Wildgame Innovations IR4 initial impression

[fr0sty]

Ok, this will be brief since I just received it yesterday   Here are my firsts thoughts on the 2010 WGI IR4.  I purchased on sale at midwayusa for $60 plus shipping. Shipping was around $11 and it arrived in two days.  Nice!

Size: It's much smaller than it looks in photos. My other cam is a Moultrie D40. It is quite a bit smaller that that.

Bungee straps: Look pretty flimsy and were not near long enough to go around a medium size oak tree. I will need to rig up something else.

Deleting images: If you want to delete any images (internal memory or inserted sd card) you need to hook the camera up to your PC and delete them. You can also remove the sd card and delete them from your pc. I liked the ability to erase images via the camera on the d40.

Spotlight IR effect: I have seen a few images where the IR illumination zone was an extreme circle. My quick test on the deck showed none of that. I was about 16' from the cam and was evenly lit. I did have my camera mounted low (about 3') and straight, not high up an angled down like some.

I initially was disappointed the IR4 doesn't have a 3 shot burst mode, but after scrolling through my trail cam pics, I see 90% + were only single images from my D40. I may not miss it as much as I thought, but it would be a nice feature add.

Trigger speed: It seems nice and quick, but that's just my gut feel. Time will tell in the field.

Battery life: That is another time will tell. Trigger speed was one of the main reason I purchased this cam, along with battery life (especially at this price point).

Edit to attach a couple videos. The batter indicator was at 3 bars today. It's been running 11 days and has taken 3 videos (one day, one night) and about 50 photos. Looks like the IR spotlight is still an issue out in the field.
http://www.youtube.com/user/gdomeier#p/a/u/0/lR-OF-dt1D8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F9PZHcppdFw

[Marc Anthony]

Frosty, I had a test camera sent to our testing facility and it failed right out of the box. I emailed them and got an extremely fast response, which was good. They sent us out another IR4 before we even sent the old camera back. I took the new camera out to our test timber about a week and a half ago. I'll be checking on it this weekend to see how it held up.

What I didn't like about the camera is the fact that there is no provisions to use a locking device. The bungee cords they sent you were a joke and like you said, weren't long enough for a mature tree. So in reality, consider that camera stolen if you have any trespassers whatsoever. As far as the quality goes, our last IR4 was able to capture some video although every video was from the wind blowing. The battery life was horrible also. I'll know more about this camera once I get the SD card from it this weekend.

Out of all the cameras we've tested, we haven't seen anything even remotely close to the performance and quality of the Reconyx. You'll pay for the added piece of mind but it's well worth it. Although there are so many new cameras hitting the market monthly, the cameras we've tested all come up short when placed next to any of the Reconyx cameras in our testing timbers. I captured images of 2 absolute monster bucks in one setting that the other cameras didn't! I also had about 100+ images from other situations on the Reconyx that the other cameras didn't see either. None of the deer ever looked into the Reconyx cameras when their picture was taken. I hate cheap equipment so when I buy something, most of the time I'll spend the extra money because a product that doesn't work well, is just a total waste in my opinion.

[Gulfcapt]

Marc your the man to ask on scouting camera's, you seem knowledgable on them!

Im looking at the Smart Scouter wireless trail cam to purchase.. BUT!! Do you have any Idea on how well the wireless service actually works? I see D&DH is advertising Them, and quality of the pics?

Also have you ever heard of the UWAY scouting camera's?

Thank you for any input!

ORIGINAL: Marc Anthony

Frosty, I had a test camera sent to our testing facility and it failed right out of the box. I emailed them and got an extremely fast response, which was good. They sent us out another IR4 before we even sent the old camera back. I took the new camera out to our test timber about a week and a half ago. I'll be checking on it this weekend to see how it held up.

What I didn't like about the camera is the fact that there is no provisions to use a locking device. The bungee cords they sent you were a joke and like you said, weren't long enough for a mature tree. So in reality, consider that camera stolen if you have any trespassers whatsoever. As far as the quality goes, our last IR4 was able to capture some video although every video was from the wind blowing. The battery life was horrible also. I'll know more about this camera once I get the SD card from it this weekend.

Out of all the cameras we've tested, we haven't seen anything even remotely close to the performance and quality of the Reconyx. You'll pay for the added piece of mind but it's well worth it. Although there are so many new cameras hitting the market monthly, the cameras we've tested all come up short when placed next to any of the Reconyx cameras in our testing timbers. I captured images of 2 absolute monster bucks in one setting that the other cameras didn't! I also had about 100+ images from other situations on the Reconyx that the other cameras didn't see either. None of the deer ever looked into the Reconyx cameras when their picture was taken. I hate cheap equipment so when I buy something, most of the time I'll spend the extra money because a product that doesn't work well, is just a total waste in my opinion.

