Discontinued Model
- Flash range and slow recovery time hold the Iron 9 back. It does have a fast trigger and long battery life, but we don't think that keeps this camera in the running against the current competition. - TCP Staff
Read our full Spypoint Iron 9 reviews below.
Spypoint Iron 9 Review
Model # Iron-9 | Spypoint Iron 9 Owners Manual
Pros
- Fast trigger speed
- Good battery life
Cons
- Slow recovery time
- Very weak flash range
Trailcampro Analysis
The Iron 9 is Spypoint's base model no glow trailcam for 2015. Let's take a more in-depth look into this game camera.
Quality of Design
Dimensions: 7" x 5.5" x 2.75" | Battery Type: 6 AA Batteries | External Battery Jack: 12 Volt
The Spypoint Iron 9 has the internal camera (the internal black component to this unit) detachable from the outer camo case. In other words, the camera pops out of the external case. This makes programming and changing batteries easier if the case was already mounted to a tree. However, we don't like this design, on any camera, because of the tendency to drop the camera. We have dropped this unit more than a few times when transporting or just handling the camera. This is a matter of personal preference, but this design is a bit of a hassle for us.
The rest of the case design is pretty good. This camera is a touch larger than most current cameras. The standout here is how easy the Iron 9 is to program. Just flip a few switches and you will be good to go. The downside, is the lack of programmability. There aren't many options, but most people don't end up using the fancy options anyways. Once again, this is a matter of preference to the user.
In the past, we have had problems with durability on Spypoint cameras. Most of this has come from their wireless and cellular cameras. The Iron 9 is neither of those and early reports on durability have been strong so far.
Detection Circuit
Picture Trigger & Recovery Speed: 0.65 s. / 9.4 s. | Video Trigger & Recovery Speed: 2.08 s. / 12.8 s. | Detection Range: 90 ft.
The trigger time is pretty good but the recovery times are abysmal. 9.4 seconds is not a modern trail cameras recovery time for pictures. The video recovery is even longer. The recovery times need a major overhaul.
Detection range is really good but the camera suffers from a detection angle of over 50º even though the field of view is only 38°. This can cause quite a few false triggers. This problem is noted in other camera brands as well, it is not exclusive to just the Spypoint Iron 9.
Picture Quality
Photo resolution: 9 or 3 mpxl | Video Resolution: 640 x 480 | Flash Type: No Glow Infrared
The pictures came out clear and blur-free. Our big complain on Spypoint pictures would be the lack of vivid color. The color appears to be washed out, especially when compared to other cameras on the market. Outside of that, these appear to be very good daytime pictures.
We have seen several pictures that come out with a red tint. More than we would like but not an alarming number. You can see some of these in the examples below.
The night picture don't have the brightest flash, but they did produce good clarity when the animal was within 30-40 ft. The pictures aren't as bright on the edges as they are in the center, but overall, night pictures are good.
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Videos have decent clarity but low resolution. Audio is nearly non-existent. Video resolution could use some upgrades.
Battery Life
Resting Power (on): 0.63 mW | Daytime Power Consumption: 3.52 Ws | Nighttime Power Consumption: 4.19 Ws
Battery life is excellent in the Spypoint Iron 9. Great resting current and low day/night power consumption.
The Iron 9 operates on 6 AA batteries. The battery cover is flimsy and feels cheap to the touch. Outside of that, battery life is going to be outstanding. If this camera were to take 35 day and 35 night pictures every 24 hours, it would last 8.3 months in the field on a set of lithium batteries.
Spypoint Iron 9 Reviews Conclusion
Outside of battery life, this camera doesn't stand out in a way that would lead to a recommendation over other similarly priced cameras. Improvements are needed to the recovery time, video resolution, case design and detection angle before this camera can compare to the competition.
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