When you are in the market for a new trail camera, there is seemingly endless options and configurations of settings. Each manufacturer, each camera, and each additional feature has its own price, the options can become overwhelming at times.
This reminds me of when I was in college I worked for an appliance shop, selling washers and dryers. On almost a daily basis I would get customers come in and tell me they wanted a high efficiency washer, that was front load, and a dryer that could dry large loads of cloths. When I showed them the options, they would get mad at me for showing them only high priced equipment, but in fact that price tag is what those options cost.
The same is with trail cameras. It is important to know what the different options cost, and what you can can afford with your budget.
The average price of a trail camera is $202.14. This number is based on a sample size of over 200 trail camera models from 17 manufacturers. From this same sample we discovered that the average cellular trail camera is $335.80, while the average standard trail camera costs $164.05.
While this might be interesting information to know, you are likely more interested in what your money is paying for.
Well you are in luck. We spent the past few weeks analyzing all of the different specifications that trail cameras have to offer, and the price that is associated with them. We broke down the most important features that affect the price of the trail cameras.
Manufacturer
In many opinions the manufacturer of the trail camera has a lot to do with the quality of the trail camera. While there are many factors that go into the quality and the price of a trail camera, we broke down the average price of a trail camera from the 17 manufacturers we used in our in depth study of the price of a trail camera.
| Manufacturer | Average Camera Price |
|---|---|
| Apeman | $61.79 |
| Browning | $183.80 |
| Bushnell | $181.42 |
| CamPark | $81.88 |
| Covert | $204.70 |
| Cuddeback | $244.40 |
| Exodus | $236.33 |
| Lone Wolf Custom Gear | $199.99 |
| Moultrie | $124.99 |
| Muddy | $123.32 |
| Primos | $102.49 |
| Reconyx | $556.35 |
| Snyper | $319.99 |
| Spartan | $260.65 |
| Spypoint | $234.99 |
| Stealth | $173.62 |
| Wildgame Innovations | $117.30 |
Types of Trail Cameras
Not all trail cameras are built to function the same. The price differential between cameras is greatly dependent on the type of trail camera. While the average price of a trail camera is $202.14, we broke down the average price between Cellular, Standard, WiFi, and Link trail cameras to give a better understanding of how the price structure is reflected upon the function of the camera.
Cellular Trail Cameras- Cellular trail cameras are cameras that require a cellular service. These cameras send photos directly to your mobile devices, allowing you to check your trail camera photos from virtually anywhere in the world. If you are interested in the cost of cellular plans check out our up to date break down of cellular trail camera plans.
Standard Trail Cameras- Standard trail cameras are your typical trail camera that you need to physically remove the SD card to receive photos.
WiFi / Bluetooth Trail Cameras- These trail cameras allow you to check photos and video within a certain radius of the camera. You can directly connect to the camera through a Bluetooth or WiFi connection without physically having to pull the card. Most WiFi trail cameras have the ability to connect to a WiFi router as well.
Link Trail Cameras- Link trail cameras are trail cameras that connect, or link to each other. Typically there is a designated base camera that all of the other cameras in a specific area link to to send their photos. This allows you to check just one camera and receive all of the photos from up to 17 cameras at one location.
| Type of Trail Camera | Average Price |
|---|---|
| All Trail Camera | $202.14 |
| Cellular Trail Camera | $335.80 |
| Standard Trail Camera | $164.05 |
| WiFi / Bluetooth Trail Camera | $182.85 |
| Link Trail Camera | $275.00 |
Trigger Speed
The trigger speed of a trail camera is measured by the amount of time it takes for the camera to collect a photo once an animal moves into the detection zone. This is a feature that is often promoted by trail camera manufacturers as an indication of the quality of the trail camera,
What we found, to our surprise is that there is virtually no correlation between the trigger speed of the trail camera and the price.
