Reconyx Microfire MS7 (License Plates) Review

Reconyx MS7 Review

Model # MS7

MS7 FAQ's | MS7 Owner's Manual

This camera is designed to strictly catch license plates (day or night), so judging it like a normal camera would be unfair. Still, the camera is easy to setup, gets good battery life, and can transmit pictures via hotspot wifi to about 30-50 ft. away. If you set the camera up exactly as Reconyx recommends, you will get good license plate photos. If you stray from that setup at all, you will not. For that reason, this camera is extremely limited as not every scenario allows for a 30° off parallel setup. If you can do that, then this camera will do just fine. - TCP Staff

Pros

• Long picture battery life
• Very fast detection circuit
• Easy setup

Cons

• 40 ft. detection range
• Setup needs to be exactly 30° off parallel to get a license plate photo

Trailcampro Analysis

The Reconyx MS7 is designed for capturing license plates, specifically during night operations when all other IR cameras "wash out" the plates at night. It is worth mentioning, as it can be impossible to do in certain scenarios, that Reconyx recommends setting the camera up in the following way (you can find this on page 13 of the manual):

• Position the camera approximately 5 to 10 feet from the edge of the road looking at the back end of cars passing in the close lane.
• Cars should be traveling at no more than 50 miles per hour if you want to reliably capture plates
• The camera should be mounted about 24-30 inches high and have it aimed approximately 30 degrees off of parallel.

Picture Quality:

Photo resolution: 1.2 mpxl

Video resolution: 1280 x 720

Flash Type: No Glow IR

Day pictures do not have the vivid color we have seen in other Reconyx trailcam models. However, we knew there would be a trade-off in picture quality to have the wifi technology. Clarity, depth and focus all look good from our field pictures.

Night pictures are completely black except for the license plate and headlights/tail lights. Keep in mind, that is what is supposed to happen, this camera is not designed for capturing a human or make/model of a vehicle. The license plate pictures are fine if you set the camera up exactly as Reconyx recommends.

Battery Life:

Picture & Video Resting Power (on): 1.72 mW

Picture Daytime/Nighttime Power Consumption: 0.6 Ws | 1.6 Ws

Video Daytime/Nighttime Power Consumption: 16.6 Ws | 80.1 Ws

The MS7 is extremely efficient in picture mode but inefficient in video mode.

Picture Mode

If this camera were to take 35-day and 35-night pictures every 24 hours, the MS7 would last 12.9 months in the field on a set of 6 AA Lithium Batteries.

Video Mode

If this camera were to take 15-day and 15-night videos (10-second videos) every 24 hours, it would last 1.7 months in the field on a set of lithium batteries.

Detection Circuit:

Picture Trigger & Recovery Speed: 0.09 s. / 0.85 s.

Video Trigger & Recovery Speed: 0.21 s. / 6.8 s.

Detection Range & Angle: 40 ft. | 40° (22.5° F.O.V.)

The MS7, much like the MR5 and MS8, is handcuffed with a 40 ft. detection range. This severely limits the number of setups you can use this camera in. Also, the detection angle is nearly twice the width of the narrow 22° field of view. The detection speeds are really good, but the 40-foot detection is the limiting factor.

Quality of Design:

Dimensions: 4.75" x 4" x 3"

Battery Type: 6 AA Batteries

External Battery Jack: 12-Volt

Case design is top-notch, which is exactly what you expect from a camera made in the U.S.A. The engineers at Reconyx are known for building game cameras with extreme precision and durability.

The MS7 has a tube shape and could be concealed inconspicuously in a number of ways. This is not without trade-offs. The tube shape could either blend in well or stick out depending on the situation. The mounting is also unique - the MS7 comes with a screw in mount (with a ball joint) that allows the camera to be pointed numerous ways.

The front of the camera screws off revealing a front and back. The battery compartment fits neatly into the back of the camera. There is a cloth pull tab to remove the battery compartment. We have found this doesn't work nearly as well as forcefully slapping the compartment against your off-hand. The batteries are very snug and tough to remove without the help of a small screwdriver or a key. All three components have specific positions they must be in to fit together properly.

