Moultrie A-30 Review

Moultrie A-30 Review

Need a red glow camera under $100? It certainly isn't perfect, but the A-30 has everything you'd need for a simple, capable trailcam. - TCP Staff

Model #MCG-13201

Moultrie A-30 FAQ's

Moultrie A30 Owner's Manual

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Pros

• Impressive night photos
• 6.7-month battery life
• Solid case design

Cons

• No audio on videos
• Poor video battery life
• Very limited setup options

Trailcampro Analysis

The Moultrie A-30 is an inexpensive red glow game camera that is new for 2017. This gamecam is part of the 2017 A-Series from Moultrie that focuses on the consumer that needs a trail camera under $100.

Picture Quality:

Photo resolution: 12, 2 mpxl

Video resolution: 1280x720 - No audio

Flash Type: Red Glow Infrared

Daytime pictures have plenty of color, almost so vivid that it doesn't look realistic. Regardless, the pictures are bright and colorful. We do see a few clarity issues and some out of focus images when the object is outside of 100'. Overall, though, these are good day pictures

Night pictures are excellent. Flash range, contrast, and clarity all show up really well. We are very impressed with night pictures.

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Daytime video quality appears to be relatively poor. The motion is not fluid (14 frames per second) and the clarity is poor. There is also no audio.

Night videos are really good, though. We were blown away by the quality of night video. We still have to count off for not having audio.

Megapixel Ratings:

In the past, many people get confused with the megapixel rating trail camera manufacturers advertise. Companies inflate the mpxl rating to attract eyes to their products. They do this through interpolation, which digitally adds megapixels to a photo without actually improving the picture.

The best way to judge picture quality is to look at actual pictures. You will notice this the most when you zoom in on a full-size image that a camera has taken. The details of the photo will appear hazy or even digitized. This is normal, and to be expected.

Battery Life:

Picture & Video Resting Power (on): 1.54 mW

Picture Daytime/Nighttime Power Consumption: 2.39 Ws | 9.26 Ws

Video Daytime/Nighttime Power Consumption: 16.43 Ws | 221.99 Ws

The battery efficiency depends on whether you plan on using the A30 in picture or video mode. In picture mode, the camera is efficient on power consumption. In video mode, the A30 uses a large amount of power per video clip. Here are some examples.

Picture Mode

If this camera were to take 35-day and 35-night pictures every 24 hours, the 2017 A-30 would last 6.7 months in the field on a set of 8 AA Lithium Batteries. This is an efficient camera in picture mode.

Video Mode

If this camera were to take 15-day and 15-night videos (10-second videos) every 24 hours, it would last 1 months in the field on a set of lithium batteries. This is an inefficient video camera.

Our rating accounts for the average of both ratings. If you only use your trailcams in picture mode, the A30 gets good battery life. If you use your cameras in video mode, this is not an efficient camera.

Detection Circuit:

Picture Trigger & Recovery Speed: 0.61 s. / 1.1 s.

Video Trigger & Recovery Speed: 1.52 s. / 1.1 s.

Detection Range: 70 ft.

This detection circuit is surprisingly solid. The picture trigger speed is ok but the recovery is really good. The Video trigger is slow but the recovery is outstanding.

Detection range is in line with other trailcams on the market.

We don't mean to sound elitist or snotty, but most trail cameras in this price range really underperform in this category. However, the detection circuit of the A-30 is quite capable.

Quality of Design:

Dimensions: 5.5" x 3.5" x 2.5"

Battery Type: 8 AA Batteries

External Battery Jack: 12-Volt

A30 Case Design

The pure quality of the materials used for the case on the Moultrie A30 is far superior to what you would expect on a game camera under $100. The case feels very solid and exceeded our expectations. The Moultrie A-Series of game cameras is similar in design to the higher-end M-Series, but there are a few small differences.

1. There are two brackets for using a Python Cable Lock, both are located on the back of the camera. You can choose to use the cable to lock the inside of the camera to protect the SD card, or, lock just the camera to the tree.
2. The A-Series cameras are slightly taller but thinner than the M-Series.
3. The setup interface has fewer buttons.

