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Bushnell Camera Review Page |
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10/30/06: Bushnell has an
extreme backlog in their repair and turn around is now 6 to
8 weeks not the 20 days as previously stated
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Bushnell Camera Review Page |
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10/30/06: Bushnell has an
extreme backlog in their repair and turn around is now 6 to
8 weeks not the 20 days as previously stated
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Model 119600
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Our original
purchase of this camera was a couple of months ago. This camera had many
problems with its ability to sense and trigger. When and if it would
trigger, the picture quality was less than acceptable. The weatherproof seal
failed and as a result of its poor performance this camera was pulled out of
service and returned to the factory. The folks at Bushnell returned a new
replacement camera and we are in the process of re-evaluating the new
camera's performance. The first thing is that it has extremely good trigger
time (less than a second) and second the picture quality is marginal but
much better than its predecessor. Pictures are somewhat grainy but readable
at reasonable distances. The flash is somewhat weak but is good out past 20
feet. Field testing is in progress.
The following trigger times are for the replacement model 119600 we received. The following sample pictures were taken recently with the replacement model we received.
11-22-05 Update: Today this cam was brought back to the shop to do the new flash test on our new testing station. Last night we had some rain and when this cam was opened about a cup of water poured out. Contact with the factory rep found that this has been an on going problem with the Bushnell cams and the factory is working on it,
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Model
119700
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This is what seems to be Bushnell's answer to the Moultrie 1.3 MP cameras. This cam sells in the $200.00 range and has all the same features as the 119800 and 119600 with the difference being the 1.3 MP rating. The trigger time is in the 2 to 2.5 second range. While attempting to get trigger time without flash using the day only setup mode the flash still would go off. Again as with the other models the battery holders are a real pain when installing batteries. The springs want to fold over and this could cause damage to the cam if caution is not taken during battery installation. It is strange that the 119600 and 119000c have a constant + or - 1 second trigger time and this cam is much slower. The instruction book is the same as the 600-800-900 models and easy to follow. This cam did not come with the SD card as all previous models did, so that fact should be considered before purchase. We will put this camera to work in the field the first week in November.
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Model
119700 2006 model
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This new 2006 camera is the same as the older
model with the exception of a supposed sensing range of 90 feet and it moved up
to 2.1 MP. I opened the box and the first thing I saw was it did not come with
the memory card and also when I installed the batteries and started the trigger
time tests it was out past 5 seconds. I pulled the batteries and put it back in
the box thus concluding the review. Update 08-23-06: [1.3 MP] During a big sale at our local store the Bushnell rep was here to help out. We spoke about the changes that had taken place with the Bushnell cameras for 06. I requested that we get one of the 3.0 MP Trail Scouts to go through for a comparison between the 05 and 06 models. He said he would send me one as soon as he got back. Well it arrived and with out looking at the end of the box I just assumed that it was a 3.0. I began the set up and in big letters on the box it said 1.3 MP model 119700. Well you can see (above) we have been there before but in the 2.1. I went ahead and powered it up and did the programming (in Bushnell it is a snap) and basically rushed to my trigger time set up to do a test. Well to my surprise this camera produced a consistent 1.25 second trigger time. I took it out side and set up looking at my wife’s flowers and had it snap a few pictures. They were the typical VGA quality, very readable but a tiny bit fuzzy. This camera would be like the old 1.3 Cudde with its great trigger time but having lower picture quality. A search of the catalogs showed only the 2.1 version and not the 1.3. I checked the internet and found it for around $175 several places. The manufacture date on this camera is March 06 and I believe that the 2.1 that I tested was January 06. I will go ahead and do the flash test and get some sample field pictures to post. This morning 08-24-06, was a 70 degree morning and I set up for the flash range tests. The flash is pretty good on this camera. I could see a buck at 60 feet with enhancement, but without enhancement it was good to 40 feet. We were testing the new LR 6SS at the same time and it had a much better flash but failed miserably when it came to sensing. The 119700 would see me at 25 feet every time but the LR would not see me until I was at 15 feet. The testing of the Bushnell was very easy to do because of its trigger time and min. delay, whereas testing the LR was a pain and took a long time just waiting that 1.5 minutes between pictures and slow trigger. If the test pictures prove to be acceptable, this just might be a good alternative to the old 1.3 cudde.
