leaf river IR-3BU User manual

Leaf River Outdoor Products
Vibrashine, Inc. P.O. Box 557, Taylorsville, MS 39168
[phone] Toll Free 866-775-5351 www.vibrashine.com
DIGITAL GAME CAMERA
Model IR-3BU with Infra-red Illumination
CONTENTS:
WELCOME.......................................2
GETTING STARTED.........................3
MOTION DETECTOR.......................4
MODEL IR-3BU..,.............................9
SETTING THE TIME........................10
CAMERA MENUS...........................11
CONNECTING TO A COMPUTER..14
TROUBLESHOOTING....................15
WARRANTY....................................16

Thanks for purchasing the Digital Game Camera from
Leaf River Outdoor Products. You’ve made a wise choice
and we believe you’ll enjoy discovering how useful this
camera is.
We’ve worked pretty hard to make the Game Camera easy
to use while giving you plenty of options for making
different kinds of photos and videos in various situations.
We loaded the camera with default settings that work well
for most people to begin with.
Before you can start making pictures though, there are a
few of things you need to learn, so we made this user’s
manual and accompanying video to help you out. [Although
cameras in the video do not have IR illumination; they function the
same as this model in nearly every other way.]
The first thing you’ll probably notice about the camera is
the Mossy Oak® Break-Up camouflage pattern. On the
front you see at the top an oversized, infra-red illuminator.
In the center is the camera lens with its detachable lens
hood. In the middle is the security bar. And below that is
the infra-red sensor and motion detector with a light sensor
and an indicator light we’ll tell you about later.
The motion detector looks for warm, moving objects.
When the sensor detects an animal moving, the camera
takes a picture, storing it digitally in the camera’s memory
or on a removable Compact Flash® card. On the bottom of
the housing unit is the main power switch. On the back is a
sturdy steel mounting bracket for attaching the camera to
a post or tree. On one side are the hinges for the door and
on the other side are the latches.
THANKS and WELCOME!
What does this new camera do?
2
If the outside of the housing has moisture from rain or dew,
be careful opening the unit to avoid getting water inside the
camera.
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A flexible rubber gasket in the chan-
nel around the inside edge of the
door makes a tight seal to keep rain
and moisture out of the camera and
the battery compartment.

BATTERIES
The Game Camera requires
four D batteries and three C
batteries. They all go in with
the “Plus” side up. Once
the batteries are loaded, you
can begin taking your first
pictures. Set the main power
switch to ON and in about a
minute the camera will begin
sensing motion and taking
pictures using the default
settings.
MOUNTING THE CAMERA
When you’re ready to set up your camera in the field, you
have several options. There is a supplied strap to hold the
camera in place. Holes in the steel mounting bracket let
you attach your own chain or heavy duty cable lock. The
GETTING STARTED
How do I take my first pictures?
3
supplied steel security bar,
when used with your locks,
prevents tampering and gives
you access to the camera
controls while the unit remains
fastened to a tree or post.
Owners have found many
ways to mount their cameras
for their own applications. Use
your imagination; check out
our web-site for ideas.
Generally, daytime pictures look better when the camera is
pointed north, away from the sun. The rising or setting sun
can trigger the camera when no animals are present.
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When mounting the camera, check to see that it is level
and aimed correctly. The best focus & flash “target zone”
should be about 15 to 20 feet in front of the camera.
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Since it takes both hands to attach the supplied strap,
place the camera against the tree and lean against it with
your body while you tighten the strap.
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MOTION DETECTOR
controls are located in the
lower half of the inside of
the Game Camera’s door.
They include an LCD panel
which displays settings and
battery status. Any time the
unit is turned on, it will begin
detecting motion and taking
pictures 60 seconds after
the last button is pushed.
MOTION DETECTOR
How do I work this?
4
The large numbers on the LCD panel are the “Event
Counter” which displays the number of times the motion
detector triggers, up to 400 events. The Event Counter
continues to work even after the internal memory or the CF
It’s important to let the Game Camera warm up every time
you turn it on. When the backlight on the lower panel goes
off, the Game Camera is ready for operation.
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IMPORTANT! ALWAYS FOLLOW THESE TWO STEPS
WHEN CHANGING THE MOTION DETECTOR SETTINGS:
1. TURN ON MAIN POWER 2. WAIT UNTIL THE BACK-
LIGHT ON THE LOWER DISPLAY GOES OFF
ALWAYS FOLLOW THESE TWO ADDITIONAL STEPS
WHEN CHANGING THE CAMERA SETTINGS:
3. PRESS THE “CAM-POWER” BUTTON
4. WAIT UNTIL THE CAMERA LIGHT GOES OFF
�
4321
card is full. To reset the Event Counter to zero,
press and hold the “OK/Delete” button for
several seconds until the numbers flash, then
release the button.
When the storage space in the camera is full, the LCD will
blink “MEMORY FULL”. If this happens, you should delete
pictures, add a CF card, or change the CF card. The motion
detector will not tell the camera to take any more pictures if
the memory is full.

