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2012
Spypoint Tiny W (2) 38 count red flash 8 MP digital
camera review
To start we must say that the factory went to work and the camera that
just came out of the box is definitely not the
same camera that we tested and stopped reviewing back in
2011. The big push for battery life in the trail camera
industry has caused several things to happen that has
gone against the grain of many users desires. The most
used method was to limit the delay to one minute which
in turn made the camera take fewer pictures with a net
result of battery life. This year this company has a new
little trick to work around this and gives the new owner
the option of selecting the delay below 1 minute (10
seconds) if desired. We feel that most will take
advantage of this except in a feeder scenario. This is
achieved by holding down the up button with the camera
off and then while the button is depressed turn the
camera on and the 10 second indication will be displayed
on the LCD. The same procedure will return it to the 1
minute setting if you wish.
Next is the “black box” remote wireless card recorder. Last year this
device was to be hid within 50 feet of the camera which
was a very limited range and now it is our understanding
that this range has been increased to 250 feet which is
great. The old 50 foot range was just fine for the user
who just did not want to soil the area with scent and
pull the images from the external card in the black box.
Where that fell short was for the would be thief who if
they had had trail camera knowledge could probably find
the black box. Now that range is 250 feet and the
potential of finding the external recorder would be very
remote.
Part of the users findings that were reported last year was the tunnel
vision flash. This year they have adapted new emitters
to enhance the flash on all models. This spreads the
flash out so there is much better coverage and removes
that flash light effect.
Please refer to the original review for all the description data which
has not changed. We will give all new trigger and range
tests, plus put the remote black box through its paces.
This company has stayed on top of their customer service
and pays very close attention to the field reports and
feedback. These above changes are a result of everyone’s
thoughts on the original model.
FEATURES
Photo recording:
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Photo resolution 8 MP
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File format JPG
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Time Lapse Predefined intervals from 30sec to 1h
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Multi-shot Up to 6 pictures per detection
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Stamp Date, time, temperature and moon phase printed
on photo
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Capture mode Color by day, black and white by night
Video recording:
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Video resolution 640 x 480
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File format AVI
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Sequence length Adjustable from 10 to 90sec
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Capture mode Color by day, black and white by night
Memory storage:
(Camera + receiver)
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SD/SDHC card up to 32 GB
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(No internal memory)
Viewing:
Power supply (Camera):
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(accessories sold separately, see “Options”)
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Alkaline or lithium batteries
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6x AA
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Lithium battery pack Rechargeable battery pack
(LIT-09/LIT-C8)
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External (12V jack) 12 volt battery
(KIT-12V/BATT-12V)
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12 volt adapter (AD-12V)
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Solar panel Solar panel (SP-12V) combined with
rechargeable battery pack (LIT-09)
Power supply (Receiver):
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(accessories sold separately, see “Options”)
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Alkaline or lithium batteries
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6x AA
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External (12V jack) 12 volt battery
(KIT-12V/BATT-12V)
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12 volt adapter (AD-12V)
Detection system:
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Motion sensor PIR
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Main sensor's detection angle 30°
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Side sensor's detection angle 70°
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Detection range Adjustable from 5 to 50ft
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Delay between each detection Adjustable from 1 to
30min
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*Additional 10 sec. setting (see DELAY)
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Electricity option Instant trigger time (Connected
to a 12V DC Main source only)
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External trigger 1/8" jack for normally open contact
Night time illumination system:
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Infrared LED (IR) 38 infrared LEDs
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Exposure Automatic infrared level adjustment
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Optical field of view:
40°
Wireless photo transmission system:
Wireless range Maximum 250 ft
The specifications have changed somewhat so check over all of them above
and you can pretty well figure out most everything about
this neat little camera.
05-05-2012 update: I did not have a chance
to lab test the box for range and that will be done
during out sample picture testing. I did how ever have a
chance to evaluate the new 10 second delay and that did
work very well. We will have a better idea of the flash
improvement once we do the flash range tests. The in
house testing indicated that they are on the right
track. The first check for picture quality was a quick
comparison between the IR-7 and this camera and my eyes
would probably give the edge to the IR -7, we will have
to wait for the sample pictures to see for sure.
05-12-2012 update: The flash/8 plate pictures
showed 40+ feet of good usable flash range and gone is
that flashlight effect we observed in the first version.
The black white contrast of the night pictures is way
over on the grey side of the house. The actual sample
night pictures below show a little better black/white
contrast. Day color pictures are good but have a slight
grainy appearance. The external box has been located 150
feet away (line of sight) and out of 310 pictures taken
all but 9 were transmitted to the box and recorded at
800X600. Those box pictures were also clear and sharp.
The camera was set on high during those 310 pictures. So
far there have been no glitches with this camera.
05-13-2012 update: We had all four cameras
from this company out capturing video at the same time.
I just happened that this was the last one that was in
line to be evaluated in this mode. My first thought was
that there was something wrong because we did not have
any sound while we did the playback. Then I checked and
found that this camera does not record sound with the
video mode selection. Check the sample below for your
evaluation.
06-03-2012 update: The final phase was the
battery life which came out with a total of 27 days
while taking 1966 pictures and 57 videos. There were a
total of 310 pictures taken out of that top figure while
we had selected to use the external black box. This
review is closed.
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