Best Quality Trail Camera for Sale By Blaze Video USA

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A GUIDE TO COMMON TRAIL CAMERA FEATURES
Just like the world of conventional digital
cameras, there is now a bewildering array of
makes, models, specifications and prices of
trail cameras (camera traps), making it hard to
choose the best one for you. This guide to
common trail camera features, written by
experienced camera trapper Dr Stephen Ellwood
from Wildlife Savvy Ltd, aims to help you
understand whats what. And, acknowledging that
there is a world of alternative sources of
information out there, to help or baffle you,
Stephen keeps things simple, while also
explaining some jargon - in bold italics - that
may prove useful in web searches.
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HOW TRAIL CAMERAS WORK
A basic description of how trail cameras work
provides a useful contact in which to understand
their various features. Trail cameras are
designed to exist in a state of almost complete
electronic sleep, much like a TV left on
stand-by. The bit that is fully awake is the
motion-sensor. In most trail cameras this is a
Passive Infra-Red (PIR) detector, essentially
the same as those seen in burglar alarms. When
the PIR detects motion, it wakes up the rest of
the camera and triggers a rapid chain of events
light levels are detected and the flash turned on
accordingly focus is achieved shutter speed is
determined one or more pictures or video are
taken by the image-sensor pictures/video are
stored on an SD card (Secure Digital) the camera
goes back to sleep. Just how much the camera
sees (field of view) and what it can photograph
is largely determined by a combination of the
lens, the type of image- sensor receiving light
from the lens, the level of illumination
(sunlight or flash) and the trigger-time (time
between movement detection and a picture being
taken). Importantly, most trail cameras these
days will take colored images/video during
daylight and black and white at night by using an
infra-red (IR) flash - as opposed to the white-
light flash of a conventional camera. The
parameters required to control the camera, and
mentioned in the features below, are
pre-programmed by the user via a screen and user
interface on the camera itself and can be changed
as required. Some cameras even have a built in
screen suitable for viewing images on.
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KEY TRAIL CAMERA FEATURES

• There are ten key features of trail cameras to
  consider
• Ability to detect animals
• Trigger-time (time between movement detection and
  a picture being taken)
• Recovery-time (time between a picture/video being
  taken and the camera being ready to be triggered
  for the next)
• Lens
• Flash/illuminators
• Picture/Video quality
• Picture/Video settings and their effects
• Memory (SD) card
• Power supply
• Other bells and whistles

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1) ABILITY TO DETECT ANIMALS
Although some trail cameras can be plugged into
external motion detection devices, most use PIRs.
PIRs detect average changes in the thermal
landscape in front of the trail camera and not
the specific heat sources a thermal imager does.
These changes in temperature occur whenever
anything moves that is a different temperature to
its background. As such, PIRs are as equally
sensitive to cold objects moving in front of warm
backgrounds as they are to the more usual warm
objects i.e. animals, moving in front of cooler
backgrounds it all amounts the same thing.
Similarly, a big animal moving far away is likely
to be detected as easily as a small animal moving
close to the camera if both represent the same
temperature change relative to the background. If
a very big animal is very close to a PIR, but is
motionless, then it wont be detected. It then
follows that the faster the movement, and
therefore the greater the rate of change in
temperature, the more likely the PIR is to
trigger the camera. The sensitivity of a PIR to
detect these subtle temperature changes will
depend on the make and model of trail camera used
and only testing can determine this.
Fortunately, it is easy to find independent tests
on the web. Some trail cameras employ up to
three PIRs, pointing in different directions,
designed to anticipate animals moving into the
field of view of the camera. Here the risk of
pictures with no animals in shot must be weighed
up against the value of anticipation and often a
single good quality PIR will be more than
adequate.
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2) TRIGGER-TIME (TIME BETWEEN MOVEMENT DETECTION
AND A PICTURE BEING TAKEN)
Once an animal has been detected, the
trigger-time determines whether or not an animal
is still in front of the camera when the picture
is taken! This is entirely a feature of the make
and model of camera and can be as fast as 0.1
seconds or as slow as 1 second and may represent
the difference between a fast moving animal being
photographed or being missed altogether.
