You have already viewed the hunting cameras on spyboar.com or your friend recommended you to get a hunting camera. You do not know exactly what you need and you are not fully aware of exactly how photographic traps work. The following information will fully inform you how they work and which hunting camera will be best for you.
Hunting cameras are complex devices that combine a digital camera, motion sensor, infrared menu display or display to view captured photos or videos (only some models have such a display) and flash or infrared, depending on the type on the camera. The latest camera models also come with a GSM module, through which you can receive MMS (multimedia messaging - picture) on your phone and/or e-mail.
The initial question that arises in any future owner of such a device is whether the flash camera will scare the game?
All cameras that www.spyboar.com offers are infrared, not just flash.
One of the most important questions in the hunting camera industry is whether to choose a model with a regular flash or an infrared camera for hunting. Before we conclude, let's highlight some of the key features of both types of lightning.
Traditional filament
The photos are colourful even at night
Resolution and quality are in most cases better
It requires more power to power the flash than the infrared backlight
Battery life is reduced compared to infrared
Game detection times are many times longer than infrared illumination
It scares some game species
It discourages some of the animals from entering the area of the camera
It is noticeable when shooting at night, which makes it practically useless for security
Infrared illumination
The photos are black and white at night
The daytime picture is colourful but maybe black and white depending on the light
The night shot is of smaller resolution and quality
Rarely night shots get slightly dimmed when the battery is weakening
It requires very little energy
The battery life is significantly longer than a regular flash
Game detection times are several times shorter than traditional flash
Infrared lighting doesn't scare the game
Infrared light does not discourage animals from entering the area of the camera
Invisible when shooting at night, making it ideal for security purposes
After testing different cameras for game, we noticed that the standard flash scares some of the animals. It can be said that some animals are unaffected and do not notice the flash. However, in the attempts we made, we caught a large boar visiting a zone with a normal flash camera mounted by us and his behaviour was off.
These facts say that animals are scared. As proof, we made the following attempt - we placed two electronic feeders close to each other, mounted a camera with a standard flash next to one, and infrared illumination on the other. The infrared camera took twice as many pictures as the standard flash. The appearance of wild pigs in the infrared area was also more common. The boar also stood longer in the infrared camera area and was not captured at all in the flash camera area. If you are focused on big trophies since we already know that large animals are much more sensitive and cautious, then without a doubt, to avoid the risk of scaring them, an infrared hunting camera is a better choice.
A study has shown that when choosing a camera, customers take into account different criteria, but you have to consider whether the price of the product corresponds to its quality. For this reason, www.spyboar.com tries to provide you with sufficiently clear and useful information about what type of hunting camera to use. The bottom line is that infrared has a lot of advantages over traditional flash.
Those with the standard flash require significantly more energy - 15-20 times more, so they drain the batteries faster, and given the fact that under what conditions the cameras are used, the energy consumed is a very important factor. Of course, there is a solution to this problem - we offer solar panels, so you can increase the life of your devices without having to replace the batteries frequently.
For comparison, most models with traditional flash units consume more than 1-ampere current in the operating mode (operating mode is the default mode in which the camera captures motion detection from the sensor) while infrared consume 25-50 mph (about 20 times less). The higher energy consumption in the traditional flash means slowing down the detection trigger. The detection of a trigger is a parameter that describes the rate of response of the camera to the detection of an animal, the sensor detects movement, but the camera needs reaction time to take a picture. The shorter this reaction time, the better the camera. The infrared response is the same during the day and at night. In this line of thought, the standard is about two seconds slower at night than during the day.
If you want to use the camera for professional purposes - to assist you in catching large trophy animals, to take photos faster (for example, where there are races or paths of passing animals), and also to have low power consumption - the camera with infrared flash is a better solution. And if you want high-quality photos - colourful, whether taken during the day or at night, show your friends what animals feed your feeders and are more affordable - the traditional flash camera is what you need.
In general, if you use them for places where you expect animals (feeders, stands, etc.), both types of cameras will completely meet your needs. Spyboar strongly stands for the use of infrared hunting cameras, but if anyone still wants another type of camera that we do not offer in our catalogue, please contact us in a convenient way or by using the inquiry form.
The choice of hunting cameras are not only about whether the camera has a regular flash or infrared illumination. It also depends on the camera parameters themselves, and here are the most important ones:
Detection zone
Each camera trap features a detection area. This is the area where the camera is sensitive when an animal, person or any moving object enters that area, the camera becomes active. The detection area can be considered as the sum of two parameters: range of action and width of action.
Scope of action
This is the maximum distance from the lens of the hunting camera, at which it is activated when an object enters. It varies from 9 to 30 meters.
Width of action
This is the angle in degrees at which the camera is activated. In the range of 10 to 120 degrees.
Both dimensions form the working surface of the camera.
If you want to use the camera near a feeder, then you need a hunting camera that has the maximum range.
Speed of trigger detection
This is the time the camera acts when entering an object in the detection area. Of course, the shorter the time, the better the quality of the camera. However, for people who want to use the game camera for wildlife shooting or have built an animal monitoring facility, one with a slower trigger can also be used.
When you want to observe fast-moving and intersecting paths, as well as for security purposes, it is recommended that the hunting camera has a fast trigger. Using a slow-motion camera takes longer and the subject will leave the detection area at the time of the shooting.
