Moultrie I40 or Scout Guard 550 for 1st time cam purchase?

[aquanator]

Contemplating my first trail cam purchase, willing to spend around $200, and I want to have a cam that takes both video and then a picture.

So has anyone owned both the Moultrie I40 and the Scout Guard 550? Which would be the better choice? Both are around $200.

I have seen the videos from the Moultrie I40 and they look great. I've read the threads that recommend them and the reviews a positive.

No one I personally know owns a Scout Guard, but I've searched the posts and threads and it's generally being given good reviews too.

I'm sort of leaning towards the Moultrie I40 only because I've personally seen the videos from them, but since I'm only going to buy one cam and probably use it for a long time I'm trying to make the best purchase decision I can and hoping al of your advice will help.

Input? Especially if you have used both, I would appreciate your input.

Thanks.

[Dawg]

Just bought the I40 a couple weeks ago, can't speak personally to the SG.

3rd camera I've tried over the years and its much better than the other 2 —*that both went back (Stealthcam and Gameview, both similarly priced). Quality of pictures and cam are very good, been playing with different sets. Little sensitive on wind triggers so I went with a bigger SD card, rather take too many than miss some. Seems to live up to packaging so far, have had triggers out to 40' as it claims, also works on MacOS which it doesn't claim to be compatible with.

Don't understand why it doesn't come in a camo case but that's the only real fault I have with it so far.

[bow_n_arrow]

Here's my two cents (ok, maybe three).

The cameras I have owned:
Stealth I450 - sold
Stealth V450 - sold
Cuddeback C1000 - sold
Cuddeback noflash - sold
Moultrie 3.1 - sold

The cameras I currently own:
2 Deecam 100's (35 mm) - - retired and use as decoys.
2 Cuddeback C3000's
1 cuddeback expert
2 moultrie I40's
1 moultrie M60

I have read great review from the scoutguard so I'm not going knock that camera at all. In fact, that is on my list of possible purchases in the future.

However, the Moultrie I40 is a great cam. The features which I love are:

#1 battery longevity is INCREDIBLE. The best in class hands down.
Picture clarity for daylight pictures is great
Picture clarity for IR flash is great (better than my cudde noflash is why I sold my cudde noflash and bought another I40 and put $200 in my pocket).
Trigger sensitivity is good. It is adequate for almost every situation.
Easy to operate
Did I mention battery longevity - - I'm not kidding it will blow you away how long those 6 D cell batteries last.
One thing I will caution you on. I have read that the 2007 models for some reason were better in trigger speed than the 2008 models. I don't know if this is true or not, but the two I own are good. Also, I agree with the previous post. The trigger on this camera is very sensitive but that is a good thing. You will get a fair amount of pictures with nothing in them, but with digital photography who cares. The key here is, you won't miss the squirrel or rabbit (where other cameras I have you will). If you get a blank shot, simply delete :)
All-in-all, if you buy the I40 you will not be disappointed. That may be true about the scoutguard also, but I just can't say.

Good luck & hope this helps you. I know I've turned into a camera junkie (have owned a total of 13 cameras in my cam life). I appreciated the many help I got from others and hope I can give you the same. I can vouch there are some junk cams out there I wouldn't touch with a 10 foot pole.

[Sabre03]

I really like my I-40

[hunt-n-fool]

I own both

I would pick the SG550

I also have an I40 for sale, one of the allegedly faster 2007 models.

so, my 2 cents worth.

[MarineBuckHunter]

I40 for sure!!!

[Gutz]

Just got my SG550 in the mail today. I've never used a trail cam before but this one seems pretty easy to use. Here's a video of me playing around with it in the back yard with the dogs. Might need to pop some dramamine before you watch as there is obviously no view finder on this thing. I think this thing will video images further out but I only messed around with it for a second. Looks pretty good to me so far!

http://s471.photobucket.com/albums/rr77/ctraugot/?action=view&current=124aa41d.pbr

-G

[Mid-Michigan Rick]

You might want to read this review first Moultrie I40 (http://www.chasingame.com/reviews_moultrie.htm#moultrie_2007_I40IR)

I had trouble with 4 Moultrie cameras last year, so I'm very dissapointed in them. Wish I had read reviews like this one before I made those purchases.

[buckpole]

I have owned 3 Wally world specials myself ( Moultrie D40 ) and for the price you cannot beat them. I have noticed that in my area, I hunt in the UP, the flash spooked bucks. I went to purchase my first IR and bought the I40 to stay in the in the Moultrie family. I never heard of the sg550 until I read some reviews, and bought one off of ebay this summer based on the reviews I read. I LOVE this cammera. It is by far faster than my I40 and I have pictures to prove. I will post them tommrow due to the misfortune of myself working. I have 2 pictures of a doe being chased by a wolf at full bore. I am in a heavily wooded area at the edge of a cedar swamp. That was 2 pictures in less than what I would speculate 1 to 1.5 seconds. Who knows what is best but Put it this was I have my third SG550 on order from ebay. Have a good season:cool:

[tommy-n]

picture quality is for sure better on the I-40 but the 550 has a little faster trigger,the I-40 has proven it self over time and we will have to see how the 550 does

[rmw]

I own a couple of SG's and love them

[hunt-n-fool]

picture quality is for sure better on the I-40 but the 550 has a little faster trigger,the I-40 has proven it self over time and we will have to see how the 550 does

I would add that the I40 had more issues when it was first out, than the SG does when it is first out.

[Mich. Buck Wacker]

I have a I40 and absolutly love it! Its a 07 model so it may be better than the new ones, or so I've heard. The trigger is much faster than other cameras that I have owned and like bow n arrow stated, no other camera even comes close to the I40 when it comes to battery life!