Trigger-time is generally quoted by manufacturers
on their websites because a fast trigger-time is
a real selling point. Trigger-time is likely to
be slower when recording video as it takes
longer for the camera to wake up video
recording systems than those used for still
images. Therefore, if you want to video fast
moving animals, you should choose a camera with a
quick trigger time on its video setting. Our
recommendation would be to go for a fast
trigger-time on still images as youll miss far
fewer animals with this feature.
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3) RECOVERY-TIME (TIME BETWEEN A PICTURE/VIDEO
BEING TAKEN AND THE CAMERA BEING READY TO BE
TRIGGERED FOR THE NEXT)
There is reduced benefit in a fast trigger-time
if the camera has to spend the next minute
mustering the energy to make another attempt.
The very best trail cameras have no recovery-time
at all and keep on taking multiple pictures in a
row, but this feature is often overlooked.
Imagine the scenario where a herd of deer walk in
front of a trail camera but you only get a
picture of the lead animal because the slow
recovery-time meant that the rest had passed by
before the camera was ready to take another
picture. This problem can be partly remedied
using video settings but, you guessed it, slow
recovery-time on still pictures often means an
even greater recovery-time on video.
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4) LENS
Generally, most trail cameras come with a fixed
focal-length (and therefore field of view) lens.
This includes a fixed near-point of focus.
Choosing a wide-angle lens is great for getting a
lot in the picture, but individual subjects risk
appearing small on the image. Whereas a narrow
field of view, zoom lens, can miss a lot of
detail. Some manufacturers offer a choice of
factory fitted lenses for a particular make and
model, and Bushnell make the Nature- View camera
with user-changeable lenses specifically designed
to have a very close near-point of focus great
for photographing birds on feeders. Again it is
possible to find information on lenses on
manufacturer websites.
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5) FLASH/ILLUMINATORS
Trail camera flash/illuminator units are factory
fitted and therefore, because the scenarios in
which a camera can be used are largely
determined by its flash/illuminator type, the
choice of model is critical. We refer to flash
and illuminator as one and the same because they
are the same unit if a still image is to be
taken then the lights flash on instantaneously,
whereas for video they illuminate for longer.
There are three types of flash, i) white light
just like a conventional camera and used for
taking color pictures/video in the dark, ii)
low-glow infra-red and iii) no-glow infra-red
(aka black-flash, covert-flash). Infra-red flash
produces black and white images and is normally
only used at night. Infra-red light sits at the
boundary and just beyond the visible light
spectrum, and so infra-red flashes are far less
likely to disturb shy nocturnal animals than a
white light flash. Standard low-glow flashes use
LED arrays emitting infra-red at a wavelength of
around 850 nm. Most cameras are less sensitive to
850 nm infra-red than they are to white light,
but can still generate a good quality image under
this illumination. The downside of 850 nm
infra-red is that there is still a faint red glow
visible to the human eye, and judging by
experience, also visible to animals. However, as
new cameras are even more sensitive to infra-red
it has become possible to use LED arrays
emitting light further into the infra-red
spectrum at around 940 nm. Under this
illumination pictures/video may be more grainy
and flash range is reduced, but the visible glow
is hugely reduced and only really visible to the
human eye when staring directly into the flash
unit Apart from not disturbing your subjects,
infra-red flash is also useful for trail camera
security. This means that cameras are less likely
to be stolen because their positions are not
given away by bright flashes of light in the
depths of night.
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6) PICTURE/VIDEO QUALITY
Weve already mentioned how flash type can affect
image quality, but the feature having the
greatest effect on this is the resolution of
image-sensor used. Resolution is stated in
Megapixels (MP), and is simply the number of
pixels recorded in a digital image. One
Megapixel is one million pixels. The more
Megapixels, the better quality the image is
likely to be, but with the downside that a high
Megapixel count will result in you using up your
cameras memory storage (its SD card) more
rapidly. Most trail cameras are now 5 MP or
greater, but beware of interpolated values
because these represent lower resolution image
sensors but where the cameras processor has
estimated what an image would look like at
higher resolution a 12 MP interpolated image
wont be as good as a fully 12 MP one.