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Model
119900
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As with the 600 series this camera was in testing for a couple of months. During that period of time the camera did not perform well at all. Very slow trigger time coupled with picture quality that was far less than its 2.1 MP rating. The IR flash failed and the weatherproof seal failed also. The camera was returned to the factory and they replaced it with a new camera. The replacement camera has a variable trigger time first tests were 2.5 second average and later test the trigger time was a constant 4 seconds. We are waiting to talk to someone responsible at the factory to get answers to several questions. The flash is weak but pictures at 25 feet were readable. The IR flash seems to only work properly when the batteries are strong. When the batteries start to wear down the IR flash seems to stop working. Prolong use of the IR mode would probably result in night time pictures being lost due to low battery power. The regular flash worked well even when battery strength was low. We placed this camera in the field and will have sample pictures soon. The following trigger times are for the replacement model 119900 we received:
Note: Sample pictures for the replacement model will be posted when we get them |
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Model 11-9000c
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Purchased from Sams Club October 07, 2005: This is one of Bushnell's new entry level cameras with a $100 price tag. It is advertised as 1.3 MP but this is only gained through software interpolation. (inserting pixels). Out of the box impression was fair. No latches as on previous units, just clips. The clips appear fragile and the door does not always close tightly. Make sure you take care opening and closing the door. It appears that it also has the same type of water seal as the older units. These failed on all of the previous units tested. Care must be taken while installing batteries because the springs have a tendency to fold over and could be easily damaged. It will take 1280x960 stills and 320x240 AVI 15 second daytime movies. The instruction manual is better written than the two previous cams tested and was fairly easy to follow. The only confusing portion was how to set it up to take pictures in the field just before closing the door. You must enter the security code and press enter to activate it just prior to leaving. Most of the cameras have a one minute delay time and I was surprised to see a 30 second delay time on this little cam which is a great feature. This camera came with a 32 MB SD card and a great wide strap for fixing it to what ever you choose to mount it on. There is a good set of instructions inside the door but if your eyes are like mine you had best carry a magnifier or be prepared to read very tiny print. There is no provisions for security other than a plastic loop for a lock, I would recommend that something be constructed for this if it is going to be used in an area where security is an issue. The flash is suppose to be 15 feet but my first few pictures in shop were sensed at 20+ feet and were readable.
The camera does not come with a secure mounting bracket so we
engineered our own. Take a look at the photos here on the left to get an
idea on what we constructed to more securely lock this camera to the tree.
Click on the bottom one for a larger view.
Our distance tests show that the camera triggers easily at 70 degrees out to at about 40 feet. Our first test pictures reveal a grainy quality. 25 feet is probably as far out as the flash is useable and initial test pictures with flash appear poor in quality and grainy in appearance. This camera should be in the field tomorrow and we will post game pictures as soon as we get them. Update 10-22-05: We got out first game pics today and have posted some samples. This little camera seems to be a good performer with its fast trigger time. This weeks pictures show that the picture quality is marginal but as long as the animal is with in 15 to 20 feet the detail in the pictures is acceptable but fuzzy. Probably a pretty good bang for the buck.
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Bushnell late 06
model 119000 review 10-17-06:
Our old 05 model has just kept on taking
pictures with fairly good battery life and its VGA quality pictures. We have
a new late 06 camera just to see if things have gotten any better since our
last review. This camera has the latches and not the clips like the previous
model to close the case. The programming is the same and super simple to do,
but requires a peak at the book to get past the security code. As with all
the new Bushnell cameras this camera has a super fast trigger just like
before. Picture quality remains the same but very readable for its VGA 1.3
interpolated rating. I did notice that it has some extreme sensing that
would catch me out past 60 feet at 65 degrees. All previous security
brackets shown on the 9000c review will apply to this camera. We prefer the
security bar from Stealth cam and a Python lock for security. There seems to
be a lot of small very good reliable cameras on the market that will perform
the basic duties of a scouting camera. This camera with its exceptional
trigger time should be high on the list. If picture quality is an issue a
step up to the 119200 could be done but will also pull another $50 dollars
out of the old wallet. They are both the same case and trigger time it is
just that the 119200 is 2.1 MP. I have held tight on to our old 9000c and
have used it in those areas where a camera might get legs if not watched.
