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!
New for 2009, the Stealth Cam Nomad IR digital game camera is yet another great offering from the popular game camera manufacturer that is loaded with features. This infrared digital game camera, model I530IRx2, is capable of taking photographs and capturing video in the daytime or at night. Best of all, this game camera is infrared, which means there is no flash at night that will spook your game.
It can give you high quality VGA video, and will record video clips any where from 5 to 90 seconds in length. The Nomad has 32 MB of built-in RAM, but accepts standard SDRAM memory cards of up to 2 GB in size, so storing lots of images and videos will not be a problem. We recommend that you have multiple SDRAM cards. They are inexpensive, and you can just quickly swap out your memory cards when checking your camera, and view the images and videos from your home PC.
The Nomad IR will capture images in high quality mode of up to 5 megapixel resolution, and will capture images by day and night. The image quality is sharp, and all images are stamped with the date and time, as well as temperature and moon phase.
For still images, you have the option of 5MP, 3MP, and 1.3MP resolutions. The daytime images are in color, and night time images are black and white. The burst mode setting can be defined to take between 1 to 9 image upon each activation of the PIR. And the PIR can detect game out to 30 feet. Its 27 infrared emitters give the Nomad clear images and video out to 30 feet in pure darkness.
You will like the new icon-based programming, and ease of use.
The Nomad IR is powered by six standard C cell batteries, but it also accepts the optional 12 volt power supply for extended operation in the field. A mounting strap is included, but we recommend adding a cable-lock, or pad lock with a security cable for protection from theft. A USB cable is also included in the box, for hooking the camera up to your PC.
We like the new camo design over the drab green or black colors seen on previous stealth cam models. So if you are in the market for a new game camera, give the Stealth Cam Nomad IR a closer look. It is sure to please.
New for 2009, the Stealth Cam Nomad IR digital game camera is yet another great offering from the popular game camera manufacturer that is loaded with features. This infrared digital game camera, model I530IRx2, is capable of taking photographs and capturing video in the daytime or at night. Best of all, this game camera is infrared, which means there is no flash at night that will spook your game.