Cuddeback's Cuddelink

[Catscratch]

did you buy your camera directly from Cuddeback or from a retailer? do you just have one camera or do you have a home unit as well?

John, I bought one from Cabala's last year shortly after Christmas. I did not buy a home unit as I was expecting a non-cell based option to be available before the end of the year. For some reason I expected it by mid summer but I don't remember why I thought that. I planned on buying the home unit and at least one more camera at that time (if I liked the first camera I bought).

My situation is that I live on the land that the camera's will be placed on and well within range of my PC. The home unit should be charged directly from it's usb cable and be able to download pics directly to the PC. This is how I understood it would work anyway. As of now I feel most camera's have a life span and I've currently used up a significant part of the one I already bought waiting for the release of the home unit. With that said it's been a good trailcam for me.

 

[john volkman]

John, I bought one from Cabala's last year shortly after Christmas. I did not buy a home unit as I was expecting a non-cell based option to be available before the end of the year. For some reason I expected it by mid summer but I don't remember why I thought that. I planned on buying the home unit and at least one more camera at that time (if I liked the first camera I bought).

My situation is that I live on the land that the camera's will be placed on and well within range of my PC. The home unit should be charged directly from it's usb cable and be able to download pics directly to the PC. This is how I understood it would work anyway. As of now I feel most camera's have a life span and I've currently used up a significant part of the one I already bought waiting for the release of the home unit. With that said it's been a good trailcam for me.

pm me if you would like to work out a return on your camera. I dont believe the home unit will charge thru the USB, bit the intent is to have the USB option up as soon as the design is complete and approved for sale.

 

[Catscratch]

pm me if you would like to work out a return on your camera. I dont believe the home unit will charge thru the USB, bit the intent is to have the USB option up as soon as the design is complete and approved for sale.

Thank you for the offer. I honestly don't feel right returning it though. I've used it for the better part of a year and put wear & tear on it as well as gotten joy from the pics I got with it. It has served me well, just not as intended (if that makes sense).

 

[danimalw]

pm me if you would like to work out a return on your camera. I dont believe the home unit will charge thru the USB, bit the intent is to have the USB option up as soon as the design is complete and approved for sale.

If the intent is to design a home unit that is compatible with connecting to a computer (as previously advertised), I would certainly hope that there would be an option to plug the home unit into the wall. Operating the unit with 4 D batteries would certainly be wasteful when it's within cord length of a computer, which would obviously need to be plugged in.

 

[john volkman]

If the intent is to design a home unit that is compatible with connecting to a computer (as previously advertised), I would certainly hope that there would be an option to plug the home unit into the wall. Operating the unit with 4 D batteries would certainly be wasteful when it's within cord length of a computer, which would obviously need to be plugged in.

There should be a wall plug option for the home in the future

 

[BKRamey]

John V thanks for the reply to my post "I have a HOME unit that I use as a REPEATER (actually I have 2) that has been fine until last week when the batteries died & now I cannot get it to connect to the CL network. I have cleared, reset, removed & replaced batteries & still cannot get a signal on CL LEVEL. Regardless of the distance from the other REPEATER, REMOTE, or even HOME unit. Any suggestions?"
I followed your instructions and it seems to have worked. I will be setting back into the field tomorrow to confirm. Thanks again & Merry Christmas to everyone

 

[Peplin Creek]

if this camera didnt get moved to lapse somehow and its taking false triggers, pull it and clear the card . You can then test to make sure its not some type of environmental sensing issue at the site. Stick it in a closest or somewhere nothing can trigger it. If it false triggers in there you should send it in to cudde or take it to your dealer to get it replaced or fixed. One safeguard against something like this affecting your system and filling up the home with blank images is to set your "CL COUNT" in the CL menu to a lower number . Default is 250 but you can set it down to 25 if you want. This safeguards against non target animals like coons sitting in front of the camera, a moving branch in front of the lens in hot weather etc. If you are running your cameras over bait or mineral and want a lot of images sent then you may want to keep the CL count at a higher number.

