As much as every trapper, hunter, and woodsman would like to believe, we don’t have eyes at the back of our heads. The great outdoors has very majestic scenes. You can’t always have a camera at hand, but luckily we have trail cameras. Some cameras are better suited for night shots, while others are specialized for taking shots of moving creatures. Deciding what type of trail camera will work best for you can be a little difficult. There are several companies that make trail cameras, so here are the top 5 trail camera brands to help you make your decision.
Browning
Browning is a fairly well-known name in the world of trail cameras. This company produces a variety of trail cams that are manufactured to be high quality, but still reasonably priced. For this reason, Browning has become a recognized company. For a decent price, you can get the Browning Command Ops camera – a very well performing and general purpose trail cam. Browning also offers more specialized options, such as the Spec Ops Platinum FHD cam. This slightly more pricey camera records vibrant, stunning full high definition video and a color display screen. The 2016 Dark Ops Elite is a stealth camera that is specifically designed to take night shots while remaining unnoticed. This is useful for getting several shots without scaring away game, or even getting important images of trespassers without alerting them of the camera.
Every camera offered by Browning has a trigger speed of less than one second, providing quick, amazing results. New cameras all come with a minimum of a one year warranty, so you’re product’s quality is guaranteed. If you’re comfortable with purchasing used cameras, Browning also offers refurbished trail cameras on their website’s home. Refurbished cameras come at a cheaper price and are often only lightly used or repaired. The only downside is that refurbished cameras do not have a warranty. Browning products are made for people who want a nice trail camera but don’t feel like spending ridiculous amounts of money.
Stealth Cams
Stealth Cam is a big name in this niche. They offer trail cams that suit everyone from the first time wildlife photographer to the hardened, experienced tracker. Stealth Cams pride themselves on the small size, camo, and effectiveness of their products. Two Stealth Cams products share a price tag, and both offer full video recording. The Stealth Cam P12 and PX14 are both great first time trail cameras. Simple to use, great price, and great features, these products seem almost too good to be true. They both only differ slightly. The PX14 boasts slightly better recording quality along with two more infrared LED lights for illumination. Stealth Cams also provides higher end products. Their most pricy option,is the GXW Wireless. When you look at all the features, it seems like they’re practically giving it away for its price. Wireless Iphone and Android connectivity, image and video capturing, amazing range, and great camera quality are only a few of the useful features that the GXW Wireless comes with.
Stealth Cams offers 18 current model trail cameras, which are divided into 4 different series. The P series includes both the P12 and PX14, which are the most reasonably priced the company offers. In the RX series you can see some more features, like audio recordings, as the price of the cams slowly rise. The G series is for dedicated woodsmen. These are slightly more expensive but come with features that some people may consider essential. And finally, we have the GX series. This class includes the GXW Wireless cam, and another high end camera. Stealth Cams is well known for a reason, and offer a wide range of quality products.
Wildgame Innovations
The next company on the list has come a long way since it began designing trail cameras. In previous years, Wildgame Innovations has been associated with rather large, bulky cams. Recently, the company seemed to have completely overhauled the design process. The entire line of Wildgame Innovations cameras has been redesigned to better suit customers’ needs. This company now brings us unique and useful trail cameras that are useful in several situations. For example the 360° Cam Trail camera provides an interesting twist to the traditional game camera design. This camera can capture images and 30 second video clips within a 360 degree area. For comparison, most trail cameras are mounted on a tree or similar object and have a limited viewing angle of around 50 to 100 degrees. The Cloak 6 camera is one of the most famous trail cams because of its extremely fair price.
Wildgame Innovations provides Lightsout™ and Nano™ series cameras, specialized for either taking images at night or being extremely compact and easy to handle. The company has made some major changes, and these have brought it into the spotlight. They produce great trail cameras for great prices.
Moultrie
Moultrie is a relatively new competitor in the trail camera market, but much like Wildgame Innovations, they have recently tweaked the entire product line. Unlike Wildgame Innovations, however, most noticed that the newly designed cases are actually a bit bigger than previous models. This can be explained by the fact that Moultrie wanted to add more stability and resistance to their products. Many believe the sacrifice was justified; the increase in size is barely noticeable but hundreds of people are enjoying the new durability that Moultrie now brings to the table. If the size really bothers you that much, they offer an amazing product called the Game Spy Micro. The Game Spy Micro is one of the best deals in the entire market, and the trail cam is so small it can fit in the palm of your hand.
Moultrie offers 10 other current generation trail cameras, and an interesting pair of HD camera glasses. Among their product line is also the Panoramic 150i game camera. The Panoramic 150i offers a 150 degree capture angle, no glow infrared, video, and images. Also available from Moultrie is the Mobile Wireless Field Modem. This product is an amazing piece of technology. It allows users to transform any current model Moultrie trail camera into a wireless device that sends pictures and videos directly to your phone and/or computer. Moultrie is a trusted brand and offers great products for fair prices.
Bushnell
Last but not least is Bushnell. Bushnell is frequently called the most affordable option when it comes to trail cameras. Not only are Bushnell cams available for great prices, but they have a host of useful features. Bushnell offers four current generation trail cameras and a live camera best suited for viewing live video or taking up close photos. Bushnell is renowned for the company’s simplicity, beautiful design, and wealth of features available even though they don’t offer too many models. If you are the type of person who knows what they want and are willing to pay a decent price for it, then Bushnell will not disappoint you. One model they offer is the Essential E2. This model earns its name, with useful features such as great night shot capabilities, durability, and an amazing battery. With its rather reasonable price tag, the Essential E2 is great for all types of woodsmen and photographers.
Bushnell also shows off their craftsmanship with the Aggressor Wireless. This trail camera is designed to take amazing pictures within a large range, be fully weatherproof, and be extremely customizable to match everyone’s preferences. Another example of Bushnell’s ingenuity is the Bushnell Solar Panel. This unique power option is compatible with most current generation Bushnell devices and can act as an alternative power source. It costs $89.95 to get one of these, but you won’t regret it if you decide to try it. Overall, Bushnell is an inventive company that only offers products that they believe are quality.
Trail Camera Comparison
All these companies are well known for producing amazing trail cameras with useful features and accessories. However, there are several different types of trail cams, and it might be difficult to find which one is suited for your needs. First and foremost, out of all the models the companies listed above offer, the Moultrie Game Spy Cam is the most affordable. It’s price really can’t be beat. This trail camera is made to be as small and simple as possible so it doesn’t have too many features.
Woodsmen seem to almost unanimously agree that the best all-around trail camera is the Browning Strike Force HD Elite. Though this unit costs more than the Game Spy Cam, it outperforms trail cameras that cost twice as much. The Strike Force has a 55 foot detection range, a stealth cover, infrared flash, .4 second trigger speed, as well as video and image capability.
For comparison, the Bushnell Aggressor Wireless cost over two times the Strike Force. The extra money you could spend on the Aggressor Wireless will only get you trigger speed that is slightly faster, some more detection range, and a wireless plan. If you are looking for a hi tech wireless trail camera, then the Aggressor Wireless is the way to go. Bushnell’s innovative app allows you to send images and videos straight to your phone or computer, and the detection range is the best in its class.
Conclusion
There are many options when it comes to trail cameras, and the ‘perfect’ trail cam just doesn’t exist. There is, however, such thing as the perfect trail camera for you. Based on your needs, you might just want to get the cheapest and most affordable trail camera you can find. Professionals may prefer sturdier, more dependable, and more feature packed models. Trail cameras are a great way to capture the beauty of the outdoors, and it’s a smart idea to at least check them out.
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