Camera trap surveys use infrared-flash camera traps more frequently than white-flash camera traps due to claims that white-flash cameras impact animal behaviour and reduce capture rates. While several studies have examined the impact of white-flash on individual behaviour, few have assessed the effect of flash-type on probability of detection. We used nightly detection histories for seven mammal species common to North American cities using both infrared and white-flash LED camera traps across Washington, D.C., USA, to assess potential differences in the two flash-types. Our results revealed that flash-type did not affect the detection probabilities for four of these species. Infrared-flash cameras yielded higher probabilities of detection for the remaining three species analysed, but the overlapping confidence intervals of detection probabilities from LED white-flash and infrared-flash cameras suggest that there is little evidence that flash-type impacts the inferences drawn from surveys using LED white-flash cameras. Additionally, LED white-flash cameras produce photographs better suited for identification of both species and individuals when unique markings are present. Depending on a study’s objectives, a greater capacity for species and individual identification may warrant the moderately lower detection probabilities produced by white-flash camera traps.