The problem with this approach is that the camera can actually function fine when turning it off and back on for a long time. Then it randomly starts doing that again. Mine started doing it last night again and hasn’t stopped since.... currently still going. Just eating away data on the cell plan until I can get there. Otherwise I gotta kill it for all my cameras. It’s easiest for me to reproduce with new batteries but it doesn’t happen all the time. I’m going to grab it and call cuddeback support for a replacement.

 

[Potter co notill]

If the intent is to design a home unit that is compatible with connecting to a computer (as previously advertised), I would certainly hope that there would be an option to plug the home unit into the wall. Operating the unit with 4 D batteries would certainly be wasteful when it's within cord length of a computer, which would obviously need to be plugged in.

custom1enterprises sells a plug that you can plug into the wall to power your home unit

 

[Booner21]

if this camera didnt get moved to lapse somehow and its taking false triggers, pull it and clear the card . You can then test to make sure its not some type of environmental sensing issue at the site. Stick it in a closest or somewhere nothing can trigger it. If it false triggers in there you should send it in to cudde or take it to your dealer to get it replaced or fixed. One safeguard against something like this affecting your system and filling up the home with blank images is to set your "CL COUNT" in the CL menu to a lower number . Default is 250 but you can set it down to 25 if you want. This safeguards against non target animals like coons sitting in front of the camera, a moving branch in front of the lens in hot weather etc. If you are running your cameras over bait or mineral and want a lot of images sent then you may want to keep the CL count at a higher number.

The problem with this approach is that the camera can actually function fine when turning it off and back on for a long time. Then it randomly starts doing that again. Mine started doing it last night again and hasn’t stopped since.... currently still going. Just eating away data on the cell plan until I can get there. Otherwise I gotta kill it for all my cameras. It’s easiest for me to reproduce with new batteries but it doesn’t happen all the time. I’m going to grab it and call cuddeback support for a replacement.

That is what i was concerned about also jams up the network and blows through batteries. Definately didn't get switched to time lapse and it started working fine on the way out as I was carry it with my finger over the censor after clearing it. Hoping to not have to send it back but may after the season. I am guessing from the business the cs lady gave me the first time it will have to be malfunctioning at the time for them to send it back.

Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk

 

[john volkman]

That is what i was concerned about also jams up the network and blows through batteries. Definately didn't get switched to time lapse and it started working fine on the way out as I was carry it with my finger over the censor after clearing it. Hoping to not have to send it back but may after the season. I am guessing from the business the cs lady gave me the first time it will have to be malfunctioning at the time for them to send it back.

Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk

there wont be an issue with warranty if its false triggering, i would send it back if you arent comfortable with it. PM me if you have an issue with the return.

 

[Freddy]

@john volkman

Please, two questions:

A. Can more than one CL home, on the same channel, be active in given CL network? In other words, if using channel 10 for all units can we have simultaneously a 1491 and a 1385 to receive images?

B. May we have a clear definition of what "close", "far" and "field" actually do to the images? For example, "close" is baseline, "far" increases contrast 20% and adds 1/3 stops of light via slower shutter speed over baseline, "field" adds 2/3 stops of light by increasing ISO over baseline.

Thank you, John.

 

[john volkman]

@john volkman

Please, two questions:

A. Can more than one CL home, on the same channel, be active in given CL network? In other words, if using channel 10 for all units can we have simultaneously a 1491 and a 1385 to receive images? you dont want more than one home in the same system. it will not work correctly when doing this.

B. May we have a clear definition of what "close", "far" and "field" actually do to the images? For example, "close" is baseline, "far" increases contrast 20% and adds 1/3 stops of light via slower shutter speed over baseline, "field" adds 2/3 stops of light by increasing ISO over baseline.
there are really to many variables to give this answer, example the background can change things on its own regarding illumination. Angle of the camera as well.ther are also differences between the J series and the powerhouse IR in the g series. My suggestion is if you are over bait, mineral , scrapes and the camera is within 15 feet of the target area start with close. If you are in a food plot and routinely get images beyond 20-25 feet defintley start with Field. Even a photographer with a DSLR camera in hand makes changes based the subject , background etc. Ill try to find out if there is a set number for you but im afraid it will open a another can of worms, we gave those names to try and simplify it for the user so he had a starting point in each situation.

