam option is to buy 50 HD photo uploads for an extra $5.
But it's a one-time $5, compared to that $9 deal being monthly.
The $5 buys 50 HD uploads, even if it takes several months before you use them up.

As a workaround, I typically set my Tactacams to 1 pic per triggering event,
with no delay. This will typically result in my getting 2 pics when a deer walks by, but often, 1 when the deer is entering, and 1 while exiting the frame view.

But then, "no" delay can result in a lot of nuisance pics of nothing, such as when the sun hits a weed, and the wind blows the weed. You may get 100 pics of a weed blowing in the wind in a single hour.
 
Last edited:

T2D2

Well-Known Member
Joined
Nov 19, 2011
Messages
47
Location
W TN
I had a terrible experience with Tactacam - both product and Customer Service. I'll never recommend or use another product of theirs again.

I would also recommend against Cuddeback. I most recently replaced a multi-camera Cuddeback Cuddelink system with WiseEye cameras. So far I have been very pleased.

I have no experience with Reconyx, Spartan, or Ridgetec.
 

deerhunter10

Well-Known Member
Joined
Aug 21, 2012
Messages
4,872
Location
maury county tn
I have 5 tactacams and 2 bushnell. Both have worked very well for me. The busnell takes better pictures. But not by a lot. If money isn't a factor spartan or reconyx. Bushnell are 2 years old. Tactacams about 6 months. At the end of the day they are 100 dollar cameras. While I would say that's cheap it isn't expensive either. I don't have their cell cameras but I am highly impressed with my brownings have 5 regular cameras and they take great pictures. Will be looking into their cell cams just know that their app wasn't that great from what I heard but have zero experience with the cell side of them. Stay away from spypoints! The rest there will always be a lemon here and there.
 

Speedwell-Hunter

Well-Known Member
Joined
Oct 28, 2021
Messages
1,465
Location
East TN
I am sure this is like the Chevy / Ford debate, but which trail cam would be best. I am looking at getting a few for my farm. I need a cell phone one because I live too far to pull cards. What is the best price and most reliable one you've found.
Thanks in advance!
Reconyx seems to be the best

Spartan is too
 

Speedwell-Hunter

Well-Known Member
Joined
Oct 28, 2021
Messages
1,465
Location
East TN
The problem now is not the trail cameras it's finding lithium ion batteries to power the bastards!

lithium ion batteries have gone up tremendously, almost triple in one year!!!!

So you might wanna also consider a 12 V set up however I'm too lazy to do that
 

Latest posts

Top