Tactacam Reveal X Gen 2 Trail Camera Review
The Tactacam Reveal X Gen 2 takes fantastic photos, has really good battery life and is super easy to setup. This is not the fastest camera on the market, but this is a really solid camera for the money. - TCP Staff
Model #TA-TC-XG2 | Tactacam Reveal X Gen 2 Owners Manual
Trailcampro Comprehensive Score:
86/100
Tactacam Reveal X Gen 2 Review
Pros
- Great picture quality
- 6.5 Months of battery life
- Easy setup
- Connects to Verizon or AT&T
- On Demand
- Multi-Shot Interval
- Work Timer
Cons
- No internal viewing screen
- Average detection circuit
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.
Photo resolution: 16 mpxl (interpolated)
Flash Type: Red Glow
Picture & Video Resting Power (on): 2.7 mW
Picture Daytime/Nighttime Power Consumption: 24 Ws | 27.1 Ws
If this Tatacam Reveal X Gen 2 trail camera were to take 15-day and 15-night pictures every 24 hours, this trail camera would last 6.5 months in the field on a set of 12 AA lithium batteries.
Picture Trigger & Recovery Speed: 0.52 s. | 27.0 s.
Detection Range & Angle: 60 ft. @ 34.1° detection angle (49.1° field of view)
Dimensions: 5.5" x 3.5" x 3.5"
Battery Type: 12 AA
External Battery Jack: 12-volt
SD Card: 16GB-32GB
Case Design
The case design is similar to other Tactacam units and feels well built and sturdy. There is no internal screen which means almost all of the programming must be done via the app.
The camera has two threaded inserts for tripod mounts, one in the back and one on bottom. It also has a bracket for a python cable lock.
Camera Setup
One important note, Tactacam does not recommend Sandisk Ultra SD cards and it has prompts in their set up screen that saying these are not recommended cards. It is literally the only card we use in their cameras and all other manufacturers (because of its superior compatibility) and we have never had an issue with it. With that being said, we do offer the Sandisk Extreme U3 card they recommend if you want to use it: This is the SD card that Tactacam recommends for their cameras.
With no internal screen, camera setup is primarily done from the Tactacam smartphone app. We found this process to be simple and fast.
- Select the sim card you want to use (ATT or Verizon) and insert it, batteries and sd card into the camera
- Download the Tactacam Reveal app to your phone and create an account.
- Scan the QR code found inside the camera with your phone. Activate the camera in the app.
- Turn the camera to setup. Push and hold the test button while switching the camera to "on." Hold the test button for 5 seconds. This formats the sd card to the camera.
- Wait a little bit, then turn the camera off and back on. Once the camera connects, it will start communicating with the app.
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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