Gaming cameras: what you need to know
So you’ve heard all about the new game camera your friend bought for his deer hunting stall. But did he tell you how many photos he missed because it was too dark or the camera wasn’t fast enough?
Buying a new game camera for deer or bear hunting is an important decision. Of course, cost is important, but most hunters will tell you that the real cost is when you lose that once-in-a-lifetime photo of the 16-point buck roaming your hunting grounds. Dark or blurry photos won’t do you any good when the opening day of deer hunting season rolls around.
There are a number of things to consider before purchasing your new gaming camera. Without getting too technical, we will try to go over the important points so that you can buy the best game camera that suits your hunting style and territory.
Things to Research Before Buying a Gaming Camera:
* Digital vs. Analogous thing
* Color vs. Noir et blanc
* Image quality and resolution
* Infrared vs. Flash
* Battery duration
* Theft deterrence system
* Activation speed and activation speed
* Easy to use
* Cost
Most people would agree that the only type of camera you can buy today is a digital game camera. Digital gaming cameras are much easier to use and you can simply download the photos to your computer instead of having to develop film and do reprints at the store. Also, color is almost always the answer, as there is very little reason to buy a black and white camera unless you are trying to achieve some kind of fine art photography.
The quality and resolution of your game camera images will vary by model. Most of today’s gaming cameras offer a resolution of between 2 and 7 megapixels. If you want to take high-quality photos that could one day be enlarged, you should buy a gaming camera with a minimum of 3 megapixels.
Infrared game cameras allow you to take photos at night without scaring most animals. Instead of using a flash, the infrared digital game camera will take a photo in near total darkness without scaring the game away. As you know, most animals are nocturnal and most active just before dawn or at night. As a result, many of your best photo opportunities may be late at night or just before sunrise.
Battery life is an issue with many gaming cameras. Since your tracking camera will stay outside in cold and extreme weather for long periods of time, the environment is very harsh on batteries. Most manufacturers compensate for this with a reduced number of photos per charge or large batteries.
One very important feature that you should investigate is the trigger speed and trigger speed of a digital game camera. To save power, most tracking cameras go into sleep mode until an animal activates the camera. Since deer, bears, and other animals can move very quickly, you’ll want to buy a game camera that can wake up extremely quickly and also has a very fast shutter speed. The faster the shutter speed, the less blurry the photo with a fast-moving animal will be.
Most of today’s good gaming cameras will have some type of theft deterrent system and a locking mechanism so you can lock the camera to your tree or mount. Unfortunately, one of the main problems with game cameras is that they are easy prey for thieves, as there is usually no one in the remote area to look at them.
Of course, ease of use, simple menu functions, and reasonable cost are also factors to consider. The cost of gaming cameras ranges from $ 200 to $ 600, depending on lens speed, features, and popularity. There are several brands to choose from, including Moultrie, Cuddeback, Reconyx, and Bushnell. Each of these brands has its own advantages and disadvantages and some are more expensive than others.