I recently picked up the Stealth Cam Nomad IR digital game camera kit for evaluation.  I had high hopes for this low cost trail camera, but have to say that I was disappointed in its performance.

I was excited to test this scouting camera because of its low price point.  I picked up the kit for around $149.00, which included the I-530 game camera, a 2 GB memory card, batteries, and a security bracket.  I've had lots of questions from readers looking for the best infrared game camera at the lowest price possible.  I had hoped that the Nomad IR would meet that criteria, but there were ultimately some issues during testing that would make me not recommend this game cam.

The first minor issue I encountered was with the mounting bracket.  I've had previous Stealth Cams and previous mounting brackets, but this one just didn't seem to have as tight of a fit as prior models.  This normally wouldn't be a concern, because it is still a very secure solution, but the issue is that it could potentially shift its position and block the camera lens.  I ended up using a twist-tie through the bracket lock hole to hold it tight to resolve this issue.

My big concern with this scouting camera had to do with performance related to image quality.  This camera had big issues during the transition periods from light to dark.  This resulted in pictures that were washed out due to over compensation by the infrared LEDs.  It's almost like the timing needs to be changed to allow the LEDs to cut off sooner.  I have a series of videos near dawn that start off looking OK, but are increasingly washed out by the IR LEDs as more daylight sets in.

Here are some example images from these videos:

This first image was from a video captured at 6:32 am.  Note that it is a bit washed out.

This second image was from a video captured at 6:42 am.  Note that it is even more washed out.

This third image taken at 6:50 am is barely viewable because it is almost completely washed out.

You can see how this became more of an issue as the natural light increased.  This issue continued until the IR LEDs completely cut off, and pictures were just taken with natural light.

In Stealth Cam's defense, I may have just gotten a lemon of a game camera for my testing.  I spoke with the service employees at the retail establishment where I purchased this game cam, and they stated that they had not seen and unusually large number of returns on the Nomad IR thus far.  I ultimately swapped this game camera for the new Moultrie I-35, which has the same price point as the Nomad IR.  The I-35 is the next model that I'll be testing in my quest for a low-cost game camera that still offers good performance.

You can see my full video review below.  Any comments on my YouTube video are appreciated.

I acquired a StealthCam Nomad IR (model I-530) today for testing.  I have received questions about this game camera over the last couple of months, and decided that it was time to get some personal experience with it.  I know that sometimes first impressions can be deceiving, but for the $149.00 price tag, it appears to be an attractive package.

I say 'package', because StealthCam has bundled everything you need in one kit to head straight to the woods and set the I-530 up.

Included in this package is the following:

• The StealthCam Nomad IR game camera
• A heavy duty security cable and locking bracket
• A 2 GB SDRAM memory card
• A strap for affixing the Nomad to a tree
• Six Energizer C-cell batteries
• A USB cable
• A user manual

I like the fact that StealthCam often includes security brackets with their camera kits.  After being the victim of game camera theft in the past, I always purchase security lock boxes for my game cameras.  StealthCam has already taken care of this for me, and this is something that I wish more game camera manufacturers would include in their packages.

This game camera has the same look and feel of previous generation Stealthcam models, but sports a new camouflage pattern; the NEXT G-1 Camouflage microprint.  This is a welcome change from the drab olive green color of past models.  This should help to make the Nomad a little more difficult to spot by would-be thieves.

The jury is still out on this trail camera's performance, until I get it in the woods to see how it performs.

Check back in the near future for all the test results and a video review demonstrating the features and capabilities of the I-530!

I think I may have found the next game camera that I need to test.  The Stealth Cam Prowler HD.  Let me tell you why I'm drawn to this camera...

Check out the following link that has an example video from this game camera:  Prowler HD Video (link will open in a new window).  This is a 1280 x 760 HD video of a little buck in velvet pawing at a doe and ends up bumping the camera.  I was definitely struck by the quality of the video.  The incredible detail, the color, and the clarity of the video from the Prowler HD beats out the video from any other game camera that I have seen to date.  Add the recorded audio to the equation, and you end up with a realism that makes you feel like you are in a blind, watching the action unfold in front of you.  The H.264 video compression gives you this widescreen format at 30 frames per second for a fluid video.

