Camtraptions Trail Camera

The Camtraptions Trail Camera bridges the gap between a traditional research trail camera and a high-quality DSLR/mirrorless camera trap. It has the same form factor as a regular trail camera, but can capture dramatically improved images at night because of its unique compatibility with Camtraptions off-camera speedlight flashes.

The Trail Camera has an inbuilt PIR motion sensor to detect animals and automatically trigger the camera. It can be configured to record still photographs or video clips.

At night, still photographs can be illuminated in several different ways:

1. Using the camera's inbuilt infrared (IR) LED which produces no visible light and results in black and white photos that look similar to those taken by other trail cameras.
2. Using a white LED external module which works in the same way as the inbuilt infrared LED but results in colour images.
3. Using a white light xenon flash module which illuminates the scene for a very short period of time resulting in sharp, colour photographs, even if the subject is moving.
4. Using one or more off-camera speedlight flashes for sharp, artistically-lit, colour photographs.

Videos can be illuminated using either the inbuilt infrared LEDs or the white LED external module. More advanced lighting setups can be created by connecting an LED Light Panel Kit or USB Lighting Kit via the Trail Camera Speedlight Flash Adpater (a simple 2.5mm stereo female to 3.5mm stereo male adapter would be required to make the connection).

Artistic lighting

The ability to use one or more off-camera speedlight flashes means that photographs can be lit creatively for dramatic effect or for natural-looking nighttime scenes. The Camtraptions Trail camera is therefore the most cost-effective way to capture well-lit camera trap photographs at night. It is also an excellent tool for experimenting with camera trap lighting without needing to set up a full-blown DSLR or mirrorless camera trap.

Camtraptions Trail Camera | Appearance

• 5MP Sony CMOS image sensor.
• 4K (3840*2160) upscaled video files with a 61.5 Mbit/s data rate and 15 FPS
• 1080p (1920*1080) video recording with a 24.3 Mbit/s data rate and 30 FPS
• 50° field of view lens
• Infrared black and white images at night illuminated with an inbuilt high-powered IR 850nm LED.
• Colour images at night illuminated with an optional external LED or flash module.
• Compatible with Camtraptions speedlight flashes for advanced off-camera/multi-flash lighting.
• Trigger response time of 0.2 seconds.
• Inbuilt 2.0-inch display for image playback and settings menu.
• Supports micro SD cards with capacities up to 256GB (sold separately).
• Dustproof and waterproof grade: IP66.
• Operating temperature range: –20°C~70°C.
• Optional information bar on photos showing date, time, temperature, moon phase and camera ID number.
• PIR sensing angle of 50°, sensing distance up to 20 meters.
• Standby time of up to 12 months using 8 * AA alkaline batteries (not included).
• 12V DC socket on the bottom of the camera, for extending the standby time with an external battery.
• Daily time windows can be set up so the camera operates only when needed.
• Optional pin code to restrict camera access.
• Inbuilt microphone, speaker and temperature sensors.
• Includes a strap for mounting the camera on a tree or post.

Camtraptions Trail Camera | Alternatives

Camtraptions Trail Camera | Independent review by Silvavir Ecology Consultancy

Since the summer of 2019 we have partnered up with Silvavir ecology consultancy. They perform standardized and objective reviews of trailcameras. We started this partnership to provide more insight into the differences and similarities between the cameramodels that are available on today's market, and to offer people a helping hand in choosing the right cameratrap. For this model there is no review available yet.

Camtraptions Trail Camera | Standardized review by Trailcampro

Trailcampro is the largest cameratrap provider in the United States. They write standardized reviews of almost all trailcameras that are available on the market, which makes the comparability of the different cameras a bit easier! That is why we would like to refer to their reviews to give you a comparable overview of the quality of the various cameratraps. For this model there is no review available yet.

Camtraptions Trail Camera | Recommended accessories

All camera traps are supplied with a nylon strap but without any further accessories. However, to get started with your cameratrap right away, you need at least a set of batteries and an SDHC memory card. For this model, this is a standard SDHC memory card of at least Class 10, such as the Sandisk Ultra cards. Additionally, we recommend to use the Energizer Ultimate Lithium batteries (not rechargeable), or the Panasonic Eneloop and Eneloop PRO rechargeable NiMH batteries. The advantage of the lithium batteries over the rechargeable Eneloop batteries is that the former are more resistant to winter temperatures. The disadvantage however, is that they are non-rechargeable. If you choose rechargeable batteries, think of the Everactive battery charger, in case you don't have a good battery charger in your house!

In addition to batteries and a memory card, there is a variety of other accessories available for this cameramodel. There are all kinds of special mounting materials such as tree forks and supports, but also accessories that ensure that the camera is placed more securely, such as a python cable lock. You can select these accessories directly above and place your order as a bundle, but you can also view the complete overview of accessories here.

Product number: this is the Camtraption Trail Camera with product number CT-TC.