Digital Trail Camera Reviews
Welcome to our digital trail camera reviews. Hopefully I can help some of you with your digital trail camera buying decision.
The ads are tough to wade through. When I was looking for a digital trail camera it about drove me crazy. How can you compare the features when the ads are surely only going to tell you the good things. I couldn't find digital trail camera reviews anyplace on the web so I decided to try to buy what I thought was the best digital trail camera available for the money. I couldn’t find any place where anyone had objectively looked at several cameras so I thought that I might as well take a shot at doing digital trail camera reviews myself. I have also began to try to find good digital trail cameras for you to take a look at. Many of the major manufactured trail cameras have been disappointing so I'm now looking for some better options for you.
Reading the few digital trail camera reviews that I found were helpful, but if the reviewer only owned one game camera how do they really know if it is truly better than any of the others? I wanted to get information from someone that had used more than one.
I will grade the digital trail cameras that I use here, as well as write a complete page on them. You can go to those pages for more detailed information on each camera by clicking on the trail camera name in the table.
There will be times that a page has not yet been written for an individual trail camera. I’m going to try to start getting information in this table as soon as I can and the complete page will follow.
The digital trail cameras have been graded relative to each other and of course the grades are subjective and are our opinion.
Since the grading is relative, the grades for each scouting camera can change. If I should get a camera that just blows all of the others out of the water, some of the grades would lower. Of course the opposite could happen as well.
You can click on the digital trail camera names to read the complete review of each one.
The last row in the table contains links to pages that describe how I arrived at each cameras picture quality grade. These pages should help you see the quality of the pictures taken by each camera.
You will probably notice that the trail cameras that have received the best grades are those that use real digital cameras and are housed in Pelican cases. Some of these cameras have developed a leakage problem in heavy rainfalls. To remedy this problem I have been experimenting with sealing the seam with duct tape, electrical tape and lately inner tubes wrapped around the case seam. The inner tube has worked the best and you can see pictures of these here.
Digital Trail Camera Reviews
These Digital Trail Cameras Are Still Available
Penns Woods DS-07 / A / A / A- / A / C / A+ / A / A / $549.00+S&H / DS-07 Pictures
Trail Watcher 4220 / A / A / A- / A / B- / A+ / A / A / $545.00+S&H / Trail Watcher 4220 Pictures
Swamp Ghost SG-N60 / A / A / A / A / C+ / A / A / A / $425.00+S&H / Swamp Ghost Pictures
Treebark Cameras 4.1 / A / A / A / A / B / A / A / A / $529.00+S&H* / Treebark Pictures
Bigfoot SLE / A / A / A / A / C+* / A+ / A / B / $425.00+S&H / Bigfoot SLE Pictures
HCO ScoutGuard SG550 / C / C / A / B / B+ / A / C / A+ / $209.95+S&H / HCO ScoutGuard SG550 Pictures
Trail Stalker / A- / D / A / A / C / A / A / A / $399.00+S&H / Trail Stalker Pictures
Cuddeback Capture / C / C / C / B+ / B+ / B / D / B / $199.99+S&H / Capture Pictures
Trail Watcher 2035 / A / A / A+ / A / B- / A+ / A / A / $495.00+S&H / Trail Watcher 2035 Pictures
Wildview Xtreme 5 / C / C / A / B+ / C+ / B / C / B+ / $129.99+S&H / Xtreme 5 Pictures
Cuddeback Expert / B- / C / D / D / B / D / D / C / $399.99+S&H / Cuddeback Expert Pictures
Recon Outdoors Talon Extreme / C / C / B / C / C / D+ / B / $449.99+S&H / Talon Extreme Pictures
Wildview Xtreme II / C / D / C / B+ / C / B / C / C / $99.99 +S&H / Wildview Xtreme II Pictures
