Wildlife photographers are aware of the risk of going close to extremely deadly animals. Plus, going close to these animals can make them run off as they are super shy and sensitive to sound and smell.
Therefore, buying a hunting video camera with long lenses lets you take amazing photos of wildlife animals while sitting in a safe place.
So, a perfect hunting video camera comes into play to capture wildlife imagery without risking your life.
There is no need to spend thousands of dollars on hunting cameras, as you can easily get a decent hunting video camera for as low as 500 dollars.
Best Hunting Video Camera Under $500
In this article, we have shortlisted some of the best-performing hunting video cameras for five hundred dollars to help you choose the ideal one without spending a dime.
DJI OSMO Action Cam
The DJI OSMO is a fantastic hunting camera under 500 that can take photos and videos underwater. With 4k resolution, it captures high-quality images and videos.
The DJI OSMO handles the light changes perfectly, and it is designed to shoot in the dark and in daylight.
This is a great alternative to GoPro cameras, but it can get hot pretty quickly, which is a downside of this camera.
LiDCAM LC-WF
This hunting camera is the ultimate lightweight and portable camera with a great sensor that allows for autofocus and clear images. It can be controlled with Wi-FI as well.
It is waterproof but not submersible, so do not expect it to go deeper.
All in all, this is a decent camera to take pictures and allows you to do your photography hands-free.
Go Pro Hero 6 Black 4K Camera
Easily, the Go Pro 6 Black is our favorite hunting camera under 500 that is ideal for filming outdoor activities like hunting and fishing. This is a perfect camera for a person who loves to shoot outdoors.
This top-notch hunting camera can record 4k videos at 60fps and 1080p videos at 240 fps, making it suitable for filming hunts and scouting wildlife.
The camera features a user-friendly touchscreen and video stabilization to increase the video recording quality.
The lack of night vision makes it ineffective for poor lighting conditions.
LINNSE Black 4K Video Camera
This is the next cheapest hunting camera under 500 that is great for filming long-rage hunts. This is an excellent camera for your needs, and it is also ideal for low-light photography.
It can record 1080p videos during the day as well as at night. Plus, an external microphone is included, so you won’t have to purchase one.
It also comes with a remote control to manage the camera’s settings from a distance.
Panasonic HC-V180K Camcorder
This hunting video camera is an affordable option for hunters because it has a stable imaging system and low-light functionality.
It is great for tracking objects, and SuperRange Optical Image Stabilization with Dynamic Image Stabilization ensures the images and videos you record are perfect.
The optical zoom of 50x and intelligent zoom of 90x are what hunters love about this camera. Both zooms are combined with sharpening and image upscaling to deliver high-quality results.
Bushnell CelluCore 30
The Bushnell CelluCore 30 is the next best hunting video camera under 500 that offers 30MP resolution to capture plenty of detail in your shots.
With this camera, you can record 1080p video with a silky-smooth 60p frame rate which is amazing for such a low-budget camera.
Furthermore, the trigger speed is 0.2 seconds to take quick snaps, the most fleeting wildlife behaviors.
As the name suggests, the Bushnell CelluCore has a cell-network option to download videos and images wirelessly or remotely using Verizon or AT & T data plan, which means that the camera won’t be useful outside the US.
But, the camera brings a 32GB SD card slot that can use local storage for plenty of images and videos.
Finally, the camera requires 12 AA batteries to keep the device up and to run.
Overall, the Bushnell CelluCore 30 is a multiple hunting video camera for as low as 500 US dollars that offers the highest-resolution and 100-foot no-glow infrared flash for night vision. Plus, it takes quick photos of faster animals and allows you to access the media files remotely.
Browning Defender – Best Multipurpose trail camera
The browning defender is a great all-purpose hunting camera with infrared motion detectors to capture wildlife signals in a dark environment. The low-glow infrared flash helps record those animals that only show up at night.
The 20MP sensor captures FHD videos with clear details, and the wider field of view covers more area to capture stills or videos for a larger area.
The full waterproofing makes the camera suitable for wet and wild outdoors, and you can put the camera in rainy or windy weather conditions. You would be able to leave the camera outdoors for long periods comfortably.
Furthermore, the 4G cellular link-up allows you to wirelessly download the images and videos.
The camera supports SDCX cards with bigger storage capacities like 256GB or 512GB for longer recordings of shy and retiring animals.
Finally, the invisible IR mode makes the camera completely undetectable, which allows you to take close shots of deadlines animals that won’t let you get closer easily.
