At the suggestion of a friend and co-worker, I bought Eufy cameras which do not require an online subscription. The cameras still send notifications online, but the cameras and a base hard drive store the actual information themselves. I also went a step farther and purchased solar panels that were designed for the units (if made by a different company).
In short, I've been impressed. Although it can be a little annoying to get continual notifications when Rowen is playing around the yard, it is also reassuring that I can see when he comes home after getting off the bus. It is also nice to know when vehicles or people are stopping by.
I've also been surprised at the solar panels' effectiveness. Although the batteries got a little low during the dark portion of the winter, they have almost managed to charge back to full capacity with the sun starting to appear more often. I had been concerned that I would have to take them down at least once during the winter to charge them up (without the solar panels, they're supposed to be taken down and charged every 3-4 months). I'm quite glad that was not the case.
It's weird that I'm not mentally sold on the idea of having cameras, yet I was physically sold on the reality of them.