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2010
Primos TruthCam 46 3MP 46 count Red Flash Camera Review
There are four offspring in this family and we have already reviewed
two. This camera is the #2 in a line of three with the
red headed step child (Truth X) yet reviewed as the top
of the line in this chain. Rated at 5 MP for the day
pictures and it switches to 3.1 at night. The 46 count
array is rated out to 50 feet and the trigger is
supposed to be 1.5 seconds. Case size is the same as the
two previously tested cameras and this camera also has
the clean brown fall camouflage color. The front of the
cam has the roof protected 46 count array at the top and
the camera lens is just below that. The PIR sensor is
centered with function indicator just beside. There is
also a small window for the inside LCD to look out
through. The SD card slot and external battery port is
rubber plug protected at the bottom of the cam. The back
of the cam has the strap slots and the tree grabbers
with the inserts to mount the Primos articulating
optional mount in the center. Open the door and you have
the LCD and control switches for programming. Battery
compartments (4 D cells) are located two batteries each
side. Programming was simple and easy but the lack of a
Specification chart in the booklet made research a
little harder. The programming will allow you to tone
down the flash to a 25 count for close in operations. I
paid close attention to that reported clunk but with it
a foot away I could see the filter move and there was a
slight thump with that movement. This is much more
dampened than its two siblings that are still in our
system. We are late getting to this camera but I have
been following field reports on the forums and have seen
very little of anything that I would say is negative.
This camera will probably fit on most users trees and
give them some very good service if it even comes close
to the two that are already being tested.
I began the basic function tests and was surprised that I could hear a
faint clunk about 10 feet away on my inside range. I
estimate the the clunk is 50% quieter than the original
versions. The trigger testing showed a pretty solid 1.3
seconds for both day and night and the day range
pictures were good and zoom on the 8 plate was still
sharp in detail at 200%. The night pictures are above
average and good in detail sensing is good but not
recorded because of the high heat during that test.
07-30-2010 update:
We have been busy getting the sample pictures and just
like this cameras big and little brothers it is having a
hard time under the full canopy of the trees. There is a
definite period both morning and evening where it has a
hard time shifting its function. The results vary from
black outs to white outs and some in between. Once
shifted it does do a good job. Both brothers have been
deployed at our other facility and so far not produced
the same symptoms there. There is probably a need for
some kind of a firmware upgrade to adjust the light
metering and day/night sensing. Those pictures that were
not affected were sharp and clear for both day and
night.
09-12-2010 Update:
We left this camera in a deep woods setting over a trail
for the past month in video mode. In that time the
camera gathered 52 video clips and filled the 2GB card.
Of the 52 clips 2 were white outs and 2 were mildly
washed out. It is under heavy canopy. We
replaced the card and left in video mode. Thus far
the camera has taken 79 video clips at 16s each and 308
photos on the original batteries. The battery is
reading 70%.
10-10-2010 update:
Put on field duty for the past 46 days on the same set
of cells this camera logged 279 pictures and 91 videos.
We had it situated where the canopy was not a factor and
it has given us good and continuous service. The bait
was cat nip and our target was to bring in the cats. It
seems that every other animal seems to have a taste for
the cat nip except our crop of bob cats. One strange
happening was that the area we had this camera located
we found a Scoutguard camera that we had hung on a tree
two years ago and lost in Oct 08. It also had dead
batteries and a card full of videos. When we touched it
the bungee broke and was rotten. Somewhere in that same
area is one more that we have yet to locate. Since that
week we have taken very good notes as to the locations
of the many cameras that we deploy. This good service
has earned this camera a rest and today it was replaced
by another camera. So this review is closed.
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Trigger Times
without flash 1.34 seconds
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Trigger Times
with Flash 1.26 seconds
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Flash Range
Tests
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Video Samples
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