Navigation

  1. Main Tips to Optimize Performance
  2. Other Tips to Optimize Performance
  3. Summary

Learn what to look for when choosing a trail camera with our comprehensive buying guide. Discover how to prioritize battery life, durability, and storage capacity to capture the perfect shot on your next outdoor adventure.

Main Tips to Optimize Performance

Image Quality

Since the main goal of a trail camera is to capture images of wildlife or intruders, you need to ensure that the camera provides the correct image quality for your needs. Image quality is measured in megapixels or MP. Resolution is expressed in megapixels (MP), simply the number of pixels recorded in a digital image. A megapixel is a million pixels. The more megapixels, the better the image quality will likely be, but the downside is that a high megapixel count will cause you to use up your camera's memory storage faster.

Video quality is just like image quality. The higher the resolution, the clearer and sharper the video. When choosing, it is recommended to choose a high-definition image of at least 20MP. To catch animals better at night, it is recommended to use at least 10MP. The general trail camera in the market has about 10-12 megapixels. This will give you sharp and detailed images without sacrificing too much storage space or battery life. In practice, the 12MP to 18MP camera can take decent still photos of wildlife. However, a camera with 20 to 30 MP and above is recommended if you want to convert your photos into large sizes. People who pay more attention to the picture and video quality can use higher picture and video quality, such as trail cameras above 40MP.

PIR

Passive Infrared Sensors (PIR Sensors) PIR sensors can trigger detection by changes in the temperature of objects in front of the sensor. When the background temperature is constant, the sudden appearance of the animal is higher than the background temperature, so the animal is easily detected. The camera returns to sleep mode when motion and temperature are not triggered. When the PIR detects motion, it initiates a series of quick events: the camera detects the ambient light level and activates the flash as needed, takes one or more photos or videos using the image sensor, saves the video or picture on the SD card, and return to standby.

Some common trail cameras in the market use one PIR, while others use three PIRs. If the number is different, the direction of detection is different. Here, the risk of taking a photo without animals in it has to be weighed against the expected value. Usually, one high-quality PIR is much more effective than 3.

trail camera

Ref: Elprocus

 Trigger Time

In addition to image quality, trigger speed and recovery time are important factors when choosing a trail camera. Trigger speed refers to the time it takes for the camera to take a picture after it detects motion. Cameras that trigger faster are more likely to capture a full image of a moving deer.

Common trigger speeds are usually between 0.5 seconds and 1 second, with the best-rugged cameras being less than 0.5 seconds.

Cameras that fire more slowly often capture blurry images or no images when the animal moves quickly. The shorter the trigger time of the camera, the more likely it is to capture a complete picture of a fast-moving deer or another animal.

As the trail camera market continues to evolve, choosing a camera with a trigger speed of around 0.5 seconds or less is recommended. If you plan to use the in-game camera tracks, a camera with a trigger speed between 0.1 and 0.4 seconds is better.

Recovery Time

The recovery time is the minimum time the camera needs to take another image. The recovery time determines how quickly the camera can take new pictures. Like trigger speed, recovery time can vary significantly between different price points. Shorter recovery times are ideal for areas where the animal is more active, while longer recovery times are ideal for examining locations where the animal is less active. Therefore, it can be set according to the activeness of animals in the detection area.

Detection Angle

Trail cameras typically have a fixed focal length lens, resulting in a fixed detection angle and close focus. The detection angle refers to the area where the trail camera can sense motion and be triggered to take a picture. The average detection range of most gaming cameras is about 60 feet. If you want to capture a wider field of view, you can choose a trail camera with a wide-angle lens. While a trail camera with a wide-angle lens helps capture a wide field of view, it can make individual subjects in a photo appear small. On the other hand, a camera with a narrower field of view can cause details to be missed. Campark's trail camera chooses a 120° detection lens, which can maximize the detection of a wider area and ensure the clarity of animals. There are also 4G trail cameras that can remotely control the monitoring angleand can cover more places.