[Marc Anthony]

Smart Scouter wireless trail

Gulfcapt, Les Davenport wrote an article in D&DH magazine a few months ago offering his testing results and they were very informative. You may want to read his article. There have been many more cameras that have hit the market since our last major test, so I'm waiting to see if the quality has improved on many of the cameras.

Regarding the Smart Scouter wireless trail camera, I can tell you this: When they work they're expensive and when they don't work, customer service complaints are high. Unless they've improved their support, expect long delays. You will need a monthly service plan to obtain your pictures and many people have had issues receiving their pictures. That monthly service plan will cost you!

On the flip side, the concept is great. When they work, they're awesome. I know of one person who receives his pictures 100 miles away from his farm with little to no problems. So basically, try at your own risk.

FYI, I often ask Les for his input on cameras because he seems to be testing cameras continuously. I believe he is the most knowledgeable person in this field because of his ongoing pursuit to find the best quality. If you ever get the chance, look for any current articles from Les regarding cameras and you'll most likely get the best answers!

[Gulfcapt]

Thank you much Marc for your reply/time!

I live in fl. Work offshore in texas, I work a 28 days on 14 off so Im gone alot.I figured being away and having a camera that will shoot me pitures 580 miles away would be great. ( IF IT WORKED RIGHT) But I don't want to dump $$$$ into something that don't work right!

thanks again!

[Marc Anthony]

Glad to help!

I understand completely the need to have access to the trail cam pictures as I'm 100+ miles away from a farm that I'll be hunting this year. I also inquired about the Smart Scouter and another similar camera only to come up with disappointing results.

If I hear of any changes or better products, I'll post them here. Good luck this season!

[SHKYBoonie]

I am sure Marc probably knows quite a bit more about the different cameras on the market than I do, but I have had alot of experiance with several different makes of game cameras. For the price, IMO, there isn't a better cam out than the Bushnell Trouphy Cam. I had 2 of them out all year long and they worked flawlessly. The battery life is INCREDIBLE! I bought 5 more this year of the new 8mp units.

I have had the IR4 Wildgame Innovations cams and they were junk! I gave them to someone who just wanted to take a few pics of wildlife in his back yard. The batteries were good for about 200 pics and where I hunt, I can get 200 pics in no time at all. I spent more on batteries than I did on the cameras. The pics were not very good and the IR flash was very weak. The old saying, "you get what you pay for" certainly applies to game cameras. Don't expect much for $60.

[doit]

This post sounds like a commercial. Reconyx not as spectacular as you say. just super expensive although at least there is some enginuity going on there. If I burned that kind of money on a camera i would hype it up too.
The IR4 is a good deal at 70 bucks, I bought one last year it lasted all season, its fast, when i got a picture there was always a deer in it, pic and vid quality good enough and not much blur. sensing and flash are not that far but good enough to put on trails. the Battery tab broke and when i called customer service it was a pleasure dealing with them the rep gave me a return authorization and said a new camera would be shipped right away. at no cost. I kept it and riged up an external battery supply.
I would happily trade my bushnells for all the 09 IR4 some one would give me.

[SHKYBoonie]

doit, I wished you had told me that before now. I would have been glad to hook you up with a couple of WGI IR4's! I almost took a bat to them before I gave them to someone. The cheap WildView cams are better than that junk WGI is trying to pass off to everyone. They don't last but a year or so but they do take good pics and about 500 out of a set of batteries. The IR4 is doing good if it gets half that many with a set of batteries. I check my cameras about once a month to keep out of my hunting area as much as possible. With those cameras, I wouldn't get but about 4 or 5 days worth of pics before the batteries gave out. There is a term I use on a regular basis with deer hunting, it is called "Most recent information". This means I am more interested in what is happening in my hunting area in the last part of the month than what went on in the first few days. You will spend more time in your hunting area educating the deer there (which an old buck will not tolerate at all) messing with a cheap junk camera. Then any info you gained from having a camera out in the first place will be useless, not to mention breaking your bank buying batteries.

[doit]

I hear Ya, It depends on so many variables, I been messing around with deer tracking technology since trail timers first came out and I know the deer in my area pretty well enough
to know when where to put cameras and for how long during the different parts of the season. deer habits change frequently especially starting now when coming out of velvet. and every area is different. You need to be on top of that information which means frequently checking cameras. Where i Hunt this method is the best for always having action when I go hunting. Big mature bucks are a different story and they are rare in my area. This is as good as it gets for me, man i miss those old moultries.