Since there are no individual reviews available for motion sensor wildlife cameras, I thought I would see if I could help a few of my fellow sportsmen figure out what to look for.  I started using Trailmasters with 35mm film almost 10 years ago and it seems like every time I decide to replace a camera I have to completely relearn this industry.  As you read this review you'll find that I do have favorites, but I assure you that I am in no way affiliated with the camera companies, so my biases are only those that I've gained from using the products.  

Today's trailcameras are designed to put about 1,000 high quality photos on a memory card that you put into your computer and quickly scan photo after photo to identify and pattern wild game - every card full of photos will cost you about $5 for batteries plus any wear and tear on your camera - not counting the cost of the camera it costs you about 1/2 cent per photo. 

First, there are two things that NO camera that I have tried can do:  1. They cannot monitor more than about 50 feet - no watching elk herds in a meadow.  2. The cameras are never undetectable - even infrared cameras get noticed by wildlife.  Fortunately most animals will tolerate any camera without altering thier patterns.

This guide focuses on the situations where each brand shines, but before I get into the brands I would like to address the concept of the flash.  The decision between white flash or Infrared flash (also known as flash vs. IR).  IR is seriously overrated when it comes to preventing spooking wildlife, and the actual reasons that you should consider IR is theft and nighttime video.  Despite the hype, an IR flash is visible to most animals (even humans) within the trigger range.  There is some value to IR, however because it won't be visible to anything that is not in the photo and it is benign enough that most people will think they just caught a strange reflection in thier headlamp, while a white flash is always a giveaway that there is a valuable camera in the area.  I have taken thousands of photos with both IR and white flash, and animals (especially elk) always flinch the first time the get thier photo taken with supplemental light.  After the first photo 80% of the animals simply ignor the flash (especially mule deer and antelope) and about 19% of the animals will come up and smell the camera before ignoring it - especially moose and black bear.  A couple bull elk in high pressure units ran away from both IR and white flash and never came back.  White flash is better for photos and white flash cameras have several advantages.  They are cheaper.  They can take color photos at night.  They usually have about 50% more range.  And, in most cases, IR cameras have to activate a filter which delays the photo and sometimes makes enough noise to spook game much more than a white flash would have.  If my cameras are either locked down or stashed in places where nobody will find them, I prefer white flash.  If I'm trying to catch tresspassers, I use IR.  Now, even though I've just made a strong case for white flash, when I go to video I always use IR.  IR images (they're actually black and white) take up far less space on the memory cards than color, so white flash cameras can fill up your memory overnight if they are on video mode (that is assuming they can take nighttime video).  Most white flash cameras will simply revert to photo mode at night even if you set them in video mode.

Here are the major brands (in no particular order):

HCO Scoutguard and DLC Covert:  These different companies were selling the same camera, from the same factory, just under different names.  HCO and DLC are not happy competitors and I wait in anticipation to see what they each come up with in the future to outcompete the other.  For now, the consumer needs to realize that the products are the same, even if they have different names.  The number one positive for this camera is the size.  They are so much smaller than any other camera on the market, but they take the same photos.  You program the camera with a seperate device that looks like an iPod which helps make the camera smaller.  The camera comes in 5mega pixel, with Infrared flash for about $200.  Performance is comparable to what I get out of Cuddeback, Moultrie, or Wildview.  If the device isn't plugged in, the camera begins shooting with your pre-set directions 10 seconds after it is turned on - so if you program your camera at home all you have to do in the field is mount it, turn it on and walk away.  They take AA batteries (which means shorter battery life), but considering the size I don't think there is a better option.  I would like a little better color balance, but all told, the small size makes them so much easier to put in the right spot that I can't complain.  I expect them to show up in stores soon, but you can find them on Ebay (and other online sites) before the rest of the world hears about them.

Cuddeback:  These cameras are pretty much mid-range in every aspect.  They don't really excel at anything, but would be a good choice for the variety hunter that might use them for a month on turkeys in the spring, elk in September, mulies in october, and whitetail in November.  They are probably the most difficult to program, and if you don't use them year round you will probably have to find the manual every autumn.  I hate to program them so bad that I have my buddy set them up for me and I put duct tape over the sensor until they are in the field.  The computer does have a security code, but a thief won't know that until he gets it home and tries to use it.

Moultrie:  The battery life champion.  With D-cell batteries and low-drain monitoring modes you will be able to fill a 4GB card without running out of juice.  They could monitor a water hole from June to October on a medium resolution setting and a 4GB card - don't bother with the solar panel because the card will fill up long before your batteries die.  They are made for a specific purpose (watching Moultrie brand feeders), and will frustrate users who don't keep that in mind.  They take a couple seconds to wake up and take the first photo.  They are great for water and baits (where legal), but they are slow and you will get a lot of empty photos if you try use them to monitor a trail.  The IR versions click a lens in place that will startle wary trophy animals.  However, even trophy animals are tolerant if they feel secure in the area or if the camera has been there a while.  Video mode performs comparatively better than still-photo mode. 