The Bushnell cameras are taking a fair share of the market away from Non
Typicals Cuddeback
cameras. Bushnell has a little faster trigger time than
Cudde and they have real honest
accessable customer service. We have had this camera in the field for a few days and when we made our first visit we found it dead. We suspected that it had ate a set of batteries in less than 6 days. Once back in the shop we found that one of the batteries was tipped out causing the problem. As reported in previous Bushnell reviews, there is a problem with the battery holders where the springs tend to fold over during battery installation. Who ever is installing the batteries must do it with care and examine the springs on the negative end of the batteries to insure that they are not folded over. When we finally get our set of test pictures this camera has a role in a security mission that I am doing involving trespassers. This concludes the review on this camera.
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2006
Model 11-9200 Mounting bracket options: On the 11-9000c (above), Bill shows of a bracket he made which is compatible with this camera:
Also, as an option here is another design Bill came up with:
The Bushnell trail
sentry
can also be secured by
using a 1/16X2X10 inch plate with holes drilled in it to accept a chain or
python lock.
Care must be given to
insure that the cable does not interfere with the lens or sensors.
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2006 Bushnell 119200 Trail
Sentry 2.1 MP
07-13-06 - This will be short and sweet because all the programming and setup is the same as the previously tested 05 Trail Sentry. This new cam is 2.1 MP and has a sharp 1/4th to 1/2 second trigger time. An improvement on this new cam is the use latches instead of clips to close the case. This will make the case much more water tight. Picture quality is very good. Security is non existent so a home brew security bracket (Please refer to 11-9000c above for info on a compatable bracket) is in order for protection. Major issues in the past have dealt with sensing but we placed this cam in a four day carefully setup test against a Cudde 3.0 this cam took 155 pictures and Cudde took 41 pictures, The Cudde only looks out in a narrow area where this cam will see the peripheral and capture many more pictures. The Cudde did sense at a greater distance than did this cam but knowing this fact makes the setup easy and productive. This simple to use and above average features makes this camera a pleasure to use.
One of
this company's policies is that you must include
a $10 payment on all warranty returns. This is out of line with most of the
camera companies and it is something we would like to see changed by
Bushnell. A little push from its loyal customers might help get this policy
off the books. What we have paid out in return fees for the many cameras we
have had and have had to return for even minor warranty concerns would have
easily been enough to buy us another camera. 09-26-06 Update: We spoke with the folks at Bushnell about the warranty return charge and it was stated that those cameras that have problems develop under warranty, there is not suppose to be a charge. We also started to notice that on some of the outdoor forums that a few folks were having a problem with the trigger time being 3 to 4 seconds on the first trigger after the camera has been setting idle for a period of time. The company says that this is definitely not suppose to happen. A call to Bushnell customer service should get you a return number.
