Scouting for a trail camera on a budget does not mean your choices have to be limited. With just $200 and some guidance, you have access to some of the best trail cameras on the market that combine great functionality with great value for money. Zeroing in on a final gadget that meets your needs can be quite daunting, but we’re here to help.
Best Trail Cameras Under $200
To help you save some shopping time, we have compiled a list of our top five trail cameras under $200 that will give you great functionality without drilling a hole in your pocket.
1. Moultrie Mobile XV7000i Cellular Trail Camera
The Moultrie Mobile XV7000i is a top-notch gadget that comes with a powerful 20 MP camera and features cellular service for near real-time image transmission. It boasts of excellent low-light performance with no-flash IR LEDs and offers great user-convenience and excellent control via the app or website. With a 0.3-second trigger time, impressive 80 ft. range, and 12-battery compartment, it is truly a great buy.
- Exceptional image quality and wireless transmission.
- Excellent low-light performance and great controls.
- Long battery life and detection range.
2. SPYPOINT Link Micro
The SKYPOINT Link Micro stands out as one of the smallest trail cameras on the market and packs high-speed 4G transmission, AI image recognition, and a 10 MP camera into a palm-sized unit. It boasts of an impressive 80 ft. detection range, a 0.5 second trigger time, excellent day, and night functionality. It is highly durable, affordable, and convenient to use.
- Compact, durable design with cellular operation.
- AI image recognition and impressive image quality.
- Excellent day/night functionality and easy controls.
3. Browning Strike Force Trail Camera
A powerful 24 MP camera for excellent image and video quality and superb controls are some of the qualities that make the Browning Strike Force truly top-notch. It comes with a great user interface featuring an LCD display, a 0.15-second trigger time, and an impressive 80 ft. detection range. It sports a highly durable casing and supports up to 512 GB of storage for the best performance.
- Excellent image and video quality.
- User-friendly interface and superb controls.
- Highly durable and low-profile design.
4. Campark No Glow Night Vision Trail Camera
This excellent gadget from Campark comes with a 20 MP camera and 1296P video quality and features flexible image transmission via Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. It sports Infrared illumination for great shots in the dark, easy app control, and excellent user convenience. All its internal components are housed in a highly durable, waterproof casing and will last you a lifetime.
- High image and video quality with wireless transmission.
- Excellent low-light performance and easy controls.
- Durable, waterproof design with long battery life.
5. Campark WiFi 1296P Hunting Game Camera
Another great gadget from Campark, this 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.
- Wi-Fi connectivity and easy control.
- High-resolution images and videos with excellent low-light performance.
- Very affordable with great value for money.
Trail Camera Under $200 Buying Guide
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 $200 that will give you great value for money with great functions.
While the price is a good place to start, there are still other factors you should consider before you make a purchase. We outline these qualities you should be on the lookout for to ensure you choose the right gadget for your needs.
Durability
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. High-strength plastics, metal alloys, and composites are some great materials to look out for. The straps used to secure the trail camera should also be highly durable to ensure it stays in place for as long as needed.
Camera Logistics
Another important factor to consider when choosing a trail camera is the camera specifications. This includes 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.
Hard vs. Wireless Transmission
The means by which your trail camera interacts with your mobile device or PC is another important consideration to make. Trail cameras come with either hard – SD card and USB cord, or wireless transmission. Modern trail cameras are tilting towards wireless models – Bluetooth, WiFi, and cellular models as these boasts of greater connectivity and convenience. You don’t need to physically connect to the trail camera to get the captured images.
Bluetooth and WiFi-enabled models have the advantage of unlimited operation but are restricted in transmission range. Cellular models, on the other hand, have virtually unlimited transmission range but are limited to areas with the cellular reception service. For cellular models, you will also likely have to pay extra for subscription plans.