THE LCD PANEL displays three “Battery” icons which
tell you how much power remains in the batteries. One Bat-
tery icon is for the Infra-red Illuminator D batteries, one is
for the camera D batteries, and the other is for the C batter-
ies which power the motion detector. The icons have three
settings: “Full,” “Half Full,” and “Empty.” To get an accurate
reading, make sure the camera is on and warmed up, then
check the Battery icon. The camera will continue to take
pictures when the batteries are half full, but you should
change batteries when the icon says they are empty.
THE WORK BUTTON selects between “Day,” “Night,”
and “24 Hour” operation. The “Sun” icon, on the left of the
LCD screen means the camera will take pictures only in
daytime. The “Moon” icon means the camera will take pic-
tures only at night. The “Clock” icon means the camera
will take pictures both day and night. Press “Work” once,
the current setting icon will flash. Press “Work” again, while
the icon is flashing, and the icon will change. When the new
icon is flashing wait 10 seconds or press the “OK/Delete”
button to record the change. The icon will stop flashing.
MOTION DETECTOR
What about the display and the Work button?
5
This Game Camera model has an advantage over previous
models: “Video” mode makes movies by daylight as well at
night using the new Infra-red Illuminator.
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The Game Camera records a date/time stamp in the lower
right corner of images so you can know exactly when ani-
mals were in front of the camera.
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THE PAUSE BUTTON selects the number
of minutes the camera will wait after it takes
a picture before it can take another one. This
prevents taking too many pictures of the same
animal if it stays in front of the camera.
THE Q-SHOT or “Quick Shot” button allows
the camera to take a second or third picture if
additional motion is detected. Sometimes there
may be one or more animals behind the first one
that triggers the motion detector.
MOTION DETECTOR
What do Pause and Q-Shot mean?
6
When you first turn on the Game Camera with the main
power switch, it takes about 15 seconds to charge up. The
backlight on the lower display goes off when the camera is
ready.
Press “Pause” once, the current setting will flash.
Press “Pause” again to change the setting. You can select
between one and ninety minutes of pause time.
Press “OK/Delete” to record the change.
The “Pause” button is also used to set the length of daytime
video clips between three and ninety seconds. Press and
hold the “Pause” button for three seconds; a video camera
icon appears in the display. Press the “Pause” button again
to select the number of seconds each video clip will record.
Press “OK/Delete” to record the change.
Press the “Q-Shot” button, the current setting flashes.
Press the “Q-Shot” button again to change the setting to “2”
or “3” for a possible second or third picture if additional
motion is detected.
Press “OK/Delete” to record the change.
In Live Camera Mode (page 11), this button also turns on or
off the Infra-red Illuminator for making test shots.
When you set the camera for 3 Quick shots and short Pause
times, the Game Camera may record many photos. Photos
use about 1 MB each. A 128 MB card holds over 100 pictures.
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THE DISTANCE DIAL adjusts the
sensitivity of the motion detector. Use this
feature to adjust the detection range so
that night pictures are within the range
of the IR light. Turn the dial to the right to
increase the distance. Turn the dial to the
left to decrease the distance. In most situ-
ations the middle position where the dial
points straight up works just fine.
MOTION DETECTOR
What does the Distance Dial do?
7
The best way to check the effect of the distance setting is
to turn the main power switch on the base of the unit to
“Test”. The “Test” light on the front of the unit will light for
60 seconds while the detector charges up. After the light
goes off, walk around in front of the camera where you think
animals will be moving. When the camera detects your
motion, the “Test” light will blink three times. When you see
how the camera reacts to your motion, you may want to
adjust the “Distance” setting, or change the direction or
height the camera is mounted.
The camera will not take pictures during the Test, but after
three minutes, it will automatically set itself to “On” mode
and begin taking pictures when something moves. You may
change the main switch from “Test” to “On” or “Off” at any
time.
The Test light on the front of the camera flashes
momentarily any time you press any button. It is
also a reminder to turn off the digital camera if
the “Cam/Power” switch is left on. The motion
detector can’t tell the camera to take pictures
when the “Cam/Power” switch is on.
Part of the fun of using the camera is predicting where ani-
mals will be and placing the camera to make good pictures.
Animal feed set out in front of the camera helps.
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When placing the camera in the field, look for signs of ani-
mal activity: animal droppings, tracks, and scrapes where
deer mark territory by rubbing their antlers against trees.
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THE CF SLOT accepts optional
“Compact Flash,” or “CF”, mem-
ory cards. IMPORTANT! When
you insert or remove a CF card,
make sure the “Cam/Power” is
set to “Off.” Otherwise, you may
lose your pictures or damage
the card. Align the card with the
label up and the arrow and the row
of tiny holes toward the slot. Slide
the card in gently, without force. If
it doesn’t go in easily, recheck the
alignment.
You can copy pictures into your
computer using a CF card reader,
or you can take the card to a
photo finisher for making prints.
The camera can take a limited
number of pictures using its inter-
nal memory if you don’t have a CF
card. When a CF card is installed,
pictures are stored on the card
instead of in the internal memory.
MOTION DETECTOR
How do I store and view pictures?
8
THE USB PORT is for connect-
ing to a computer. You can copy
pictures from your camera to a
computer using the supplied USB
cable. Your computer sees the
camera as a removable disk drive.
The TV Out port uses the sup-
plied video cable to show camera
menus and your pictures or video
through the video input on your
television.
Be gentle with CF cards. They should never be forced into
a CF slot. Also, touch a grounded surface to discharge
static electricity before handling CF cards.
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The camera’s internal 16MB memory stores about 10-12
High Resolution images or about 50 at Normal Resolution.
Internal memory pictures cannot be moved to the CF card.
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CAMERA MODEL IR-3BU
How do I use the digital camera?
9
Practice taking pictures of pets so you can get used to
using the camera. You may be surprised at how busy cats
and dogs can be all night.
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When viewing pictures using the viewing screen in the
field, keep your back to the sun so your shadow is on the
screen. Use the “Up” key to zoom in on images.
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GAME CAMERA MODEL IR-3BU uses an Infra-red
Illuminator as a light source. Unlike a typical camera with
a flash for making still shots, this camera can make video
clips in total darkness at night. The Infra-red light is invisible
to people and animals, but the Illuminator glows slightly red
when it is on. Animals (or people) will not be disturbed by
camera flashes at night. Because the camera records with
infra-red light rather than visible light, most pictures will ap-
pear black and white; colors in photos made in daylight will
not always be true to life.

