Browning Dark Ops Pro X 1080 (Non-Cellular) Review

Trailcampro Comprehensive Score:

89/100

Browning Dark Ops Pro X 1080 Trail Camera Review

Blazing speed and outstanding battery life make this little unit one of our top choices for scouting - TCP Staff

Model # BTC6PX-1080 | Browning Dark Ops Pro X 1080 Manual

 

Trailcampro Comprehensive Score:

89/100

Picture Quality:80/100

24 Mpxl Photos (interpolated) | 1920 x 1080 Video Resolution

Battery Life:27 Months (pics) | 2.6 Months (videos)

Using 35 pics day + night | Using 15 vids day + night

Trigger Speed & Detection:96/100

Trigger & Recovery: 0.19 s. - 0.6 s. (Pictures) | 0.3 s. - 0.9 s. (Videos) | 90 ft. Range

Quality of Design:89/100

6 AA Batteries | 12-volt External Battery Jack | 1.5" Internal Viewer


Browning Dark Ops Pro X 1080 Review

Pros

  • Fantastic detection circuit
  • Excellent picture battery life
  • Small/compact body
  • Viewing Screen
  • Timelapse Plus
  • Operation Hours
  • Smart IR Video

Cons

  • Video mode also will have a photo thumbnail

 

 

Be Wary Of Megapixel Ratings

Megapixel ratings for trail cameras seem to increase more & more every year. In reality, the native resolution of 99% of all trail cameras is 5 megapixels or less.  Manufacturers artificially inflate megapixel ratings for advertising purposes through a process called interpolation. Interpolated photos are enhanced by software to mimic the file size of a higher megapixel photo, but seldom offer additional clarity or resolution.  The result is an exponentially larger file size photo which takes longer to load and slows down the speed of your camera.  We always program our cameras to capture photos at the image sensor's native resolution. This allows our cameras to operate as efficiently as possible and store more photos to memory.  With shorter load times,  this also allows us to review photos at a much quicker pace.  To put things in perspective, the trail camera widely considered to be the "Gold Standard" and used by more professional researchers than any other unit is just 3 megapixels.

Picture Quality: 80/100

 

Photo resolution: 24 mpxl (interpolated)

Video resolution: 1980 x 1080

Flash Type: No glow IR

 

 

Battery Life: 90/100

 

Picture & Video Resting Power (on): 0.2 mW

Picture Daytime/Nighttime Power Consumption: 0.9 Ws | 3.5 Ws

Video Daytime/Nighttime Power Consumption: 10.9 Ws | 70.3 Ws

Here are your best battery options:

Trailcampro Choice: AmpTORRENT Rechargeable AA Lithium

If the Dark Ops Pro X 1080 were to take 35-day and 35-night pictures every 24 hours, this camera would last 17.9 months  in the field - per charge - on a set of AmpTorrent Rechargeable AA Lithium batteries. 

There are a number of benefits to these batteries:

  • Up to 1,200 charges
  • Consistent 1.5 volt operation
  • Charges with the included USB cable
  • Eco-friendly (less batteries in a landfill)
  • Batteries pay for themselves after 2-3 charges

Picture Mode

If this camera were to take 35 day and 35 night pictures every 24 hours, it would last 27 months in the field on a set of Energizer Ultimate Lithium batteries.

Video Mode

If this camera were to take 15 day and 15 night videos every 24 hours, it would last 2.6 months in the field on a set of Energizer Ultimate Lithium batteries.

 

Detection Circuit: 96/100

Picture Trigger & Recovery Speed: 0.19 s. | 0.6 s.

Video Trigger & Recovery Speed: 0.3 s. | 0.9 s.

Detection Range & Angle: 90ft. @ 46.8° detection angle (58° field of view)

 


Quality of Design: 89/100

Dimensions: 4.25" x 3.75" x 3.25"

Battery Type: 6 AA

External Battery Jack: 12-volt

SD Card Capacity: Up to 512 GB

Country of Origin: Philippines 

 

 Case Design

The Dark Ops Pro X 1080's case feels really solid and durable. It has an adjustable metal back bracket that swivels up and down (about a 30° range of motion). The bracket allows for easy up and down adjustments without using twigs for shims. If you need more adjustability, we'd still recommend a Slate River Mount.

Browning made the SD cards easier to load and unload (much easier than other Dark Ops models). The only downside we found is the battery eject button takes a bit of work to unlatch. Expect to use a sturdy fingernail.

Temperature ratings can be off by a significant margin.

Overall, the case design on the Dark Ops Pro is outstanding. It is nearly everything you'd expect from a quality trail camera.

Camera Setup

The Dark Ops Pro X 1080 has a small internal viewer that makes camera setup and picture/video playback extremely easy. The viewer's live-view element eliminates the guesswork to setting up for the perfect trailcam shot.

The internal setup should only take you a minute or two - at the most. Even though the internal viewing screen is small, Browning was nice enough to enlarge the words on the screen for those of us with poor eyesight!

The Dark Ops Pro X 1080 can accept SD cards up to 512 Gigabytes.

 

Durability

The vast majority of consumer-grade trail cameras are inexpensive, imported devices exposed to harsh conditions 24/7/365.  Most manufacturers only offer a one-year warranty.  We stock only the most durable units and provide an additional year of warranty at no extra charge. The Trailcampro exclusive 2-year warranty allows you to deal directly with Trailcampro avoiding long wait times on hold with the manufacturer and prolonged periods without a replacement camera.  We turn around most warranties in just one business day!

 

 All test results are achieved through the use of proprietary equipment used exclusively by Trailcampro.  Any re-publication of this data without prior written consent is strictly prohibited by law. COPYRIGHT TRAILCAMPRO, L.L.C. 2023, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

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