Contents
Package
Along with thie Stealth Cam P12 Megapixel Digital Scouting Camera comes a nylon strap for attaching it to trees or other similar objects. Just remember that anyone can detach it as easily and models like this get stolen pretty often. That’s why I would suggest you get something like a Bear Box and secure it with a Python Cable. That might help a bit.
You will get a Limited One Year Warranty on parts and labor from the date of original purchase through an authorized dealer.
There is no memory card included. You need a standard SD card, not a Micro-SD or a high speed card! I would recommend you go for a 32GB sized card, as it will let you store a lot of material on it. And invest in a fast SD card. The faster it is, the faster the image making and the recording process will be.
Concerning batteries: This unit will take 8 AA batteries and those – you might have guessed it – are not included with this package, so you might want to order them as well when ordering the cam.
Features Of The Stealth Cam P12 Megapixel Digital Scouting Camera
The effective range of the motion sensor is around 30 to 40 ft, depending on the size of the subjects. It is advertised with a maximum detection range of 50 ft, but well, that’s advertising. Provided you have set it up correctly, you can get photos or videos of humans, bears, deer, cats, squirrels and any other critters you can imagine. Whiteout may happen the closer the subjects get to the cam, starting from 20 ft.
The quality of daytime photos is okay, nighttime shots via infrared are okay as well. Modewise you can set it to single photo / video or burst mode. Video can be recorded with 6.0 megapixels for 15 seconds. Burst mode can be set to a burst of 1-6 photos. You can also have a stamp on the images containing time, date and the moon phase. As there is no microphone integrated, you are not able to record audio with this one.
The delay between the triggering motion and the actual photo taking is about 5 secs, so you need to think where you will set it up. Try to imagine in which direction the critters may move after triggering this device and set it up accordingly – otherwise you may get a lot of empty photos!
There is an external LCD display integrated into the housing for programming and preset selections. The body has a cool camo pattern and is weather resistant – more or less. Some customers experienced problems with heavy rain, and found moisture inside the exterior case.
The Stealth Cam P12 Megapixel Digital Scouting Camera has a test mode and a low battery indicator as well, so you can replace the batteries in time and test the cam after setting it up. There is a mini USB output for downloading the content to your PC or laptop.
The dimensions of this model are 6″ x 4″ x 2″. There is also a screw hole for a tripod on the bottom (1/4 x 20).
You can use this one with a 12V battery box, that connects via an exterior port on the bottom of this unit. This battery box kit can be bought as an accessory.
The battery life depends on the settings: With factory settings, they may last 6 – 12 months. If you use custom settings, they might get drained a lot faster. Think weeks.
Operation
The Stealth Cam P12 Megapixel Digital Scouting Camera has an easy Quick Set dial which helps you with choosing from 3 preset modes or programming your own set-up.
Uses Of The Stealth Cam P12 Megapixel Digital Scouting Camera
You can use this unit for many purposes; just be aware of a few things. Like I have already mentioned above, it makes sense to secure it with a Bear Box and / or a Python Cable, otherwise it might get stolen.
Apart from that, placement and angle are very important. If you want to monitor a trail for hunting, you won’t face it parallel to the trail, because by the time the subject triggers the motion sensor, it has decreased its presence in the focal area if it continues forward.
The solution to this is by placing it looking up or down onto the trail or focal area, so that it will trigger and continue as the animal approaches. The key here is to place it in a way that the subject stays as long as possible in the capture area.
Hunting / Security
Some customers reported problems while trying to capture smaller critters like bobcats, foxes or minks. Others were able to get shots from cats and squirrels easily, so you might have to play around with the placing and the angle a bit to get what you want.
The experienced problems may be a direct result of the rather small detection area and the delay between triggering and photo making, like I have mentioned before already, so the set up of this unit is key!
If you want to use the Stealth Cam P12 Megapixel Digital Scouting Camera for security, keep in mind that this is not a no-glo model, which means that there is a small red glow noticeable when looking directly to it. It’s not comparable to a flash of a normal camera, but it is noticeable when the picture is taken. If you hide it accordingly, it can be used for stuff like dumpster monitoring etc. There is no sound when an image is taken.
If you want to get photos of cars passing by, it won’t work that great because of the 5 second time delay, so the cars are already too far away before the photo is taken.
Another thing to keep in mind is that the infrared sensors will not see through glass (they get reflected instead), so taking pictures through windows or glass doors won’t work.
Price
For around 60 bucks you will get a good and reliable entry-level model to monitor you backyard, trails or even your dumpster, if you should wish to do so. For this price you have to take some compromises, though. If you want more, you have to spend more. It’s as easy as that, but if you don’t need all the fancy stuff, this one will serve you well.
Summary
The Stealth Cam P12 Megapixel Digital Scouting Camera is a decent unit for monitoring all kinds of stuff, be it for hunting or security. It has a good basic functionality and does what it should do.
To be honest here, it does not have all the fancy stuff like Wlan or connecting to your smartphone etc. If you want stuff like this, you need to invest a lot more. This model is for you, if you don’t want to pay several times as much just to get a photo of a raccoon dancing on your waste bin 🙂 .
Thanks for reading and shoot straight!
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