A trail camera can make wildlife observation and hunting a lot easier by providing you with extra eyes to use either during the day or at night. These cameras are often motion activated and are available in different resolutions and sizes to suit different needs.
The best trail cameras feature rugged construction that can withstand the elements and provide high-quality images. Other important capabilities or features to consider include type of memory and battery used by the camera, recovery time, trigger speed, and infrared imaging for using the camera at night.
With so many brands, models and options available, it can make it hard to choose the best trail camera. In this useful guide, we will be covering the top things you need to consider before buying a trail camera to ensure you get the one that suits your needs the best.
Weather resistant
It is very important to choose a trail camera that can stand up to weather elements such as wind, sun, snow, and rain.
Lens
It is essential to buy a camera with a high-quality lens that allows you to take detailed, sharp, and clear pictures, at night as well as during the day.
Megapixels
Search for a trail camera that offers at least 10 megapixels.
Trigger
The amount of time between when wildlife comes into the camera’s field of view and when the shutter of the camera open is absolutely critical.
Infrared flash
This feature is important if you will be using your trail camera at night.
Memory
The camera should come with enough memory so that is capable of holding hundreds of photos or several minutes worth of video.
Battery
Look for a camera that uses batteries with a long life. The batteries should also stay charged under challenging weather conditions.
Advanced Features That Can Be Well Worth Your Money
Memory card: a microSD or SD memory card will add several gigabytes worth of storage to your trail camera.
Video: A camera that comes with video capabilities can help to enrich your experience. Video allows you to observe an animal’s movement and feeding patterns.
Remote transfer: Cameras that have 4G or 3G capability allow you to send sends over to your smartphone when there is cell reception in the area. This feature can be expensive, but it helps to save on storage.
Onboard viewer: An LCD or LED viewscreen that is built directly into the camera allows you to view your images without needing to offload them to a device.
How much trail cameras cost
There is a wide array of trail cameras that are available in today’s market and they range in price from $60 up to $700.
Inexpensive
There are low-budget models that cost just $60 to $70. Of course, lower-priced trail cameras will come with fewer features than higher priced ones. Durability and quality might also be problems with the cheaper models as well, although they can be fine for beginners.
Mid-range
Trail cameras that cost $100 to $200 will feature up to 1080p HD resolution along with limited video capabilities that go up to 60 seconds a trigger.
Expensive
Higher end trail cameras cost $300 to $700 for a top-resolution, high-memory, cellular-equipped trail camera that comes with all of the extra features.