The best part is that the camera is camouflaged and silent in shooting, further eliminating the chances of detection in the wildlife habitat.
All in all, this is a perfect hunting video camera for 500 bucks that light up animals without alerting them. Plus, it does remote capturing and allows you to access media files through the cellular network.
The Spypoint Force Pro is the 4k video camera for hunting to capture extremely clear videos. Still, the downside is the brutally choppy 10fps frame rate that will significantly affect the footage quality.
The other option for you is 2540×1440 resolution in this budget, and it allows you to capture 1920×1080 videos at 25fps. The camera also supports onboard audio recording to gather voices of the habitat.
The 0.2 seconds trigger speed captures photos impressively fast for those animals that move at great speed.
There are 54 no-glow LEDs on the front of the camera, giving you the flash range of 27 meters. Here’s the catch, the flashlight emits infrared light at 950nm that invisibly illuminates wildlife animals without scaring them off.
Along with the decent flash rate, the detection range of 33.5m of the Passive InfraRed motion detector helps the camera detect the wandering animals from a great distance as they will be nicely lit.
The Spypoint is a great hunting video camera between $100-$500 that allows hunters to get up-close and personal with wild animals without any risk involved.
All in all, this is a top-notch hunting camera for a newbie that costs a little over 300 dollars and offers all the perks to make you the best hunter and wildlife videographer.
Bushnell Core DS No Glow
The next best option on our list is Bushnell Core DS, a clever two-sensor trail camera for night and day.
The day sensor allows you to capture vibrant images in daylight, thanks to the 30MP generous still resolution. The higher resolution means more details captured in photographs and more latitude for cropping to magnify a subject when capturing animals standing at a distance.
The night sensor with invisible LED light illuminates nocturnal objects wandering close and at a significant distance.
The transition between day and night sensors is also super-smooth.
All in all, the camera allows you to do Full High-definition recording at 60 frames per second, resulting in super-smooth footage.
The trigger time is as low as 0.2 seconds to capture anything that strays in front of it.
The strong construction of the camera makes it durable enough to withstand the wear and tear of wildlife outdoors.
The lack of cellular capability can disappoint you, but that’s perfectly fine for such a low-budget range.
Plus, the SD card will protect the footage recorded that you would be able to retrieve later.
The best part is the superior stabilization, and when you have such extraordinary stability, the camera achieves a more natural or fluid shot. The stability helps when hand cam footage is filmed to prevent shakiness. Plus, the auto-correction of shakes while driving the vehicle is also amazing.
Although there are more expensive hunting cameras available for like $4,000, $3,000, $2,000, and $1,000, this cheapest $500 budget hunting video camera is the best professional-grade video camera for hunting.
All in all, the Bushnell Core DS No Glow is the best camcorder for hunting under 500 that offers instant recording capability, and the high MP sensor offers higher production value. I think this is a good bit of monetary investment.
Bushnell Prime Low Glow Trail Camera
The Bushnell Prime Low Glow Trail Camera is the perfect supplemental hunting video camera that comes with all the bells and whistles that make it a great video hunting camera.
The 24 Megapixels resolution allows you to capture 1080p videos at 60fps.
The invisible no-glow flashlight ranges 80 feet to illuminate dark areas without scaring the animals.
This inexpensive camcorder is a professional-grade compact video camera with a motion-activation feature that captures images when there is a movement of objects.
The best part is that this is a high-speed trail camera that can be used for security if you live in wildlife outdoors.
All in all, this is a cheap and reliable trail camera under 500 dollars for hunting that is ideal for recording high-quality hunting videos. The 24MP resolution allows you to capture amazing videos that will leave you speechless.
The timelapse capture features record longer videos of day and night so that you can quickly look at the videos to get your desired snaps and footage from the video.
All in all, this is a budget-friendly travel camera that can help you instantly record your desired wildlife moments without missing them. Plus, the high dynamic recording of the sensor allows the camera to capture a range of exposure values.
Stealth Cam G42NG TRIAD
The Stealth Cam is a superb video camera for hunting that offers great value for the money you spend on it.
The downside is that the 10MP resolution is not enough to capture the clarity and the trigger speed is also 0.5 seconds, which is much less than the 0.2 trigger speed of the above cameras.
Furthermore, the camera can record 180 seconds of lengthy videos and take up to nine still images in one burst.
With each image captured, the camera stores metadata like date, time, moon phase, and temperature that gives the hunter a complete study about the object.