REVIEW / Picture Quality / Overall / Batteries / Ease of Operation / Trigger Speed / Tree Attachment / Picture Viewing / Time Delays / Price / Picture Quality Explanation
These Digital Trail Cameras Are Not Available, But Others From The Same Manufacturer Are Available
Timber Eye / F / D / F / B / B+/B- / D / C- / C / Timber Eye Pictures
Reconyx RC55 / C / C / A / B / B+ / A+ / D / A / Reconyx RC55 Pictures
Stealth Cam I390 / C / C / A / C / D / B / C / B+ / Stealth I390 Pictures
Predator Evolution / C- / C / B / B / B+ / A / A- / A- / Predator Evolution Pictures
Moultrie Game Spy M60 / C- / C / B / B / C+ / C / A- / B+ / Moultrie M60 Pictures
Leaf River DC-6SS / B- / C / C / C / B / B / B+ / Leaf River DC-6SS
Trail Watcher 2040 / A / A / A / A / C / A+ / A / A / Trail Watcher 2040
Busnell Trail Scout 3.0 MP / D+ / D / D / A / D / D / D / C / Bushnell 3.0 Pictures
Trail Watcher 2060 / A / A / A / A / C- / A+ / A / A / Trail Watcher 2060
Moultrie GameSpy 200 / B / C / A / B / F / D / D / B+ / Moultrie 200 Pictures
Leaf River IR 3BU / F / C / A / C / C / B / C / B+ / Leaf River IR Pictures
Cuddeback 3.0 MP / B- / C / D / C / B / D / D / C / Cuddeback 3.0 Pictures
Wildview 0.3 MP / D- / D / C / A / C+ / B / C / C / Wildview Pictures
Stealth Cam WD3 / C / D / F / B- / D- / B / A- / B+ / Stealth Cam Pictures
Moultrie / D- / D / C / B / F / D / D / C / Moultrie Pictures
Bushnell Trailscout / D+ / F / F / A / C+ / D / D / C / Bushnell Pictures
Leaf River / C / C / A / C / D / C / C / C / Leaf River Pictures
Cuddeback / D / D / C / B / D / D / B / Cuddeback Pictures
REVIEW / Picture Quality / Overall / Batteries / Ease of Operation / Trigger Speed / Tree Attachment / Picture Viewing / Time Delays / Picture Quality Explanation
These Digital Trail Cameras Are No Longer Available
StalkerCam / A / A / A+ / A / C+ / A / A / A / StalkerCam Pictures
Camtrakker Digital Ranger / A / A / A+ / B+ / C+ / A / A / A- / Camtrakker Pictures
WhitetailCam P41 Homemade / A / B / A / B+ / C / A / A / A / WhitetailCam Pictures
Woodland SpyCam / A / A / A / B+ / C / A / A / A / SpyCam Pictures
Penn's Woods / A- / B / A / A- / D+ / A / A / A / Penn's Woods Pictures
EagleEye / A / A / A / B / B- / A / A / A / EagleEye Pictures
REVIEW / Picture Quality / Overall / Batteries / Ease of Operation / Trigger Speed / Tree Attachment / Picture Viewing / Time Delays / Picture Quality Explanation
Note: The prices may vary depending on the catalog or website that you look at for pricing.
* The Treebark Camera 4.1 is made and shipped from Canada so the price will vary depending on the U.S. versus Canadian dollar conversion.
Some of these digital trail camera manufacturers have other models available that would raise the grade and the price. More information is available on each trail camera page.
Sometimes it is hard to use words to describe what you think, so feel free to e-mail me if you have any questions.
We now use NiMH rechargeable batteries in most of our digital trail cameras. You can read more about them here.
While still looking for good cameras to introduce to hunters I decided to purchase a Penns Woods DS-07. One of my very early digital trail cameras was the Penns Woods Digital Scout that used a Minolta camera. This camera performed well for me until the Minolta camera quit operating so I had good experience with this prior camera.
The Penns Woods DS-07 uses a Sony DSC-W55 7.2 MP digital camera.
I have given this camera an A for picture quality. You can see pictures and read our comments about the picture quality here.
The DS-07 Trigger Speed is in the slower range when compared to our most recent good quality cameras that we have tested, but I would not let that be the only measure I would use for this unit. There is a trail mode that will keep the camera turned on for quicker follow up pictures. Over the years power up time has become somewhat less important to me but obviously faster is better than slower.
