Why is my wildlife camera taking short videos at night?

If you've read some of our other support resources you'll know by now how important batteries are to camera performance. Many of the issues people come across when using their trail cameras are caused by flat, low power or poor-quality batteries.

Here, we'll give you a quick recap on how and why batteries influence camera efficiency so much and how to get it working the best it can - including ensuring it's taking full videos during the night...

Cameras not performing well during the night is a common battery related issue

Common Battery Related Trail Camera Issues

Alongside not taking full videos at night here's a quick list of other trail camera issues that can often be quickly solved by replacing the batteries: 

• Camera screen flashing on and off
• Not working at night or taking short videos at night
• Poor detection/missing things
• Taking a picture but no video in hybrid mode (Bushnell, Spypoint, Ltl Acorn)
• Screen not coming on
• Not triggering at all
• Inconsistent performance
• Turning the camera on but the battery percentage or bar going down steadily, then turning off
• Dull LEDs or infrared flash brightness

But The Battery Meter is Showing as full?

Battery meters are not very reliable, particularly in camera traps. It may show its got a full 3 bars or 90% left etc. but this is often inaccurate. 

The batteries may have just enough power to turn on the cameras screen and detection circuit as this requires very little energy, so it's a fair assumption to think the batteries are working fine. However, recording, especially at night, requires much more power and the batteries are put under a far higher load which they won't be able to cope with if they are nearly flat or not very good.

You're then in a cycle of the batteries having just enough juice to turn the camera on but then wobbling and failing to record and then recovering enough to power to turn the camera on again, and again, and again, until the batteries eventually go completely flat.

Camera trap battery meters are notoriously unreliable

So What is Best to Use?

We will always recommend Lithium AA batteries particularly Energizer Ultimate Lithium and here's why:

1. They have a higher voltage than other types 
2. They’re unaffected by the cold
3. They last about 5x longer than alkaline batteries
4. They have a higher battery current
5. They’re most cost effective
6. They have better detection

Can I Use Rechargeable Batteries?

As a wildlife and environmental non-profit we use sustainable and eco-friendly alternatives wherever we can. 

Its obvious and understandable that we should be moving towards using Rechargeable AA batteries. However, there are some things to be aware of;

1. They have a lower voltage
2. Milliamp hours vary & aren’t always what they’re advertised to be (i.e. 2200mAh on the packet can mean 1900mAh in reality)
3. Using them can mean a loss of detection range, slower trigger speeds & reduce IR LED brightness
4. They won’t last as long as you think and will probably need replacing after 9-12 months

If you do really want to use rechargeable batteries the ones to look out for are Panasonic Eneloop Pro and Ikea LADDA 2450 - these, in general, will work in most wildlife cameras. 

Importantly, some cameras are designed to work with rechargeable AA batteries and some do not work well with them at all. All NatureSpy, Camojojo and Browning cameras can work with rechargeable batteries.

If you do really want to use rechargeable batteries the ones to look out for are Panasonic Eneloop Pro

What To Avoid

We strongly advise against the use of Duracell batteries. They have a lower capacity than other brands and are built to retain power rather than give it away which is the opposite of what a trail camera requires!

The Takeaways 

1. If you’re experiencing problems – change the batteries: If you are having any issue with your trail camera change the batteries – it’s highly likely the problem will be instantly resolved!
2. Use Lithium Batteries: Energizer Ultimate or Varta Professional are best - they don’t care about cold temperatures and have high currents
3. Don’t use Duracell Batteries: The voltage of these is too low to power camera traps sufficiently and they don't like the cold!

Please recycle your batteries if and when you can when they are no longer in use. This can be done at most recycling centres and some supermarkets. 

Happy Camera Trapping!  

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