All in all, this is a superb video camera for hunting that prevents a large number of wasted shots with no animal to capture, only the shots where the animal is present.
The camera offers cellular connectivity, allowing you to share your videos and images easily. This camera is great for filming hunts in high-definition with exceptional details.
All in all, this is the camera that can shoot excellent videos from a short distance. It can record high-definition videos at night as well in the day.
Spypoint Solar Dark
The next budget-friendly hunting camera on our list is Spypoint Solar Dark, a great round video camera for hunting with an incredible resolution of 12MP and double spotting scope binoculars.
The 12MP resolution gives the camera ability to produce clear, high-quality videos in low-light conditions. If you are into the hunting business, this camera will be the best fit for your needs.
It is a cheaper hunting video camera, so do not expect it to capture 4k or 5k videos. It is only capable of recording HD videos with 1280×720 resolution.
But, the waterproof coating allows the camera to record and capture high-quality shots underwater.
If you record hunting videos and upload them on YouTube, this camera will suit you in a budget price tag. With this camera, you can take the best shots most discreetly.
The lithium-ion battery that powers the camera is also rechargeable. Plus, the solar panel that comes with it helps you charge the batteries so it can keep recording for as long as you want.
The camera is perfect for taking pictures hands-free from most shooting ranges. Plus, the superbly stable imaging system is super helpful in wildlife habitats.
All in all, this is the best 500 dollars hunting camera for duck hunting. With this camera, you can take your hunting experience to the next level because it can record all your adventures in the film. Similarly, beginners can easily get their hands on this camera for hunting and fishing.
Moultrie A-40
If you are looking for incredible optical zoom, image stabilization via optical way, and longer battery life, then the recommended hunting camera under 500 is Moultrie A-40.
This camera with rugged construction is designed to withstand extreme temperatures and easily handle climate change.
This handy little compact camera has a 14MP sensor with digital and optical zoom that helps sharpen and upscale images. The intelligent zoom produces a zoom that hunters are always looking for.
The camera comes with a highly intuitive and robust design and a slim case with an olive camo pattern that completely merges the camera in the wildlife.
The downside is that low resolution makes the video clips grainy and choppy, but the battery is higher while recording footage.
Overall, this is a great sub-$500 hunting video camera with an extremely wide-angle lens for capturing a larger frame. Plus, it also features a phase-detection autofocus system for improved focusing accuracy.
Stealth Cam G30
The next best option on our list is Stealth Cam, designed to face natural elements of nature. The compact and efficient design easily merges into the wildlife habitat. Plus, it is designed to replicate a human field of vision for a more natural look.
This is the best camera for hunting in budget range with enough zoom to pick prominent details in the shadows and highlights. Plus, the manual adjustment of zoom also helps with wildlife photography.
The camera features 30 IR low glow emitters with a detection range of 80 feet. Plus, the 0.2 trigger speed is fast, and there is no lag in the shots that hunters prefer.
Overall, this affordable hunting video camera under 500 allows you to take favorite wildlife shots without risking your life in the field.
Moultrie A-25
The Moultrie A-25 is a camera designed to withstand adverse weather conditions. It is compact enough to fit in small pockets that can help both beginners and professionals.
The military-grade aluminum construction allows it too long laster than usual.
The 12MP resolution sensor takes mid-quality photos of animals, and the 0.9-second trigger speed is also disappointing compared to other hunting cameras on our list.
The battery compartment is designed for the 8AA batteries, and the batteries are designed to last longer than usual.
If an animal comes too close, the sensor will blur the subject. Besides that, the daytime photos are amazing, which is nice at this price point.
Stealth Cam G42NG
The Stealth Cam G42NG is the next durable and sturdy camera that is lightweight and easy to transport. If you are a type of hunter who travels a lot, this is an extremely portable camera that won’t hinder your mobility or cause you to become tired.
You can get a decent hunting camera bag to store the camera in it. Or if you wear big pocket trousers, you can slip them into a pocket as well.
The design of this camera is outstanding as most rifles and shotguns are compatible with this camera. The sturdy material used for the construction of this camera enables it to last longer in all weather conditions.
It comes with a perfectly fitting strap to hang on a tree for long periods.
The camera also features a focus ring that allows a hunter to focus through branches.
The camera supports ultra-fast trigger speed with improved recovery time.
This hunting video camera comes with a user-friendly touchscreen allowing you to control the camera through the touchscreen. The larger screen also maximizes the experience of playback. Plus, the anti-reflection coating makes it great to view in sunlight as well.
