Hunten Outdoors C35-40IR Camera Review

2010 Hunten Outdoors C35-40IR 4mp IR Camera Review

We will start this review with upfront report on the overall aspects of these cameras since they are all very similar. There are two IR models and two white flash (strobe) models with a 2 MP and a 4 MP version.

We received these four cameras and put them through an initial inspection. We found the choice of color very pleasing along with the size. First we evaluated all seals of lens and door gaskets and we could not see any defects. Our first impression of the hinge assembly for the doors appeared to have plastic pins but later evaluation found them to actually to be made of metal. The internal assembly of switches, LCD, battery compartment all worked as designed. We inserted the C cells and went through the programming on all units and we had no glitches and all programmed very easy. The indicators on the front of the camera to indicate movement (walk test) are very weak and cannot be seen unless you are directly in front of the camera. This problem will hurt anyone who is using this feature to acquire proper aim and to determine the field of view of the PIR sensor. During the initial operational inspection, all cameras sensed and took pictures and did write to the card. One of the cameras would not accept a 2 gig Scan Disk SD card, but did take the Toshiba cards fine. Strap loops on the back of the camera are small and somewhat fragile. Any one trying to tighten the camera on an uneven surface may break this area if care is not taken.

Video and still captures have a very nice 10 second delay, which is appealing to most folks. The large strobe on the white flash cameras should do a super job. The white flash cameras that actually function well have been in short supply in the market. The two main problems we have found with most of the white flash cameras tested so far this year is a weak flash and/or very poor picture quality. If these white flash cameras perform well in these two areas with the great delay settings we will definitely have a desirable product. The IR cameras have a great deal of competition but having the very nice delay times will narrow that down to the Scoutguard/Bushnell/Covert/WGI cameras.

We started our testing in the trigger time lab and all cameras except one had an average of 1.15 seconds except for the 2 MP IR camera which gave us a 1.4 second average. We moved on to the flash range and the white flash cameras both gave us a 40 foot range with the 4 MP maybe giving us a few extra feet. This was a surprise because we felt the large flash unit would have created a much better flash range for a strobe flash. The indication we got from our personal observations while the flash went off was it was very bright and when we evaluated the pictures we felt that there may be a firmware timing issue that is keeping the processor from using all the available light. The next was the testing of the IR cameras flash range which both turned in a 40 foot range. The next test was the sensing distance at 76 degrees which all cameras would sense out to 50 feet.

Using the day range and night range pictures for initial picture quality evaluation, all cameras turned in a some what weak color picture with a degree of fuzziness. The night IR pictures all had good black and white color but were not as sharp and clear as they should be. Both day and night range picture evaluations are looked at using a 200% zoom at the 8 plate. The degree of fuzziness will show up quickly and is expected at that level but not to that extent. There are other currently produced cameras that sell for less than a hundred dollars that far exceed these cameras picture quality but lack the great trigger and delay times that these cameras have. We feel the with an improvement on the picture quality to a much higher level, these cameras would be hard to beat in that market.

The other area of focus is the flash ranges of both the strobe and IR flashes. We discussed the strobe issue above but the IR flash range should be better for the emitter count. Again there are other low cost cameras that perform somewhat better with arrays that have the same or less emitters. This could be a timing problem in the firmware or maybe the emitter power is a little to low because of battery drain considerations.

Hardware/Firmware Update

The original cameras have since been replaced with upgraded cameras and we could see a definite improvement in the white flash camera function where the IR cameras remained very much the same. These little cameras really like the strobe flash and produce pretty good night pictures. Of course the video is day time limited on the strobe cameras. The size and function will become an attraction to some looking for a sub $100 camera. The next generation is in the mill and those who have access to the one and only outlet so far will more than likely enjoy this little camera series. The MP rating and file size is a great thing to work with, especially if you choose to mail your favorites to a friend.

We approached this review straight out of the pre production and now it has been brought to our attention that we have missed a couple of items that should have been mentioned. First off is the physical size of the cameras and all are 6.25X6.25X2 inches and they operate off 4 C sized batteries. The case color is a very nice dark green. This is a small camera and it maintains a respectable amount of features. The warranty is one year. We apologize for this over site.

12-06-2010 update: We got a total of 50 days of battery life out of this camera prior to it going dead. The camera has worked very well without any problems to bring it down. During the 50 days of battery life we collected 380 pictures and 20 videos. This review is closed.

Trigger Tests (without flash 1.12 seconds) (with flash 1.13 seconds)

Day Range

Flash Range

4MP Sample Photos