Moultrie M8000 Review

The Moultrie M8000 has a lot going for it as it is extremely fast, detects out over 100', gets 7+ months of battery life, and takes excellent pictures and videos. The detection angle is a skinny 24.7° and it does not record audio with video. Overall, we consider the M8000 to be a solid wildlife trail camera. - TCP Staff

Model #MCG-13331 | M-8000 Owner's Manual

M8000 FAQ's

Trailcampro Comprehensive Score:

84/100

Moultrie M-8000 Trail Camera Review

Pros

• Very impressive picture and video quality
• 7+ Months of battery life in picture mode
• Fast detection and 110 ft. detection range

Cons

• No audio on videos
• 24.7° detection angle

Picture Quality: 90/100

Photo resolution: 20 mpxl

Video resolution: 1920 x 1080 without audio

Flash Type: Red Glow IR

Day pictures are bright, have realistic color, and offer strong clarity. Moultrie continues to impress us with daytime picture quality. Night pictures offer the longest flash range of all 2019 trail cameras when "Motion Freeze" is set to off. In this mode, pictures are extremely bright and well-illuminated. The trade off is blur on moving animals and "whiteout" on close objects. When "Motion Freeze" is on, the shutter speed is quicker and produces a clearer image (with less flash range). We find that keeping it on produces a more enjoyable picture. Overall, picture quality ranks really well.

Day videos are exceptional in both quality and color. The M8000 shoots in 1920 x 1080 @ 30 frames per second. Night videos are bright, especially in the center of the photo. The right side of many of our sample photos gets progressively darker. Night videos record a maximum of 30 seconds and do not have audio.

What if you purchase from us and aren't happy with the image quality?

This is a common question and we have a very simple solution. Call, email, or chat with us and we can take a look at the images and offer suggestions or immediately tell if something is wrong with the camera. If so, we will warranty the camera for you (with the free 2-Year warranty you receive from us) or return the camera for a full refund (within 90 days of purchase). You have control of the process, remember, we work for you.

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: 75/100

Picture & Video Resting Power (on): 1.59 mW

Picture Daytime/Nighttime Power Consumption: 1.9 Ws | 8.1 Ws

Video Daytime/Nighttime Power Consumption: 18.4 Ws | 57.6 Ws

Picture Mode

If this camera were to take 35-day and 35-night pictures every 24 hours, the M8000 would last 7.7 months in the field on a set of 8 AA Lithium Batteries.

Video Mode

If this camera were to take 15-day and 15-night videos (10-second videos) every 24 hours, it would last 2.8 months in the field on a set of lithium batteries.

Detection Circuit: 85/100

Picture Trigger & Recovery Speed: 0.3 s. | 1.1 s.

Video Trigger & Recovery Speed: 1.42 s. | 1.5 s.

Detection Range & Angle: 110 ft. @ 24.7° detection angle (36.9° field of view)

Picture trigger and recovery speed are really fast, meaning it is more than fast enough to catch even the quickest moving animals. Video trigger is a touch slow but the recovery rate is very fast.

The detection zone is hampered by a semi-narrow detection angle. This means the camera is not detecting on the edges of the photo. This could result in some missed photographs if the animals (or humans) do not walk far enough into the center of the photo. For food plot setups this would be a disadvantage, however, for a trail, feeder, scrape, or gate crossing; this shouldn't be an issue.

Quality of Design: 84/100

Dimensions: 4.5" x 3.25" x 3.75"

Battery Type: 8 AA

External Battery Jack: 12-volt

Case Design

This is a small, thick trail camera. Our initial reaction to handling the camera is it feels strong and sturdy from the outside. The latch to open the camera is large, thin, and easy to open. Closing the latch is easy but the latch does not close all at once. It is a single latch but there is a pressure point on the top and bottom. If you aren't careful when snapping shut, you could just snap in one side of the latch and not the other.

Batteries load fairly easily, although you will have to hold one of the batteries down while inserting the other to keep it from "popping out." The camera has two Python Cable brackets, one on the back and one through the front (this one would allow you to lock the camera to the tree and the SD card is also locked inside the camera). There is also a 1/4" x 20 threaded insert on the bottom for a Slate River Mount.

Camera Setup

We've struggled the last several years with Moultrie's setup process. To us, it isn't intuitive and feels clunky. You shouldn't need the owner's manual to set the camera up, but it does take some getting used to. This shouldn't deter you from purchasing the camera, though, after spending some time with the M8000 it starts to feel more natural.

This camera does have SD card overwrite and hybrid mode (picture + video), which are two underrated features many cameras don't have.

Durability

Durability on Moultrie game cameras has been impressive in recent years. If any problem arises we will update this review accordingly.

Keep in mind, our 2-year warranty program is your free insurance program in case something goes wrong with a camera you purchase from us. This warranty protects you from any manufacturing defect the camera might experience for two years.

The Moultrie M8000 has a lot going for it as it is extremely fast, detects out over 100', gets 7+ months of battery life, and takes excellent pictures and videos. The detection angle is a skinny 24.7° and it does not record audio with video. Overall, we consider the M8000 to be a solid wildlife trail camera.

Since 2005, our mission has to been to provide consumers with unbeatable value, advice you can trust, and customer service that exceeds expectations. There are plenty of places you can choose to do business with, if we are lucky enough to earn your support, we promise to give you our undivided attention. Trailcampro has grown each year not only by relying on your happiness but on the assumption that if we blow you away with customer service, you will brag about us to your friends (have you seen our referral/reward program?).

As always, if you have additional questions, feel free to call, email or chat with us. We look forward to helping you find your next trail camera!

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

FAQ's: Moultrie M8000 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. Here are some other methods for viewing images:

• 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.
• 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 camera, 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.

Q: Where can I purchase this camera?

A: From us! We hope to woo you with our incredible charm, two-year warranty, 90-day returns, free continental U.S. shipping, and technical expertise. If that isn't enough, we give you a 16 Gig SD card with this camera and you can call and talk our ear off anytime.

Seriously, though, we know you have plenty of options of where to spend your hard-earned money. The internet can be the wild, wild, west of too-good-to-be-true deals. If you choose to do business with us, we will go out of our way to make sure you are happy with the camera you select and the service we provide you.

We are passionate about testing and reviewing trail cameras, but most importantly, we are passionate about treating our customers the right way. We do things differently from what you have come to expect from other internet retailers and we hope you give us the opportunity to prove that to you.

Back to Top of Page

Read Reviews From All the Game and Trail Cameras