My ol' mum has developed a bit of a hedgehog obsession - bought a hedgehog house, put hay out for them to use for bedding, out putting food and water out for them every night and has a couple of regular visitors every nights. But rarely sees them.So I want to buy her a trailcam for her birthday to put near the hog house (which they are visiting). Only problem is, as much as I know about photography, I have no clue when it comes to trail cams, or what's best for what purpose.So any recommendations for a sub £100 cam for night time hog videos so that I at least have a suitable shortlist to work from? (or even just an idea of features I need or don't need). Doesn't need a huge long range, won't be more than a few feet away. But one with wireless connectivity so she could view from her phone would be ideal.Cheers.
Many modern DVD players have USB and SD card ports, so that should help a little.
You may be struggling at a sub £100 trailcam, but there are some very good ones just above, for around £130-£150. You could buy online via the key shopping agents, Ebay and Amazon, or look up your local photographic shops, the later would be able to talk you through what would suit your budget and requirments
I use two Bushnell trailcams, the Bushnell Huntingcam and Natureview, both if you shop around are within that price bracket.
My personal experiences, not very technical, in fact, very basic descriptions, but they are two very different, but the same trailcams and set up just as I want them. The Huntingcam is set for nighttime garden visitors while the Trailcam is set for daytime feeder visitors.
Huntingcam
Trailcam
I don't have many daytime examples for the Huntingcam, likewise I don't have many examples of Natureview nighttime video or stills because of how I use them, however, both are clear enough on the periods when I don't use them, so both examples will give you an idea of what to expect with either.
Good luck with your search and let us know how you get on.
Unknown said: (I use a more expensive Browning for some of the monitoring stuff we are involved in)
I'm disillusioned now WJ...I had a mental image of you lying prostrate on the ground, disguised as a small bush, or stone with a camera in hand, doing those fabulous Digger Alley videos, with the patience of Job until something piqued your interest!!
PimperneBloke said:I had a mental image of you lying prostrate on the ground, disguised as a small bush
Lol! That IS how I get the Digger Alley videos, the trailcam gets badgers, deer, foxes etc. They tend to be around more at night when I'm safely at home in bed (have to avoid turning into a pumpkin!)
It looks nice, the spec is pretty standard, though I would be sceptical on the battery life based on the fact it says "upto".
You'll probably find it will be around 4-6 weeks on stills and with video upto around 3-4 weeks depending on the activity and particularly nighttime activity, which will require more power for the infrared lighting. and that is a fair estimation, not a failing, so please see it as a positive.
Sometimes from my trail cams, I barely get two weeks out of the batteries, but then I've had a lot of footage or images to download, and we do have a very active garden at nighttime with foxes, hedgehogs and the occasional visiting badger.
I generally use lithium dry cells, they tend to be more durable for all temperatures (particularly the cold winter temps and hot summer temps) and have a better continuous power delivery than rechargeables or alkaline cells. I did do a cost comparison between alkaline and lithium dry cells, and while lithium are more expensive, penny for penny, they were on an even par, so it depends on where your budget vs environmental thoughts lie.
I hope your mum has plenty of pleasure and no doubt you will as well.