Scout trailcam behavior

[Slowest_Hiker]

Hi, I got a Scout SG550 a few years ago and set it up in my backyard in Sierra Madre. Recently it seems to take a lot fewer movies, and I don't think it is a decrease in critters because it used to reliably film me coming and going and now it doesn't. Same behavior with fresh batteries with verified voltage. The plastic over the LEDs has visibly clouded over time, but I don't think the motion sensor is behind that plastic. I do get some movies, but a lot less and as I said, none when I know that humans walked right by it. Does anyone else have experience with these somehow degrading over time or any idea what is going on? Thanks!

[cougarmagic]

I had 5 SG550s for a while. Only one has survived this long, and it acts funny sometimes. One just up and died completely, one melted in the Station Fire, one was 'lifted', and one met its maker at the end of a pot farmer's boot.

One thing is that almost all trail cameras will not sense as well in high temperatures. The sensor is detecting a difference in IR between the ambience and an object, and if the two are nearly the same (100 degrees out, and a 100 degree body temp animal) it can't 'see'.

To test if that's the problem, bring it inside your house on a cool morning and do some walk-by tests.

Otherwise, it won't be worth the repair cost (it used to be $80). For a little more, you can get a new camera with better features and reliability.

[Mike P]

I had 5 SG550s for a while. Only one has survived this long, and it acts funny sometimes. One just up and died completely, one melted in the Station Fire, one was 'lifted', and one met its maker at the end of a pot farmer's boot.

Wow!

One thing is that almost all trail cameras will not sense as well in high temperatures. The sensor is detecting a difference in IR between the ambience and an object, and if the two are nearly the same (100 degrees out, and a 100 degree body temp animal) it can't 'see'.

I didn't know that! Learn something new every day...

I was checking my Reconyx booklet and it stated that in order to take a picture, the camera needed a temperature difference (ambient vs. object) AND motion. Do some cameras take pictures using only one of the two criteria?

[cougarmagic]

Mike, it's hard to explain (mostly because I don't really understand it ). I'm not a real scientist, I just play one on the internet. But here are some quotes about PIR sensors that helped me. (from Wikipedia of course)

It is important to note that PIR sensors don't detect or measure "heat" per se; instead they detect the Infrared radiation emitted from an object which is different from but often associated/correlated with the object's temperature (e.g., a detector of X-rays or gamma rays would not be considered a heat detector, though high temperatures may cause the emission of X or gamma radiation).[2]

What is definitely detected is the broken field for a “normal” temperature. The sensor detects the change in the infrared radiation and triggers an alarm if the gradient of the change is higher than a predefined value. The field does not have to be broken by an object with a different temperature in order to register change, as highly sensitive sensors will activate from the movement alone.[3]

So your Reconyx will be a more sensitive, and reliable camera than less expensive ones, but still works on the same principle. We call it 'heat' or 'motion' when it's really difference in IR, which we can't sense so we don't have words for it.

Another fun trick with trail cameras is that they sense better with side to side motion. If you're really lined up perfectly, walking head on toward one, it won't 'see' you either.

[Slowest_Hiker]

What are some decent midrange models these days? Less than half a year til Xmas...