Moultrie M 880 Low Camera Review – Best In The Market?
As an avid outdoorsman, you have probably heard of trail cameras before. These handy devices enable you to see what’s going on around your property (or anywhere else you want to visit) without having to camp out with a tripod and a blanket.
Hunters love these things because they allow them to monitor the activities of deer and other wildlife, which helps ensure that they can track them better when hunting season begins. A good trail camera can save a lot of time and effort that would otherwise be spent trying to figure out where your next target is going to be.
Nature enthusiasts also love these devices because it provides a window into the natural world around them. Since most animals avoid humans at all times, a decent trail camera allows you to get close and personal without the risk of spooking them.
Regardless of your reasons, you want a trail camera that is both rugged and reliable. In this case, we’re looking at the Moultrie M 880. As far as these devices go, this unit is about in the middle of the pack. Let’s see what it has to offer.
Table of Contents
Rugged Camouflage Housing
The whole purpose of this camera is to stay outside all night long so that you can take pictures of any animals that come across it. As such, it has to be both durable, and it has to blend in, lest it spooks them in the process of documenting them.
The M 880 model is useful because it not only has a weather-resistant casing, but it’s covered in a camouflage design as well. This helps it become invisible to most animals so that you can capture photos without any problems.
This unit can handle most weather conditions, including heavy rains and light snows. Nonetheless, it’s always a good idea to check on it regularly to make sure that it’s still working correctly.
Eight-Megapixel Camera
When comparing trail cameras, you want to pay attention to the clarity of the images you’re going to take. As we mentioned, the M 880 is in the middle of the road, so it’s better than most of the low-end models out there.
With eight megapixels, your images will be crystal clear, and you’ll be able to zoom in slightly upon review. Although some high-end models can go up to 20-25 megapixels or more, you shouldn’t need that kind of high-definition to get a clear image.
100-Foot Night Range
Since the point of having a trail camera out is to see as much as possible, you don’t want something that is super limited in range. If it can’t see too far, then you’ll miss out on the majority of action in front of the camera, which will render the whole thing pointless.
Thankfully, the M 880 doesn’t have that problem. With a range of 100 feet at night, you should be able to see practically everything that happens in front of and around the camera. Coupled with a fast trigger speed, you will get a better understanding of the local wildlife in no time.
Motion Freeze Setting
Unless you’re doing time-lapse photography, these cameras are designed to take pictures (or record video) when activated by motion sensors. Unfortunately, that is a problem because then most of your images are blurry.
Thankfully, Moultrie understands this and has come up with a solution. The photography software inside has a built-in setting that increases the shutter speed of each photo. Whether it’s a single image or a burst (1-6 pictures), each one will be much sharper and clearer than other trail cameras.
Overall, this means that you won’t have a library of fuzzy, blurry photos clogging up the memory card.
High-Speed Trigger
While the motion freezing software helps ensure that your pictures are high-quality, that’s only part of the equation. If your trigger speed is too slow, then you’ll just be capturing the tails and butts of all of the animals that walk by. Some low-end trail cameras are so bad that sometimes you miss the target completely, giving you a bunch of landscape photos with nothing going on.
In this case, the M 880 comes with a trigger that activates in less than a second. That being said, it does take a few seconds to reset, so we highly recommend choosing the burst setting on your camera. Instead of taking one photo at a time, it will shoot several in rapid succession so that you can get better coverage of your target.
When tracking animals such as deer or elk, it’s imperative that you see how they move so that you can understand them better.
Pros
- Durable construction
- Camouflage design
- Easy to use menu options
- Easy to mount
- Works in low light and the dark
- Eight-megapixel camera
- Trigger works in under a second
- Motion Freeze reduces blur
- 100-foot flash range at night
- Captures HD video
- Time-lapse and motion capture settings
- Temp, time, and date stamp
- Works with SD cards (32 MB)
- Uses AA batteries
- Password protection for extra security
Cons
- In rare cases, the unit may freeze unexpectedly and require a reboot
- In some instances, pictures may be unreadable
FAQs
- Does this camera have a noticeable flash?
- Yes, it has a red flash that will signal when it takes a photo. It shouldn’t disturb deer and other wildlife, though.
- Does this model come with a mounting strap?
- Yes, it does have one so that you can get set up immediately.
- Is this unit waterproof?
- Not if you plan on submerging it. However, it should withstand most weather conditions, including rain and snow.
Final Verdict
When comparing the Moultrie M 880 to other trail cameras, it’s easy to see why this one is so highly regarded. Unless you need an ultra high-performance model to capture more animals or for security purposes, this camera will work for all of your needs.
We like the fact that it comes with a fast trigger speed, anti-blur technology, and a rugged case. Also, we appreciate that you have options for recording, from single photos to video. Overall, this camera will enable you to see more of what’s happening in your area, and it won’t cause any problems along the way.
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