I have two Browning cameras purchased 2017. The moose image is from the "good" one, the other one having sustained damage in the Legion Lake Fire in the Black Hills last year. This is a highly-regarded camera with good reviews, but so far both of them have suffered from the same problem: The trigger is too sensitive and can't be adjusted. The Black Hills camera survived the fire, but had already filled up the memory card in two months with images of wind-blown grass and unlike my old Reconyx didn't get any pictures of the fire. My brother tells me the Montana camera took 70,000 images in 11 months. My other complaint is a personal preference: I've decided I don't like the wide aspect ratio for still images. Since I usually take stills rather than video, I prefer something less wide.
Montana Moose
I am waiting for Reconyx to send me an HP2X Hyperfire 2 Professional Covert IR Camera this week. This is a new model that is backordered, but I called yesterday and they told me it would be shipped soon. This camera, at a price point ($460) high compared to most trail cameras but low for Reconyx, should address the two issues I have with the $160 Brownings: The aspect ratio is 4:3 rather than 16:9 and the sensitivity is adjustable. It only takes 720P video, but I'm not buying it to take video.
I'm headed to Montana for the Fourth of July. The current plan is to drive through the Black Hills to scoop up the old Reconyx and "bad" Browning to see if they've gotten any decent images since I planted them just west of Jewel Cave National Monument a month ago. In Montana, I'm planning to plant one Reconyx and one Browning in the Beartooth Mountains. Then on the way back through the Black Hills I will redeploy the other Reconyx and other Browning, with the location dependent on success so far.
No comments:
Post a Comment