I want to monitor animal movement on my property to find out what species are passing through. I've seen these camera traps that cost around R$ 200-400, but I'm unsure if they're actually worth it or if they don't work properly.
Do you want to record everything or just get an idea of which animals pass through there?
Because the answer changes quite a bit. Trail cameras really do work, but it's not like magic - it depends a lot on how you set them up. If we're talking about equipment in that price range, you can get decent photos with an active motion sensor. The main thing is positioning it well: put it on a path that looks frequented, at a height where the sensor picks things up well (around 60-80cm off the ground works in most cases), and point it toward where the animal will pass, not at some random direction. Quality varies a lot between brands, but the basic ones can capture activity at night (important to have night vision with infrared LED) and during the day.
The annoying part is you end up with a ton of videos of branches moving in the wind, leaves falling, that kind of thing. You're going to spend time reviewing, especially if the property is large. But to get an idea of which species frequent the place, it really does work - most people who use these things get interesting data. My advice is don't buy the cheapest one out there (sometimes it doesn't even trigger right), but you also don't need expensive professional equipment. In that R$ 300-400 range you can find models that deliver well. Just don't go into it expecting a perfect system, because you're going to be disappointed.
Camera traps do work, but the results depend a lot on positioning - they have to be in the right path for the animals, otherwise you'll go weeks without capturing anything. The motion sensor sometimes fails with rain or temperature fluctuations, so don't count on it catching everything that passes by.
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