Trail cameras

[DeerHunterTommer]

what kind of trail camera do you use and how do you like it? I'm looking to buy one and would like recomendations on a good inexpensive trail camera.

[adkRoy]

I have a moultrie trail camera that I got from walmart for around $60. works fairly well but sometimes can be triggered by wind blowing a weed or a leaf by it. The more expensive trail camera my dad and my brother have take much better pictures. Try to find a camera that uses the big 12 volt flashlight batteries. They seem to do better and the battery length lasts longer during cold weather.

[tucker]

I have had a stealth cam and love it.   2 problems though, batteries and film.  It takes 8 AA batteries and i go through several changes a year.  also developing the film can be a bit pricy, a digital would be nice.  I have great pictures of bucks that I have even seen when I hunt them, turkeys, fox, coyote, and even one big fat woodchuck that set the thing off about 10 times.  Nothing worse than wasting money on 10 pictures of 1 woodchuck and the other 14 on a flock of turkeys feeding in front of the camera.  But i still love it.

[Dr. IceGeek]

I bought a stealthcam this year because I thought that it would be something fun to use and just see what's in the woods...well guess what.  Mine doesn't work at all.  I've been through 4 rolls of film and everytime I go to get it deleoped they tell me it's a blank roll.  I know the film is advancing through the camera (didn't have a ton of cash to spend so I bought the one that uses regualr film instead of digital) because once I hit the manual rewind when the film was halfway through and took a partial roll to be developed.  I've tried everything including having it intentionally take a picture of me.  My guess is that the shutter isn't opening even though the infrared sensor triggers the camera and it advances the film.  I can't think of any other explanation.  So at this point I've got $60 bucks into teh camera minus a $10 rebate which I haven't seen yet, 9 dollars in 4 rolls of film and a total of 16 AA batteries at about 7 bucks per 8 pack.  So I've got 85 bucks plus tax and lots of frustration into this.  Oh yeah, I threw out the receipt so they won't warranty the thing.  Plus I know I'm not a total idiot.....Everyone asks me if I set it up right etc. etc.  I mean I've got  a freakin' Ph.D. in semiconductor physics so I'm sure I should be able to figure out a trail camera......lesson learned...don't throw your receipt out until you are sure something works and the warranty expires!

[DeerHunterTommer]

my friend had a problem similar to yours. i dont know what kind it was but it may be a stealthcam. the problem ended up being the film not advanving. it sounded like it was but when you opend up the back of the camera it hadnt moved. they symptoms were the same as you described though. i'd make sure somehow that it wasnt that your film is advancing

[Dr. IceGeek]

The film advances...and rewinds.  I tested this by opening up the camera once without rewinding jsut to see and the film surely advances...it just doesn't take any pictures.  It rewinds well too, but it seems like the shutter just may not be opening and closing or something.