Spartan has been on the front line in producing high-quality trail cams. A debate of Spartan GoCam vs Ghost has been around for years, and solutions have yet to be provided.
GoCam is the original camera and uses AA batteries, which can be plugged into a power source, and a solar battery. Ghost Cam, on the other hand, does not need external batteries. What does that mean?
A detailed comparison is found in the guide below. Here we go:
A Quick Comparison Table
| Specifications | Spartan GoCam | Spartan Ghost Cam |
| GPS | No GPS | GPS enabled |
| Power | 6V | 12 V |
| Sim card | It comes with a Sim card which is not built-in | Internally build-in Sim card |
| Battery | It relies on an external battery. It can be used with a battery-powered solar panel but not solar alone. | It has an internal battery, and a direct connect solar. |
| Flash | Black or white flash | Black flash |
| Picture settings | Sends pictures automatically only | Sends pictures in a batch or instantly |
| Power source | It has a standard plug-in the external power cable | It has a threaded collar for the external power cable |
| Controls | It can be left in setup mode (On/setup/off). | Arms are set manually or automatically (on/off only) |
| Buttons | No lighted buttons | Lighted buttons |
| Mode | Cannot use burst mode | Sets pictures in burst mode |
| Price | Cheaper than Ghost Cam | $100 more than Spartan GoCam |
Key Differences Between Spartan GoCam And Ghost Cam?
- Battery
The most notable difference between the two spartan cameras is the battery.
GoCam uses AA batteries when filming or connected to a power source or a solar panel.
You cannot use solar panels on Go cameras without external batteries. A 6v power input powers the camera.
Ghost Cam, the successor of GoCam, solved the power issue and introduced a solar connection to run your camera with only solar panels.
The camera has an inbuilt lithium battery, allowing the solar connection to work.
You do not have external batteries for the Ghost camera. The ghost camera requires a 12V power input to work.
- Picture Sending
Another difference between the two cameras is that with Ghost cam, you can put the pictures in batches to send later at the time you want. You can also allow the pictures to be sent instantly.
As for the GoCam, the batch-sending feature is not available. The pictures in GoCam are sent automatically.
- GPS
Sometimes you might lose your camera accidentally, or someone might steal it. In such a situation, a camera that is GPS enabled will help you recover your lost camera.
Ghost camera is GPS enabled, while GoCam is not. This means that once you lose your GoCam trail camera, it takes time to retrieve it.
- SIM Card
When buying the GoCam, you are required to get a GC-M4Gb2. This sim card is only compatible with Spartan GoCam. Although you may not need the sim card, it is important for data.
Ghost camera comes with a built-in sim card which is not accessible to the user. It starts operating automatically you activate your camera.
- Price
Since Ghost cam is an improvement of Go cam, it has all the important features that GoCam lacks. This makes Ghost cam retail at a higher price than GoCam.
Another thing is that you can only buy Ghost cameras from the Spartan website.
Which Cam Is Better?
Ghost Cam is the later version of GoCam. All the features that were missing on GoCam are available in Ghost Cams.
For example, you could only send pictures automatically with GoCam.
This is rectified by the batch-sending feature, which allows you to send pictures automatically or later.
With the sim card, which is very small and can get lost at any time, you can use the GoCam. Ghost cameras provided cameras with built-in sim cards.
As for powering the camera, the solar connect feature is the most genius energy-saving hack on Ghost cam.
The built-in lithium battery allows you to connect your camera to a solar panel without needing external batteries.
GoCam relies on external batteries to connect to any power source, whether electricity or solar.
Ghost camera is GPS enabled, while GoCam lacks the GPS feature.
All the additional features make the Ghost camera the better trail camera than GoCam. However, you will have to pay $100 more to buy the Ghost camera.
Also Read: Differences Between Moultrie Delta Base And Edge Cellular Trail Cameras.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
After connecting the camera to your account on the Spartan camera management app, the next step is sliding the power switch to the setup position. When the signal strength bars show and Verizon appear, displaying a searching network, select activation/reboot. You can visit the Verizon website or the app for further instructions if it does not appear.
Spartan has three versions of trail cameras; GoCam, Ghost Cam, and Go Live. Ghost Cam and Go Live are both GPS enabled for security purposes.
Depending on the Spartan camera you are using, the data usage ranges from 200KB for the lowest resolution in GoCam and 2MB for the highest resolution. Check with the individual manual for different versions of the spartan camera’s data usage.
The pictures or videos you send and take and if you are live streaming will influence the amount of data you use.
The user manual for individual cameras has instructions for setting up and starting the camera. However, to use the camera, you need to; Download the spartan camera management app, create an account/login on your account on the app, activate the account via email, and connect to the camera. You can connect the camera by either scanning or manually inputting MEID/IMEI numbers.
Conclusion
If you weigh which spartan camera will be better for your trail days, the Spartan GoCam and Ghost cam comparison above will be of so much help.
Spartan GoCam is the original camera meaning it has a few features compared to its successor, the Ghost cam. Examples of additional features include GPS, a built-in sim card and lithium battery, and the batch-sending feature.
Go Live, the successor of Ghost cam has additional features missing in Ghost, making it the most powerful spartan camera.