Furthermore, a bigger SD card slot can hold multiple cards. Plus, you can insert any large-capacity SD card to store all your high-resolution videos.
If you use the camera only for pictures, you can expect longer battery life. But for video recording, the battery will last for a handful of hours. Plus, it has a battery overheat problem as well.
In this list, this is the only video camera for hunting that has a Wi-Fi option that allows you to connect your smartphone or tablet with it to transfer photos and videos directly from the camera to your phone. You can also control the camera with mobile through a wireless connection.
You can start streaming on YouTube, Facebook, and even Outdoor television through your smartphone.
The built-in microphone captures leading voices and noise of the surrounding environment. But, you can connect an external shotgun microphone to capture the high-quality voice of animals.
AKASO EK7000 HD Action Camera
The #1 camera for hunting under 500 dollars on our list is AKASO EK7000, a mini hunting camera that looks like a GoPro and has the same features as a GoPro as well.
It allows you to capture 4k videos, making it a great alternative to a high-priced GoPro for capturing stunning videos of wildlife animals.
The 12MP sensor captures great videos in standard wide mode. You can capture videos in timelapse mode as well.
The intelligent Auto mode makes it easy to grab the camera and start filming without having a fiddle. The camera supports varieties of modes and formats. The timelapse mode needs to be edited in a video format on the computer. But, this will be the highly used video recording mode.
Thanks to the AI mode, the auto mode is super intelligent and can handle most situations.
The camera comes with an easy-to-understand interface that makes the video recording smooth without getting lost in many buttons.
Don’t worry about the low-light conditions, as it performs well in low-light scenarios. It is not designed to work at night, though, but low-light conditions are handled easily by this camera.
Buying Guide
If you are a beginner, then you need to know more about the functions of hunting video cameras to choose the best hunting camera under 500. Let’s take a look at the important features that matter when it comes to buying.
Video Quality
To capture the clear footage of a hunt, the resolution must be higher. The minimum resolution of a camera should be 1080p to capture a fluid shot of the hunt with moderate frame rates. The higher the FPS is the more control over shot you have and you would be able to record in slow motion as well.
Low Light Capture
A hunting camera should be able to record low-light conditions. So, always look for a camera that has a BSI sensor that will help in low-light photography.
Storage
The large storage capacity means the camera can keep recording the video for long durations. Therefore, make sure to check the SD card capacity to determine the length of video the camera will record.
Zoom
Optical zoom is very important for wildlife photography because it allows you to keep your eyes on the prey’s movement. The minimum zoom you need is 20x optical zoom.
Battery Life
Short battery life can be the most annoying thing for hunters. Therefore, when filming outdoors, you should go with a camera that has the longest battery life to record maximum outdoor activities.
Durability
The hunting camera should be durable to withstand all types of weather conditions, shocks, bumps, and drops because the wildlife habitat is super dangerous.
Best Type of Hunting Camera For Beginners?
Beginners can get started with a decent DSLR but they are expensive. So, the decent option under 500 will be an action camera or a camcorder because they are mid-priced and user-friendly options.
What Quality Should a Video Camera have?
If the camera supports 4k resolution, that’s perfect. Because 4k clips can be viewed on bigger screens like on a TV or PC monitor. But, the minimum resolution will be 1080p.
How important is the battery life?
Battery life is very important for hunting cameras as many hunters use their cameras for wireless connectivity as well as live video streaming on YouTube or Facebook. So, the longer battery life can be helpful in filming outdoors.
What Should be the weight of the camera?
The camera should be of high quality to handle the challenging weather conditions.
Is it possible to film hunts with a GoPro?
Yes, GoPro can be used to capture hunts with sufficient accuracy but to a certain extent. As they are suitable for extreme sports, they can be used for filming outdoors. So, GoPro is suited for hunting.
Verdict
All in all, that’s all for this list of best hunting video cameras for under 500 dollars. There are different shapes and a variety of cameras available. But, you should choose what suits your needs and hunt in the wild.
Robert Smith is a technology lover and loves to write about laptops, monitors, printers, tablets, Apple products and anything that's related to computers and games. He is passionate enough that he maintains this blog regarding tech updates on a daily basis.
Robert Smith is a technology lover and loves to write about laptops, monitors, printers, tablets, Apple products and anything that's related to computers and games. He is passionate enough that he maintains this blog regarding tech updates on a daily basis.
