Thursday, July 21, 2011

Covert Reveal Review

I’ve had several people ask what I thought of the new camera I got to replace the flood damaged one so I thought I’d write a little review. Besides it’s too hot outside to do anything else. So let me begin by saying I’m in no way connected to the DLC Covert Company  nor receive any monies from them. This is just my personal views and experience with one of their trail cameras.

The first thing I thought when I opened the box was wow this thing is small. It will pretty much fit in my hand. The actual size is 5.5”x3.5”x2.2”. It has a nice camo pattern and is well built.
I’ve had the camera out in the field since early May and it’s taken over 1500 pictures. The battery life is a three bar indicator on the remote control unit that plugs into the camera for setup. The first week it dropped back to two bars and I was thinking oh no the battery life doesn’t look good. But it has held on two bars ever since so I’m pleased with that. The camera will run on 4 or 8 AA batteries.  I’m using the 8 battery set up.
One the main reasons I went with this camera is it has a white flash that gives you color pictures at night.  This is one feature that I have been very pleased with. The flash really lights up a big area and I’ve gotten some great night time shots with it. Another thing that pleased me is the sensing range. It’s picking up animals at least 35’ to 40’ out if not a little bit more. One thing I have noticed is the sensing field is wider than the camera field of view. I played around with it a little by walking past it at different distances and the first shot usually just had me walking into the picture frame. Now the trigger speed could be that fast but I don’t think so. The camera technical data says the trigger speed is 1.2 second but I’m guessing it’s more like 1.5 to 2 second. Again I don’t do a controlled test and that’s just my observation from the pictures I’ve gotten. But 1.5 second isn’t bad for a camera in this price range.
I’ll let you form your own opinion on the picture quality from the pics I’ve posted but overall I’m pleased with the quality and color. I attached a few pics from last week at the end.
Another concern I had was whether the camera was quiet. By quiet I mean does it have a filter clunk when it takes a picture. I’ve found that the animals in my area are much more affected by the loud clunk than they are by the white flash. I’m happy to say that this camera is quiet. I haven’t noticed any pictures of the animals staring at the camera as they do with another camera I have that does have the clunk.
I haven’t needed to deal with Covert’s customer service so I can’t help you with that. But I count that as a good thing also. The cost of this camera is around $120 and I got mine on sale for $99. With the security box and python lock cable (highly recommended in bear country or high people areas) you can get a very good trail camera for around $150 if you shop around. All in all I really don’t have anything I don’t like about the camera and I’ve become a big fan of the Covert cameras. To the point I’m thinking about getting another one.  YES, I’m totally addicted to this camera trapping thing.  If the pay wasn’t so bad I’d quit my day job and do it full time ;).
If I missed something and you have questions please don’t be afraid to ask. You can email me at jsmith0359@gmail.com.





13 comments:

TexWisGirl said...

just love those rich tones of your deer! but on the 2nd bear shot, you got his paw!!! Squeal! :) (I've actually considered investing in a trail cam to set up around the pond area. I know the majority would be coons, but that would be okay by me. See - you've got me hooked too!)

Michaele said...

So affordable! This is something I may like to try sometime.

Martie said...

I just received a Covert Reveal in the mail yesterday and deployed it in the woods. I will let is soak a few days and see how it does. I was impressed with the cam as soon as I opened the box. It is small and feels really well built and solid!

Nancy said...

Excellent review and the photos are excellent. Sold! Well, if I was in the market... :)

Michelle said...

Joe you have the best captures with your trail cam. Great review.

Dawn said...

That company needs to hire you!
(My son just came by and saw/read this....his words:
"Sweet!")
See...you have a buyer already;)

Liesl said...

I can't believe that camera is so affordable and gives such amazing quality pictures. I don't have to tell you to enjoy it, hey...

bigcatdetective said...

Very useful review with some helpful info......

Larry Ostby said...

Lots of good info. Joe. Like the pics too. You are encouraging me to keep my trail camera out all year round. I usually put it out early fall and through the winter. Thanks for sharing.

Reena said...

This is a pretty cool device.... makes me think I maybe would like to have one .... always curious of what's happening around the place at night ... I think my critters are partying down!

Buttons Thoughts said...

Wow that is so worth the money. Now I want one. I have a lot of bush and no people around here. B

KB said...

That sounds like a great camera for relatively low cost. The picture quality looks great to me. I love the one with the sole of the bear's paw so bright!

Unknown said...

This camera is it's a white flash that provides you color footage in the dark. this is often one feature that I actually have been more than happy with. The flash extremely lights up an enormous space and I’ve gotten some nice evening time shots with it.

trail cam reviews