Narrow angle trail cam

[Nesikep]

I'm looking for a narrow angle trail cam, preferably available on Amazon. Doesn't need to be expensive and have a lot of bells and whistles. I've tried searching Amazon til I was blue in the face but I only get 120 and 130 degree angles..
Need to get clear pics at about 100ft distance. I'm not taking pics of wildlife

 

[Silver]

I'm looking for a narrow angle trail cam, preferably available on Amazon. Doesn't need to be expensive and have a lot of bells and whistles. I've tried searching Amazon til I was blue in the face but I only get 120 and 130 degree angles..
Need to get clear pics at about 100ft distance. I'm not taking pics of wildlife

Is your fuel storage in the field suffering loss of primary containment?

 

[Nesikep]

Is your fuel storage in the field suffering loss of primary containment?

Yes.. and 4 batteries.. and a 2 way radio.. in 2 weeks

 

[Silver]

Yes.. and 4 batteries.. and a 2 way radio.. in 2 weeks

Good grief

 

[4hfarms]

Outdoor life did the review and tests for the '24 deer season
Seems to be on the level and had a wealth of info on the best available.
The new Reveal had no problem capturing the author at 110 feet.

Some other popular trail camera models often praised for their 100-yard capabilities include:
Moultrie Mobile Edge: Often considered a top choice for cellular connectivity and image quality.
Browning Strike Force HD Pro: Known for its high megapixel count and excellent low-light performance.
Spypoint Solar: Praised for its long battery life due to solar power.

 

[Brute 23]

I have like 10 Tactacams running. I might be able to help give a realistic idea of what to expect. I'm not sure about the degree of angle or Amazon deal.

 

[Nesikep]

Outdoor life did the review and tests for the '24 deer season
Seems to be on the level and had a wealth of info on the best available.
The new Reveal had no problem capturing the author at 110 feet.

Some other popular trail camera models often praised for their 100-yard capabilities include:
Moultrie Mobile Edge: Often considered a top choice for cellular connectivity and image quality.
Browning Strike Force HD Pro: Known for its high megapixel count and excellent low-light performance.
Spypoint Solar: Praised for its long battery life due to solar power.

I'm lookign for something that isn't expensive.. the likelihood of it being seen and stolen/destroyed are significant, so like $100 or less.. all the ones I'm seeing on amazon boast their 120* field of view.. I don't need that, I know where the "game" is going to be, I want a narrower field of view and better resolution..

 

[M.Magis]

They all have a wide view angle, thats something people expect in a trail camera. Honestly, you aren't going to find a camera to take good pics at 100'. At 100', your pics will make the subject look like they're 100 yards away. I would get some cheap cameras and place them close and hope for they go unnoticed. I have a couple cheapos I paid less than $20 each for off if Amazon and they work surprisingly well.

These are the ones I have, they went up a little.

Camera

 

[Silver]

Have you considered a security camera?

 

[puzzled in oregon]

Use blinders, like they put on horses so they can only see what is straight ahead.

 

[chevytaHOE5674]

Camp out under the stars with a motion light and a .30-06.....

 

[SmokinM]

Thats what I was thinking only 12 Ga. Pump. Give them that moment to take in the sound of the slide being racked.

Going to be tough to find something cheap that is good from that far away. Can you put it up on a pole so it is not easy to access or remove?

 

[chaded]

Getting clear pictures with a trail camera at that distance is probably going to be difficult to find. Is it possible to maybe use a cell trail camera so you get alerts in real time?

 

[Mrcopier]

Get one of those that texts the picture to your phone. Then if they steal the camera you still have them. Especially if they are close enough to steal the camera that should be some decent pics.

 

[M.Magis]

Problem with using a cell camera is you're still out $150+ when it gets stolen. Whether you get their pic or not, it's still gone.
Below is a pic for reference, the arrow is pointing to a tree around 100' away. This is from a Tactacam, but they're all about the same. Don't believe their pic resolution specs, they use interpolated specs, not real. If you need to see faces, license plate numbers, or any sort of detail, the camera needs to be close. The feeder here is less than 20' away, and it's not close enough to really see detail. The second pic shows a couple deer under the feeder. Notice it's difficult to even count points.