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2006
Model 11-9300
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2006 Bushnell 119300 Trail
Sentry 2.1 MP
Another addition to the Bushnell line is this camera. The main features are that it is both IR and standard flash. One troubling thing about this camera is, it is what is known as a “Cabelas Exclusive” which means that it is like the M-200 Moultrie 4.1 and is only available through Cabelas. The price is in the $250 range and unlike Cudde this cam comes with a strap and memory card and is dressed out in a Seclusion 3D camo case. Out of the box impression was good with the case featuring the latches and not the old plastic clips. In comparison to the Cudde this camera has a full rubber seal on the case which makes it much more weather resistant than the newly designed Cuddeback case. My attempt to do the programming without using the manual failed. There are a couple of quirky little things in the programming that require close attention to procedures outlined in the manual. The main issue with the programming was dealing with the selection of either the standard flash or the IR flash. Once this is accomplished the menu button must be held in for a longer period of time. Other than that, the date/time programming is the same as previous Trail Sentry cams that we tested. Trying to use the instructions pasted inside the cam proved that they are not for this cam but for the standard flash unit and do not include the instructions for changing it to IR flash. This needs to be fixed. I tested the trigger time and the standard flash was around ½ second like the model 119200. The IR trigger time was just under 1 second. The IR array is split and there are 6 emitters on each side of the main camera lens. This is the same amount of emitters used on their more expensive Trail Scout with night vision. I had to cover up all but one emitter while doing the trigger time test due to the brightness. Securing this came in the field will be the same as outlined in our other Trail Sentry reviews. The IR flash range is around 40 feet but weak compared to other IR cameras we have tested. The low amount of emitters is the reason for this but knowing this up front a person could locate this cam close enough to the target area to gain the desired results. We will soon be blessed with the presents of the new Stealth WD-2 IR and we are going to stack most of the competition (Recon-Leaf River) together for a test. Cudde will not be joining in due to a series issues many folks have experienced with Non Typicals attempt to enter the IR race and the fact we have never received our order. Image delay is 30 seconds. Will take up to 1 Gig cards and MMC not recommended. The battery life (duracels) is up to 30 days depending on the amount of pictures taken and flash usage. I placed this camera out for a one night test on a feeder and only one deer cam by at about 40 feet and you can tell she was there but this being an new camera I found that the IR flash shoots lower than I had anticipated and most of the flash hit the ground in front of the doe. In the IR mode both night and day pictures are black and white . In the standard mode the pictures are color both day and night. This is a cool little camera and I like it very much so far. During the flash/trigger tests I also tried to compare this cam to the Cudde Excite as far as sensing range. I discovered a quality control issue with the Cudde which led me to look at its sensing range. To have another camera to compare my findings was necessary and both these cameras were being tested at the same time. This was a 70 degree morning and we had just had a good rain. This camera would easily sense and trigger at 45 feet every time and the Cudde would hardly trigger at 20 feet. We feel that do to some poor assembly on the Cudde the sensor and camera boards were put in the camera crooked which led to its poor performance. With the Standard flash mode on, we placed this camera side by side with the Cudde Excite (the cudde has a sensor issue) and the 119300 got 130 pictures while the Excite took 58.
Update 07/29/06:
The next step was to put this camera in a field test side by side with the
new Cudde IR using the IR mode. In four days the Cudde took 74 pictures and
the 119300 Bushnell took 249. The 3.0 Day pictures off the Cudde IR were
much better than this cameras but fell below the Cudde Expert 3.0's picture
quality. The Night IR pictures off this camera were better than the Cudde
IRs but the Cudde No Flash has stronger IR illumination but a much weaker sensor.
This camera's picture quality is not nearly as good as the 119200 or the Cudde Excite. Also it seems to have the same problem as some Moultries, where it is confused at dusk and dawn as to whether or not to use the flash. The peripheral of the pictures are also a little out of focus.
