Why a Trail Camera is an essential part of a Wildlife Photographers kit

Why a Trail Camera

Wildlife photography can be a waiting game, but one trick that I use to increase my odds, is to survey potential locations using relatively low cost trail cameras.

Whilst I am doing other things, like photography, eating, sleeping etc, my trail cam is out and about on standby and ready to record anything that wanders into view.

My Apeman H55 Camera, strapped to a tree.

A trail camera is a small, remotely triggered camera that can either be set to take photos or video when it senses movement. All modern trail cameras also have the ability to use infrared lights at night time, and many of them get far better results than you might expect for something that costs as little as £50.00.

When I first started looking into these myself, I was really surprised by the features that these things offered and also the incredible battery life. Even cheap trail cameras can last many months on a set of AA batteries and the one that I ended up purchasing will get a staggering 6 months on a set of 8 lithium AA's.

This is a 'still' image from my trail camera, - Still and video clips, show the date, time and even temperature!

Image resolution is in the 8-20MP range. If you’re a photographer using a DSLR, don’t expect anything too staggering!  Daytime photos are firmly in 'cell phone camera' territory in terms of quality, perhaps even a little less. When it comes to night time infrared photos and video, expect to see a considerable step down in quality, but it’s still plenty to be able to easily identify an animal.

Video of Badger entering our woods

Personally, i’m more intrigued by the videos, because I know I’m not going to use the photos anyway, but I have found it exciting, to see some interesting videos of various animals in unexpected locations. After all, this is all about doing some research so that you can put yourself in the right spot to get some great images with your DSLR setup later.

These foxes are regular visitors.

An important considertion, is “trigger speed”. This is the speed at which the camera can initiate and take a photo (or start a video) after the motion detector has sensed movement. For most current cameras, it’s in the range of 0.3-1.0 second. If something is casually strolling across your frame, these will all capture something interesting, especially if you’re looking for larger animals. For smaller animals, or birds, a fast trigger speed is essential.

This Pine Martin (still image) has been attracted by some peanuts, placed on the tree stumps.

The other thing that is worth looking at is the infrared flash specifications. Daylight motion detection range is pretty good, but at night you are limited by the infra-red flash range. You’ll also find two types of infrared flash: RED and INVISIBLE. In practical terms this means that the normal red infrared flash will be visible to animals, whilst the slightly more expensive invisible infrared flashes won’t be. If you’re looking to capture nervous animals on camera, the invisible flash will be worth looking for on a trail camera spec list.

Gizmo, my faithful companion, helping to set-up the 'target area'.

I really enjoy setting these up and I love the anticipation, when it’s time to go and grab the SD card! They are great ways to scout out watering holes, nesting sites and potential den locations that you might want to stake out later with your DSLR gear. The fact that you can leave them in the field for months at a time is amazing, and I’m going to be adding a few more to my gear soon!

My Choice

This trail camera that has 1080P HD video and 20-megapixel photo quality, will help you readily identify the wildlife you capture on it. It works well for both day and night time use, thanks to its 40 LED, invisible infrared flash illumination.

The Apeman H55 Trail Camera can detect moving objects as far away as 60’ and it features a generous field of view too. It also has a fast shutter trigger (which can be adjusted for senstivity) once its motion sensor has been tripped.

Opening the front cover, exposes the viewing screen and programming controls

When you open up the case you will see the 2.4” display screen inside. Here you can easily program this trail cam to work the way you want. You can also view your photos and videos instantly on the screen too. The huge advantage of this 'front visible' screen, is the ability to easily and accurately see the field of view, as you set up the camera direction and target area. Some trail cameras have the screen on the back of the unit, which is useless, when you need to ensure exactly what area you are filming!

The Apeman H55 Trail Camera uses an SD card of up to 32MB for storage and 8 AA batteries to power it. Neither are included in the package, so make sure you pick some up before you venture into the woods, or field, to set this trail camera up. Battery life is anywhere from 3 to 6 months and I recommend using 'Energizer Lithium' batteries for the best results.

Mounting options, include this bracket, as well as usual straps. The unit also has a 3/8th thread in the base for tripod mount.

This trail camera also comes with different mounting options. It includes hardware for permanently mounting it and straps for quick tree and pole mounting. There is even a threaded slot for tripod mounting. It’s a very tough trail cam too. This trail cam is dust proof, and waterproof.

Another really nice feature on the Apeman H55 Trail Camera is its different photo shooting modes. It can be set up to shoot video only, photos only or a combination of the two. There are different modes within each of these shooting categories also. For instance, when shooting video it can be set on timed intervals or in the time-lapse photography mode.

Believe it or not, it's currently available at just £49.99 through Amazon!

Good Hunting!