GAME CAMERA MODEL IR-3BU has an LCD view-
ing screen for setting camera options. It can show a “live”
preview of the camera image and you can use it to view
CAMERA MODEL IR-3BU
How do I change the settings on my camera?
10
pictures or video recorded in the
camera. On some models there is a
“Trigger Time” switch
which selects between
“Fast” and “Battery
Save” trigger time
settings.
The circular control
is the “Navigator” with “Left,” “Right,” “Up,” and “Down”
directional keys. The center is the “Menu” button. The “Left”
and “Right” keys select functions; the “Up” and “Down”
keys change the setting. Press “Display” to turn on the
screen, clear data from the screen, or display a page of
several stored images. “Preview” toggles between showing
a “live” image and stored images; change pictures using the
“Left” and “Right” buttons.
First, let’s set the date and time. Follow the 4 Steps on
Page 4 to power on the camera. Press “Menu,” the center
button on the round Navigator. Press the “Right” or “Left”
Navigator keys until the “Date and Time” menu appears.
Use the “Up” and “Down” navigator keys to highlight “Set”.
Press the “Center” button to display “Year, Month, Day,
and Date.” Use the “Left” and “Right” keys to select an
item to change. Use the “Up” and “Down” key to change the
setting. Notice that the camera uses a 24 hour, military-style
clock: 2:00 PM will display as 14:00. The display shows
hours, minutes, and seconds. When the year, month, day,
and time are correct, press the center “Menu” button. “Yes”
and “No” will display. Highlight “Yes,” then press the “Menu”
again to record your settings.
When you change from picture viewing to picture taking,
from Video to Single, or from Fast to Bat Save, you must
turn the Main Power off, then back on to reset the camera.
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When the Trigger Time switch is set to Fast, the Game
Camera is ready to take a picture faster, without warming
up, or use Battery Save mode for maximum battery life.
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