Wirecutter

This trail camera is a cinch to set up, plus it performs almost as well as options costing nearly twice as much.

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This trail camera has a still-photo resolution of 16 megapixels, second only to that of the Mirage 18. The Wraith 16 can detect motion up to 20 feet away, and its trigger speed is just under a second.

TechGearLab

The Browning Strike Force Pro XD is an all-around excellent trail camera option. This model checks many of the boxes, including exceptionally fast trigger speed, high-resolution images, and an incredibly durable camera body. Setup was made easier with a combination of the adjustable mounting plate and viewing screen, allowing for optimal positioning. Long-distance detection and a 0.5-second recovery photo speed kept us from losing precious images to camera delays you might expect in other models. It has a wider field of view than models that boast higher quality images. If you want to cover a large area, the Strike Force Pro is the way to go. 
In general, the images were quite crisp in our testing, but we did get some motion blur during nighttime testing, which is common in trail cameras. This nighttime blur was minimal when compared to other models that we tested. Overall, the impressive Strike Force Pro outperformed the majority of the competition in every metric in our testing, making it an excellent choice.

When it comes to wildlife monitoring, the Browning Strike Force Extreme is at the top of its class. The tough camera body can withstand some serious abuse while blending into a forest setting with a non-cheesy camo pattern. The 80-foot detection range, paired with the 0.6 second recovery time, enables you to pick up more movement at a greater distance. This is a huge plus when it comes to wildlife detection. Whether the camera is in photo or video mode, the images come out crisp and clear. 
The one feature we wish the Strike Force Extreme offered was a viewing screen like the Strike Force Pro. The only way to know what you're taking a picture of is to attach the camera via a USB cable or insert the SD card into an additional device. Despite this detail, the Strike Force Extreme is an outstanding option for hunters and wildlife researchers. 

If photograph and video quality are a selling point for you, look no further than the Bushnell Core DS No Glow 30MP. Offering an industry-leading 30MP still camera combined with a 1080P video camera that shoots up to 60 frames per second, it's hard to top the images produced by the Core DS. One of our favorite features of this model is that it can be set to hybrid mode, which shoots a photograph before it begins recording video. The "No Glow" technology hardly emits enough light to be seen by the human eye, making it ideal for wildlife monitoring and security purposes. The Core DS is easy to set up and operate, and the integrated LCD screen allows you to review photos and videos on the device rather than having to take the memory card home or lug a computer into the wilderness. For those looking to take their camera settings to the next level, the Core DS No Glow offers "pro mode" settings in which you can adjust the white balance and lock the exposure value. 
There's no getting around the fact that the Bushnell Core DS No Glow is expensive. At this price, you could afford two or even three cameras from a competing manufacturer. Our testing team found that taking screenshots of night videos ended up being a higher quality final product than the photos taken by the camera rendering the night photos nearly useless. We noticed a substantial blunder in the setup process; after adjusting the settings on the device, it is critical that you turn the main switch to the "off" position before the "on" position or the camera won't save settings or activate. We found this step to be counterintuitive and easily forgotten and could lead to weeks of your trail camera sitting in the forest doing nothing. Despite this short list of flaws, we still think the Core DS No Glow is the absolute best model for photo and video quality. 

This trail camera packs lots of pixels into a small package. It also has a lightning-fast trigger speed, allowing you to capture crisp images of wildlife during the day and at night.

Trail Camera Comparison