Wildview:  Cheap.  When I want white flash, but am a little worried that the cameras will be found by another hunter, I put up the Wildview.  They are decent cameras with no frills.  Programming is limited, but that means it is also so simple my grandpa could probably set them out for me.  A set of batteries can barely fill a 2GB card, but if you are looking for economy they are a decent option.

StealthCam:  StealthCam offers the widest variety of cameras.  Some of them are nearly as cheap and simple as Wildview, most are comparable to Cuddeback and Moultrie, but a few rival the top brands.  The one thing that I think StealthCam has thought out more than the others is the field set-up.  You can just turn it on and walk away and it will start taking photos after about a minute, or you can go to test mode and walk around to see what will trigger it, then simply walk away and it will start taking photos after 5 minutes.  As long as your StealthCam is turned on it will automatically start taking pictures when you leave.   

Recon:  It seems that Recon's focus is to remain undetected.  So far I have not been impressed.  Quality seems good from what I've seen on the internet, but it doesn't wake up fast enough to beat out cameras that cost 1/2 as much when comparing trigger speed.  If you're watching trails, trigger speed is critical.  Based on that I haven't tried a Recon so I can't really tell you any more about them. 

Predator:  The nighttime specialist.  Predator is focused on producing the best nighttime photos.  This sounds great at first, but since you can't hunt at night, it is only aggravating to know that a monster buck only comes in at 1AM, but he could be anywhere from zero to twenty miles away during shooting hours. 

Reconyx:  The sniper.  If you're after tresspassers or the most wary animals, Reconyx cameras take about 1/5th of a second to wake up and snap the first photo and you can set them to keep taking photos so fast that you won't even miss the absence of a video mode.  If you get a lot of butt photos with your trailcam, it is because you aren't using Reconyx.  The photos are also consistently good quality, and even though they only only offer up to 3.1megapixel my photos come out better than 5mp cameras from every other brand except PennsWoods.  The sensor can be adjusted and I have been able to get it to reliably trigger at over 100' during the day, but at night it is limited to about 30' (comparable to all but Predator at night).  They also put a temperature and moon phase stamp on the photos.  If you're debating between the IR and Covert models I would strongly advise going with the Covert model because the red LED's on my IR model are very visible to the human eye. 

Penns Woods:  The best photos and the most expensive camera.  It is also the easiest to use.  Penns Woods doesn't actually make a camera, they make a motion-sensor housing that pushes the shutter button on a removable digital camera.  So you get photos from a Sony camera in a Penns Woods box.  The IR on these cameras is simply a cover over the Sony's white flash - it actually works way better than I expected and is comparable to any other trailcam's IR.  At first, we were frustrated with battery life (it takes AA's), but we have found that lithium batteries make the battery life comparable to all C-cell and some D-cell cameras - if you have enough spare cash to go with Penns Woods, you should be able to afford lithium batteries.  They are also a little slow waking up for that first photo and there is some motor noise that tends to scare game as much as a flash would.  They also make a box that will trigger a Palm Trio to email the picture to you instantly - but it only works with a strong wireless signal and they don't have that in the woods where I hunt. 

LeafRiver, I'm detered by bad photo color:  Every photo I have ever seen taken by a LeafRiver camera has poor color.  The upside of these cameras is that they have built-in LCD screens so you can see the photos right on the camera (for me this isn't useful because I view photos in the field on my Palm handheld). 

Bushnell, maybe a reasonable cheap option.  Whether it is binoculars or cameras, Bushnell offers a variety of products for the economically minded sportsman.  The low end cameras are rarely triggered by anything further out than 25 feet.  I would only buy one to use within 20' of water or bait.  In short, the names "trailscout" and "trailsentry" are complete misnomers because most animals on a trail will walk out of view before the camera wakes up to take a picture.  The higher end Bushnell appear to be copies of other successful brands, and are probably made in the same factories as the HCO, DLC, Moultrie, and Cuddeback brands.

The final topic is camera life.  My experience has been that a trail camera lasts about as long as a computer.  They wear out and become obsolete at about the same time - roughly every 2-3 years.  Beyond that my experience has been that most cameras wear out because the housing lets in dust and moisture.  Dust accumulates inside until a humid night turns a layer of dust into mud and then you're camera is dead.  Because of this the most weatherproofed cameras always last the longest.   

I welcome comments and if you think that one of my generalized brand descriptions is not accurate, please let me know about your experience and I will consider incorporating your information.