Topic: The Best Budget Trail Cameras of 2023, Tested and Reviewed (Read 32 times)
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Topic: The Best Budget Trail Cameras of 2023, Tested and Reviewed (Read 32 times)
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Key Features
Pros
Cons
The Reveal X-Pro is the most recent addition to Tactacam’s popular lineup of trail cameras. A new built-in LCD screen makes the X-Pro even easier to set up when co*pared to the rest of the lineup. Just turn the camera on, and use the LCD screen to frame your photos without the guesswork of snapping test shots. This makes it virtually impossible to miss your intended target within the camera’s field of view.
With optional accessories like an integrated solar panel and rechargeable lithium cartridge, the X-Pro provides the user with plenty of solutions to extend their camera’s battery life. Optional password protection, a built-in GPS, and the ability to run a single cable lock through the camera body and door make the X-Pro a great option for anyone concerned about trail cam thieves.
But what really won us over is that the X-Pro provides top-notch image quality that Tactacam’s lineup is known for. Most impressive, the X-Pro captured nighttime images at 110 feet during the test (30 feet farther than the 80-foot detection range advertised). All of the IR photos were crisp, and the camera’s shutter snaps with stop-motion speed to give superior detail at night. This is the difference between counting a buck’s tines and blurry, washed-out photos. Daytime photos were clear and vibrant. In addition, the camera settings can be adjusted so that HD videos with audio can be retrieved on-demand via the Tactacam Reveal app. We ran four Tactacam Reveal X Pros throughout last fall and winter and they worked without fail. —E.B.
Read our full Reveal X-Pro review to learn more.
Key Features
Pros
Cons
The Moultrie Mobile Edge is a functional, capable camera and costs only $100, which is impressive. But what’s truly remarkable about this budget trail camera is all of the features it brings to the table through its Moultrie Mobile app. The camera automatically connects to the strongest network in the area (without needing to switch sim cards) and promptly sends photos to the app on your phone. Here’s the cool part: The Moultrie Mobile app is designed with image recognition, so it identifies deer (including bucks vs does), turkeys, vehicles, and humans in photos. From there, you can sort your photos based on species. Say, for example, you set the camera in the summertime and by November you have a few thousand photos, including some shooter bucks, does, squirrels, coyotes, and that damn neighbor who keeps riding by on his ATV. The app allows you to filter images so you’ll only see the buck photos (or the ATV photos if you wanted). What’s more, it gives you activity data, showing when bucks are passing by the camera most frequently.
I hung my test camera on a cornfield edge in a core area of our hunting property. According to the app, the highest buck activity for this site is 6 a.m. (I looked through the photos manually to confirm that the app was correct, and it was). Besides time of day, the activity data also accounts for temperature and moon phase. The possibilities for this technology are incredible. With a few cameras running on a hunting property over the course of several seasons, you’d have a powerful data set showing when bucks are moving based on time of season, time of day, temperature, and moon phase. This camera will do more than just pattern a specific buck, it will help you pattern deer activity in your area for a lifetime of good hunting.
The only thing I’d knock the Moultrie Edge on is its slightly slower trigger speed. It had a hard time catching me at the 10 foot walkthrough (I was almost out of frame). However the slower trigger speed didn’t seem to hurt the camera in the field; it captures multiple photos every time a deer walks by. The camera did perform well in the night walkthrough capturing me at the 60-foot range and producing solid nighttime images. -A.R.
Read Next: Best Trail Cameras
Key Features
Pros
Cons
Lone Wolf came up with a solution to breaking sticks to get the camera angle just right: their ball-joint mount. It’s also one of the few budget trail cameras that can Wi-Fi transfer photos to your phone with an app. The app can also organize and store photos based on several filters.
The Undercover’s camera performance was a little disappointing. At 12 megapixels, it’s not going to capture print-quality images for the trophy wall. The battery life on it was iffy past 6,500 images, which is below average co*pared to many of our other cameras.
The daylight performance of the camera is definitely as advertised with satisfying trigger speeds. It captured me in the center of the frame at the 10-foot distance. The colors were also rich and the image sharp. At night, the camera triggered at 10 feet, but the photo quality was not great. The camera did not trigger at 60 or 110 feet. -D.P.
Key Features
Pros
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I rave to anyone that will listen about these amazing “cheapies.” I’ve had over 50 Tascos in the field over the past 12 months and haven’t had one issue. The simplicity of this camera makes it fast and easy to set up. It has a one or three shot burst mode for photos, and multiple interval adjustments. The only downfall I’ve found is that the videos can be irregular in their length, which cuts off some activity.
I was truly shocked at the 50 feet of flash range for a budget trail camera around $50. In my walkthrough test it captured me in the center of the frame at 10 feet both day and night. It didn’t trigger at 60 or 100 feet. I operate almost all my Tascos on three shot bursts, and on several occasions they captured deer running in all three frames. For the price and performance, these are my personal choice for mapping properties and putting patterns together. -D.P.
Key Features
Pros
Cons
The Tactacam Reveal X and Reveal XB cameras co*bine all of the features that most hunters want in a cell camera, at a price we can all still afford. Let’s start with image quality, which is the backbone of both cameras. Over the thousands of images we scoured, only extreme fog defeated this camera. The XB took beautiful daytime photos on a property in Wisconsin, and the X recorded thousands of quality photos in Kansas.
The two cameras are very similar. The Reveal X is a “low glow” camera, meaning it emits a red light while taking nighttime photos. The XB is a “no glow” camera, meaning it emits no visible flash while taking nighttime photos. As you can see in our images, the XB no glow photos are on par with the X’s low glow photos. Beyond that, XB has an integrated GPS, so you can see where the camera located within the Tactacam app. The XB is a little pricier, but there are often online deals that bring it down to the same price point as the X.
The megapixel modes of 8,12, or 24 create versatility for folks who want to make a set of lithium batteries last 12 months. The only downfall of the camera is that if you own more than one, there is no way to set up different plans under the same account for different cameras. So, if you want one camera to have unlimited photos and another to have limited photos, you have to create different accounts for each trail cam.
At $120 this is one of the best budget trail cameras out there. In our walkthrough test, the X triggered out to 60 feet, however at night it only triggered at the close distance. The XB triggered at 60 feet during both day and night walkthroughs. -A.R., D.P.
Key Features
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Cell cameras used to be expensive pieces of tech, but they’re now beco*ing affordable and offering a lot of value for the money. One of the best buys in cell cams is the Bushnell Cellucore 20 with its 20 MP photos, customizable low glow flash, and easy-to-use app.
During the walk-through test, the Cellucore triggered at 10 feet with a perfectly centered photo—day and night. The camera didn’t capture me at 60 or 100 feet during the day, but at night it captured a series of five photos of me walking at 60 feet.
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