‘Trail Cam’ Vs. ‘Camera Trap’—Do You Know the Difference?

Is there a difference between a “trail cam” and a “camera trap”? Often, the terms are used interchangeably. But are the terms truly interchangeable? According to photographer Randy Robbins, who uses both types of setups to capture images of local wildlife in Lassen County, California, there is a clear difference between the two. His recent social-media post includes side-by-side photos of a trail-cam setup vs. a camera-trap setup.

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“There are a million names for cameras in the woods,” Robbins wrote in his Facebook post. “Game cam, trail cam, hunting cam, camera trap, etc. . . . I try to clarify every once in a while what I believe is the proper terminology, since a lot of people don’t realize there is a a very big difference between your typical ‘trail cam’ and what most photographers call a ‘camera trap.'”

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Robbins goes on to explain that a “trail cam” is a small, self-contained camera with an infrared light bank. Trail cams take those kinda blurry, gray-scale photos and videos we love to cover here on Outdoors.com.

“A ‘camera trap’ is a different thing altogether,” Robbins explains. “These generally consist of a DSLR or mirrorless camera, off camera lighting (usually a couple speedlights on wireless triggers), and an infrared motion trigger system that actuates the camera.”

Compared to a typical “trail-cam” setup, a camera-trap setup by Robbins’ definition requires some skill to operate, since it needs to be manually configured.

Need some visuals? Check out Robbins’ examples of photos from a “trail cam” vs. a “camera trap” here:

Header stock image by Tunatura/Getty Images

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