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By:
Hunt98
Date:08-Aug-12
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I bought two Moultie M-80XD and they can take up to 32GB SD cards.
Is 32GB over kill for a trail cam?
I also see mini SD on the market. Will these work with the adapter in trailcams?
Anything else that I should be concerned about when buying SD cards for trailcams?
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By:
BB
Date:08-Aug-12
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I would say it should hold a century's worth of photos. But if you have a history of longevity in your family, you should be good to go!
Happy photo taking! BB
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By:
Grounblind
Date:09-Aug-12
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32 GB is a little overkill. I would use a fast 4GB card like a San Disk Ultra. If you decide to use the video mode, an 8GB card would be needed if there is a lot of activity between pulls. Best to use two and swap them out.
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By:
Hunt98
Date:09-Aug-12
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I also forgot to ask about AA batteries. I also have a few trailcams that I made a number of years ago and they seem hard on batteries (also AA).
What type of batteries are better for trailcams (alkaline, lithium, rechargeable, etc...)?
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By:
Knife2sharp
Date:09-Aug-12
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Hunt98, you want to consider how frequent you plan on checking the photos for both card size and batteries, as well as where you plan on placing the camera, i.e. on a trail or scrape or over bait or mineral lick.
I just bought an 8GB card at WalMart for $9 and the 4GB card was $8. But going up to a 16GB card was around $12. I've gotten by with 4GB cards and even 1-2GB cards because some cameras I check every couple weeks during the season and I still use some of my older flash cameras that drain batteries quicker than they fill up the card, because standard flash cameras drain batteries much quicker than IR.
With that being said, IR cameras really extend the batter life and I have switched to them for that main reason. The flash ones take better pictures at night and I don't see deer reacting in a negative way, so I will still use them in some areas.
As far as batteries, you will find that alkaline work the best as far as longevity, since rechargeables of equal size do not have as high of voltage. But, IR trail cameras are perfect for rechargeable batteries as they are not quick draining devices. You may want to start with a set of alkaline batteries first, then pay attention at how low the batteries can drain before the camera stops taking pictures. My two old Moultrie 6v lantern battery flash trail cameras stop working between 5-6v of battery life. Some cheaper IR cameras may still take daytime photos as well as night, but the IR flash won't go off when the battery level is less than halfway, so we end up with all black night photos.
If you plan on checking your cameras periodically throughout the season, i.e. 2-4 weeks or so, then rechargeable batteries will work just fine as you can swap them out. I should note that putting cameras over bait or salt, your camera will get a lot of use due to other animals and a lot of nocturnal activity. In these situations I still like a 1 minute interval between pics because there are many times I get 2-3 picture of a buck that comes in to scent check then leave, wheras if I had the duration set to 5 minutes I'd probably get just one slightly blury photo.
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By:
Gumby
Date:09-Aug-12
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Hunt98 what did you use to make the trailcams that make them so hard on batteries? I have 8 homebrewed ones that use AA,C or D bats and they all last considerably longer than any store bought units. I can get 2-3 months out of a set (4) of AA's.
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By:
Jack Harris
Date:09-Aug-12
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I have never blown out a 4gb card for storage, and I often have over 500 pics on a moultry m80. I think the magapixels are lower on my model than yours though, so the higher the resolution (megapels) the more storage each picture will take. Also - I even have my delays set at 15 to 30 seconds, which means I get a lot more pictures of the same deer, but again - never had space issue. That being said, I would think 8gb is MORE than enough...
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By:
Old Baldy
Date:09-Aug-12
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Remember if you are going to use the plot watcher setting on your M80 it will use a lot of space. I set mine for 3 hours in the morning and 3 hours at night. It takes a pic every 15 seconds. It shoots around 1500 pics a day, including the random night and middle of the day pics. If you set it to plot watcher all day it will be around 3,400 pics each day. My 16G card fills up pretty fast.
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By:
P.A.G.
Date:09-Aug-12
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How do you like the M-80xd? I'm thinking of getting one from wing supply.Are the picture's pretty good'Etc etc.I have a multrie' and a trophy cam and the moultrie's picture is a lot better.I only use 4gb which is more than enough for me.
