I have had good Moultrie models and bad Moultrie models. In fact, I think that goes for every brand. You cannot go by brand name and expect that just because you think the brand is good that a particular model will be good.
shooter has purchased some of the expensive Browning game cameras and unfortunately has returned either 2 or 3 for warranty replacement. They have taken good care of him, but they should not fail so quickly.
As for critters not showing up on the camera, that does not mean the camera is necessarily bad. If an animal moves slow enough, it won't trigger the sensor. Sensor sensitivity can be a blessing and a curse. Too sensitive and every leaf that floats buy will trigger an image that will show nothing but your scenery. Not sensitive enough and you miss things.
Prices often vary based on brand name and features, though features can vary widely. You probably don't need a 12 megapixel game camera to identify deer and hogs. You just don't. I would not suggest going below 4 megapixels, however.
Flash distance is important, but blackout flash probably isn't unless you are moving the camera on a really regular basis. If you are just watching a feeder, the red glow of the IR isn't going to bother the critters, certainly not after a few days. Don't pay the extra for blackout if you don't need it.
After that, the features are largely what you like and don't like and you decide from there.
Trailcampro.com provides some good reviews and gets into actual trigger times and such.
Me? I tend to buy cheap. If something cheap works well for several months, I will buy 2 or 3 more units to use. Right now my current favorite is
Stealth Cam STC-P12 6.0 Megapixel Digital Scouting Camera, Tree Bark
I also have some old Moultrie D-55s that run on C batteries that have just been tanks. The A-5s, like Frank said, suck.
d:^) Jake..
