trail cams

[pepe]

these new trail cams that are out now that have infrared, when they take pictures is their a flash of any kind to alert the animal. the reason i ask is, if you wanted to set one up to take pictures of someone sneaking around your house while you were gone, would they be aware of that fact.....pepe

[teamlund]

these new trail cams that are out now that have infrared, when they take pictures is their a flash of any kind to alert the animal. the reason i ask is, if you wanted to set one up to take pictures of someone sneaking around your house while you were gone, would they be aware of that fact.....pepe


there are basically small red bulbs that light up. They only off a light source that the camera can use. Not very noticable. If there is already a light source there is no flash of any type. They might see the red bulbs and may not. I would guess they wont if you dont place it in an obvious spot.

I thought I remember reading somewhere that there are now cameras available that dont have any bulbs....?....

[WAZ]

What can I use in my back yard to catch thieves. Christmas tree sawed down last month, tomatoes and peppers taken during season. Apples gone from trees. Dog pooping. I think its safer in Mexico.

[B.Chunks]

It's usually not the lights that gets an animals attention, it's the picture taking mechanism making noise that does. Cheap ones are slow and noisy for the most part. How long the IR lights stay on is a factor though. The slower models take longer to shutter and the lights are on the whole time usually. Faster models are only on for a split second.

I definitely recommend the Buschnell Bonehunter Trophy cam for man or beast! LOL Quick, quiet, and performs like a $300 model for around $150. Got one this fall and LOVE it! Best I've ever used.

As far as a person seeing it? If they're looking in that direction, it's going to be very obvious. It's how I find mine early in the morning when it's still dark outside.

[fetchwillie]

I have heard of people setting up fake cameras that people could actually see in the daytime and they light up the area at night so people can see the camera then as well.

You could try motion detector lights in that area as well, I have 4 on the front of my house and one large one in back


Don

[kliph]

If you don't think animals can see IR, watch this this video.
http://wnyoutdoors.blogspot.com/2011/07/fox_14.html

[B.Chunks]

If you don't think animals can see IR, watch this this video.
http://wnyoutdoors.blogspot.com/2011/07/fox_14.html


Absolutely. IR is on full time in video mode. Both man and beast will easily see that. Still pics are a different story though. That's why I never use video mode. ;)

[big red 2]

If you want the best camera without any lights, look at Reconyx. They are the best on the market. They are super fast, no lights, quiet, small in size and do not eat a ton of batteries.
I have had on for hunting the last two years. It has taken thousands of pictures without an issue.

[Pokey Fisherman]

The earlier IR units do give off a red glow but there are some newer units that are totally undetectable.

[Prov275]

reconyx x2 hyperfire 600

[pepe]

hey big red, they tell me that those reconyx cameras are very expensive. but i guess you get what you pay for as the saying goes. they use them alot on whitetail properties show and seem to take good pics. thank all you guys for helping out...pepe

[kliph]

The one problem I have with Reconyx or any expensive camera
is, will the camera be there when I check on it.
Even with the camera being on my land, behind my house, I am
still careful. Put a lock on it.
http://wnyoutdoors.blogspot.com/2011_10_01_archive.html

[Buzz]

IR scouting cameras are not all created alike. Some actually project a "red" flash of light, some don't but the red LEDs are visible and some use terms like "black flash", "invisible" or "No Glow". There is a trade off for everything in life and IR scouting cameras are no different.

Performance levels vary greatly between IR cameras. Flash range, image quality, trigger speed, motion blur and battery life are the main differences but as a general rule you get what you pay for. The perceived benefit of IR cameras over flash cameras is that they don't spook game. Some people think they are completely invisible which is false, some are just less visible.

The debate over if a flash camera spooks game will never be settled; its like a Ford vs. Chevy vs. Dodge discussion; everyone has an opinion. The benefit that flash cameras (at least the good ones) offer is vastly superior nighttime image quality over IR cameras. The best of the best IR cameras don't come close to the image quality of a decent flash camera. All, and I do mean all, IR cameras have motion blur if something is moving in the image. Some have minimized it to an acceptable level but most are pathetically bad. Bad to the point of not being able to identify the subject in the image. Is it a doe? Is it a buck? If its a buck, how big is it? Which buck is it? You just can't tell.

For security purposes, IR has the advantage of being less visible. With most IR cameras, the bank of LEDs can be seen if you look directly at the camera. With some cameras the LEDs light up for in excess of one second, some as little as 1/4 second. Surprisingly there is a huge difference in how visible the camera is between one that is lit up for a second vs. one at 1/4 second. The "no glow" cameras do a number of things to make them less visible. One, they place a filter over the LEDs to filter out the red spectrum of visible light. Two, they use a different type of LED and three, they send less power to the LEDs which in turn keeps them less noticeable to the human eye. With all of this combined, they need to have a slower shutter speed (film camera terminology) to take in as much of available light as possible. In turn this causes an increase in motion blur and a shorter flash or illumination range. Again, there is a trade off for everything. In this case, the reality of the technology often times does not match the expectations of the user.

Trigger speed is an entirely different subject in and of its own. Trigger speed is the time between when the camera's PIR sensor detects something and the when the camera actually takes the image. Once again, you get what you pay for. The best of the best of camera trigger speed is 180 milliseconds (sub 1/5 second) and the worst of them is approximately 4 seconds. There really are only a couple (like two) brands that truly have sub 1 second trigger speed (irregardless of what is advertised) which is critical for use in an area where the intended target will be moving. Slower trigger speeds are ok if you are using a camera where the subject will be spending a degree of time in one place, i.e.. over a bait or feeder for deer or bear. A camera that misses its intended target is of very little value.

When using a camera for security purposes, there are a few things you can do to make a camera less visible. The best is to place the camera in an elevated location and angle the camera down towards where the subject will be. The downside of this is that your detection range is lessened since you are aiming it towards the ground rather than horizontally. Also, place the camera so as to pick up the subject when it is perpendicular to the camera (providing the trigger speed of the camera is fast enough to catch it in the image). The other is obvious, to camouflage the camera itself. A word of caution though, do not recess the camera so far or cover it up as to inhibit the PIR sensor detection area or to block out the photo/image.

Scouting cameras are a wonderful tool for many purposes. Just realize that there are differences between brands and model and limitations and trade offs of different technologies. Just choose what fits your needs the best and stays within your budget.