WIFI Transmission & Setup

The MS7 can connect to your home or business wifi and transmit pictures directly to your email address. We now can check pictures and activity around our offices from anywhere in the world. Reconyx does not charge a fee for this, so outside of the cost of the camera and the cost for your wifi, this is a free service (unlike cellular trail cameras).

If you don't have wifi access near the camera, the MS7 can still create its own wifi hotspot and send pictures to your phone when you are within 50'.

Setup is done entirely with the Reconyx app on your phone. This can be found in the app store on your iPhone or on Google Play on your Android. Remember, this camera requires the app to operate - there is not an internal setup screen. Once you have the App going, search for the camera (you will still need to be within 50' to change or edit settings. You can't access the camera remotely, you must be within 50'). If the camera is nearby, the app will quickly find the camera and will run you through a quick setup guide (extremely handy for first-time users). After this is over, you are ready to get the camera set to your specifications.

Setup couldn't be easier, simply select a setting and change it to your liking. Time and date automatically correlate to your phone's settings. We found all our favorite settings, including; start/stop time, PIR sensitivity and password protection. When you are ready to put the camera to work, just select "Arm Camera." This will also happen automatically after 2 minutes (as long as you don't have the codeloc on).

Durability on Reconyx trail cameras is unmatched. These cameras are engineered and produced in Holmen, Wisconsin by some of the brightest minds in the business. We have yet to have a warranty issue with the MS8.

There are obvious trade-offs to both the unique camera shape and only using a phone to program the MS7. However, if you are proficient with a smartphone and the shape of the camera works for your scenario, we believe you will find the quality of design near-flawless.

Reconyx MS7 Review Conclusion:

This camera is designed to strictly catch license plates (day or night), so judging it like a normal camera would be unfair. Still, the camera is easy to setup, gets good battery life, and can transmit pictures via hotspot wifi to about 30-50 ft. away. If you set the camera up exactly as Reconyx recommends, you will get good license plate photos. If you stray from that setup at all, you will not. For that reason, this camera is extremely limited as not every scenario allows for a 30° off parallel setup. If you can do that, then this camera will do just fine.

Enjoy our reviews? Please consider purchasing your next trail camera from us.

FAQ's: Trail Camera

Q: How do I view the pictures?

A: There are a couple of ways to do this. Pictures/videos are stored on the micro SD card you place in the camera.

• View pictures on your computer. Plug the micro SD card in a desktop computer or laptop via the built-in SD card reader or use a USB reader if your computer doesn't have one. This method works for most tablets as well. With this method, we recommend having two SD cards per camera so you can swap them in the field.
• View pictures on your smartphone. The MS8 requires the Reconyx App to program the camera. From this app, you can also view the downloaded pictures or videos.

Q: Will this trail camera trigger on small animals (birds, rodents, etc.)?

A: Trail cameras detect on a combination of heat and movement, so, yes, small mammals will trigger the camera. However, if you are going after smaller warm-blooded mammals, we recommend getting the camera closer to your target. For best performance, place the camera in an area that would enable picture detection from 3 - 20 ft.

Q: Can animals see the infrared flash on this camera?

A: This is somewhat controversial. Humans can't see the flash as the nanometer spectrum is above what the human eye can detect. It's also much harder for an animal to see, but that could depend on the species of animal as different species see in different light spectrums.

Q: Where can I purchase this camera?

A: From us! We hope to woo you with our incredible charm, two-year warranty, 90-day returns, free continental U.S. shipping, and technical expertise. If that isn't enough, we give you an 8 Gig SD card with this camera and you can call and talk our ear off anytime.

Seriously, though, we know you have plenty of options of where to spend your hard-earned money. The internet can be the wild, wild, west of too-good-to-be-true deals. If you choose to do business with us, we will go out of our way to make sure you are happy with the camera you select and the service we provide you.

We are passionate about testing and reviewing trail cameras, but most importantly, we are passionate about treating our customers the right way. We do things differently from what you have come to expect from other internet retailers and we hope you give us the opportunity to prove that to you.

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