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2006
Model 119901
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08-25-06 Bushnell 119901: Our test camera was a March of 06 manufacture date. Setting this camera side by side with the (05)119900 you will see that there have been some changes. Gone is the removable filter lens for IR and in its place is a front panel switch to make this change. Most every thing else appears to be the same. When I asked the tech folks the two main changes for 06 is suppose to be more attention to water tightness and trigger times. Bushnell has a really nice setup of switches that makes the dreaded task a very simple matter. This camera setup time is very quick and easy. The 3.0 MP rating is nice when it includes a 30 second delay time. Security is still the same with the supplied cable and brackets. Not the best but acceptable for most cases. I inspected the gasket and the front cover and everything looks very water tight. I believe that just above the door is a slight and blow the camera lens the plastic has been molded to provide a roof over the junction of the top of the door and the case. These cameras also come with a laser aim that is initiated by going into the setup mode for proper aiming. I hate to compare these 06 cameras to Cudde but just having an included memory card and a means to mount the camera and a good water tight case is the way things should be.The big unique feature on this camera is the ability of choosing either white of IR flash by just moving a couple switches. I love the design, size, and features. The absents of internal memory and not being able to hook the camera to your TV or computer is a missing feature. In order to view your pictures you must have some type of external viewing device (Bushnell has one) in the field or exchange the cards and bring them home to view with a card reader. If you choose to use this cam for movies it is only programmable in the IR mode. Included in the box is a remote control which can be used to activate the camera remotely or if you are the type of person who might loose your camera, the flash cam be activated remotely to help find that lost camera. These guys even give you a lock to secure the case. Cabelas has the non camo version for $350 and the camo version for a bit more. When I research and find these new features advertised about certain cameras I get excited with the hopes that maybe we have found the perfect camera. Well the first test that I put this camera through was the programming and that was a snap. Next I put the case and the engineering of the case and seal under the magnifier and found that to be very good. Then on to the big trigger time test, this is when things fell apart. During the white flash trigger time tests this camera turned in a horrible 9 second trigger time. This is even worse than the first 119700 (the second (06) 119700 had a 1 second time) that we tested for 06 which was 7 seconds and I pulled the test. I would have normally discontinued the test at that time but being this camera is also IR, I decided to go ahead and do the IR trigger time and wow I was amazed that it was less than a second. Conclusion based just on trigger times is this would be a very good “trail camera” in IR and an acceptable feeder camera in white flash and with its 1 second trigger time without flash it would work any where during the daylight hours. I will set up for the flash range and sensor tests tomorrow morning then off to the field for sample pictures in both color and IR. We are hoping that the 3.0 MP IR pictures are suitable and the day color and white flash pictures are good (not my choice with this cam). I would just tape the switch to the IR position and leave it or for those who just like the daytime pictures it could be set up to do a very good job there also. The flash range tests proved that both the standard and IR flashes were good to 40 feet and this 70 degree morning it would continually sense me at 30 feet. Other than the bad trigger time for standard night time flash, this is a really great little camera. It will be interesting to see how its IR pictures compare to the other cameras in our IR comparison page. Bushnell is finally getting on top of many of its previous problems and has been turning out some outstanding cameras. Now we will get this machine in the field to gather both IR and standard pictures.
08-31-06 Update: We discussed the trigger time findings during the white flash tests with the Bushnell folks and they felt that there must be a problem with this cam to turn in that kind of trigger time. They have requested that we return the camera and get a replacement to complete the review. The field tests to get sample pictures showed flash problems, so this morning I will be sending this camera in to Bushnell to figure out what the problem is. If the replacement camera turns in a 1 second white flash trigger time to match the IR flash time this will be a very nice camera. I spent the day going back over this camera and found that the appeared to be very sensitive to battery level. As the battery drained so did the performance of just about everything. I used set of Duracell’s for this camera and re started all the tests. The white flash trigger time suddenly went to 1 second I then re installed a used set of batteries and the 9 second time returned. I then hand picked 4 new batteries to complete the tests. This is when everything went south. The trigger time again was 9 seconds and I could not get it to change. We have determined that there is a definite problem with this camera and after discussing this with Bushnell we decided to return it and we are waiting for a replacement so we can finish the review.
