The Bushnell 8MP Trophy Cam HD Hybrid Trail Camera is a well rated mid-priced trail camera perfect for capturing pictures of that trophy buck on a hunting expedition. At around $150 to $200 it is more expensive than other models and has a lot of competition, but its range of features and settings, and its durability have made it a favorite with sportsman for several years.
Quick Features
Range – 60 to 80 feet- Trigger Speed – .6 sec with 3.3 sec recovery
- Flash – 32 no glow IRD LED
- Dimensions – 8x10x 5.5 inches
- Power – 8 AA batteries
- Imaging – 8MP stills with HD video
- Display – Black and white LCD
Imaging
The Trophy Cam HD offers a range of picture settings and quality. It can be set to 3MP, 5MP, or 8MP to adjust for SD card quality. Stills can be captured from one to three per trigger or combined with video to make sure you capture everything you want to see. The HD video, which included audio, can be set for 1 to 60 seconds in duration and has a resolution of 1280 x 720p.
The 0.6 second trigger speed is super fast with a programmable interval of one second to one hour. Combined with an adjustable PIR motion sensor, this camera won’t miss a thing, including snowflakes and gnats, so it’s advisable to check the sensitivity of your settings before leaving it in the field. On high you can average any where from 1,000 to 2,400 photos in an eight hour time frame depending on the weather and position of the camera.
Day time imaging with the Trophy Cam HD is great for any hunter’s needs, providing sharp full color images. Night time stills, however, range from grainy to average with the worst taken at pre-dawn when the sky light is changing. They are black and white which reduces the clarity of them especially when taken at further distances. Night time video, on the other hand, is great for capturing any critter who wanders in range or neighbors dumping trash or raccoons eating the dog food.
It has thirty-two no glow or black LED lights located above the camera lens that provide an eighty-foot night time range of capture but the clearest images are in the twenty-five to fifty foot range.
One of the unique features of this camera is that you can set it for time-lapse. In the Field Scan time-lapse mode it captures images at pre-set intervals from one minute to sixty minutes. This feature works without the motion sensor so if you need to film a certain time of day, this is a great option.
Durability
The Trophy Cam HD is built for rugged outdoor use. It’s weatherproof case is tightly sealed against the elements. Latches can be difficult to manipulate with gloves on but that just assures that no water will get in the case and ruin the camera. It is also built to withstand rough handling with no discernible damage even after several accidental drops.
It can be run on AA batteries or 12-volt DC power. With adjustable settings it can use either four or eight AA batteries with an average life span of around 26,000 pictures or one year on low setting. Some reviewers have reported going three years when using lithium batteries which are compatible with this camera. Higher settings will drain the batteries faster.
The temperature range for this camera is -5 to 140 degrees F. During off season, it should be stored without batteries in a cool dry location.
Ease of Use
On standard settings the Trophy Cam HD is easy enough to use that even a child can set it up. However, it comes with a detailed set of instructions that are clear and easy to follow for adjusting the vast number of settings available to get the picture quality, imaging type, and battery life that you need. They can be overwhelming to some, but anyone with a little experience will be able to work this camera with ease. A feature other cameras have that this one lacks is a display on the LCD viewer to help navigate the settings.
Overall
For overall quality, price, and range of features, the Bushnell 8MP Trophy Cam HD Hybrid Trail Camera is a good buy in the $150-$200 price range. While it doesn’t offer the high quality photos you would get from a more expensive model, it does produce good color photos and videos during daylight hours and reasonable black and white photos and video at night.