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[C1310]Cuddeback Digital Scouting Camera

by Johnson Mcbrady, Joh

For the most part the set-up was pretty easy. I was expecting that the camera would take the C size batteries as most do, but it required the larger D cells. After raiding a few flashlights I had the power that I needed. I set it to take a few pictures with the hope that I would be able to get a quick look at the quality of the images that the camera provided. I took a few shots and realized that I had no way of seeing the pictures. This extinguished my enthusiasm a little. The camera has no screen to view the pictures, and it does not come with a USB cable to download them to a computer. I didn't have time to go to the store that day so the next day I was off to find an SD card that I could use to store the picture and then put them on the computer. You can also purchase a viewer, but I had to get an SD card anyway so I took that route. I would really rather a camera with a viewing screen on it but this is an entry-level camera so I suppose to keep costs down one is not included. The internal memory of the camera is not that large and can't store enough pictures to be used in the field, so be aware that you will be purchasing an SD card to effectively use this camera no matter what. The internal memory only allows you to store the low resolution shots so don't even bother with this option. You won't be getting the best out of the camera and you will need the convenience of better capacity.

Getting it set up in the Field

There are two ways to set up the Cuddeback camera to a tree. I am not a big fan of either one. Option one is to screw the camera right to the tree. For some reason I don't trust this, as I'm not sure how the tree will hold up to it, and I don't want to carry around my tool bag in order to do some field photography. What if I forget the tool bag when I go to take the camera down? Option two is a strap that is included with the camera. This seems to be a little better but bungee cords would probably work better than either option. There is a security option to lock the case so that either of these methods can be made a little more secure, but the padlock is not included with the camera. That is par for the course. At least you have the ability to get some security if you feel you need it. It would be good if you had a method of attaching a more serious cable to the unit, but for this model you will have to go with one of the existing options and take your chances.

Overall I was happy with the performance for the cash outlay, just be aware that you will have to make a few additional purchases to get the most out of the equipment.

The image quality of the Cuddeback Capture rates somewhere between fair and good. The resolution is 3.0 megapixels which is about the standard at this price level in the marketplace. The daytime pictures were actually quite good, but the Capture struggles where so many field cameras do; the images that were captured at either dawn or dusk are pretty washed out. I know that this is not easy for many cameras, whether they are field cameras or even the regular digital cameras but you do lose a few shots when they are taken in this kind of light.

Features

The battery life for the Capture is not bad but also not great. I used Energizer alkaline batteries and they lasted for about 8 weeks. I did not test the unit with rechargeable batteries, but you can bet that if you do use the rechargeable batteries you will get substantially less out of them. It will depend on how you use the camera whether or not this will be a big deal for you. If you are intending to leave this in a very remote location or far away from home it will not work that well for you. The Capture takes four D size batteries to operate. As you can imagine, this is not a small unit.

The actual use of the camera is fairly straightforward. The instructions are clear and the dial that allows you to switch from the different time delays is a good system. One thing that I liked is that the date and time is stamped on every image taken, and this is good information if you are using the camera for scouting. It can tell you if the camera went crazy and took all of the pictures in a day or two. Thankfully, this was not the case and the sensitivity seemed to be about right. I did get a number of good shots out of it and there were very few missed shots.

I have had a problem with previous Cuddeback models with regard to the way that they set up on a tree. This problem is endemic to the field camera market. I can say that the system provided for the Capture is an improvement on earlier models, although I still tend to use the bungee cord method as there is a pile of them in the truck and I am just used to doing it this way. I used the Cuddeback system just to see how it worked and it is actually not too bad.

As this is an entry-level camera there are some options that you will have to live without. It does not have a view screen to look at your images so if this is something that you want you may be better off with some of the higher models from Cuddeback. This camera is good quality for its price and if you are looking for something that is reliable and offers the basics in a field camera it would be a good option.

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Both Johnson Mcbrady & Jenn Jamie are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.

Johnson Mcbrady has sinced written about articles on various topics from Family Concerns, Home Management and Family Concerns. How to setup a only at