11-08-06 Update: We had a small loss of communications and for some reason the replacement cam did not arrive as we expected. A short E mail corrected this and a beautiful camo cased camera arrived. Into the cabinet for four new duracells and it was up and running. Programming took about a minute and on the bench for some initial testing. The trigger time tests without the clock appeared to be less than a second in both flash modes. The pictures were sharp and clear with a very natural look to the color tones. We have noticed that the night white flash pictures on most of the Bushnell’s that we have tested have a slight haze to them, but with very true color. Being this camera is in direct competition with the Cudde cameras here is a short comparison. This camera is listed in Cabelas for $370, that is a good $30 cheaper than the Cudde Expert and $80 cheaper than the Cudde no flash. This camera can perform the function of both of the Cudde’s and do it with a faster trigger time. The IR illumination of the 119901 is not nearly as strong as the Cudde no flash but knowing this up front allows the user to just situate the camera a little closer to the target area to compensate. Having a solid water tight case and a decent battery holder is also a plus, compared to the Cudde. You can actually change out the batteries without laying down on your back under the cam, as I had to do with all the 06 Cudde’s reviewed. This camera also comes with a means of security (padlock included) and with a memory card, which Cudde does not. Bushnell does have a reachable customer service and presently because of a backlog they are slow, with several weeks delay in getting your cam back if something does go wrong. The Bushnell customer service does work and they are hard at work to make it better. Because of the problem plagued Cudde 06 cameras, Cudde customer service appears to be non existent and un reachable. For you folks that can hang your camera on a tree and forget where you put it, this camera comes with a remote control to help you locate it. So much for the comparison, it is easy to see that Bushnell has steadily upgraded and Cudde chose the other route. I like everything about this camera, especially the ease of programming and uncomplicated operation. Another set of test pictures and trigger time tests will be done prior to the conclusion of this review. I don't want to be seen as arbitrarily beating up on Non Typical (Cudde) but it is a fact that the Cudde’s have a multitude of problems along with their support. We feel about this Bushnell camera like we did last year about the old 05 3.0 and 1.5 Cudde, which are good cameras.
11-18-06 Update: The trigger time with flash tests were all that were pending and they proved to be in the 1.5 second range. This is an exceptional camera and was a pure pleasure to review.
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2007
Model 11-9905
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05-30-2007 Camera
Purchased from
TrailCamPro.Com We did this cameras predecessor at the end of 06 and found it to be one of the best cameras tested. Super fast trigger time and both IR and incandescent flash make this camera very versatile. The firm well camouflaged case with Bushnell’s own security device and tight water seal makes this camera fit in the outdoors like a glove. The advanced switch system that they have chosen for this camera makes it so super easy to program and use. With out a doubt my favorite camera to use with the Wildview cameras by Stealth running a close second for ease of use and setup. Four new D cells and about 2 minutes and this camera was ready for testing. The CMOS sensor is 3 MP and the 5 MP rating is gained through interpolation. The real bummer is that it is fixed resolution and lower MP ratings cannot be selected. This can be a problem when you want to send someone an E mail and the file size is up in the clouds. Like Stealth cam they have chosen to use a full 45 degree PIR sensor and is rated out to 45 feet. The IR flash (24 emitters) is rated at 30 feet and the white flash will probably reach out to its advertised 45 foot sensing range. Sure would like to be able to choose a lower rez setting for those long deployments on a lower capacity card. A flick of a switch and you are in either movie of still mode and the same for flash changes from IR to white flash. The video clips also incorporate sound by way of a built in microphone, which is a pretty neat feature. The little piece of foam that we use to stick inside the case to keep the batteries from popping out in the middle is not needed. The company has added this for us and holds the batteries just great. The spring folding over when trying to install the batteries is still somewhat of an issue but knowing this ahead of time and a little care will prevent this. Trigger time is much less than a second but the delay time is longer due to the file size to write to the card. The red sensing led on the front of the cam should be covered with a small square of black electrical tape to prevent spooking the game. It appears to be a very good camera and will be a pleasure to test. 05-31-07 Update:
Putting this camera through the trigger time testing and flash testing was super
simple because of the simple method of changing settings. Both the IR and the
white flash worked well out past 50 feet. The sensing range was varied between
40 and 45 feet for this 70 degree morning. The night white flash pictures did
not change to color as expected so there may be problem there. On one of the
previously tested Bushnell’s we had a mechanical filter to move or a filter
glass to install when changing to IR operations. This camera is supposed to do
this electronically. There is a small port at the base of this cam which appears
to be an external battery port but there is no mention of this in the
documentation, web site or on the box. The new and greatly improved articulating
mount that they included makes aiming this camera a pure pleasure to use. I will
place a call to the tech folks at the factory to see if I can get a couple
answers to these minor difficulties. The flash pictures were very good even
though they were not in color. Sensing turns on a red LED behind the sensor lens
which is useful for testing but could prove to be a problem when that wary ol
buck is strolling in to his rub line. It is time to stick this cam in the woods
for some live game pictures.