The latch has an unorthodox mechanism, but it is easy to manipulate, even with cold fingers. We think it is more practical and durable than it may appear at first glance. The battery tray ejects from the bottom of the camera and fortunately, the batteries are easy to load and unload. There is also a 1/4" x 20 threaded insert on the bottom for a Slate River Mount.

A-30 Setup

The LCD screen on the A30 is very small and has limited space for text. We find the setup to be simple, but rudimentary. It is fairly easy to setup, but we did have to glance at the owner's manual a few times to make sure we understood what the highlighted setting indicated.

SD Card Storage Examples

With a 16 Gig SD Card and the camera taking 2 mpxl photos (this is our recommended setting as it is closest to the native resolution), the A-30 could store 80,000 pictures on the SD card. Keep in mind, day pictures (color) have larger file sizes than night pictures (black and white), so this number could go up or down.

With a 16 Gig SD Card and the camera taking 1280x720 videos, the A30 could store 614 10-second videos.

From this data, you can extrapolate storage capacities for different sized SD card and different resolution settings. We give you an 16 Gig SD Card with the purchase of this game camera through us. If you need additional or larger SD cards, you can shop all SD card options here.

Durability

Moultrie game cameras have had some of our lowest warranty rates the last two years. However, our warranty rates on Moultrie cameras are based on their higher-end M-series and Gen2 cameras. If any durability/warranty concern pops up, we will update this review.

Moultrie A30 Review Conclusion:

When giving an overall impression of the Moultrie A-30, it is important to keep in mind the price. Comparing this game camera to cameras that cost twice the amount is not fair. With that being said, we see a good amount of value in the A-30. If you are hard-pressed on your trailcam budget but need a camera that performs at a reasonable rate, we think this is it. Good detection, decent pictures, 6+ months of battery life and simple setup. All things considered, if you need to spend less than $100 on a red glow camera, this is the best we have seen.

Enjoy our reviews? Please consider purchasing your next trail camera from us.

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FAQ's: Moultrie A-30 Game Camera

Q: How do I view the pictures?

A: There are a number of ways to do this. Pictures/videos are stored on the SD card you place in the A-30 trail camera.

• View pictures on your computer. Plug the SD card in a desktop computer or laptop via the built-in SD card reader or use a USB reader if your computer doesn't have one. This method works for most tablets as well. With this method, we recommend having two SD cards per camera so you can swap them in the field.
• View pictures on your smartphone. Choose between the iOS Reader for iPhones and the Android Reader. Phone readers require an app to access the photos, you can read more about these via the previous links.
• Trail Camera Viewers. While more expensive, handheld viewers are useful if you don't have a smartphone or run multiple trail cameras.

Q: Will this trail camera trigger on small animals (birds, rodents, etc.)?

A: The Moultrie A30 detects on a combination of heat and movement, so, yes, small mammals will trigger the camera. However, if you are going after smaller warm-blooded mammals, we recommend getting the camera closer to your target. For best performance, place the camera in an area that would enable picture detection from 3 - 20 ft.

Q: Can animals see the infrared flash on the A-30?

A: Yes. This is a red glow trail cameras, meaning it has a faint red glow when taking pictures or videos at night. Humans and animals can see this if looking at the camera. This does not "light up" the woods, though.

Q: Where can I purchase this camera?

A: From us! We hope to woo you with our incredible charm, two-year warranty, 90-day returns, free continental U.S. shipping, and technical expertise. If that isn't enough, we give you an 16 Gig SD card with this camera and you can call and talk our ear off anytime.

Seriously, though, we know you have plenty of options of where to spend your hard-earned money. The internet can be the wild, wild, west of too-good-to-be-true deals. If you choose to do business with us, we will go out of our way to make sure you are happy with the camera you select and the service we provide you.

We are passionate about testing and reviewing trail cameras, but most importantly, we are passionate about treating our customers the right way. We do things differently from what you have come to expect from other internet retailers and we hope you give us the opportunity to prove that to you.

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