About seven years ago after an elk chewed the cord off the solar panel powering my first trailcam, a D-cell powered Bushnell, I was looking around for a camera with better image quality and more reasonable power requirements. I was attracted to Reconyx because of its superior reputation and decided it was worth it to pay four times as much for a PC900 versus what it would cost for a mainstream camera.
The Reconyx stood the test of time, capturing elk images efficiently in Wind Cave National Park for those seven years. However, fire damaged the exterior of the camera in December and although it still seemed operational I decided to send it in for servicing. From what I can tell, Reconyx is the only trailcam company that even tries to service its cameras. Including shipping both ways, it cost me $81 to get it repaired.
When I got the camera back, I was astounded. According to the service description, they replaced the case, LCD screen, battery harness, and illumination package. What else is there, the lens and image sensor? It looks like a brand new camera. My only complaint is the color is now a solid dark green rather than camo. We'll see how it performs when I get it back out in the field sometime this spring. They also included a Reconyx hat, which I will wear proudly out in the woods when I'm searching for a new tree on which to mount it.
So for $81 I could either buy a cheap piece of crap like a Primos, or get my wonderful Reconyx repaired. No brainer. I think in 2025 I'll send it in again whether it needs it or not.
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