06-05-2007 update: Our field testing has proved that there is a
problem on this cam so we are going to have to pull it and return it. The filter
appears to be stuck and in less that a hundred pictures we had to replace the
Duracells. Maybe the replacement cam will let us complete this review. 06-20-2007 update: We have had lots conversation through our supplier with Bushnell tech folks and it appears that the camera is operating as designed, and is not really meant to be a standard (white) flash camera and even though you can force it to do color standard flash through the programming by changing the 6-18 setting you would still end up with a hour during the 24 hour period that it would revert back to the non color pictures. Once again we must stress that the battery problem we experienced was due to faulty Duracell batteries. For some reason the past couple of years we have several new packages of batteries that had some bad cells in them. We are not going to pull another camera to continue this review because we have covered all the main features, with exception of being able to show a picture with sound using the new featured microphone. This is a solid well made camera with exceptional trigger time that will look good hanging off one of your favorite trees.
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2007 11-9302 Trail Sentry 2.1 MP IR/standard flash |
Bushnell
11-9302 Trail Sentry 2.1 MP IR/standard flash Review 06-22-2007 06-29-2007 update: Funny thing happened on the way to the trigger time table. We decided to add another test in our series of tests, this being sleep mode test. We boot up the cam and lay it on its back with a coin over the PIR sensor and leave it for a couple of hours. Turn the lights off in the room and remove the coin and see how long it takes to fire the flash. With this cam it was 3 plus seconds for the first trigger the after the 30 second delay period it would fire in less than a second every time. So this cam does have the sleep mode function built in. So now we will have to have another test picture showing the sleep time then the trigger time there after and then the rest time prior to it returning to the sleep mode. Wow another head ache. 07-12-2007 update: This is one of the cams that we decided to do a long range test with and had it deployed in a good spot. When we went to check on this cam yesterday we found that it had gone to sleep on the tree and died of an extreme overdose of rain water. This cam had a door gasket failure and our attempts to give CPR (camera precipitation reduction) did not appear to help. I bought a nice card and wrote a note along with the required $10 and am sending it home for replacement to its parent company. This is the second cam from Bushnell we have had a leak problem with. This style of case design has never leaked on us before just one of the more expensive models. 07-25-2007 update: The ole Bushnell folks have replaced the wet one and now we will continue the review. First check again will be the sleep mode test then double check the trigger time. If all remains the same it will be deployed to its tree to gather the needed picture quality samples and more movie and IR pictures. I will probably sneak a little short test somewhere under the water tap just to make sure all is well prior to its journey to the outback.
08-07-2007 update: Yep, this one still has the sleep function and the trigger time (which will be checked and double checked again) seems to be in the 2 second range. We are having a hard time trying to figure out why some of the factory Bushnell cameras that come from the same source and at the same time have such different characteristics. This camera has a much longer trigger time but the overall function is perfect. In a couple of days it took a couple hundred pictures. The day color pictures were very good and when the light dimmed it shifted to standard flash and they were the same. When the cam hit the programmed switch to IR time, it did, and functioned very well. This is a total switch from the original camera that we started with that just seemed not to function very well at all. We are watching to see if any of our early findings show up across any of the many outdoor forums that I monitor. So far I have seen only good reports for the few that have been purchased so far. The roulette business of purchasing trail cameras and having to keep returning them until you finally get a good one sucks. In our case it seems that we are just one and no other reports have surfaced as of yet. The testing will have to go on for a much longer time this time than we expected because of the previous problem on the ol “wet one”. Basically this does seem to be a pretty good cam, even with the slower trigger time.
08-19-2007 update: Clicking away for a couple more weeks we
have gained a little more respect for this cam, purely because of the
mark degree of function we see over the returned camera. The movie mode
does fair and the product seems to be fuzzy at best. The color is quite
good and if we had a means to sharpen the movies this cam would shine
much brighter. Still hacking away on its original batteries so we have
not yet determined what kind of battery life we are going to get. Many
folks really like this camera and because of its popularity we will try
to spend some more time with this unit. 08-29-2007 update: Time is up for this cam, as of 8-25-07 this little cam batteries that were installed 07-30-2007 are finally gone. A total of 217 pictures were taken. One troubling features of this cam is you have no way to tell if the camera is actually functioning. When the batteries get low and the small red LED ceases to function. Until the buttons are actually manipulated it is a trial and error process. A little over three weeks and over two hundred pictures this is not to bad for the price of this little cam.