Thank you, John.

 

[Freddy]

Thank you, @john volkman. I will not deploy dual CL home units on a given channel.

Yes, please get the details on "close", "far", and "field". Obviously in a controlled environment these settings have very specific and concrete changes to the image. There are likely very few variables in the CL setting called "IR": exposure, shutter speed, ISO, aperture, contrast, sharpness, flash power. The CL adjustments from IR setting cannot be on the scale of Adobe Lightroom, after all.

Actually I am a (portrait) photographer with a DSLR or two. The dozen 5062, 5079, 5086's that I now have cost a bit less than half of a good DSLR body. The IR settings info would be a great help using CL effectively in the field. It would save me a lot of time having to reverse engineer what these settings are actually doing to the image.... Pretty please? With sugar on top?

 

[Freddy]

Not connected to them in any way, shape, or form.... IMHO farmsteadarchery.com has the best pricing, good inventory, and very fast shipping.

ETA: Check Midwayusa also.

 

[FredG]

Thank you, @john volkman. I will not deploy dual CL home units on a given channel.

Yes, please get the details on "close", "far", and "field". Obviously in a controlled environment these settings have very specific and concrete changes to the image. There are likely very few variables in the CL setting called "IR": exposure, shutter speed, ISO, aperture, contrast, sharpness, flash power. The CL adjustments from IR setting cannot be on the scale of Adobe Lightroom, after all.

Actually I am a (portrait) photographer with a DSLR or two. The dozen 5062, 5079, 5086's that I now have cost a bit less than half of a good DSLR body. The IR settings info would be a great help using CL effectively in the field. It would save me a lot of time having to reverse engineer what these settings are. Pretty please? With sugar on top?

What follows is a skinnied-down, photographer-to-photographer, explanation of my reverse engineering of the differences in the IR modes (unofficial and unsanctioned )...

Close: Each photo is metered and the appropriate exposure is calculated with a fairly aggressive tone curve applied by the processing engine to give a pleasant but heavy contrast to the photo. The blacks are never blocked-up so they can easily be recovered in post if necessary to increase the effective flash range, but a little too often on close subjects the whites are blown by the heavy applied contrast and are of course unrecoverable. If you don't mind easing out the shadows for increased range and a little motion blur or blown highlights don't bother you then this is a good mode for close to medium range.

Far: Each photo is metered and the appropriate exposure is given a -1 1/3 stop compensation (this is precisely bass-ackwards to what one would intuitively think for a 'Far' flash setting). After capture (I believe) the underexposed image is pushed by a +1 1/3 stops to compensate and very little, if any, contrast is applied. The net effect of these exposure and processing engine gymnastics is to allow for a faster shutter speed to help control motion blur and to help avoid blowing of the highlights from excessive applied contrast. The image produced will be fairly flat in tone but can easily be polished-up in post with a controlled contrast adjustment that doesn't blow the highlights. This is my favorite mode for anything from 4-45 feet because I don't like blown highlights or motion blur and I don't mind polishing-up the contrast on a deserving photo in post.

Field: This is more of a specialty mode to force the camera into exposure parameters that maximize apparent flash throw. The metering system is largely suppressed to help keep it from messing up your long range intentions and the camera nearly always shoots at 1/20th second at ISO 6400. The grain will be noticeable and any objects in the near foreground will consequently be blown to oblivion. Only a large object within 5 or 6 feet of the camera will be enough to cause the metering system to tone down the shooting parameters. This is a last resort mode IMO best used for extremely long range.

I've left off any discussion of the metering system and how the camera interacts with it to keep this short and to the point of your question. If you want more, I'll be happy to give you my takes.

Hope this helps!

 

[Freddy]

What follows is a skinnied-down, photographer-to-photographer, explanation of my reverse engineering of the differences in the IR modes (unofficial and unsanctioned )...

