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2011Little Acorn 5210MM 24
count Camera Review
Please refer to the 5210A series camera review for all the particulars
because everything is the same as far as basic function.
The MMS series comes in two flash versions, a standard
red flash and the low glow 940 nanometer. This is
another entry into the market of cellular based scouting
camera. We have tested several and currently we have two
different systems in house and setup on our testing
areas. I will say that the past couple months this
camera has clicked away without much fault. We did a
little firmware tweak as needed and finally the final
product is out and ready for sale. There is only one
thing that seems to happen on occasion and that is very
dark pictures once in a while under heavy canopy during
the transition period. This usually only happens with
one picture that is dark and can be cleaned up very easy
on your picture program. We however did not have a
single whiteout during all our testing. One thing I can
say is that the day color pictures that were transmitted
came in two sizes depending on the file size. The color
is very normal and clear.
Not so long ago we reviewed a monster cell based camera that was red in
color and had a huge nub on top for an antenna. There
are presently two different systems offered by the
market. These are cell to consumer direct and then there
is the cell to web site system. This camera is to the
consumer direct and not web based, meaning it uses MMS
or text messaging to send directly to your email or
phone directly without using a website from the
manufacturer as a gateway. It does not use SMTP or
FTP. If I had my original Ltl Acorn hanging on a tree
along side one of the new MMS version cameras you would
not notice any difference. Up close the first thing that
most comment about is there is no antenna and are you
sure this is a cell based system. Then there is the
mention about having to put it in a metal security box.
We felt that was going to be a big issue but our tests
showed that we had no change when placed in a security
box and the pictures just kept on coming.
Close examination will show that there are actually a few changes like a
nice latch for the back pack battery compartment. Then
you will see that there is a small compartment under
those back batteries that contain the cell system and
SIM card slot. There is also a small turn latch on the
bottom door handle to prevent it from opening
unintentionally.
Pay-as-you-go is where you buy a plan that does not require a long term
commitment and you fund it as needed. This is a
very positive method and reasonable for those who need
to see what is going on the other side of the state or
across the street. We found that this method costs
approximately $25 a month for 1000 text messages.
We have heard that should you already have a plan with
AT&T (and others) that adding a second line with
unlimited text messages can be as low as $10 per month.
Initially we ran the setup software which allows us to
configure the system for operation with our SIM card and
to specify the recipients without having to hand edit a
configuration file as we had to do with the Scoutguard
SG580. The setup was simple to use and
straightforward. It will allow you to save your
configuration to the SD card. Once you place the
SD card in the camera the MMS settings are imported
automatically.
We then had pictures coming in and I kept hearing from Anthony
that this is really working great. He is our MMS
expert so I will leave the screen shots and explanation
about the system setup and costs.
This camera will also work very well as just a scouting camera with a 12
MP top resolution and full time lapse function. Video in
two sizes is also a feature. Please refer to the 5210A
review for all these details. We already have a ton of
pictures both day and night so we will get them posted
very shortly.
Since our last battery change (19 days) the camera has
taken 3384 photos (on the card) from 1692 events (it
takes two photos per event, one for email and one full
size) and the battery level indicator
still says over 50%. Of those taken 1092 were sent as
text messages which is a 64% ratio. This was with ray o vac AA cells so we feel that this camera is fairly
thrifty when it comes to battery use and cell
operations. If you increase the delay to 1 minute
you will get a much higher percentage of MMS/Total Pics
sent. We have kept our delay setting at 30
seconds.
What we are finding is that for the most part the photos
we receive are 640x480 but when there is bright sun and
the photos are less compressible during the day the
camera will lower the sent photo to 320x240. We
are still pleased with the quality of the emailed
images.
05-17-2011
update: The following is the cell based model
numbers:
-
LTL5210MC mms capable but has the backpack from a
5210A.
-
LTL5210MM mms capable and has the modem backpack
with sim slot.
-
All model numbers have the same dimensions so there
is no need to purchase a special security box.
Both
of these come in 940 and according to Old Boys, only the
BOX indicates which is which. We would like to see the
model designator placed on a sticker on each camera
sold.
05-24-2011 update:
Being accepted very well by those we have seen reporting
since this last weeks release. There was a big rush for
many to get hold of this camera and there were a few who
had technical issues but it was mostly about
understanding instructions and programming. Once set up
every one seemed to be very happy. We have ran a solid
month and it transmitted some very clear pictures with a
count of 1053 total. The camera is still taking pictures
now and writing to the card but will not transmit
because of the very low battery. There have been pros
and cons about the BMC/Covert vs. this camera and both
have strong points. Our take so far is that this camera
is having a much better acceptance than other cell
systems. The lack of antenna and the better transmitted
pictures seems to be the reason. I know that our
personal take is that we are leaning toward this camera
also though the SG580 camera worked very well for us
also. We are stopped on this project for now and will be
closing the review unless we have an upgrade or
additional data to report.
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