Best Camera Trap Models Database: Input Needed

2021/02/09 20:39

Hi Wildlabbers,

We received a question from the National Geographic Exploration Technology Lab about the most popular low to mid-range camera trap models within our community right now.

Quite a lot of answers on this question are scattered throughout the forum from over the past five years, so now seems like a great time to make an up-to-date resource bank on what camera traps you all prefer for specific types of projects, and most importantly, why that camera trap works best for you!

Let us know what camera trap models you prefer, what types of projects, environments, or species you prefer them for, and why you'd recommend it.

We'll compile your answers into a database for WILDLABS that can be updated over time with new models and uses.

Thanks, can't wait to see everyone's answers!

-Ellie

Freaklabs

2021/02/09 23:03

The one that we've been using with Meredith is the Bushnell Trophycam HD, 20MP version.

capreolus

2021/02/10 10:10

Hi Ellie,
great idea. Bottom cheap camera traps that we use:
Victure https://www.govicture.com/hc200
They sell via amazon.

Greetings from Austria,
Robin

Egil

2021/02/12 11:47

I wonder how many people really have a lot of experience with a wide range of camera traps to have a really good idea which one worked best. Many people and projects have experience with a few cameras, which fitted their budgets at the time. Some of those might have not worked so well, others were good enough to keep, but does that make those cameras really preferred? Or are they just preferred amongst the small range of camera traps used? Maybe it's better to ask which ones people have used, and how they would rank them.

Egil

2021/02/12 11:51

In reply to capreolus

Haven't seen those before, they are indeed cheap! Where have you used them? And for how long? Have they been working well?

mactadpole

2021/02/12 18:55

We've tested a number of economical trail cameras over the past couple years in some harsh conditions. Our cameras are located in the Jama Coaque Reserve and greater conservation area just south of the equator in western Ecuador. We have intense rainy and dry seasons. These cameras have been mounted in the tree canopy as well as ground level. Here is what we tested:

Bushnell - several models of the Trophy Cam Agressor line

- We've used the Bushnell's the longest but have experienced a pretty high failure rate with them. - They have been fairly good about honoring the warranty.

Browning - BTC-8A Spec Ops Advantage

- The Browing BTC-8A (x2) are still operating fine after ~2.5 years.

Browning - Dark Ops Pro XD Dual Lens BTC-6PXD

- We have 22 of these in operations now. Two have been operational for ~2.5 years. The others have been used for a little over a year now. We've had 4 failures, one of those because the branch fell out of the tree that it was on (took pics on the ground for a while and then got moisture inside) and another was bitten by some sort of mammal (monkey, tyra, ?) and got moisture inside. The other two appear to have gotten moisture inside of them. So we are extremely pleased with the BTC-6PXD. We went with these because they only use 6 aa batteries and they were smaller/lighter than the BTC-8A.

We also use these with rechargable Amazon nimh batteries. We're getting 6-10 months of battery life!

I thought about trying out some different cameras but I've noticed that a bunch of the new Browning cameras I've looked at specifically say they will not work with rechargables. Super disappointing.

snapshot_serengeti

2021/02/12 19:04

In reply to EllieW

Here is a great Twitter thread on this topic!

https://twitter.com/JustineASmith/status/1319323775020662784

Rob Appleby

2021/02/12 21:38

A very cool topic @EllieW !

I did a very brief Twitter poll on which cameras people use a while ago: https://twitter.com/wildspyrob/status/1204200641951760384

A far from exhaustive list or huge sample size for sure though! @snapshot_serengeti pointed to a much more comprehensive one by Justine Smith.

@Peter Apps is another great person to ask. Peter and John McNutt's 2018 paper is a blinder (and they have two papers in the same issue) on comparitive performance between some popular models! https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/aje.12573 and there are associated WILDLABS threads here: https://www.wildlabs.net/community/thread/295 and here: https://www.wildlabs.net/community/thread/440.

Priorities might change a bit depending on proiect requirements and I like the points @Egil made about most of us maybe having limited experience in terms of the now enormous range of cameras available, but instead can give relative rankings for the models we've used. I've mostly used cameras at the cheaper end of the scale for a given set of features, and I've had good success with Ltl. Acorn 5210a and Bolymedia MG983G-30M models in the past. Both have been superceded now.

Personally, I also think ancillary costs matter quite a bit too, like battery life and associated costs/options for power. A set of eight Energizer lithium AAs, which some camera models are recommended to operate with can cost close to AU$40 for example. Buying these in bulk can be difficult sometimes, and I have colleagues in some places that simply can't get them at all. So flexible options for power (and adding solar for instance) can be a big consideration. Vandalism, theft and risk of damage (e.g. flooding) issues can also dictate choice sometimes, such that cheaper, and therefore easier-to-replace models go up the list.

Very interested to hear what others think on this subject!

Cheers everyone,

Rob

Colin Cook

2021/02/13 01:44

In reply to EllieW

Would it be possible to set up an accessible link so people who aren't members of Wildlabs can contribute?

Peter Apps

2021/02/13 11:30

In reply to Rob Appleby

Thanks for the kind words, Rob.

I was hoping that all camera trap users would run a dog test or someting similar, but so far I haven't seen any results from anyone else. I must admit though that I am terribly behind with processing the images and writing the reports on those that I have tested.

Peter

Rob Appleby

2021/02/13 21:49

In reply to Peter Apps

Hi Peter,

For those who don't have ready access to a dog, or to a dog that would remotely pay attention to commands, do you think you could replicate your tests with a remote controlled vehicle of some kind (maybe with a teddy bear attached, or even different sized teddy bears for testing small animal detection)?

Cheers,

Rob