Trail Camera Review: Olymbros T3

When you’re just getting started hunting, there’s a good chance that seeing wildlife is a big part of the draw for you. And when you get to see their hidden habits, it’s even more addicting. That’s where trail cameras really come in handy.
Depending on where you hunt, you may or may not be familiar with trail cameras. For example, if you hunt heavily pressured public land, you might be afraid to use one for fear of theft. And if you’re a new hunter, you probably haven’t even thought about them before. But if you do use one, this trail camera review will introduce you to the features and pros/cons of this particular model so you can decide if you’d like to try one yourself.

Trail Camera Background

I received a message from Olymbros® a while back, asking if I would conduct a trail camera review on their model. I was eager to do so, as I love trying new cameras in the woods and since I’m a biologist, I could never get enough wildlife pictures! Specifically, I received the T3 16MP trail camera.

The T3 is capable of taking pictures at different resolutions (up to 16 megapixels) or videos in 1080P full HD. The menu choices were pretty impressive. I was able to change the trigger interval (how long the camera waits between pictures), the number of pictures taken, the sensitivity level (what size disturbance triggers the camera), etc.

The camera also uses a no-glow, infrared LED light, which doesn’t spook wild animals like some flashing versions. Finally, if you’re concerned about someone stealing your camera, you can lock it with a 4-digit password – granted, that doesn’t stop someone from stealing it necessarily, but they’re not going to be able to use it either.

Field Test and Results

I received the camera and didn’t have much opportunity to deploy it on some private property until later in the summer. But after only a few days of sitting over an old mineral lick, I got some cool pictures. The camera really blends in well against a variety of tree barks, but it disappeared very well against a paper birch!

Overall, the settings seemed to work as I thought they might. Given the short time frame I had to check the camera, I set it to a high sensitivity level and low interval to make sure I captured pictures. Some were inevitably empty due to branches triggering the camera or animals being just out of frame. But it was able to capture a nice sequence of a doe and fawn digging around in the soil.

I also captured a few (alright, MANY) pictures of black bears. Most of them wandered by, but some curious ones couldn’t resist a closer inspection of the camera, causing the subsequent pictures to be rotated a bit. For example, this picture was already tilted from another bear. This one then decided to check it out too, causing all the remaining ones to tilt the other way. So far, none of them have destroyed the trail camera, but since I’ve lost cameras to bears before, I need to invest in a steel box sooner than later!

Thus far, I haven’t had many good night-time pictures. Most of the pictures with deer in them have been pretty washed out or over-exposed. The picture below of a raccoon was one of the clearest night shots I’ve captured.

I also explored some of the other camera functions by choosing the video and photo mode, which takes both when triggered. I captured a cool sequence of at least three gray wolves, including pictures and the video below.

Potential Improvements

There are only two slight cons I noticed. First, compared to other trail cameras I’ve used, the field of view seems a little more constricted or zoomed in. It’s not a big deal for the average hunter, but it’s just something I noticed after placing the camera in the same tree as others before it.
Second, when I was setting the camera up in my living room where the light was uneven, I noticed the camera makes an audible click much like a car blinker. Presumably, this is the camera switching from daylight to nighttime mode. It was fairly loud and might spook the occasional deer or turkey if light levels are varying drastically in the field, but it’s definitely not a deal-breaker for me.

Trail Camera Review Summary

Overall, I enjoy this camera. It takes nice pictures and performs well in different conditions. I really like that it has a small LCD screen for viewing pictures in the field. Instead of just swapping out the SD cards, I can quickly scan through and see what’s been happening while I’ve been gone. The bottom line is that this trail camera takes good pictures and would be a good addition to your hunting equipment if you’re into this kind of obsession.
If you’re interested in this camera, check it out!