There’s nothing quite like seeing an animal in the wild, whether it’s a bear wandering into your backyard or a deer silently gliding through wooded backcountry.
But to catch these moments, you often need good timing and a little luck (or an adventure in the woods).
When you don’t have those, a great trail camera can do the work for you.
Since 2020, we’ve tested nine cameras in the wild—putting many of them through rainstorms, freezing conditions, and whipping winds—and reviewed hundreds of photos and videos.
We recommend the Bushnell Core S-4K No Glow Trail Camera because of its image quality, ease of setup, reliability, and two-year warranty.
Our pick
This easy-to-set-up trail camera takes better images (including 4K video) and has a better warranty than all the cameras we tested.
During our field testing, the Bushnell Core S-4K No Glow Trail Camera delivered the cleanest and most lifelike daytime and nighttime images of any trail camera we tested.
It’s simple to set up, and it consistently detected and captured movement up to 70 feet away (and sometimes beyond).
Its quick trigger speed and recovery time ensures that it doesn’t miss the action.
It has a hybrid photo-video mode, which takes a video after a burst of photos.
It’s our most expensive pick, but it’s the only one that delivers 4K video and offers a two-year warranty.
Runner-up
This camera’s image quality isn’t as good as our top pick, but it captured action just as reliably (and sometimes performed better). However, it’s made by a less established brand, and its warranty isn’t as good.
While the Meidase P60 Pro doesn’t deliver the same image quality as our top pick, it’s a good value in every other way.
It has a fast trigger speed and a great recovery time, and during our field tests it consistently captured a lot of wildlife, big and small.
During our detection distance testing, the Meidase P60 Pro performed better than our top pick and regularly caught movement up to 100 feet away (at that distance, however, photo quality suffered for all the cameras we tested).
Like our pick, it has a hybrid mode setting. When set, it takes a video after taking a burst of photos.
Unlike our top pick, it’s made by a less established brand and offers only a one-year warranty.
Budget pick
This trail camera is a cinch to set up and takes better pictures than similarly priced models. It is less customizable than our other picks, though.
The Wildgame Innovations Terra Extreme 14MP is a low-priced trail camera that’s simple to use. It also won’t break the bank if you want to set up multiple cameras.
But be warned: It’s not very customizable and allows you to set only the date and time and choose between still and video. This does, however, make the setup process quicker and simpler than other cameras.