A few other features caught my eye while looking at the specs.  The video length is adjustable like with many other game cameras on the market, but this one can shoot videos from 5 seconds to 300 seconds (5 minutes).  It accepts a memory card of up to 16 GB, so a large number of videos (even long ones) can be stored to the memory card.  It can shoot  8 megapixel still pictures as well, giving you high definition quality stills, but lower resolutions can be set too.  It has all the other standard features that you are used to seeing from Stealth Cam.  The Burst Mode allows you to fire off multiple still pictures when the PIR is actived, and this one will let you take between one to nine images.  You get the Date, Time, Moon Phase, and Temperature stamping on images and video files.  This information remains visible on the bottom of the screen though, as opposed to just being displayed in the first frame like other digital game cameras.  That is a welcome change.

What don't I like is that some of the advertising details from Stealth Cam conflict.  For example, this link says that the 54 infrared emitters have a range of 30 feet.  But look at the Stealth Cam Product Specification Chart says that it is 40 feet.  I'd like to think that it is the 40 feet, as many other game camera manufacturers have been increasing their ranges with HO (high output) infrared emitters.  I'll tell you one other thing that bugs me is the built-in 64 MB of RAM.  Seriously?  What I would love to see is a game camera manufacturer placing 16 GigaBytes of built-in memory in their cameras.  Why do these trail cam manufacturers even put such a small amount of memory in a game cam?  And the 64 MB is generous compared to what some game cams have built-in.  Such a limited amount of memory is not usable.  I mean, does anyone reading this post actually make use of internal memory, or are you like everyone else I know, who swaps external memory cards in and out of the cam?

I think those issues are minor compared to the benefits offered by this trail cam.  The Stealth Cam website has this camera for sale for $309.00.  I have found this camera selling elsewhere for less, and in some cases as much as $60.00 less.  That's about 20% less, at a price of around $249.00 with free shipping.  You can see those deals here:

I'm sure you are all familiar with the 'Cash for Clunkers' program that the US Government recently ran in conjunction with the auto industry.  Of course you are, you couldn't turn on the TV or open a newspaper without hearing about it.

Well the game camera manufacturer StealthCam has jumped on the bandwagon, and started their own similar program called 'Cash for Cameras'.  If you are on the StealthCam mailing list, you may have received an email about this.  I did yesterday, and will be taking advantage of this program.  StealthCam will be offering $35.00 worth of 'bailout money' through this program which ends on October 31, 2009, so make sure you act quickly.

Here is how it works:

1. You can trade in any old (but functional) digital scouting camera for a $35 credit towards the purchase of a new StealthCam game camera that is priced at $149 or more.  You can trade in any brand of game camera.  The game camera that you purchase from StealthCam must also be in stock, and must be grand new.
2. You must call StealthCam at (877) 269-8490 to tell them that you want to participate in this program, and they will provide you an RMA number.
3. You ship the camera to StealthCam, and upon receipt, they will provide you a promo code with a value of $35.00 that can be used during the checkout process at the www.stealthcam.net website.

I called StealthCam, with some additional questions.  It was about a 15 minute phone call, start to finish.  I have an old STC-WD1 camera that I'm interested in trading in on a Sniper or a Nomad IR.

I had questions about the shipping.  Would I be responsible for shipping, which would reduce the value of the $35.00 credit I would receive?  The answer is Yes, and No.  Yes, you are responsible for the cost of shipping the camera to StealthCam, BUT they will ship your new camera to you Free of Charge.  So the shipping cost is a wash.

You have the option of how you want to ship the camera back.  So if USPS shipping costs less than UPS or FedEx, then you can ship via USPS>  It's up to you how you want to send it back, you just need to make sure that your RMA number is written on the outside of the box.

So I told them I wanted to participate in the program.  The service rep took my name, address, email, and model of camera that I will trade in.  They in turn gave me an RMA number, and an address to ship my old camera to.  Once they receive it, they will email me the promo code.

I like it, and will be giving it a shot.

I'm excited to see the new 2009 game cameras hitting the market. Stealth Cam will have the new High Definition Prowler HD available on May 9, 2009. The STC-DVIRHD will retail for $309.99. This camera looks hot, and I can't wait to get my hands on one for testing. READ MORE ABOUT THE STEALTH CAM PROWLER HD

Here is a sample video from the Stealthcam i540ir infared digital game camera.  Sorry, this isn't a picture of a monster buck.  This is just a sample to show the quality of the infared videos.  This video was originally shot in high quality, high resolution mode.  It was shrunk from 78 MB to 2 MB with video editing software.  There was some loss of quality when this occurred, so you can expect the actual video quality to be better.  Enjoy!

Stealthcam i540ir Video