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How to Set up a Campark Trail Camera
In this article I take a comprehensive look at how to set up a Campark trail camera.
I have owned a number of Campark trail cameras over recent years and I have to say that they are some of the highest specced trail cameras in the lower end price range.
The Campark model I mainly focus on in particular in this guide is the Campark T80, however, all the models in the range of trail cameras follow almost exactly the same set up procedures.
Where there is any difference in setting up a particular model I have added additional notes accordingly.
Ok; Let’s dive straight in and take a look firstly at the models in the Campark [1] line-up for 2020 – 2021.
Campark Trail Camera Models
The table below lists all the current models. The main differences are in the megapixel size and video resolution. Some of the models are wireless as shown in the table.
Getting Started
Before I start working through all the menu settings of the trail cameras, I’ll quickly go through all the items that are included with Campark trail cams and talk about each accessory in turn.
What’s in the box?
- Campark trail camera
- Nylon tree strap
- Metal tripod mount with screws and plugs
- USB cable
- User manual – Customer support card
NOTE: Wireless models also come supplied with a remote control. Read for more information on how to connect your wireless camera to your phone using the app.
Mounting the camera
There are several ways to mount the camera straight out the box.
The nylon tree straps simply wraps around a tree or post, threaded through the plastic loops at the back of the camera housing, and is secured with a buckle at the end of the strap.
The metal swivel mount screws into the 1/4-20 brass inserts at the base of the camera. The plate can be screwed to a brick wall or a tree / wooden fence using the appropriate fixings. This is more suited for use in a static location such as a home security camera.
Managing and viewing pictures
There are several ways to view and transfer video / still pictures with the Non-wireless models.
If you have a computer with a built in SD card reader, it’s simply a matter of inserting the SD from the camera into your computer and using any software that you use to view, edit and manage visual images.
For those who don’t have a dedicated SD reader there are a host of 3rd party card readers available for use with a computer or a smartphone such as an iPhone.
The USB cable that comes supplied with the camera allows you to plug the camera directly into your computer if you don’t have the facility to read an SD card. This will be a lot slower than directly taking images off the SD card, due to slower data rates.
Wireless picture and video transfer
If your lucky enough to have one of the wireless Campark models such as the T75, T80 or T85. Then you have the option of transferring images to your smartphone using the app while connected to the camera via bluetooth or WiFi.
I’d still suggest taking the SD card out the camera option as it’s going to be the quickest.
However, the wireless version has many advantages too. For example if your camera is mounted high up and you don’t want to climb to reach the camera.
Or you may just want to take a look at the images captured in the field and download the best images to your phone and leave the SD card inside the camera.
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Trail camera setup - What you need
The 2 essentials that don’t come supplied with any of the cameras are:
- AA batteries
- Standard or micro size SD card
Batteries
All the cameras take 8 x AA size batteries, with the exception of the T20 Mini Wildlife camera that takes 4 x AA batteries.
Campark do recommend in their user manual to use alkaline batteries. Of course they will work fine. I’d strongly suggest using lithium batteries instead as they provide much longer life and provide more stable power.
In addition to battery power the cameras have a 6 volt mini jack that allows you to attach an external battery or solar panel.
SD cards
Cameras up to 14MP, SD cards class 6 or above are compatible. For the newer cameras with the 20MP image sensor it’s recommended to use class 10 or above to allow for the larger file size and data rates.
All the cameras will accept SD cards up to 32GB in capacity, except the T85 Bluetooth camera. The T85 has facility to accept cards up to 128GB capacity.
In terms of physical size. Some of the cameras accept micro SD cards and others standard size SD cards.
It’s worth having a micro SD standard adapter in case. Always check the manual of the camera to ensure you have the correct type of SD for the model of camera.
NOTE: Always format the SD card using the menu option in the cameras settings first before starting to record images.
Menu Settings
It’s time to delve into all the menu settings common with all the trail cameras.
The menu settings and general functions of the cameras are operated via a keypad.
The picture below shows the keypad on the T80. The T40 and T45 have a slightly different layout for the buttons, although they operate in the same way.
The T20 being a much smaller camera has the keypad on either side of the LCD screen. However the functions are the same for the buttons labelled.
Mode Switch
To the bottom right of the picture above you’ll see the 3 way mode switch. To access the menu screen, move the switch from the off position to the centre setup position.
Press the menu key, top left to bring the first menu page up as shown below. This may vary slightly for each model. But I’ll explain each setting as I work through the menu options.
