2010
Wingscapes PlantCam Time Lapse Camera Review
Some time back we had some fun with the Wingscapes Bird camera and did a
review. These people also have a time lapse plant camera
that caught our eye because of the introduction of the
new Plot watcher camera that was showing up on about
every outdoor forum. The mail began to hit the inbox at
a large rate so we began to pick through and go ahead
and acquire some different units to test. This camera
hit our door and when purchased including shipping was
less than $75. Not exactly a woodsy looking device it
appears more like a John deer collector item with the
green and yellow colors. The size is 5 X 7 X 2
inches which is still small but not in the mini class.
The color scheme is dark green and light green with
small yellow latches but all are mat non reflective
surfaces. There is a sight window (view finder) at the
top and below that the light sensor just above the
camera lens with the laser aims just off to the right.
The bottom has a by 20 tripod insert plus there is the
same insert at the bottom of the back. In the package is
the normal USB, TV out , Strap and a really neat
articulating mounting bracket. That can be hooked to a
small post or be strapped to a tree. With the door open
you have the main power on/off switch and around the
lens the focus adjustment ring which we use at max.
There is the main LCD for programming with its
up/down/left/right buttons with the select in the
center. There is also a rotary function switch for
aim/setup/auto/playback just left of the programming
switches. A full weather tight gasket seals the moisture
out for long field operations. There is also a 12 volt
external power port at the bottom for those who use
those big 16 (max) gig cards on those extended stay
field operations. Around the right side of the camera
inside the door are the SD card slot (to 16 gig) and the
TV out/USB ports.
The documentation was very well written and complete with the
specification page. The programming procedures were
simple and easy (just like Moultrie) with interval times
as low as ASAP (instant except for write time to the
card) 30 seconds 1, 5, 10, 15, 30, Minutes and, 1, 3, 6,
24 hour settings. Using the two low settings will use
much more of your battery life. This camera has no flash
so battery life should be good but we will definitely
test it. You can also program to capture 10 second video
clips instead of single pictures if desired. There is
also a feature to convert up to 360 time lapse pictures
into a video clip by a simple programming operation. I
had a 136 picture sequence on a 2 gig card and went
through the in camera change to video and it played as a
high speed slide show on my windows media player just
fine. Another feature is where you can select one two or
three pictures per interval (burst) mode which for some
may have a use especially for those longer interval
setups.
This camera has opened my eyes up as to the potential it has to compete
in the hunting field operations as a tool to work with
the scouting cameras but not to replace them. The higher
MP rating and external battery option with large
capacity storage could have a real function with a
little imagination. The John Deere colors dont bother
me because the time laps cameras can be placed back away
from the target areas out of site. They do not have PIR
sensors so blowing brush or limbs are not a bother. If
the color is an issue a little bit of Bow camouflage
tape will tone it down to help it hide from those prying
eyes. Everything on this camera can be covered up except
the light sensor and camera lens. The LCD gives picture
count and battery condition but it can be covered in
some manner that can be lifted up if you need to see
that information. There is little or no security on this
camera and I know of no after market security box for
this camera. Being more than a hundred dollars cheaper
than the competition, I dont think there will be a rush
to manufacture any aftermarket security boxes. WD series
Stealth cam boxes may work with a little work.
My
quickie tests performed on a construction site worked
extremely well and I was favorably impressed so far. I
will get this cam out to Anthony so we can put it on the
hill and capture a few days of pictures/videos. We have
the Plot Watcher cam here now so that review will be
very close to the other two that are in process now. I
also have one more to test but may wait until fall to do
that because of the pressure to get to the 2010 scouting
cameras that are getting released at this time.
07-27-2010 update:
We raised a few eyebrows with this cameras and several
people loved it. It has performed very well for us. The
external battery option and programming options makes
this camera our pick for long term use in the field. We
are holding off for now and will close this review until
we get closer to the end of summer.
02-14-2011 update:
Ran it through another couple weeks of pictures and the
camera function was fine it was just that we did not
have much as far as activity in the area chosen. We are
closing this review now.
Sample photos
in high quality
(it is raining in the second pic)
 
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The following is a Time Lapse video I made from the photos
at 10 frames per second using my own software. I
reduced the video to 720x480 from the original
2560x1920 frame size.
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