 

[Brute 23]

Problem with using a cell camera is you're still out $150+ when it gets stolen. Whether you get their pic or not, it's still gone.
Below is a pic for reference, the arrow is pointing to a tree around 100' away. This is from a Tactacam, but they're all about the same. Don't believe their pic resolution specs, they use interpolated specs, not real. If you need to see faces, license plate numbers, or any sort of detail, the camera needs to be close. The feeder here is less than 20' away, and it's not close enough to really see detail. The second pic shows a couple deer under the feeder. Notice it's difficult to even count points.


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View attachment 51884

If you go to the app and set the pic quality to the highest the camera offers when you pull the sim card the pics will significantly more clear. They limit the photo size (quality) on the app because of using a cell signal. You can also request the HD photos which are better but not like pulling the sim card.

The benefit to the cell camera, imo, is you might get a notification and can go break up the party. Unless they are brake enough to steal the stuff in the daylight, the pics will be hard to tell much at all. My understanding is also that you can not convinct off of pics or video, all they can do is harass them.

No matter what, you need an IR "flash". An old school flash will obviously give it away.

 

[M.Magis]

If you go to the app and set the pic quality to the highest the camera offers when you pull the sim card the pics will significantly more clear. They limit the photo size (quality) on the app because of using a cell signal. You can also request the HD photos which are better but not like pulling the sim card.

The benefit to the cell camera, imo, is you might get a notification and can go break up the party. Unless they are brake enough to steal the stuff in the daylight, the pics will be hard to tell much at all. My understanding is also that you can not convinct off of pics or video, all they can do is harass them.

No matter what, you need an IR "flash". An old school flash will obviously give it away.

Good point, the pics off of the card are quite a bit better. No where near what they claim, but better. If I recall, nearly all cameras are in the 2-3 megapixel range, though they advertise 15-20. Tactacam likes to nickel dime you for every little thing, so you can pay for high def pics. They're better as well. As far as I know, about all cell cameras have "invisible" IR flash. I have some old and/or cheap cameras with regular IR flash and they light up like a xmas tree. Even the old white flash cameras were less noticable. When I get back on my laptop, I'll post a couple pics from my $18 cameras. They're as clear as any other camera, though shutter speed is slower so moving animals blurr a little more.

 

[M.Magis]

Couple examples of cheapo camera pics, day and night.

 

[Brute 23]

Good point, the pics off of the card are quite a bit better. No where near what they claim, but better. If I recall, nearly all cameras are in the 2-3 megapixel range, though they advertise 15-20. Tactacam likes to nickel dime you for every little thing, so you can pay for high def pics. They're better as well. As far as I know, about all cell cameras have "invisible" IR flash. I have some old and/or cheap cameras with regular IR flash and they light up like a xmas tree. Even the old white flash cameras were less noticable. When I get back on my laptop, I'll post a couple pics from my $18 cameras. They're as clear as any other camera, though shutter speed is slower so moving animals blurr a little more.

It can appear that you are being nit-picked but it's actually nice because they are giving you options.

So I have about 10 cameras, $100 a year each, unlimited pics. It's $5 for 50 HD pics and like $5 for 50 videos. This time of year I might request 50 of each every 2 months, then I go months with out requesting any. I may spend $50 total, on high side, all year long.

With other brands you may get higher quality pics all the time but the base data palns are $120+.

They would cost me quite a bit more and I really don't need an HD photo of a squirrel, or branch blowing, or cow at a water trough. I like being able to choose the "extras" vs being forced to pay for some thing I don't need. I also like how it keeps count and tells you exactly how many you are at.

There are much better quality cameras out there than Tactacam. They are $600 for the cam and require a $190 data package. They are awesome but come at a price.

 

[Ouachita]

Since we're showing off our cheap cams, day and night.........