4G trail camera

Flash type

The trail camera offers three flashes: white flash, low-light infrared night vision flash, and no-glow infrared night vision flash. The white flash emits bright light for bright, clear photos in the dark. But its disadvantage is that it disturbs the animals. Low-beam IR night vision and no-glow IR night vision strobes are less visible than white strobes because their infrared light is less likely to attract animals' attention. But the captured images are black and white and not as sharp as those taken with a white flash.

Low-light infrared night vision strobes emit light at an 850nm wavelength which, while barely visible to the naked eye, emits a dim red light that is still visible to the human eye and may disturb susceptible animals.

The non-glow infrared night vision strobe emits light at a wavelength of 940nm. While humans (or any other animal) generally cannot detect light above the 940nm spectrum, it is important to note that only very few species can detect light in the 900+ range. Since most species cannot see 900+ infrared light, there is no risk of spooking wildlife, which makes non-glow infrared trail cameras ideal for detecting animals. Although the non-glow infrared night vision flash is stealthier, the effective flash range is shorter, so the pictures it captures are darker and not as bright as the low-light infrared night vision flash.

Battery

Alkaline batteries are the most common and cheapest, and because they are portable, they are the most widely used. But there are also many disadvantages. Alkaline batteries come from the factory at a power level of about 1.5 volts but start to drop in power when plugged in. Early pictures taken with alkaline batteries were bright and well-lit, but later pictures slowly faded as the battery wore down. Also, alkaline batteries don't do well in cold environments. It loses half its capacity in sub-zero weather and shortens battery life. Moreover, alkaline batteries can pollute soil and water resources, so more and more environmentalists avoid using alkaline batteries as much as possible.

Lithium batteries can provide a higher current and capacity, so they last longer than alkaline batteries but are much more expensive. And lithium is also less susceptible to cold weather. In autumn and winter, lithium batteries are recommended. It gives the camera the best chance of lasting an entire hunting season. In addition, there are rechargeable NIMH batteries built into the camera. When the camera is out of power, it can charge and reuse the battery. Saves you money in the long run.

Solar panel. A battery-operated trail camera with a solar panel seems a good option in areas with a lot of animal movement. When the sun is shining, it keeps your compatible battery pack charged.

 

trail camera

 

SD card

Most off-road cameras store images on SD cards. SD card capacity options range from 16GB, 32GB to 128GB. You need to check with the manufacturer in advance. Some cameras can store via the cloud. It can effectively reduce the frequency of checking the SD card. It is very convenient to download videos and pictures with the mobile phone's operation.

Other Tips to Optimize Performance

Waterproof level

Common waterproof grades on the market are IP65, IP56, and IP66. Currently, the standard trail cameras on the market can reach the waterproof level of IP66, which can effectively prevent water vapor intrusion.

Install

Most cams come with straps or brackets for tree mounting; some have tripod-style sockets. Considering the convenience of installation, you can choose a belt or rack. For anti-theft, more complex locks can be selected for installation.

Timelapse

Shoot based on time intervals, and you end up with a video that quickly shows what happened during that particular period. This is very useful for the study of animals and plants.

4G Trail Camera

No matter where you are at the time, regardless of the wifi distance, when the camera is triggered, it will send an instant notification to your phone. You can view and download videos remotely without constantly going into the field to take down the trail camera, saving you much time and effort retrieving SD cards.

4G trail camera

Price

Trail cameras range in price from $50 to $300. The lower the price, the fewer camera features, and likely lower picture and video quality. The higher the corresponding price, the more functions the camera has, and the clearer the quality of images and videos.

Summary

Trail cameras can be used not only for hunting but also for observing animals and protecting the yard. I believe that by introducing the above trail camera functions, you will have a basic understanding of the functions of the trail camera, and you can make a suitable choice according to your budget. Campark has a wide range of different types of trail cameras, covering all functions and price points. If you want to know more about any of our products, please check them out. If you have any doubts, please feel free to contact us.

Read More