catclaw Report post Posted October 20, 2008 How many have them? Any opinions? This is my first digital trail cam so it is a new thing to me. I wanted to figure it out before I set it somewhere too wild so I have it hanging from a tree in my back yard where I feed birds. (I feed them peanuts on a large rock) The first time I checked it after about 2 days it had upwards of 170 pics on it already and almost none of them had anything living in them. About 30 of them were completely green or black like negatives! I turned the sensitivity to low and don't get as many spurious photos. I got quite a few jays and last night I got a coon! I had no idea we even had them around here! An odd thing is that while checking it a couple of days ago, I found that among my still photos were two video clips! I have no idea how they slipped in there! i'll try and add a pic Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
youngbuck Report post Posted October 20, 2008 I've never had to adjust my sensitivity on my SG. Most impportant thing is placement i think. One way to test it out is set it in the kitchen or living room. I would think birds would be hard to consistantly get decent pictures. If it is "hanging from a tree" it may be moving a little in the breeze. I dont know how it is attached though. Also try facing it in a north direction. Not sure bout the vids slipin in there Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
catclaw Report post Posted October 20, 2008 The camera is securely fastened to the tree trunk. I have a large boulder that I set peanuts on for the jays. I was getting a TON of empty photos but it could be that a bird tripped it and the shutter speed on this camera is no Nikon D3! I aimed it lower and this seems to have helped. It SEEMS that the sensor and the camera are not pointed at the same place. I got a coyote on it last night, but only the back half as he passed through- did not even touch the bait. Once I get a good enough feel for it, I will put it somewhere that I can get some bigger critters and from further away. And incidentally, the camera is pointing basically north. Why is this a big deal? most of the stuff is at night anyway! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
youngbuck Report post Posted October 20, 2008 chasing game found that the sensor and the lense were a little bit off. i havenet ever had a problem with it or ever even noticed. THey talk about it in the SG550 review a little bit though. it probaby is more noticeable with smaller animals. This camera has a fast trigger speed compared to most of the others, not near as good as most of the homebrews though. i guess i dont reallt know why your are getting so many "empty" triggers. the only reason for north is the sun, if most are at night it shouldn't matter Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
azpackhorse Report post Posted October 20, 2008 Out of 300 or so photos I will get maybe 15-20 empty shots. I have mine set on normal sensitivity and 1 photo every minute. A lot of the time when I download the photos onto my computer I can enlarge the photo and find the culprit, most of the time it's those pesky Mearns quail. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
COOSEFAN Report post Posted October 20, 2008 One thing I would guess is the vegetation that is in front of your camera will trigger it. In your coon pic you can see enough brush to do just that when the wind blows it around! I always clear out any leaves, brush or small branches out of the trigger area of the camera. As for the camera's position, facing it away from the rising or setting sun will decrease false triggers also....I don't really know why the sun triggers it but it can. Good luck! JIM> Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CouesKilla Report post Posted October 27, 2008 A bird flying through will trigger it sometimes, and most cameras are not fast enough to catch a bird in flight. With the high bird activity around your camera, I bet that is what is causing the supposed lifeless photos. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
catclaw Report post Posted October 30, 2008 Maybe the birds are tripping it in the day buy I am getting the ghost pictures again- a complete "green" out?? Anyone had these type of photos? I guess I'll have to post one when I am back at my computer. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