The Penns Woods DS-07 operates on one 9-volt battery and the Sony camera operates on a rechargeable Sony battery pack. We got 671 pictures on a charge one two week period in December. The nine volt battery has lasted between three and four, which is a little shorter than the competition but this still isn't bad service.
Like some of the prior Sony digital cameras this camera does not imprint the date and time on the pictures. This is one knock against these cameras but you can always check the picture properties and see the date and time. In Windows 7 all you have to do is click the picture and you can see the date and time. I have grown used to doing this and it is no longer a problem for me.
Setup is done with dip switches, which is easy with the instructions that are inside the camera case. They are very easy to understand and use.
The Sony W55 has an extending lens which can be a problem, but the design of this unit seems to have greatly minimized this problem. It is probably just a possible problem to keep in the back of your mind.
The settings on the Sony camera are similar to the other W models that I have used. If this camera style is new to you, you may need to take a look at the book, but the unit shows up with the correct settings and ready to use.
A Python Cable Lock comes with the camera to attach it to trees. This lock is my favorite method of attaching cameras to trees.
The Sony W55 uses a Memory Stick Duo and has 56 MB of internal memory. We’ve been using 512 MB, 1 GB and 4 GB memory stick duo’s lately in our cameras.
The Sony W55 has a large 2.5 inch viewing screen to take a look at your pictures in the woods. I like these larger screens.
There are eight time delays ranging from trail mode, which keeps the camera powered up to take immediately following pictures) to 20 minutes. The time delays include Trail Mode, 10 and 30 seconds and 1, 2, 5, 10 and 20 minutes. This is a good range of time delays.
The Penns Woods DS-07 has a two minute walk test mode each time the unit is turned on, it also has a walk test mode that can be set for as long as you want to use it, but you have to remember to change the setting back for the camera to take pictures.
The Sony W55 can be removed from the unit and used as a personal camera.
The Penns Woods DS-07 has daytime video capability. You have a choice of 15 or 20 second video clips.
I have given the DS-07 an A for an overall grade. This camera has proven to be reliable and takes very good quality pictures. I expect this camera will be one of my regulars for some time.
You can read more about and purchase this camera here.
Here is a picture of and a picture taken by the DS-07.
Trail Watcher 4220
I ordered a Trail Watcher 4220 as soon as I found that they were available. After using the previous three models I had a lot of confidence that the 4220 would be another real nice digital trail camera.
The Trail Watcher 4220 uses a Sony W220 12.1 MP digital camera.
I have given the 4220 an A for picture quality. You can see pictures and read our comments about the picture quality here.
The Trigger Speed of the 4220 compares well with other digital trail cameras that use real digital cameras and is similar to the 2035. One thing that I noticed with this camera was that it wanted to pick me up out on the edges better than the other cameras I have tested. Over the years power up time has become somewhat less important to me but faster is better than slower.
The Trail Watcher 4220 operates on one 9-volt battery and the Sony camera operates on a rechargeable Sony battery pack. We've been getting 300 to 400 pictures on a charge. This is not quite as good as the other two cameras that use this battery, but the viewing screen can not be turned off which may be using some of this power. The nine volt battery has lasted for several months similar to the other cameras I have, which is excellent service.
Like some of the prior Sony digital cameras this camera does not imprint the date and time on the pictures. This is one knock against these cameras but you can always check the picture properties and see the date and time.
Setup is done using two buttons. This is the same set-up as the prior Trail Watcher cameras and I've grown used to it and have no problems using it. They have performed well for me. The electronics are made by Snapshot Sniper.
The Sony W220 has an extending lens and must be placed in the case properly similar to the 2035, Swamp Ghost and my old Camtrakker. I've learned to make sure these cameras will take my picture before I leave them and that has eliminated any problems. Positioning the camera in the case has not been a problem.
There is an on/off switch on the outside of the case so you have to make sure you turn it on when you leave the camera. This switch is handy when setting the camera up or making changes to settings as the camera will not take pictures as long as it is off but the electronics will still be on.