I have never used one or owned one.
Which one would you guys recommend and which
one should I stay away from?

TAG, I'm wondering the same exact thing!

Pretty new to this myself.  Less than one year.

I have three different mfrs right now.

First was a Wildview el cheapo that uses 4 C batteries and a Flash.  It was given to me.  Works fine, but didn't like the flash... especially since there's IR available these days.

Next is a StealthCam IR that uses 8 C batteries.  Works GREAT except I don't like the C batteries.  Two weeks ago it stops taking pictures.  Bought it through The Sportsmans Guide.com for $87.

Now I have a Bushnell Trophy Cam.  I first bought an older unit, but it wouldn't take daytime pics worth a darn.  Called their tech support, they confirmed there is something wrong with it and recommended I exchange it for the same model or the upgraded version.  Cabela's had the upgraded version, only black, for the same $199.  This one accepts software upgrades and accepts 16GB SD cards.  Works great... so far.  The StealthCam takes better daytime pics though.
They tout this camera as having a 1 year battery life when used with 8ea Lithium batteries.

do they all take sd cards or only a few?

I have had great luck with Cuddebacks, they are a bit pricey, but they last, take great pics and have a awesome trigger speed. Recently I purchased one of the new Bushnell Trophy cams but have not got it out in the woods yet. I have owned Stealth cams (4) but was not impressed with the trigger speed and blank pics. I also have two Moultries, I liked them but one will not flash anymore and the other activates, but puts no image on the card. The Moultries lasted about 3 years and they can be purchased for around $70.

It's safe to say that MOST take the sd cards.

Stay away from Moultrie. I've been using the Bushnell's for a year and a half and have been very happy with them.

It really depends on your price range... but I have had great luck with Inf. Moultries. Bushnell and Primos both, are now making some good cameras, and of course there is Cudde Back. Good luck!!!

One more thing... Moultrie has great customer service!!! If anything is wrong, they will fix and return your camera with in two weeks. If they can't fix it they will replace it with a brand new camera. This has been my experience with them two times in four years of using them...

I have been running a Moultrie for over a year and can not find ANYTHING wrong with it except the cheap plastic strap holders on it. Mine broke off first time out, but I use a lock box now anyways so that was a non issue for me,. Dependable with great battery life and that is what does it for me. Multi-shot, 30sec video daytime, 10-sec vid at night.
I have 2 SD Cards and just swap one out each time I check the info strip for images.

Here are a couple of my video's from day and evening shots:
vid1
vid2
vid3
vid4



FYI:
Guy on ebay from PA  sells some homemade lock boxes that work great w/  Moultrie cameras if anyone is looking for one.