Close: Each photo is metered and the appropriate exposure is calculated with a fairly aggressive tone curve applied by the processing engine to give a pleasant but heavy contrast to the photo. The blacks are never blocked-up so they can easily be recovered in post if necessary to increase the effective flash range, but a little too often on close subjects the whites are blown by the heavy applied contrast and are of course unrecoverable. If you don't mind easing out the shadows for increased range and a little motion blur or blown highlights don't bother you then this is a good mode for close to medium range.

Far: Each photo is metered and the appropriate exposure is given a -1 1/3 stop compensation (this is precisely bass-ackwards to what one would intuitively think for a 'Far' flash setting). After capture (I believe) the underexposed image is pushed by a +1 1/3 stops to compensate and very little, if any, contrast is applied. The net effect of these exposure and processing engine gymnastics is to allow for a faster shutter speed to help control motion blur and to help avoid blowing of the highlights from excessive applied contrast. The image produced will be fairly flat in tone but can easily be polished-up in post with a controlled contrast adjustment that doesn't blow the highlights. This is my favorite mode for anything from 4-45 feet because I don't like blown highlights or motion blur and I don't mind polishing-up the contrast on a deserving photo in post.

Field: This is more of a specialty mode to force the camera into exposure parameters that maximize apparent flash throw. The metering system is largely suppressed to help keep it from messing up your long range intentions and the camera nearly always shoots at 1/20th second at ISO 6400. The grain will be noticeable and any objects in the near foreground will consequently be blown to oblivion. Only a large object within 5 or 6 feet of the camera will be enough to cause the metering system to tone down the shooting parameters. This is a last resort mode IMO best used for extremely long range.

I've left off any discussion of the metering system and how the camera interacts with it to keep this short and to the point of your question. If you want more, I'll be happy to give you my takes.

Hope this helps!

I like it! Helps a lot. Thank you very much.
Would you mind sharing info on the metering system?
Us 'Freds' have to stick together!

 

[Peplin Creek]

What follows is a skinnied-down, photographer-to-photographer, explanation of my reverse engineering of the differences in the IR modes (unofficial and unsanctioned )...

Close: Each photo is metered and the appropriate exposure is calculated with a fairly aggressive tone curve applied by the processing engine to give a pleasant but heavy contrast to the photo. The blacks are never blocked-up so they can easily be recovered in post if necessary to increase the effective flash range, but a little too often on close subjects the whites are blown by the heavy applied contrast and are of course unrecoverable. If you don't mind easing out the shadows for increased range and a little motion blur or blown highlights don't bother you then this is a good mode for close to medium range.

Far: Each photo is metered and the appropriate exposure is given a -1 1/3 stop compensation (this is precisely bass-ackwards to what one would intuitively think for a 'Far' flash setting). After capture (I believe) the underexposed image is pushed by a +1 1/3 stops to compensate and very little, if any, contrast is applied. The net effect of these exposure and processing engine gymnastics is to allow for a faster shutter speed to help control motion blur and to help avoid blowing of the highlights from excessive applied contrast. The image produced will be fairly flat in tone but can easily be polished-up in post with a controlled contrast adjustment that doesn't blow the highlights. This is my favorite mode for anything from 4-45 feet because I don't like blown highlights or motion blur and I don't mind polishing-up the contrast on a deserving photo in post.

Field: This is more of a specialty mode to force the camera into exposure parameters that maximize apparent flash throw. The metering system is largely suppressed to help keep it from messing up your long range intentions and the camera nearly always shoots at 1/20th second at ISO 6400. The grain will be noticeable and any objects in the near foreground will consequently be blown to oblivion. Only a large object within 5 or 6 feet of the camera will be enough to cause the metering system to tone down the shooting parameters. This is a last resort mode IMO best used for extremely long range.

I've left off any discussion of the metering system and how the camera interacts with it to keep this short and to the point of your question. If you want more, I'll be happy to give you my takes.

Hope this helps!

Which setting helps most with motion blur? Far?

 

[FredG]

Yes, Far.

 

[john volkman]

see what i mean by opening a can of worms thanks Fred!

 

[12point]

Will there be any plans to have a ATT cell unit?