I recently tested a 3.0 megapixel model of the Cuddeback Digital Trail Camera. I was pretty excited to get the thing going and see what it could do so I went straight home and started to set it up.
For the most part the set up was pretty easy. I was expecting that the camera would take the C size batteries as most do, but it required the larger D cells. After raiding a few flashlights I had the power that I needed. I set it to take a few pictures with the hope that I would be able to get a quick look at the quality of the images that the camera provided. I took a few shots and realized that I had no way of seeing the pictures. This extinguished my enthusiasm a little. The camera has no screen to view the pictures, and it does not come with a USB cable to download them to a computer. I didn’t have time to go to the store that day so the next day I was off to find an SD card that I could use to store the picture and then put them on the computer. You can also purchase a viewer, but I had to get an SD card anyway so I took that route. I would really rather a camera with a viewing screen on it but this is an entry level camera so I suppose to keep costs down one is not included. The internal memory of the camera is not that large and can’t store enough pictures to be used in the field, so be aware that you will be purchasing an SD card to effectively use this camera no matter what. The internal memory only allows you to store the low resolution shots so don’t even bother with this option. You won’t be getting the best out of the camera and you will need the convenience of better capacity.
Getting it set up in the Field
There are two ways to set up the Cuddeback camera to a tree. I am not a big fan of either one. Option one is to screw the camera right to the tree. For some reason I don’t trust this, as I’m not sure how the tree will hold up to it, and I don’t want to carry around my tool bag in order to do some field photography. What if I forget the tool bag when I go to take the camera down? Option two is a strap that is included with the camera. This seems to be a little better but bungee cords would probably work better than either option. There is a security option to lock the case so that either of these methods can be made a little more secure, but the padlock is not included with the camera. That is par for the course. At least you have the ability to get some security if you feel you need it. It would be good if you had a method of attaching a more serious cable to the unit, but for this model you will have to go with one of the existing options and take your chances.
Overall I was happy with the performance for the cash outlay, just be aware that you will have to make a few additional purchases to get the most out of the equipment.
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