All Cameras
| Trigger Speed | Average Price |
|---|---|
| .2 Seconds | $169.99 |
| .07 Seconds | $294.99 |
| .2 Seconds | $349.99 |
| .22 Seconds | $159.99 |
| .25 Seconds | $244.44 |
| .3 Seconds | $160.30 |
| .4 Seconds | $215.06 |
| .5 Seconds | $135.70 |
| .6 Seconds | $328.33 |
| .65 Seconds | $139.99 |
| .7 Seconds | $121.66 |
| .75 Seconds | $84.99 |
| .8 Seconds | $176.66 |
| .9 Seconds | $101.66 |
| 1 Second or Greater | $204.91 |
We were slightly confused by this finding, as seemingly the faster the trigger speed the more money a trail camera could sell for. So we took a slightly deeper dive into the trigger speed and broke down the price comparrison of just standard cameras, knowing that higher priced cellular trail cameras often have a slower trigger speed.
What we found was that even with the elimination of cellular trail cameras, the trigger speed still had no correlation with overall price of the trail camera
Standard Trail Cameras
| Trigger Speed | Average Price |
|---|---|
| .02 Seconds | $169.99 |
| .07 Seconds | $164.99 |
| .15 Seconds | $196.65 |
| .2 Seconds | $265.70 |
| .22 Seconds | $159.99 |
| .25 Second | $183.33 |
| .3 Second | $121.99 |
| .4 Second | $167.60 |
| .5 Second | $120.82 |
| .6 Seconds | $134.99 |
| .65 Seconds | $139.99 |
| .7 Seconds | $121.66 |
| .75 Seconds | $84.99 |
| .8 Seconds | $149.99 |
| .9 Seconds | $101.66 |
| 1 Second or Greater | $196.26 |
Flash
The nighttime flash of a trail camera has a huge impact on the way animals react to the trail camera. During night time photos, in order for a trail camera to have enough light to create a proper exposure, it must produce an artificial light. We found that the type of flash has a direct impact on the price of the trail camera.
There are three types of flashes that trail cameras are equipped with; Infrared, No Glow, and White.
Infrared- Infrared flash, sometimes also called low glow, will give off a slight red glow. Often times the glow is faint enough that it is barley visible.
No Glow- Often called Black Flash or Invisible IR, this type of flash is invisible to the eye. It is the most discrete flash available on the market.
White Flash- The white flash, produces a bright white light. This is a 100% visible flash. The advantage of having a white flash however is that it is the only flash that will produce color nighttime photos.
All Trail Cameras
| Flash Type | Average Price |
|---|---|
| Infrared / Low Glow | $151.68 |
| No Glow / Black Flash | $235.59 |
| White | $264.98 |
Standard Trail Cameras
| Flash Type | Average Price |
|---|---|
| Infrared / Low Glow | $125.71 |
| No Glow / Black Flash | $188.25 |
| White | $244.99 |
Cellular Trail Cameras
| Flash Type | Average Price |
|---|---|
| Infrared / Low Glow | $251.24 |
| No Glow / Black Flash | $379.91 |
| White / Strobe | $309.95 |
While these tables reflect a price difference between the different types of flashes, it doesn’t tell the entire story. In a much deeper dive into the flash difference in trail cameras we found that manufacturers who produced two identical trail cameras equipped with different flash, the price differential was much closer.
For instance, Wildgame Innovations produces the Rival 20 and the Rival 20 Lightsout. The standard Rival 20 trail camera is equipped with an infrared flash and comes in at a price of $149.99. The Rival 20 Lightsout is a no glow flash trail camera that is priced at $159.99.
You can find these same types of examples throughout all of the different manufacturers who produce identical trail cameras equipped with different flash capabilities, all of which are priced between $10-$20 more for the No Glow flash.
So, while the flash does have an impact on the overall price of a trail camera, the difference is roughly 10-15% more in cost.
Video Resolution
For those who run their trail cameras in video mode, there is a distinguishable difference in quality between the different video resolutions. And there is no surprise that the cost of a trail camera reflects this.
All Trail Cameras
| Video Resolution | Average Price |
|---|---|
| 4k | $206.66 |
| 1296p | $109.99 |
| 1080p | $208.29 |
| 900p | $151.23 |
| 720p | $194.26 |
Initially we found it very interesting that the average price of a trail camera with 720p video resolution was higher than 900p and close in price range to the 1080p. After a deeper dive into the price structure, we realized that most, cellular trail cameras have video resolution of 720p.
