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GardePro E5 Trail Camera (A+)

ricky racer

ricky racer

Well-Known Member
Joined
Aug 8, 2016
Messages
2,431
Location
Niles/Buchanan, MI
I don't often post a review of equipment I purchase that increase my enjoyment associated with my pursuit of whitetails but I want to give some feedback on a recent purchase I made of a couple of GardePro E5 trail cameras. I've used many in the past from Browning, Stealth Cam, Bushnell, Whitetail Innovations and Moultre. I always liked the Browning's but after a couple or three years, they quit working. My Stealth Cams also worked well but but again, within just a few years they also quit working. My one and only Moultre never worked since it was pulled out of the box. I later learned they had a problem with that particular model of camera and when I reached out to them they more or less told me sorry about your luck.

I'm sure that everyone here has stories of cameras that have worked well for them and others that have had problems with some. The big thing is the cost of quality cameras is usually north of $100 and most of us would like to run multiple cameras. Then there's the issue of theft. We want to invest in quality cameras but the risk of theft is enough to make us have second thoughts about putting cameras out on public land.

After my last Stealth Cam quit working, I decided to try a cheaper alternative. I watched several YouTube videos by content creators that run many trail cameras. I made the decision to try a couple of GardePro E5 trail cameras sold on Amazon as well as other outlets. As I type this post, Amazon currently has this camera listed for $39.99!

https://www.amazon.com/GardePro-Activated-Detection-Distance-Wildlife/dp/B08LGLJBNK?th=1

My experience so far with this trail cameras is fantastic! I believe that the quality far surpasses the other cameras I've used in the past in every aspect. Anyway, maybe this will open a few eyes to the possibilities of cheaper cameras that offer the quality to match the big name cameras but don't break the bank. I've purchased my last name brand camera and will from now on find a cheaper equivalent for my trail camera needs.

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MattMan81 said:
How long have you had them?
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I've only had them a short time but the video quality is great, they're very easy to set up and tick all of the boxes. Only time will tell if they out last the name brand cameras but for the price, I can buy about 3 of them for the price of 1 Browning camera.
 
I have one too. Nice cam for the money. They are $39.99 again on Amazon right now. I scooped another.
 
Check when you buy to see if the Asurion warranty through Amazon is available. I haven’t bought anything in the past six months but prior to that when buying cheaper cell cams and solar panels I’d add the three year (I think three? not five?) warranty and I cashed it in twice on items with no issues.
 
@ricky racer can we get an update on those GardePro E5’s? Still working just fine? They are $39.99 right now on Amazon with the optional $6 three year warranty. If they work well that’s hard to beat for a public land cam. Just wanted to check in before I buy a hand full.
 
VaBruiser said:
@ricky racer can we get an update on those GardePro E5’s? Still working just fine? They are $39.99 right now on Amazon with the optional $6 three year warranty. If they work well that’s hard to beat for a public land cam. Just wanted to check in before I buy a hand full.
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I still am very happy with the cameras and still believe they are of better quality than the name brand cameras I've used in the past. I usually have mine set on video mode and the results are great! I still highly recommend them.


 
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Ten four, Sir. I shall pull the trigger. Those videos do look great. I hope you smoked that buck in the first one! Any chance you can post / dm a link to which SD cards you’re using?
 
I bought a few when TrailCamPro gave them the thumbs up. I think they've jumped $10 in price since.

I'm really pleased so far but I don't really comment on gear stuff until it goes through the ringer. One was out a few weeks, a couple are still in the box due to replace a cohort I'm retiring.

I'm kinda expecting the seals to break down on par with cheap cameras which ime is 1-2 years of exposure. Most all of my cameras crap out from moisture eventually. The cases are on the cheaper end.

But, photo quality is up there with my mid level Bushnell and Brownings. Super good photos. Sensor seems good and fast.
 
I bought 3 today just to get started. We'll see how I like them, and see how many more I feel like I need after some scouting in the coming months. @ricky racer @Coachschaller and @elk yinzer what does battery life look like? Can I put them out in say late July or early August on video mode and expect them to run through the first week or two in December? I guess that depends on how many photos and videos that camera takes, but generally speaking on a travel path, field edge, or scrape.
 
VaBruiser said:
I bought 3 today just to get started. We'll see how I like them, and see how many more I feel like I need after some scouting in the coming months. @ricky racer @Coachschaller and @elk yinzer what does battery life look like? Can I put them out in say late July or early August on video mode and expect them to run through the first week or two in December? I guess that depends on how many photos and videos that camera takes, but generally speaking on a travel path, field edge, or scrape.
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That's a hard question to answer. I use Duracell in my cameras but I assume that you'll probably be using lithium batteries if you are concerned with running cameras that long without changing the batteries so battery life will be different than what I've experienced.
I can say that I had one of my GardePro cameras out in the area where I recorded the two clips shown above, in post #7, that is overrun with raccoons. I've had over 1100 video clips of a few deer and hundreds of raccoons, mostly at night which I would assume requires more draw from the battery since it's not only recording but also lighting the area so recording is possible. You'll notice the date stamp on the videos above too that are not in warm weather but in December in Michigan. I think that's pretty good. When I pulled the camera the batteries were still good but I didn't check the level of charge left in them.
All you need though is one branch, weed or leaf in front of the camera to blow in the wind to constantly trip the camera to run the batteries down. You can adjust the sensitivity of the sensors on the camera which may help reduce that from happening but I've never messed with that. That being said, I think you'll be impressed.
 
Forgot to pull the camera last year, the Li_ion batteries were still good in September, but died quickly after that. I have had cheap Wal-mart batteries last only a couple of weeks, where the Li_Ion batteries last a really long time. I also only do video. I think the memory card fills up faster with daylight (color) videos. The nighttime videos do not use up as much file space, but the lights will drain the battery faster.
 
elk yinzer said:
.........I'm kinda expecting the seals to break down on par with cheap cameras which ime is 1-2 years of exposure. Most all of my cameras crap out from moisture eventually. The cases are on the cheaper end.
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I wonder if we treat the rubber gasket with a rubber product? I bought some Gumleaf boots last year and they strongly recommend treating them a couple times per year with Granger's rubber boot treatment to keep them from drying out and cracking. It would probably prolong the life of camera gaskets too.
Btw, I bought a couple Gardepro (different model) from Trail Cam Pro a few months ago. I've only tested a little bit but they seem just fine. My Browning cams seemed great too...at first. By year 3 they were giving me fits. Hope these GardePro last longer than the Brownings.
 
Truthfully, if I get 3 solid years out of each one I will be completely satisfied at this price point. When you have to worry about ghost photos, no photos, and batteries lasting 2 weeks with much more expensive cams, I just want them to do what they are supposed to.
 
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