Scouting for a trail camera on a budget does not mean your choices have to be limited. With just $150 and some guidance, you can get a gadget that boasts of great functions and will enable you to take the best images and photos of any movement detected in absolute stealth, without breaking the bank. These trail cameras boast of great value for money and are the preferred choice for beginners or those who need more than one unit at different locations.
Best Trail Cameras Under $150
To save you the hassle, we have compiled a list of our top five trail cameras under $150 to help you make the right choice quickly.
1. Stealth Cam G42NG No-Glow Trail Game Camera
The top-rated Stealth Cam G42NG boasts of superior low-light performance and adjustable settings for different shooting modes. It sports Infrared illumination, an impressive 100 ft. detection range, and a 0.5-second trigger speed. It also features a low-profile, durable housing for stealth and easy customization for your different needs.
- Superior low-light performance and adjustable settings.
- Impressive image and video quality with long-range detection.
- Durable, low-profile design.
2. Victure 20MP Wildlife Trap Camera
This affordable trail camera from Victure comes packs a punch with a powerful 20 MP camera for great image resolution and boasts of great day/night functionality. It sports a durable, waterproof casing, and is highly adaptable to both wildlife and surveillance applications. It comes with a high-speed 0.3-second trigger speed, automatic detection, and IR illumination LEDs for stealth and the best images even at night.
- Superb image quality with excellent day/night performance.
- Durable, waterproof design with IR illumination.
- Affordable and cost-efficient.
3. Meidase Waterproof Wildlife Deer Hunting Cam
The Meidase hunting cam is a low-cost, top-rated trail camera that boasts of excellent image quality, good range, and low-light performance. Its no-glow IR LEDs work hand-in-hand with an impressive 65 ft. detection range to ensure no movement escapes your eyes, even in total darkness without giving out the camera’s presence. It sports a great interface, 0.2-second high trigger speed, and will stand the test of time and weather with its durable, fully waterproof housing.
- Excellent image quality and detection range.
- Low-light, stealth performance with high trigger speed.
- Durable, waterproof design
4. Moultrie A-40 Game Camera
With 14 MP of capturing power and a highly sensitive motion sensor, the Moultrie A-40 is a good catch. It boasts of a 0.7-second trigger time, wireless image transmission for convenience, and excellent controls. With its 8-battery compartment, it has a 17,000-photo battery and will work optimally in all weather, thanks to its durable, waterproof casing.
- High image and video quality with motion detection.
- Quick trigger time and wireless image transmission.
- Long battery life and durable design.
5. Campark WiFi 1296P Hunting Game Camera
The Campark 1296P is a top-notch trail camera that boasts of Wi-Fi connectivity for remote control and comes with a powerful 20 MP camera for the best images. It features Infrared illumination, audio support, and will catch anything within 65 ft. of its detector. A durable, waterproof casing ensures optimum performance in all weather, and it emphasizes great value for money with extra accessories and comes under $100.
- Wi-Fi connectivity and easy control.
- High-resolution images and videos with excellent low-light performance.
- Very affordable with great value for money.
Best Trail Cameras Under $150
Trail cameras allow remote capturing of images and videos of a particular viewing field without the need for your physical presence. As with any other product niche, trail cameras come in all shapes and sizes and vary widely in price. This buying guide focuses on the best trail cameras under $150 that will give you great value for money with great functions.
We take it a step further and outline the qualities you should be on the lookout for when on the market for a cheap trail camera to ensure you choose the right gadget for your needs.
Durability
Budget trail cameras have to be highly durable for the simple fact that they spend most of their working lives outside. They are easily exposed to harsh weather conditions like sunlight, rain, snow, wind, and in some cases, animal contact. To ensure the trail camera serves you for long, it should come in a highly impact-resistant casing that is corrosion resistant. It should also be highly waterproof to prevent the infiltration of water during the rainy season.
Battery Life
The battery life of your budget trail camera is another consideration to make. You want a gadget that will go for weeks or months on a single battery charge without having to change its batteries every now and then. The battery life of your trail cameras depends on factors like the overall gadget’s size and the size of the battery compartment. Trail cameras that can accommodate many batteries are the preferred choice. With these, the unit can do its job without power interruptions. Some modern trail cameras also support solar charging, and these can go years on end as they get charged every day as long as there’s sunlight.
Camera Logistics
Another important factor to consider when choosing a trail camera is the camera specifications. That you are on a budget does not mean you should settle. These include parameters like the image resolution measured in Mega Pixels – the higher the resolution the better the image quality and detail. The trigger speed is also very important. You want to go for a camera with a trigger speed as high as possible. It measures how long it takes for the camera to take a photo after it senses an object moving in front of it. So higher speeds or smaller time values mean more images can be taken in the same time interval.