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 2008 11-9305 Trail Sentry 5 MP IR/White flash |
Bushnell 11-9305
(I guess) Trail Sentry red flash IR camera review
07-18-2008 There is absolutely nothing on this camera that identifies it as being of any kind of a model. So off to the documentation and again there is pictures but nothing there to make me believe that what I have in my hand is any certain model. This is about the tenth Trail Sentry that I have owned and its the first one that I wanted to throw across the room during the first hour. I have loved a number of these little cams but this one leaves so many things lacking that if I was to give into my feelings right now I would pull this review as a bad experience. To correlate this camera to the documentation and compare the 5 MP qualities to many other cameras from the same company is a big stretch. I first attempted the trigger tests expecting the same as many of its predecessors and found a pretty solid three second time. This is as much as two seconds worse than other cams from this company that carry the same name. I did some sample pictures at full rez to see just how good a 5 MP picture from this camera looked and thought I was looking at VGA pictures. I again went through the cam setup to insure that I was indeed on the proper setting and still the pictures came out lousy. Right now I am not sure that what came out of the box is what I am supposed to have here for this review. There are things on the camera that are not in the book and visa versa. Programming this cam was pretty standard but there is a curve thrown here because of its predecessors where you could select whit or red flash.
This cam is IR night and no flash during the
day with the exception when light is starting to fail then the whit flash
will kick in and help clear the pictures. You must program the times you
wish the IR illumination to happen, by narrowing this time will cause the
white flash to work longer. This is not controlled by a light sensor. The
red light on the front of this cam is of use when setting up but should be
covered up for this cam to function in the field. I use a short piece of
black electrical tape for this. This camera lists for about $200 and
compared to the competition it probably would not be a wise choice. We will
still give this cam the go through but as of now it looks like a VGA cam in
a 5MP box. The picture dimensions say it is 3 MP but the quality says VGA I
have yet got this camera to go to the 5 MP setting. Flash range tests in
the morning then off to the hill for sample pictures. We will probably not
have this cam long enough to do a battery life test. I had a number of
cameras to do tests on this morning so I started very early. All went well
with the rest but when I started to do the flash range and sensing tests on
this camera and things came to a halt. I spent more travel time between the
shop and flash testing area than I spent on the rest of the cameras. I was
finally able to get the camera to trigger enough times to collect the flash
range (good to 40 feet) and sensing (25 feet @ 71 degrees). That is about it
for this camera, we will gather a few test
pictures and be done with this review. 07-25-2008 update: Well we stuck it out on the hill for some test pictures and were able to gather a few of the low rez pictures. The pictures all have a green hue to them and the color is such that it is nearly impossible to read the time date. They just lack a degree of contrast. Spent a lot of time and carefully put it on high rez and put it back out. We just pulled the cam and again it reverted back to low rez. So far we have only been able to get this camera into the high position one time. The night pictures with IR were ok and better than some. The transition time when the camera chooses to help out with the white flash resulted in some washed out pictures. We were using the 0600 to 2000 setting which is pretty close to our transition times. Two broken fingernails and a small sprain will hopefully result in this thing going in the high position so we can get those test pictures. It looks like those good old 119000C trigger times is definitely a thing of the past. We had a whole series of these cameras that wood blow the socks off a cudde when it came to trigger time. If this camera represents all (and it should) that is being sold in this model and costs a couple hundred dollars I would look elsewhere like down the road at the HCO’s Scoutguard or HCO 30. The Moultrie D-40 costing $89 could be purchased as a pair and you would have better trigger time. Better pictures and you could have cameras hanging off two trees instead of just one. As much as we have liked Bushnell’s cameras, this camera has been a disappointment.
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