Browning is known for being one of the forerunners among trail camera manufacturers. The Browning Company has, for a long time, been improving and modernizing their products. They offer a massive line of trail cameras at a range of prices. Most Browning trail cameras are compact, durable, reliable, and have features that will satisfy most of the buyer’s requirements.
The Browning Spec Ops XR tail camera is a new installment in the trail camera industry, bringing with it modern and advanced trail camera features.
Features
- Image firmness: The Browning Spec Ops XR trail camera captures 10MP motionless images and 1280 by 720 HD clear-audio video clips. This is thanks to a high-quality image sensor and a built-in microphone.
- Ultraviolet flash: The LED flash on the camera features a variety of settings, including ultraviolet flashes for night times that are invisible thus avoiding the frightening-off of wildlife.
- Video: Both 1280 by 720 HD and 640 by 480 video quality can be recorded at these clip intervals: 5, 10, 20 or 30 seconds, or even 1 or 2 minutes. To preserve battery power, video clips taken at night are restricted to a maximum length of 10 sec.
- Time- lapse shooting: The device captures images at pre-set intervals of 5, 10, 15 and 30 seconds, allowing the user easily note changes as time passes. Time-lapse plus mode does the same thing, where the motion sensor is activated equally both at day and night, ensuring the user don’t miss any activity. The user can also set the time-lapse duration to regulate the number of hours each day the camera uses the time-lapse mode.
- Multi-shot genre: The user can set the camera to capture 1 to 8 shots in quick succession. When the 4-shot standard option is selected, the camera captures 4 pictures with 3 seconds of separation. This shooting mode allows for faster shots, capturing 2 to 4 exposures with a 0.3-second difference between them.
- Motion test: This feature enables the user aim the camera at the area of interest. If motion is detected in that area, a red LED located on the forward side of the camera, flashes.
- PIR motion sensor: Motion-activated PIR sensors are recognition tools with viewing angles of 40 to 45 degree and a wild prompt speed of 0.7 sec. It’s capable of noticing variations in temperature that occur when subjects are in motion, and in response captures images. This is thanks to a programmable photo and video delay of 5, 10, 20 or 30 seconds, or even 1, 5, 10, 30 or 60 minutes.
- Display: The camera has a two-inch colored TFT LCD screen that displays images for in-camera playback. The screen also helps in configuring the camera operation mode, amount of pictures or videos to be taken, determining the amount of photos or videos that can be taken and stored on the SD card, current battery percentage, and camera delay countdown. The modes that the camera can operate under include motionless pictures, video, time-lapse and time-lapse plus, enabling the user achieve a custom title to his or her camera.
- Information Bar: This bar displays the current time, date, temperature, moon phase and camera ID. By showing the moon phase, the camera enables the user to see which animals are indolent during full or nearly-full moon. Sunnier conditions create more visibility to predators thus most of them only come out at night. Moon phase also enables the user decide if brighter or darker backgrounds in your pictures are in line with the fullness of the moon. The information bar can be turned on or off at will.
- Mounting: The device is configured with a standard ¼-inch 20 tripod mount. Also, the device comes with a nylon strap, through the mounting loops, with threads that measure 6 by 1, enabling the user to attach the camera to a tree.
- Security: The camera features a keyhole for a high-security padlock system. Also, at the backside of the camera, are built-in security cable loops, suitable for a securing steel cable.
- Connectivity: The device also features a TV outlet connector for displaying pictures and videos on a large television screen, as well as a USB port for file transfer to an external storage location.
- Power: The device utilizes 8 AA alkaline or lithium based batteries, available independently, and is designed with 12V external power jacks for an external battery. There is also a battery eject button at the top corner of the device.
- Bundled software: The device is packaged with a buck watch time-lapse viewing software, delivered on a CD-ROM, which enables the user to view his or her time-lapse video files on his or her personal computer. When a software upgrade is available, the software notifies the user on the producer’s website, alongside complete instructions on how to download.
Advantages
- Good image quality – Images captured by this device are clear and lack distortion. They are sharp and perfect.
- Long battery life – The camera has in impressive battery performance. The rate that the battery drains, however, depends on the settings the user apply.
- Fast trigger speed – The camera is always ready to capture picture or video within the shortest duration, never missing a moment.
- Custom Configuration of Settings – The user can adjust the camera settings as per the current situation for the best picture experience.
The only disadvantages of the Browning Spec Ops XR trial camera are that it’s only capable of recording ten seconds of night-time video, making the device less suitable for night-time trail recording. Also, the device has relatively lower picture quality as compared to other devices in its category and price range.
The Browning Spec Ops XR trail camera is thus suitable for most outdoor trail picture capturing. The device is also well-built, highly reliable and quite efficient.