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2011
Primos X-Cam
62 count
black flash 7 mp digital camera review
The anticipation that has hit the forums and at the sporting goods
counters has been unreal. The word about this company
coming out with a Black flash and keeping the cost under
$300 has also been a constant buzz. We have been
involved with the pre release testing for some time and
believe me they just do not want to let even the
smallest issue slide. The back and forth and upgrades
have been on going until they no longer had any and the
field testing has gone well. Having a top resolution of
7 MP is plenty and you can also move down the ladder to
5 and 3 Mp through programming. There is a single
640X480 video resolution at 18 fps. The trigger time is
stated at 1.3 seconds and delay is programmable down to
5 seconds. They also chose to use the burst up to 9
pictures as one of the programmed features.
They call it “Blackout” and that is well named because it is all black
except for a bit of grey color in the PIR lens. I put it
on a tree that had another small bit of brush up next to
it and it hid very well to my surprise. The top front
has a small door with a lockable swing around latch.
Under this door is the LCD view display and programming
buttons. At the very top is the USB port and SD card
slot next to the on/off switch. Programming is very
straight forward and easy to do and follow. Just below
the control center door is the Array cover which is a
triangle shape and black with no visible emitters. Below
the array is the indicator lamp, main lens and light
sensor. The PIR sensor is centered at the bottom edge of
the front of the camera. Looking at the bottom you will
see the tri-pod insert and external battery port rubber
cover. On each side of the bottom is a round cap that
unscrews and when removed the 4 D cell compartment (two
on each side) can be seen. If you choose alkaline or
NiMH you must go to the program and select the type so
the battery level indicator will give the correct
reading. The back of the camera has a pipe thru setup
for a Python and there are some very ridged ears that
stick out on each side and are also big enough to handle
a 3/8 in Python or the really great supplied cord.
Primos also offer an accessory angle mount for this
camera.
Time after time we get our hands on a camera and it will have a trait
that just does not fit and it seems to throw your train
of thought off. With this camera the method of setup is
so easy it is like fun to do. To try to pick out any
quirks about this camera just isn’t working. I just seem
to work normal without any trouble so far. Anthony’s
main love was the supplied strap to hang the camera and
he would like a box full to use with some of the other
cameras we test.
My initial tests in the dark room at one foot did not show even a ting
of flash color when triggered. It is totally black and I
could not see any indication that the flash had
happened. The flash range is said to be 60 feet and we
found that to be pretty close also. Day color pictures
are sharp and clear with good color and a bit bright.
Night pictures are good also during the initial in house
tests. The market is growing one camera at a time in the
black flash arena, and this camera has certainly
achieved that task and it looks like they have done it
very well. We now have four brand names that have made
the grade.
We
already have a ton of field pictures and all the main
tests have been done where the trigger times come in the
1.5 range and sensing is a match for the flash range.
Good wide angle sensing and field of view. The camera is
on the hill right now gathering videos and will be
changed over pictures this evening. Keep checking the
sample pictures because we will be adding more.
06-21-2011 update: We have been very happy
with most of the function but we have a problem that
keeps sneaking in. We originally found this in burst
mode where the first picture is a whiteout and we
switched to single capture and also found the same
thing. When we have animals in front of the camera that
has had a rest period for a while before these animals
arrive in front of the camera, the very first picture
will be white but there after all is normal. We have
contacted others who have their cameras in the field and
they are not finding this same issue so it may very well
be just our unit. Any way we have notified the company
and we are also reporting here. We will probably be
exchanging this camera out for another as soon as things
slow down a bit at the shippers.
07-02-2011 update: We have completed
gathering sample pictures and we only have battery life
remaining so please view sample pictures and we will
later post the final battery life. This review is
closed.
07-30-2011 Update: Intermediate battery
life update shows 6509 photos and 193 videos file and
the battery level indicator still reads full. This
camera is showing very good battery life.
08-06-2011
update: More on the battery life, up over 7500
stills and 200 videos and still reads full.
08-21-2011
update: This camera finally ended its run with
8411 photos and 200 videos taken on a single set of
Rayovac D cells. Starting this test on May 8 and
ending on August 8, this black flash camera exhibited
excellent battery life over a 3 month period.
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Trigger Tests
( 1.84s without flash)
( 1.48s with flash)
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Flash Range
(camera only)
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Day Range/8 Plate
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Video Samples
Original Format
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