| There are essentially 2 different types of trail cameras. | | | | and become very frustrating. |
| There is the incandescent flash camera or the infrared | | | | Infrared Trail Cameras |
| flash camera. Both of which do an outstanding job of | | | | The infrared deer trail camera or IR as some call it, is |
| capturing pictures at night when set out on a food plot, | | | | one of the newest types of cameras on the market |
| feeder, or deer trail, but what type to use has become | | | | today. It is growing at a fast rate of use because of its |
| the big question to many people looking to buy deer | | | | covert photography capabilities. |
| hunting trail cameras. | | | | The infrared camera works off of heat sensors. "The |
| Let's look at the 2 types individually and how they | | | | way they work is by detecting the amount of heat an |
| work. | | | | object emits and then color-coding the object |
| Flash Trail Cameras | | | | according to the amount of infrared radiation it |
| The flash deer trail camera have an incandescent bulb | | | | emitted". |
| just like your normal 35mm or digital cameras do. | | | | I am not going to get in depth of how this all works, it |
| When the trigger to take a picture is pressed the bulb | | | | gets pretty complicated to say the least. Just suffice it |
| lights up and the camera records what ever is in front | | | | to say that if there is heat and the sensor detects it, it |
| of the lens. Trail cameras with flash bulbs work in the | | | | triggers the trail camera to snap a photo just as the |
| same way although the button is not pressed as the | | | | flash camera does, but with out the flash effect. |
| normal camera. The motion sensor triggers the | | | | Instead it lights up the LED panel which emits enough |
| camera to snap a photo instead and just as the | | | | light for the photo equipment to record the image. |
| camera records, the bulb flashes lighting up the area in | | | | The reason these cameras are so popular is that they |
| front of the lens. | | | | do not emit that burst of light as the incandescent |
| One of the great things about the flash trail camera is | | | | camera would, which research has shown to not |
| that you get color photos day or night, unlike the | | | | spook wildlife or draw attention to the trail camera as |
| infrared trail camera, more on this in a minute, but the | | | | easily. In effect you would get more pictures of deer, |
| downfall is shorter battery life on some cameras and | | | | for instance, at your feeder or food plot or record an |
| the chance to spook the animal you are trying to | | | | image of the person breaking into your car without |
| photograph. You may only have the chance once to | | | | them knowing it. Although these pictures are in black |
| photo that creature as it is spooked off by the sudden | | | | and white only, one of IR cameras downfalls unlike |
| "blue square" it now sees from the flash popping off in | | | | they would be with the incandescent flash camera. |
| its eyes. | | | | The IR camera is much better for leaving out in public |
| If you are using your flash camera for security | | | | hunting areas because of the infrared technology and |
| purposes or in a public access area, the flash is going | | | | the lack of attention getting aspect, as well as the |
| to draw attention to the photo equipment and it may | | | | extended battery life from using the LED lights. |
| just grow feet and walk off. This can get expensive | | | | Incandescent v. |