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7) PICTURE/VIDEO SETTINGS AND THEIR EFFECTS
Still pictures versus video The choice between
cameras providing still pictures or both video
and stills seems obvious, and we would suggest
that it makes sense to go for both given that
this is a provision of most cameras now and at a
reasonable price. However, consider that some of
the most robust, reliable and power efficient
(see 9. below) trail cameras and, critically,
possessing some of the fastest trigger-times on
the market, only provide still images. On top of
this, also consider that video needs the flash
unit to provide illumination for the full
duration of video (at night) and video also uses
a lot of memory. Therefore, the provision of
video may also be impractical for long
deployments. Single still pictures versus bursts
of stills versus video Building on this direct
comparison of still and video, consider that
most cameras now allow a sequence of stills to be
taken (say up to 10), with almost no recovery-
time in between, and some even offer near-video
at around two individual pictures a second. These
bursts of stills are likely to capture much of
the action that video will, but with a much lower
battery power and memory storage overhead. So,
aiming for a camera that specialises in better
quality bursts of still images might, again, be a
better option compared to a generalist
stills/video combination.
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8) MEMORY (SD) CARD
We have already covered how various settings are
likely to fill up your trail cameras SD card
either faster or slower, so you might think that
it makes sense to buy the largest capacity SD
card you can afford (2, 4, 6.128 GB capacity).
However, you must check with the camera
manufacturer what the maximum capacity SD card is
for your chosen camera. This is because the file
system built into SD cards is different at
different capacities and you may find, for
example, that you are limited to 16 GB SDs. So,
if you plan to take a lot of video you may want
to opt for a camera that supports high capacity
SD cards. You must also consider SD card Class.
Class effectively refers to the speed at which
pictures/video are written to and from the SD
card, with 5 classes currently available (2, 4,
6, 8, 10). The higher the number the faster the
card but the more they usually cost. But, picking
too low a class SD is likely to be a false
economy as it will slow down the trigger and
recovery time of your camera and may even prevent
your camera working at all. Again manufacturers
will recommend which class to go for.
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9) POWER SUPPLY
Trail cameras are generally powered by a bank of
AA batteries within the camera enclosure.
However, some models do have provision for
external power supplies. This could be one of, or
a combination of, DC (transformed from mains
power), an external high capacity rechargeable
battery (e.g. 12V lead-acid or lithium), or solar
panel. These external power options have the
effect of dramatically increasing camera
longevity in the field compared to AA batteries,
and may be especially useful if there is likely
to be a heavy use of flash, especially for video.
More important though, to most users, is what
type of AA battery to use, or more correctly what
battery chemistry Ill stick with type.
Batteries can be split into rechargeable and
non- rechargeable (primary cells). Common
rechargeable include, Lithium-ion (Li- ion),
Nickel Metal Hydride (NiMH) and Nickel-Cadmium
(NiCad). Lithium-ion batteries tend to have
specialized high voltage applications, whereas
NiCad's are now a largely defunct technology.
This leaves NiMH. These have a lower capacity
(equating to shorter deployment time) than
primaries, but offer a costs saving through
multiple use. However, some manufacturers do not
recommend the use of rechargeable because they
operate at a slightly lower voltage (1.2V) than
primaries (1.5V) and may also be incapable of
delivering high current. This can result in a
loss of performance e.g. weak flash. But, high
performance NiMH batteries do exist, for example
Panasonic Unloop, which should be considered as
a cost saving alternative to primary batteries.
Non-rechargeable primary batteries have two
common types, Lithium (Lithium-iron disulphide)
and Alkaline. Lithium batteries can provide
higher currents and have a greater capacity and
therefore longevity than Alkaline, but they are
considerably more expensive. So the choice comes
down, as ever, to application, with shorter
deployments and/or daytime scenarios favoring
alkaline primaries or NiMH rechargeable, through
to longer deployments and/or heavy night-time use
of flash favoring Lithium primaries or high
performance NiMH.