This makes sense, as most cellular trail cameras are not sending Full HD video resolution via cellular connection, it is logical that they would be equipped with nothing more than 720p resolution.
With the natural higher price point of cellular trail cameras, this skewed the price structure a bit. So, we broke down the price for standard trail cameras, and found that indeed the higher the video resolution, the more expensive the trail camera is.
Standard Trail Cameras
| Video Resolution | Average Price |
|---|---|
| 4k | $206.66 |
| 1080p | $179.62 |
| 900p | $151.23 |
| 720p | $147.77 |
Megapixels
Trail camera manufacturers love to talk about the megapixel counts of their trail cameras. It seems as though, the higher the better, and that is the information that they push to the consumer.
This however isn’t necessarily true. The megapixels that they are promoting is an interpolated number, and not the native resolution of the trail camera. Basically, in order to reach high megapixel counts, they use a software in the camera to duplicate pixels, to reach the inflated numbers.
But since there is so much emphasis on the megapixel, we took a look at the cost associated with these numbers, and to no surprise, the higher of duplication of pixels, the higher the price.
All Trail Cameras
| Megapixels | Average Price |
|---|---|
| 32 MP | $227.49 |
| 30 MP | $167.91 |
| 26 MP | $174.99 |
| 24 MP | $161.48 |
| 22 MP | $184.99 |
| 20 MP | $198.33 |
| 18 MP | $145.44 |
| 16 MP | $109.11 |
| 14 MP | $82.56 |
| 12 MP | $191.21 |
| 10 MP | $119.99 |
| 8 MP | $371.89 |
Again, we found a disparity from our original findings. The lower megapixel counts had an unusually high price point. Once again, this is contributed to the added cost of cellular trail cameras. In general cellular trail cameras transmit thumbnails, not full resolution photos. This keeps the amount of data used to a minimum.
This however makes sense that for most cellular trail cameras, the larger megapixel counts would be wasted effort. So we broke down the cost of megapixels by simply using standard cameras, and in general the higher the megapixel count the higher the cost of the camera.
Standard Trail Cameras
| Megapixels | Average Price |
|---|---|
| 32 MP | $218.32 |
| 30 MP | $160.44 |
| 26 MP | $166.66 |
| 24 MP | $142.85 |
| 22 MP | $146.66 |
| 20 MP | $154.49 |
| 18 MP | $128.99 |
| 16 MP | $103.66 |
| 14 MP | $82.56 |
| 12 MP | $129.74 |
| 10 MP | $64.99 |
Camera Lens
Over the past few years there has been some traction in trail camera manufacturers using dual lenses. This is a nice technological advancement as one lens is designated to taking photos during daytime, and the other is for nighttime. This increases the quality of photos, as the lenses are able to have their own designated aperture, creating a better exposed photo.
And to no surprise the cost of a dual lens trail camera is higher than a standard single lens.
Camera Lens
| Camera Lens | Average Price |
|---|---|
| Dual Lens | $188.12 |
| Single Lens | $161.22 |
Conclusion
We threw out a lot of information, and a ton of numbers that may seem a bit confusing. So lets break down the very basics that we found from our study.
- If you are looking for a trail camera that has wireless capabilities such as a cellular, WiFi, Bluetooth, or Link, you will indeed pay more for the camera.
- Other than wireless cameras you are likely to find the biggest increase in price based on the video resolution. This is important to know, especially if you never use this feature.
- While having a no glow flash tends to be more important to trail camera users, there is a slight increase in price from an infrared camera
- In our opinion, the megapixel count adds very little to the overall quality of a trail camera, yet raises the price.
- While utilizing a dual lens trail camera will indeed add an additional cost to the camera, the quality is a significant upgrade.
- As we found out, despite the promotion of trigger speed in a trail camera, it has very little impact of the overall sticker price of a camera.
If you are in the market for a new trail camera, keeping these features, and the price increase that each one brings to the overall cost, can save you frustration in your search. You can also head over to our Trail Camera Selection Guide, where we walk you through specific individual questions that will lead you to the trail camera that is not only in your price range, but has the features and quality you are looking for.