Which cell cam do i need

Maude

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Joined
Oct 1, 2007
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146
Location
Ooltewah, TN
I've used Bushnell, Primos, Cuddeback, Moultrie, and Muddy's. Out of these, the better one has been the Moultrie Base but it has only been out since last Christmas. The Moultries have been fairly reliable for a couple of years but I have 2 failing now(One has a screen flickering and the other has an SD card slot connection issue. Probably due to ants). I use Spypoint cell links on older cameras and they have done a good job but I've had to replace multiple patch cables. That is a very thin ribbon cable and it doesn't last well in the weather. Based on comments here, I may try a tactacam.
 

Gobble4me757

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Joined
Nov 16, 2021
Messages
505
Location
Jackson
I've heard the reveal pro from a buddy ain't as good as the 2.0 even though it's more expensive. I cannot confirm as I've only had the 2.0 Tactacams. Also, I've got a buddy who loves his Spartans.
 

ruger7mag

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Dec 21, 2008
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2,017
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tn
I run tactacams, spypoints, and Moultries.
Out of 4 tactacams, 1 has quit working. A gen 1 reveal. It lasted a few years and several thousand pics.
Out of 4 spypoints, they all still work.
Out of 2 Moultries, 1 only worked for a few months. A Moultrie Edge.
 

TheLBLman

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Jun 12, 2002
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38,089
Location
Knoxville-Dover-Union City, TN
Tactacam's popularity has been driven by their lower initial price point when they first came out @ 3 yrs ago. At that time, their $99 cell cam was somewhat comparable to competitors' $150 - $200 cell cams. But since then, competition is producing better for less expense.

My biggest complaint of Tactacams is their relatively slow trigger speeds and relatively short battery life. Just saying, if one make uses 12 AAs and battery life is 6 months, while another uses 8AAs and battery life is 12 months, do the math.

I've been most satisfied with Brownings & Ridgetecs for their respective initial price points.

Browning's current best model cell cam is now at a lower initial price point than Tactacam's best, and the Browning is imo far superior, especially with longevity.

If you're running 3 or more cell cams, both the Brownings & Ridgetecs have less costly ongoing monthly plans, making both overall less expensive to use than the Tactacams.

Don't just look at upfront cost at point of purchase.
Consider the ongoing costs of batteries and monthly plans,
as well as the expected lifespan of the cam.
 

Spurhunter

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Jun 9, 2008
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15,455
Location
Munford, TN
👆👆👆👆 TheLBLman is who you want to listen to about cell cams. He has more experience with them than most of us combined. He pointed me toward Browning and I've been well pleased. Between my son and I we've owned 4 Brownings, 6 Spypoints, 6 Moultries, and 2 Tactacams. In my experience: avoid Spypoint and Moultrie no matter how cheap. Tactacams are pretty good. Brownings are my favorites. Anybody can go buy one camera, get lucky, and tell you it's the best thing since the wheel. He'll, I have one Spyjunk that's taken tens of thousands of pics and won't die, but the other 5 were nothing but trouble. Listen to the guys like LBLman that have tons of experience with multiple cameras in different brands.
 

CliffordN

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Joined
Dec 2, 2021
Messages
429
Location
Antioch, TN
I just bought a Tactacam Reveal X Pro on close out at WalMart, and it has been working great. It was marked down to $105. Had I known anything about them at the time, I would have bought one more...
 

TheLBLman

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Joined
Jun 12, 2002
Messages
38,089
Location
Knoxville-Dover-Union City, TN
TheLBLman is who you want to listen to about cell cams. He has more experience with them than most of us combined.
I take that as a compliment, but others should take with a large dose of salt :)

I've been using "regular" tail cams since the late 90's, and experimented with Covert's 1st cell cam sometime around a decade ago. My initial take with cell cams was they were being put on the market prematurely, i.e. too many bugs were needing to be worked out. Just didn't make so much sense to use a cell cam when it wasn't very reliable, and lithium batteries weren't lasting even a month.

I have some limited exposure to various makes, but am currently mainly using Browning & Ridgetec cell cams. I have given the Tactacams a fair shake, and still have 2 in current use.
 

PickettSFHunter

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Joined
Jan 11, 2004
Messages
21,829
Location
Jamestown, TN
Tactacams are a good upfront deal and can perform well. That being said, they are not for longevity, IMO. Over half of the tactacams I started with have died. I have 2/5 left. 1 of those is foggy and the other one may actually be dead too….it lasted 1 day on a fresh set of alkalines but I do need to put some lithium's in and just see. It's Spartans for me, I've had some for several years and they are going just fine.
 

Speedwell-Hunter

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Joined
Oct 28, 2021
Messages
1,489
Location
East TN
Please help me out , ive read until my eyes burn trying to research cameras. I have at&t and want an easy to use cellular camera. Whats the best bang for buck ? Looking to get into running cell cams. Can you only pay for months you use? I need someone to just tell me what to buy thats been down all these roads.
Spartan

Easy to use
Amazing vids/pics

Expensive but worth it
 

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