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10) OTHER BELLS AND WHISTLES
Remote access to pictures/video An increasingly
available option now is for a camera to have a
built in mobile phone modem (3G, 4G Cellular),
or Wi-Fi transceiver, so that trail cameras can
be access remotely. This allows remote download
of pictures/video, a very useful feature if the
camera is in a particularly inaccessible or
hazardous place, or indeed where there is a
great risk of ecological disturbance via human
visits to cameras. However, remote access comes
at both a financial cost but also a practical
one because the transmission of images rapidly
drains batteries. Time-lapse This is a feature
to look out for, if nothing else because it can
be so much fun to experiment with. In time-lapse
mode a trail camera is set up to take a picture
at regular intervals - say one a minute - and not
only when movement is detected (some models can
do both at the same time). The sequence of images
can then be joined together into a movie,
effectively speeding up whatever sequence of
events has been recorded (one picture a minute,
played back at the standard 25 frames per second
of movies, equates to a 1500 fold increase in
speed). This is the technique used for recording
plants grow. Time-lapse is very useful for
picking up cold bodied animals that may not
trigger a PIR, or indeed capturing images of warm
bodied animals that are moving too slowly, or are
too far away, to trigger the PIR.
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Scheduling Scheduling is the official term for
setting on-off periods and is a great way of
saving power and cutting down on unwanted
pictures/video that will use up battery power and
fill up SD cards. For example, you may only be
interested in nocturnal animals, so you schedule
your camera to only work at night. Security Trai
l cameras are expensive pieces of kit and there
is nothing worse than returning to a site,
excitedly anticipating the amazing pictures you
are bound to have taken, only to find that your
camera has been stolen. Although the first line
of security should always be to set up you camera
in a hidden place using as much camouflage as you
can muster, a little extra physical security is
useful. Many trail cameras come ready fitted with
a hole through which a Python cable lock can be
threaded (for attachment to a tree). Then there
are cages sometimes referred to as
bear-cages into which the entire camera can be
fitted, but with a pre-cut hole for the lens, PIR
and flash. As the names suggest, these help
prevent damage by wildlife as well as theft.
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Screen Most trail cameras have at least a
minimal screen, one digit high more like a
pocket calculator display that is used for
setting many of the various parameters mentioned
above. Some, however, also come with a built in
screen on which recorded pictures/video can be
reviewed, but which can also be used to see what
the camera sees live - a very useful tool for
aiming the camera, eliminating a lot of trial and
error. Walk-test Again, used when aiming a
trail camera, a walk-test function usually
flashes a light on the front of the camera when
its PIR is triggered. By moving a hand or foot,
in front of the camera a user can test to see if
an animal moving in the desired part of the
cameras field of view will trigger the PIR and
therefore take a picture. Walk-tests are great
at eliminating blind-spots in the PIRs detection
range, where the camera can see something but the
PIR fails to trigger a picture. Simple
re-positioning on a camera may be just tilting
it a little can ensure greater success.
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Shutter speed Those familiar with conventional
photography, will know that if you want to take a
picture of a fast moving object then you need a
fast shutter speed that is, a still image is
captured over a short period of time during which
the subject has little chance to move and cause
a blurred image. However, fast shutter speeds
allow less light into the camera and so may
produce dimmer pictures. These conventions apply
equally to trail cameras, but it is good to have
the option to adjust shutter speed, even if it is
at the basic level of fast, medium and slow. It
could be that you just want to get pictures of
birds and dont mind if the picture is a bit dim.
Some professional grade trail cameras give the
user a lot more control over basic functions like
shutter speed and these may be worth looking out
for.
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About Us - Blaze Video Trail Cameras

• About Blaze Video
• Blaze Video is a registered brand name, who are a
  manufacturer who focus on designing, making and
  selling high quality Trail cameras. We are
  committed to providing each customer with the
  highest standard of customer service. We also
  offer product wholesale, OEM, brand distribution
  and brand agent for our trail cameras. We are
  seeking the local brand distributor, brand agent
  and resellers for our trail cameras all over the
  world. We are a top brand on Amazon US.
• Blaze Video is a global online retail company
  that delivers products directly to consumers
  around the world. Founded in 2016, Blaze Video
  has offered customers a convenient way to shop
  for a wide selection of hunting products and
  outdoor sports products at attractive prices
  through www.blazevideo.net and other websites,
  which are available in multiple major languages.
• Blaze Video offers products in the four core
  categories of apparel, trail camera, sport
  outdoor, small accessories and home garden.

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