Simple trail camera ?

[deadon]

I bought a cuddyback trail cam about 4 yrs ago and still don't know how to use it.After F$%^%$% around with it I have decided that I do like the flash card instead of having to change film, but thats all I like about it!!!! Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too many features.I want to buy one that I put batteries in ,turn it from off to on and go home. Does anyone know of a trail cam for ignoramises,egnormaimesses, iggnorameses, people that ain't too smart?

[12ptdroptine]

I aint overly smart...So I have been told.... However I am pretty handy with getting my thought's through my hand's...and createing some pretty neat thing's. Go to a website called "Hag's House" There is a TON of knowledge to be gained there.... About comercial camera's and home brew one's. I alse had a cuddyback...that set me bace close to $400 smacker's..... I never even opened it after finding that website. I built my own camera's ...4 of them... And they are simple to operats. Just flip the switch on and set the mode then leave...I come back in 2 weeks swap out the card and batteries and head home to see what I have.... For a time I thought I was getting false trigger's...Til I spotted the squirrel's in the distance. I HIGHLY recomend building your own from that site.. I also HIGHLY believe in infrared flash..."No Flash No Dash"..... White flash does spook my old wary deer. But if you want a simple camera to operate I have read really good thing's about the Moultrie 4.0mp for around $100 dollars or so. Hope I have been more help than confusion... Drop

[Dave1]

The older Cuddeback 3.0 digital trail camera was a good one. I still have and use one today that has taken over 22,000 photos.

The same camera (and other models) come with an owners manual with instructions how to use the camera and features. Sit down at home with the camera and manual and read thru the instructions, one section at a time, and familiarize yourself with the operation and features. Make yourself a "Cheat Sheet" of sorts with simplified steps that you understand to set the camera up and use the features. The menu can be a bit confusing but after you have read the instructions, played with it a little bit, it is isn't too tough. Set it up in the back yard and play with it a little until you get the hang of using it.

It is best to go thru the learning process at home and before you take the camera to the woods then have to wait a days or weeks to learn that you forgot a step and the camera didn't take any photos during the period.

For a new camera, I bought one of the Cuddeback "Capture" flash models this year. $199 at BassPro. It is a basic no frills camera that takes good color day and night photos. Takes 4 D size batteries, uses a 1 gb SD type media card. It is very simple to set up and operate.

Hope this helps.

Dave1

[ozark]

For youngster who grew up with the new technologies what is complicated beyond use for me is simple for them. I have a trail camera that has many more features than I ever wanted or needed while at the same time had a trigger speed that let many animals go by before taking the picture. Simple means secure it to a tree, Insure it has batteries, point it in a desired direction, slip a cartridge in and turn it on. Return after a few days, remove the card and replace it with a clean one and bring the used one to the computer and view what passed by while you were away. More is to much. If I want to take that much time learning I would just as soon go to my blind with a camera and point and snap what I wanted pictures of. To the makers I say:"KISS" kEEP IT SIMPLE STUPID

[chuck41]

Don't beat yourself up Ozark. I started working with computers in the 60s, got an electrical engineering degree in 72 and worked as an engineer for 11 years. Taught computer programming for nine years, ran a computer business from 92 to '02 building computers, installing networks, programming and stuff like that.

Bought a pick-em-up truck in '05 that had a "bluetooth" connection to my cel phone. Read the instructions repeatedly and couldn't get it to work right. It would ring and tell me to press start to answer the phone. I would do so and most of the time it would shut off.

I finally finally figured out about three months ago that the darned thing was set to "auto answer". All I had to do was wait a couple seconds touch nothing and talk. When I pressed the button I was turning it off. Took me over four years finally to figure that out.

[boarhog]

I stumbled on to this site a year or so back. It has a lot of info, including field tests and comparisons. They highly tout the Scoutgard 550, and the Bushnell Trophy. Look it over and decide for yourself.
www.trailcampro.com/

[booner21]

Try a cuddeback capture they are a turn on variety. All that you have to do is turn the knob to how long you want the delay between pics to be I think from 30 sec up to 15 or 30 min. It has built in internal memory and all you have to do is put a sd card in and retrieve the images or keep the sd card in it and remove it when you want to view the images. It also has the fastest trigger speed that I have witnessed. Another plus is that a set of batteries will last all season with regular use. Although if you set it on a feeder or something along those lines it may need batteries more frequent.

[deadon]

Thanks to all and booner, that sounds like something simple enough that even I could use it

[green horn]

I was new to trail cameras before this year. I bought a 4.0 moultrie and was surprised at the video that it took. They were only 10 seconds but were clear. The camera only takes video during daylight hours but if there is not enough light it will just take still shots. I had no problem with battery life and to view the photos all you need is a television to plug into. My buddy has a couple of cuddybacks he has had some problems with formatting his flash cards other than that they seem to be great cameras. I am happy with my plain jane moutrie that cost less than half of a cuddyback.
Thaks for reading my two cents,
Allan

[boarhog]

I have a sort of long story as to why I won't ever buy another Moultrie product, but I'll try to shorten it up.
A year or so back, I bought a Moultrie, then realized it wasn't the model I wanted, so I took it back to exchange for the correct one, and paid the difference. The girl at the service desk kept my original receipt, and I didn't think defensively about keeping the one for the diff paid. 2-3 weeks later when I realized the new cam wouldn't work, I took it back where I bought it, and was told that it would have to be sent back to the mfg. A call to Moultrie informed me that no warranty work would be done without the original receipt, even though that model had only been out a couple of months, and couldn't possibly have been sold far enough back for the 1 year warranty to expire. The guy said I might as well toss it and buy another camera because, if I sent it back w/o the receipt, they would charge as much to repair as it would cost for a new one at Wal-Mart! So, I bought a new camera, but it wasn't a Moultrie.

They could learn a lesson or two about customer service from Savage!

[Deleted]

I have read about other horror stories about moultries customer service. I only own the one that I bought and have had no issues so far "KNOCK ON WOOD". I was just sharing my experience with my camera ,others might not have had the good fortune that I have had. I am looking into making my own in the future.
Tight groups to all,
Allan