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Leaf River DC-6SSThe DC-6SS differs little from the previous two Leaf River digital game cameras that we have tested. The major differences are the 6.3 megapixel capability and the larger 2.4 inch LCD viewing screen. Image quality can be set as high as 6.3 megapixel and can be set lower to fit more pictures in memory or on a memory card. I’ve set this camera on 6.3 to try to see just how good the quality can be at the highest setting. This unit started putting a blurred line across the pictures and had difficulty taking pictures in general so we ended up with only 41 outdoor pictures to view. From these pictures we gave it a B- for picture quality. You can go to the Leaf River DC-6SS picture quality page for further explanation and to see a couple of the pictures. The Leaf River DC-6SS operates on 4D and 3C batteries just like the older 1BU and 3BU IR models that we have tested. We’re not crazy about buying seven batteries to operate this camera. First you have to buy eight since you can’t buy them separately and it costs close to ten dollars each time you buy them. We installed fresh Energizers to see how long they will last but were not able to use the unit long enough to determine how long they would last. Rechargeable batteries have been operating the 3BU IR model quite well and we did operate this one as well with them when we first purchased it. The operation is not difficult as long as you don’t want to change the settings very often. Although this is the third Leaf River that I have owned I’m not getting any better with the operation. The directions are not complete and you have to watch the DVD to learn how to do everything with the camera. For some reason I have a hard time getting it to work right for me although it eventually does. It seems that sometimes when you push the buttons they just don’t do what they are supposed to do. We tested the power up time and found it to be slower than the EagleEye, faster than the Penn’s Woods and just a touch faster than the Woodland SpyCam. This power up time should serve the camera well since the SpyCam doesn’t miss much. It has a fast and slow trigger time but we just used the fast time for the testing and will keep it on the faster setting in the field. The Leaf River DC-6SS comes with a strap to attach it to a tree and a bar to lock the camera closed. The lock is not provided. When the bar is locked, the camera is not locked to the tree; it just locks the camera case closed. We use the strap, which is easy to use. The DC-6SS also has holes that you could put a Python cable through to lock the game camera to a tree. The camera has 16MB of internal memory and will hold from 10 to 50 pictures depending on the resolution. There is also a card slot for a Compact Flash card; we currently use a 256 MB card. The Leaf River DC-6SS comes with a USB cable to connect it to a PC and an RCA cable to connect to a TV to view the pictures. This unit has a 2.4 inch LCD screen to view pictures and settings. I’ve watched the video twice that tells you how to operate the LCD screen but I still have difficulty getting it to work smoothly. For some reason I had a hard time getting the viewing screen to turn on. Time delay between pictures can be set for nine different time delays ranging from 1 to 90 minutes. I like to have a delay less than 1 minute for trails and food plots but these delays are acceptable. There is also a quick shot feature that forces the camera to take up to two additional pictures after first being triggered some 20 to 30 seconds apart which helps to make up for not having a shorter delay time. The Leaf River DC-6SS has the capability of taking video clips in varying lengths in daylight operation. We experimented with this camera for a few weeks and we had trouble getting it to take pictures. It took pictures for a while and then would stop working. The last week I had the camera out the Leaf River DC-6SS took 24 pictures. I had the WhitetailCam at the same location at the same delay and it took over 400 pictures. There was definitely something wrong. I took this camera into the house and it takes pictures one time and then when you turn it off and back on it will start taking pictures again for a while. Due to this problem along with the blurred line across the pictures I returned the camera. I gave the Leaf River DC-6SS an F for an overall grade. It did not operate properly and we had to return it. What we had seen of the camera before it was returned did not make us want to exchange it for another one. It didn't appear that this was going to be a camera that we wanted to rely on.
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