The performance of the trigger is a parameter that is also influenced by the choice of SD card. The larger the memory card you insert, the slower the camera becomes. We recommend using a maximum of 4 GB of memory card to keep the camera responsive.
Photo quality
The quality of the pictures from the hunting cameras is an extremely important parameter because the main goal is to be well informed when and what is visiting the observation areas. Very often, manufacturers use advertising tricks to show that it is the hunting camera they produce that produces the best shots. Often this is a scam and the pictures are software enhanced. By mentioning the term software-enhanced images, we mean that the image taken by the camera has been treated with an external software product to achieve maximum quality. To have a real picture quality, we use our photo material in the gallery section, where you can see real pictures taken with both digital camera models available and older cameras.
On Spyboar's The Facebook page you can see a huge photo collection taken by our hunting cameras as well as by Spyboar customers. The purpose of the gallery and Facebook page is to assist you in choosing a hunting camera because the true picture is the most reliable source for the quality of a particular type of hunting camera. The Spyboar team is committed to providing you with complete information about the cameras in the hunting industry, as competent as possible and realistically displaying the parameters of hunting cameras to help you make your choice. We have noted the source of photos not taken by the team at www.spyboar.com.
Flash range (infrared illumination)
The term flash refers to both a hunting camera with a regular flash and an infrared hunting camera. By flash range, we mean the range in which the flash of a camera captures a distinct image overnight at a distance, making it clear what is in the image. Some models cannot reach a range of 5 meters, while others have a range of more than 25 meters.
Choosing the type of power supply.
The most underrated topic is battery selection. Often people do not think about this factor and buy the cheapest batteries, of course, this is the wrong decision. There are many factors to consider when choosing batteries - climate (temperature, humidity, etc.), the materials they are made of, capacity, and more.
The most important prerequisite is the type of batteries - this is key to ensuring optimum performance of cameras. Our advice is to never buy regular batteries. To ensure long-lasting and stable operation of hunting cameras and electronic feeders, we recommend that you take quality batteries with high capacity (current).
Ordinary batteries
Ordinary batteries are those that are commercially available, most commonly made of zinc-carbon compounds. They have very poor performance, especially at low temperatures, their capacity at freezing temperatures drops sharply and are practically inapplicable to hunting chambers and feeders. They wear out much faster than alkaline ones. Due to this fact, they have to be replaced much more frequently, which leads to both pollution of the environment and a higher consumption of the number of used batteries. www.spyboar.com recommends the use of rechargeable batteries to protect the environment.
Alkaline batteries
This is a better option compared to ordinary ones. When purchased, the alkaline battery voltage is increased. For example, if the battery has a voltage of 1.5 V, then when buying this voltage is 1.6 V. After a few weeks after installation begins a steady decrease in power. This is especially noticeable when checking your photos. As for the night shots, the first few are excellent, the infrared illumination or the flash illuminated the spot well, but the photos at the end of their lifespan are not so well lit, even dark.
This means only one thing - the batteries are losing power, and this leads to a diminution of the infrared illumination range and reduced image quality. To summaries, the camera is not in optimal operating mode. At low temperatures, alkaline batteries perform much better than normal ones, but it can still be said that these batteries are not the best option because at low temperatures they lose half their capacity.
In conclusion, alkaline batteries are better than regular batteries. If you use a photographic trap in favourable weather, ie temperatures range from - 2 to 45 degrees, these batteries would completely do the job. It should be mentioned that in cold weather the power they provide is unstable and does not work well at very low temperatures. People who want to use their cameras at low temperatures and are concerned about the environment, choose accumulators.
The accumulators
The accumulators we offer can be found in the accessories section. Lead accumulators are the most widely used thanks to their high reliability and low cost. Their main advantage is the stability of their voltage when the load current and temperature change. Another advantage is the multiple recharge capability, ie they have a great life. Spyboar stands firmly behind the use of accumulators in electronic storage, because the load current, especially in the electronic container for large vessels, reaches up to 2 amps at times, which means that if you use batteries they will discharge quickly. The use of accumulators for photographic traps is also possible, as each camera is provided with an additional conclusion.
A disadvantage of lead batteries is the self-discharge process, which is about 1% of rated capacity per day, so they need to be recharged regularly (every 6-8 weeks), even if they have not been used.
Rechargeable batteries
Spyboar stands firmly behind the use of rechargeable batteries for three main reasons.
First - they recharge, saving you money and eliminating the need to buy new ones every time they are exhausted.
Second - you protect the environment, less battery use results in fewer discarded batteries.
Third - they perform well at freezing temperatures. The most popular of the rechargeable ones are iron-nickel, cadmium-nickel, nickel-metal-hybrid, the last one are having the best technical performance. The advantages of iron-nickel batteries over lead are long service life and longer durability, insensitivity to mechanical and electrical overload, no need for recharging.
The disadvantages are higher cost, less element voltage (about 1.2V) and less efficiency. Spyboar promotes the use of rechargeable batteries, striving to keep prices as low as possible for this type of battery. These batteries are ideal for use in digital cameras.
Note: Lead-acid batteries are recommended especially for cameras with MMS features.