- Mode – Choose 1 of 3 settings, Photo, Video, Photo+Video.
- PIR Interval – Adjust from, 5 seconds to 60 minutes.
- PIR Sensitivity – Low / Medium / High.
- Time Lapse – Sets the Mode On / Off.
- IR LED – Auto / Super Fine / Economy.
Mode
You have a choice of the camera recording photos, video and photos and video both together. These 3 modes may also be set by pressing the mode button on the keypad without accessing the menu on screen.
PIR Interval
Once the camera has been triggered, this time period tells the camera to ignore any additional triggers for the set time period.
For example, if a bird lands in front of the camera, it will record the first triggered image and then wait for the Interval time period to record further movement from an animal. This saves a lot of images of the same animal from being recorded onto the SD card.
PIR Sensitivity
The PIR sensor detects movement. This setting allows you to adjust how sensitive the PIR is to movement. If the camera is setup on the edge of a large field for example then you may choose the high setting.
In a small backyard then the low setting would be a better option. This ensures the camera focus on more relevant movement in front of the PIR.
IR LED
This sets the brightness of the infrared LEDs. Again, if you’re in a small enclosed space for example such as a backyard then a low setting is better. Otherwise the night-time images may be too overexposed due to verb right illumination.
The second page has 3 settings to adjust (See above picture).
- Image Size – 20MP to 5MP.
- Picture Number – 1 to 10 pictures to be taken in succession.
- Shutter Speed – 1/15 1/20 1/30.
Image Size
Allows you to set the image resolution for still pictures from 5MP to 20MP. The larger the size, the better the image quality, although this will mean bigger file sizes, so the SD card will fill up quicker at the 20MP setting.
Picture Number
Tells the camera to record from 1 to 10 pictures when triggered in a short burst. 3 pictures tend to be the most common setting here.
Shutter Speed
The shutter speed will dictate how smooth fast movement is when recording in video mode. This is more critical at night and I would suggest to use the 1/30 shutter speed for HD video recording.
The 3 settings above are for setting the video mode of the camera.
Resolution allows you to set the camera to record HD video from 720P up to 1296P HD. The higher the number the better quality the video. I would suggest the 1080P setting which provides sharp video and isn’t too large a file size.
The video length can be set from 5 seconds up to 180 seconds.
The final setting turns the audio recording on and off. I tend to leave the sound set to on.
Summary
This set up guide for Campark trail cameras covers all the essential settings to get you up and running.
Once you have familiarised yourself and become comfortable with scrolling through the menu, then it’s time to look at the some of the standard settings such as time and date, language, and date stamp.
One final task before placing the camera to record images is to use the format setting to reformat the SD card. This is very important to ensure the SD card stores images without any problems.
If you have any questions regarding Campark trail cameras then send me an email or leave a comment below.
You’ll find some of my Campark trail camera reviews here, plus a roundup of Campark action cameras.
I hope you enjoy using your Campark trail camera as much as I do. Happy scouting!
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Hi. I love the camera but does not stay connected to WIFI. I CONSTANTLY HAVE to GO INTO settings and after a few minutes I’m not connected. Sometimes take a bit to become connected. I need help with this.
Hi, Joyce.
The camera has an auto WiFi off setting in the menu. You can set the WiFi to switch off after 1,2 and 3 minutes. Regards, Rob.
Hi Rob hope you can help me, I have a brand new Campark T75 with a new sd card when I switch the camera on it ask for a four digit password the camera has never been used can you help me please kind regards a Will.
Hi William. The factory password is 12345678
I hope that helps. Regards, Rob
Hi Rob works fine thanks for your help kind regards Will.
I found your article really useful for my shiny new T80. I’m really happy with it.
Can you help though with how to stop some night time pictures having a large area whited out (overexposed). Sometimes this obscures the animal being captured? I could send an example if it helps.
Any guidance would be really appreciated please.
Trevor
Hi Trevor,
This is one of the most common problems with all trail cameras. If the animal is within 10- 15 feet of the camera, the IR Flash does tend to wash out any detail. The T80 does have 3 settings for the power of the LED IR flash, try setting it to Super Fine. Alternately move your camera back from the food plot or trail where the wildlife is being recorded. Another tip is to put some tracing paper or a baking sheet over the LED flash. This will be a DIY trial and error solution. 60 GSM tracing paper works well. Place the paper over the IR flash only, make sure the camera lens and PIR sensor are not covered. On public land this may show the camera up to humans though, its more suited to using this option in a garden or backyard.
I hope that helps Trevor. Best Regards, Rob.