My name is Tony Fox and this page features the foxes and other wildlife which visit my garden in Hastings, UK.
I started out with a Browning Recon Force trail camera. The camera has a PIR motion detector which triggers automatic recording to an internal SD card. This is a great HD trail camera and shoots good footage in both daylight and at night using built-in infrared LEDs. In daylight it shoots at 60fps, which means that with edit software you can create slow motion footage which isn’t too jerky.
www.wildviewcameras.co.uk/product/Browning-Recon-Force-Edge
After a while I decided I wanted a camera that could shoot UHD video (aka Ultra High Definition or 4K). This would mean that while editing I could simulate camera movement by zooming into the image (and then panning) without losing image quality. I also wanted a camera that I could watch live (via IP over my home network) as well as recording automatically to internal SD card, and after some online research I decided on this CCTV security camera:
www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B076ZPZ789
The next step was to improve the infrared lighting at night. I wanted to light as much of the garden as possible, and to avoid the eye glow that results when the light is coming from the camera itself (my cameras now all have their lights turned off or taped over). I chose these lights:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07B6B6GHN
https://www.amazon.co.uk/BW-Illuminator-Light-Infrared-Vision/dp/B00AAZRYD6
The smaller cheaper lights on the second link are actually better.
I later added another network IP camera, but one that can remotely pan, tilt and zoom.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Hikvision-Optical-Camera-Network-Security/dp/B07HM6G8SL/ref=sr_1_24?keywords=hikvision+ptz&qid=1574933202&sr=8-24
The most recent addition is another trail camera, the Ltl Acorn Mini. This has white light LEDs and so can shoot colour footage at night.
www.wildviewcameras.co.uk/product/ltl-acorn-mini30-white-light
There are certainly cheaper and simpler options. You can find trail cameras on eBay or Amazon for less than £30. I’m afraid that they won’t give the same quality of video, and may not last forever. Check the reviews on YouTube to see example footage.
I have learnt a lot from, and highly recommend, this group, Wildlife Watching & Trail Cameras UK:
www.facebook.com/groups/1395197310700858/
The group Admin, Michele Booth, runs Wildview Cameras, and the group is a great source of advice and inspiration.