Now to the downsides. Although the camera states to have a 0.2 second trigger speed, it seems to often take longer to start recording – anywhere up to 10 seconds. Naturally, this means some footage can get lost. When purchasing wildlife cameras in the UK, it’s not surprising that image and video quality is one of the most important features to consider. To help with conserving power, there is a programmable timer function so that the camera is only active when you want it to be.

Trail cams only record for a short amount of time. Often, they record for around 30 seconds but some cameras let you choose how long to record for (commonly between 10 – 90 seconds). A wildlife camera’s protection against water ingress is measured using the IP (ingress protection) scale. The camera records video in 1080p resolution (equal to approximately 2MP), the same as many other units on this list. When it comes to photos, it shoots at 12 megapixels, which is slightly less than a lot of other cameras (for example, the budget SUNTEKCAM uses 24 megapixels). However, this is less important if you’re going to be using the camera predominantly for videos.There’s a little DIY involved in getting the box and cabling installed, but the camera itself is essentially plug-and-play and, once you’re hooked up, you will have access to your own live bird box video feed. When it comes to wildlife cameras, the resolution of the videos is usually lower than that of the photos. The still photo cameras on wildlife cams tend to be between 12 – 24 megapixels. Generally speaking, you’re unlikely to tell much difference between the two – unless you’re wanting to really enlarge the image or heavily crop it. For most casual wildlife-spotting in the garden, the resolution of photos is not too important and anything above 12 megapixels will be sufficient. Hello, we recommend that the closest distance for the A3S camera to shoot is 2.5 meters. Better picture quality can be guaranteed at this distance and beyond. Photo image quality in trail cameras is most commonly measured in megapixels (MP). The higher the MP, the better the image quality, or ‘resolution’. Most will offer between 12 and 20MP quality, with cheaper wildlife trail cameras often sitting at the lower end of this scale.

Low-light illumination comes courtesy of an 850nm low-glow LED flash. Although not completely invisible to the naked eye, the flash causes disturbance to most wildlife and, with an illumination range of up to 25 metres, it’s ideal for larger gardens.Unlike the vast majority of wildlife cameras, the Core DS-4K features a dual-sensor configuration. This means that, rather than relying on a single lens for both colour daylight and monochrome nighttime shots, the Core DS uses two independent sensors. With cameras optimised to different lighting conditions, it’s able to capture richer images both day and night. Programming the camera in general isn’t difficult to do either. The display screen is easy to navigate and all of the functions, like timers and timelapse, are simple enough to get to grips with. You say minimum object dimension 6ft/2m, does the mean the minimum object distance, how close the camera will focus?

Good things first: it comes with a 32 GB SD card meaning that no additional memory is required to get it to work. Given that the set up is easy, and the instructions are clearly explained, the camera can be up and running within a few hours of opening the box.The animals you can observe will depend on your local area and where you install the camera, but birds, foxes, hedgehogs, badgers, deer and the neighbour’s cat are all common subjects. How do I install a wildlife camera? It’s worth bearing in mind that 12MP cameras will still provide great quality images – the key difference lies in how that quality is maintained should you wish to print your images at a large size. It offers 1080p (~2MP) video recording, has a 24 megapixel camera for still photos, 36 infrared LEDs (allowing for both day and night vision) and the ability to record at a 120° angle. It’s also easy to set up and operate. Of course, there are some functions that it doesn’t perform quite as well as premium cameras, but given the price it’s one of the best garden wildlife cameras if you’re working on a budget. Whilst both file types will be able to work well, it helps to be aware of what you’re buying so that it doesn’t cause problems down the line. If you get really into using your trail camera, you might also be interested in a bird box camera – these are particularly interesting to keep an eye on in spring.