The Browning Recon Force HP4 is a no-brainer wildlife trail camera. This is a red glow IR trailcam that takes incredible video quality, excellent photos, is extremely fast, and lasts almost 3 years on batteries. That speaks for itself. - TCP Staff
Resting Power(on) | Daytime Power Consumption | Nighttime Power Consumption
Trigger Speed & Detection:93/100
Picture Trigger & Recovery Speed | Video Trigger & Recovery Speed | Detection Range
Quality of Design:90/100
Dimensions | Battery Type | External Battery Jack
Browning Recon Force Elite HP4 Trail Camera Review
Pros
Awesome IR video camera quality
Excellent picture quality
34 Month battery life
Insanely fast detection speed
Easy to use and set up
Cons
Detection zone is wider than the field of view by 13°
Picture Quality: 93/100
Photo resolution: 22 mpxl interpolated
Flash Type: Red Gow IR
It is really hard to find any issues with picture quality on the Browning Recon Force Elite HP4 cameras. Daytime pictures are colorful, clear, and realistic. Night pictures have great contrast, improved flash range, and stop motion really well.
If pictures are hard to find fault with, video is even harder! The Recon Force HP4 shoots at 1920 x 1080 at 60 frames per second. The result is a video that is smooth, clear, and incredibly realistic. Videos are outstanding all-around.
Night IR Blur Test
The equipment for the test consists of a target moving along a track from left to right at a constant speed controlled by a stepper motor and a sensor to trigger the capture of a picture near the center of the field of view of a trail camera.
The target is moving at 1.25 feet per second and is 10 feet from the camera at the center of field of view. The test is conducted in a dark room. Two pictures are taken, one with the target not moving and one with the target in motion. A visual comparison can now be made of the two pictures. All settings that affect the quality of night photos will be tested.
Blur Reduction
No Motion
Blur Reduction
W/ Motion
Economy
No Motion
Economy
W/ Motion
Long Range
No Motion
Long Range
W/ Motion
What if you purchase from us and aren't happy with the image quality?
This is a common question and we have a very simple solution. Call, email, or chat with us and we can take a look at the images and offer suggestions or immediately tell if something is wrong with the Browning Recon Force Elite HP4 camera. If so, we will warranty the camera for you (with the free 2-Year warranty you receive from us) or return the camera for a full refund (within 90 days of purchase). You have control of the process, remember, we work for you.
Megapixel Ratings:
In the past, many people get confused with the megapixel rating trail camera manufacturers advertise. Companies inflate the mpxl rating to attract eyes to their products. They do this through interpolation, whichdigitally adds megapixels to a photo without actually improving the picture.
The best way to judge picture quality is to look at actual pictures. You will notice this the most when you zoom in on a full-size image that a camera has taken. The details of the photo will appear hazy or even digitized. This is normal, and to be expected.
Battery Life: 95/100
Picture & Video Resting Power (on):0.53 mW
Picture Daytime/Nighttime Power Consumption:1.1 Ws | 1.2 Ws
Video Daytime/Nighttime Power Consumption: 22.8 Ws | 41.7 Ws
Picture Mode
If this Browning Recon Force Elite HP4 camera were to take 35 day and 35 night pictures every 24 hours, it would last 34.3 months in the field on a set of Lithium batteries.
Video Mode
If this IR video camera were to take 15 day and 15 night, 10-second videos every 24 hours, it would last 3.6 months in the field on a set of Lithium batteries.
Detection Circuit: 93/100
Picture Trigger & Recovery Speed: 0.01 s. | 0.6 s.
Video Trigger & Recovery Speed: 0.38 s. | 0.7 s.
Detection Range & Angle: 90 ft. @ 53.5° detection angle (40.2° field of view)
The HP4 is notably fast in every category of detection speed. The trigger speed is insane and the recovery times aren't that far behind. There is no question that this is the fastest trail IR video camera on the market.
Detection range is very solid but the detection angle is 13° wider than the field of view. We would expect semi-frequent false triggers based on the fast detection speeds and the detection angle that is too wide. Other than that, this is a great detection circuit.
Quality of Design: 90/100
Dimensions: 5.5" x 4.25" x 3"
Battery Type: 8AA (we recommend Lithium)
External Battery Jack: 12-volt
Case Design
The case design of the Recon Force HP4 is almost flawless. The camera feels sturdy and well-built. The strap and python cable bracket on the back is metal (most cameras are plastic) and the camera has a threaded slot on the bottom for aSlate River Mount. The battery compartment and SD card slot are both easily accessible.
One thing to note, the battery tray is tough to get out the first couple of times. It has a "sticking point" that prevents the tray from hitting the ground when you hit eject. After removing it several times it will loosen up for future operation.
Temperature ratings the camera records have a tendency of being unreliable and off by a significant margin. In general, this is an outstanding case design.
Camera Setup
The Recon Force HP4has a 2" internal viewer for picture playback, live preview, and setting adjustments. The settings respond quickly and the Advantage is very easy to set up. Whether you are a techie or not, this camera can be setup by any experience level.
The Recon Force has nearly every setting we have become accustomed to. The Recon Force can accept SD cards up 512 Gigabytes. This is far more than you would ever need.
Durability
The only thing of note on durability that continually shows up on all Browning trail cameras is the inconsistent temperature variation. Do not expect the temperature readings on the photos to be correct.
Keep in mind, our2-year warranty program is your free insurance program in case something goes wrong with a camera you purchase from us. This warranty protects you from any manufacturing defect the camera might experience for two years.
Since 2005, our mission has to been to provide consumers with unbeatable value, advice you can trust, and customer service that exceeds expectations. There are plenty of places you can choose to do business with, if we are lucky enough to earn your support, we promise to give you our undivided attention. Trailcampro has grown each year not only by relying on your happiness but on the assumption that if we blow you away with customer service, you will brag about us to your friends (have you seen our referral/reward program?).
As always, if you have additional questions, feel free to call, email or chat with us. We look forward to helping you find your next trail camera!
Enjoy our reviews? Please consider purchasing your next trail camera from us.
FAQ's: Trail Camera
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 a 16 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.
- SD cards store your pictures and videos for easy removal. We give you a free SD card with the Edge cameras, but most people use two cards. If you have two cards, you can swap them out when you retrieve the pictures.
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