Moultrie A-35

Moultrie A-35 Review

If you need an inexpensive picture taking trail camera, the A-35 fits the bill nicely. This is an inefficient video game camera, but if used to only take pictures, this camera performs very well. - TCP Staff

Model # MCG-13212

A-35 FAQ's

Moultrie A-35 Owner's Manual

Pros

• Good night pictures and solid day pictures
• 5.8-month battery life in picture mode
• Good detection recovery speeds
• Solid case design

Cons

• Poor daytime video quality
• 0.7-month battery life in video mode
• Limited setup options

Trailcampro Analysis

The 2017 Moultrie A-35 is nearly identical to the Moultrie A-30 except it has a few additional IR emitters. Outside of that, you will find the two cameras to be very similar.

Picture Quality:  

Photo resolution:   14 mpxl (interpolated)

Video resolution:  1280 x 720

Flash Type:  Red glow IR

Daytime 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):   1.46 mW

Picture Daytime/Nighttime Power Consumption:   2.3 Ws |  12.0 Ws

Video Daytime/Nighttime Power Consumption: 15.8 Ws | 328.6 Ws

The battery efficiency depends on whether you plan on using the A35 in picture or video mode. In picture mode, the camera is efficient on power consumption. In video mode, the A35 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-35 would last 5.8 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 0.7 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 A35 gets pretty good battery life. If you use your cameras in video mode, this is not an efficient camera.

Detection Circuit:    

Picture Trigger & Recovery Speed: 0.62 s. / 1.1 s.

Video Trigger & Recovery Speed:  1.51 s. / 1.2 s.

Detection Range:  70 ft.

The picture trigger speed is average but the recovery time is really fast. Video trigger is sluggish but, once again, the A35 recovers quickly.

Detection range is a very solid 70 ft. Overall, this is a nice detection zone for a $100 game camera.

Quality of Design:   

Dimensions: 5.5" x 3.5" x 2.75"

Battery Type:  8 AA Batteries

External Battery Jack:  12-Volt

Case Design

The pure quality of the materials used for the case on the Moultrie A35 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-35 Setup

The LCD screen on the A35 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 an 8 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-35 could store 40,000 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 an 8 Gig SD Card and the camera taking 1280x720 videos, the A35 could store 307 10-second videos.

From this data, you can extrapolate storage capacities for different sized SD card and different resolution settings. We give you an 8 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 A-35 Review Conclusion:    

If you need an inexpensive picture taking trail camera, the A-35 fits the bill. This is a very poor video game camera, but if used to only take pictures, this camera can do the trick.

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

FAQ's: Trail 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 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: Trail cameras detect 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 this camera?

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. 

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