What is a good IR camera?

[GregP42]

Hey guys,

I need to find a camera that will take pictures with IR, we are having issues with trespassers out at the farm and a flash would just let them know it is there. I need a recommendation for something that will take a good quality picture so we can get a plate number or face off of the photo. So I am looking for something that will trigger fairly fast with IR and good picture quality. Thanks for any ideals you guys might have.

Greg

[Davemuzz]

Greg,

I just bot a new Moultrie 4.1 IR camera and had a "custom" theft deterrent cage built for it (see the post at http://www.gboreloaded.com/forums/index.php/topic,122526.0.html ) Now, I had it out for a few days and it took some great pic's of deer, groundhog, & raccoon so I am quite pleased with the camera.

If you want to read a good discussion on game cameras I would suggest going to http://www.chasingame.com/ Chasingame.com. They have a bunch of good info on a varity of camera's.

Now, just MHO about your issue, one thing you must know about an IR camera is, even though it doesn't flash like a regular camera, the unit itself does give a red light when the flash goes off. So, if its' completely dark, and the unit sensor is tripped, the IR flash will "blink red". This can be seen if you are looking at the camera or looking in the direction of the camera. Now, it's my understanding (I have not seen this in person) that the "red flash" can be toned down considerably by covering the IR flash with a piece of smoked plastic lens. This will reduce the flash effectiveness somewhat, but not substantially.

So, what I am saying is if you have someone out there, your IR camera may get spotted and destroyed because of the IR flash red blink.

Dave

[shooter]

I agree with davemuzz ,go to www.chasingame.com\reviews .I just bought a new digital game camera (stealth cam stc-wd2 ) and was researching it and stumbled across the above mentioned site.Wow ,what a great site full of test comparisons and useful information.Wish i had found this site before i purchased the last 3 trail cams i had.Good news is i may have lucked-out this time.Gander mountain had the camera for $119 and the company has a $20 rebate active all year on this model and others.My new camera rated the best in its price range last year when they reviewed it.Its called the Stealth Cam STC-WD2  and also known as the I230.Good luck ,i think you'll love this site.
Shooter

[Davemuzz]

Hey Shooter.......post your results of your "field test" with this camera when you get a chance. No pics (cause we all know what deer look like....small green in color...three eyes) but let us know how the camera performed. Any white out pics, did it just plain not work....., great pics, ....did you get Bigfoot..., did you get Jessica Simpson skinny dippin??.

Thanks.

Dave

[shooter]

Davemuzz ,
      Sure ,i'll give it a try.Won't be anything like the kind of testing they do though.My last scout camera was my 1st digital scout camera , it was the Wildview 4 which i purchased at Gander Mt. On 7/17/07 .This camera interested me because it was very small and already camoflaged and supposedly 4 meg.Well ,i didnt realize that they were really 1.3 meg cameras and the results interpolated (the dots/ pixels are filled in) to get to 4 meg.Well ,picture was poor ,i'd rate it a 3 out of 10 during perfect daylight with 10 being the best.I only managed to get 4 nightime pictures ,2 of which were washed out ,why ? Is its own flash overexposing the picture ? not sure.The trigger speed was the worst of any of the 3 cameras i owned up till that time.I actually approached the camera lens head on (after dusk ) very slowly and when i was within 3 feet of the camera i stepped to my left out of the frame and then the flash went off !Temps were around 82 degrees F ,low lighting (dusk).I then proceeded to use my nikon D50 to view the exposed pictures and as i had expected i didnt appear in the picture, very slow to trigger atleast in very warm temps.Since i have no way of testing it in NY october temps (took it back to Gander Mt.) i cannot vouch for its performance in cooler temps.Some cameras do great in cool temps but lousy in warm weather ,this could be the case here.During daylight hours with a temp of about 87 F the camera did trigger and catch me walking past and that was at a distance of about 35 feet.Who knows though ,i wasnt timing its results and since the flash didnt go off and the rig is then virtually silent i have know way of knowing.At that distance with approx a 45 degree coverage i may have been in view for 5 seconds or better before it took the picture.Keep ya posted on the new one.
P.S. My 1st stealth cam 2 yrs ago was so lousy i didnt think i'd ever try another stealth.
Shooter

[Davemuzz]

Shooter,

Here are a few pics from the Moultrie IR camera. This is the I-40 model. It takes color in the day and B&W at night. I really don't care if it takes color....I know what color the deer are. What I want is to be able to count the points on the rack. Here in Pa we have the AR restrictions.....4 points to one side 'afore it's legal. So, B-4 I waste my time chain-in my stand to a path, I just like to have some indication that something with horn's bigger than a Y are traveling down it. (The first one is sniffin for an Italian roast beef sandwich!!!) Then we got mama and her 2 kids....sleepy and skiddish.

[shooter]

Davemuzz ,
           yup , i hear ya.In the area i hunt in ny we have a 3 point restriction ( one side is all you need) .This will be the third season for this restriction in my neck of the woods.I'm into photography so i appreciate a good wildlife pic.Most of these cams arent capable of taking a really nice picture ,even during daylight but they aren't really intended as such either.One of these days i'll learn how to post to this site and i'll throw some pics up.
Shooter

[mg66]

Most of these cams arent capable of taking a really nice picture ,even during daylight but they aren't really intended as such either.

I agree. I am using them as a scouting tool. All I want is to see what deer are where I hunt and times and movements etc. Color pics does not concern me. I just want to see whats out there really.

I user a Leaf River IR3BU and a Stealth STC-WD2 at present.

[GregP42]

Thanks guys, I am looking at a couple of cams right now with the property owner. Hope to have something set up out there soon besides my tell tells and other things they have to trip to get in and out.

Greg

[mg66]

I am looking at Moultrie 6 mp IR for next season. I like the extra info like moon cycle and temp as well as the normal date/time stamp. Reviews and photos from all the major players are at http://www.chasingame.com/

All the info there will help making an informed decision.

[Redhawk1]

I use the Moultrie Game Spy 6.0 Megapixel IR Flash with Built-In Viewer. Works great and does not spook deer. I have several pics with deer looking right into the camera. It takes great pic's also.

http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/product/standard-item.jsp?_DARGS=/cabelas/en/common/catalog/item-link.jsp_A&_DAV=MainCatcat602025-cat20098_TGP&id=0046592417903a&navCount=2&podId=0046592&parentId=cat20098&masterpathid=&navAction=push&catalogCode=QW&rid=&parentType=index&indexId=cat20098&hasJS=true

[Wynn]

I also use the Moultrie Game Spy I60 IR and am very happy with both the day and night pics I am getting. Temp, date, time of day and moon phase. 1 second trigger delay. Trigger range is about 60 + - ft daytime & IR flash range is 35/40 ft at night.

[Davemuzz]

Everybody needs a buddy who can weld. I've got one who can machine and weld aluminum. You know....the thick stuff...like they build dump beds with. He built me this "theft box" for my I-40. If I had to actually pay for the theft box, it would have cost me more than 5 cameras! However, any thief will simply break the camera....or cut the tree down before he walks away with the unit.

[billy_56081]

The Cuddebacks are great. Fast trigger time, long long battery life, the only bad thing I can say about them is that the IR models White out the picture at the faded light at dusk and dawn. It seems the IR turns on when there is still ambient light and it is to bright for the cameras. That web sight they listed above is the bomb for checking out the pro's and cons of deer cams.


Do the other cameras have the white out on pics at dusk and dawn too?