Campark TC07 4K WiFi Solar Trail Camera Review

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A trail camera is a battery operated camera that is designed to operate unattended outdoors and to automatically capture pictures or video of anything that triggers the built-in motion detector. They are mainly used to monitor wildlife activity but could be used for security purposes also.

This IP66 water-resistant model is one of the new top of the range cameras from Campark arrived packed in an attractive mid-market product box inside of which was the camera itself, a tree mount strap, data cable, metal mount with fixing screw set, and a User Guide. Although the camera itself is made of plastic and is rather lightweight (which is perhaps no drawback) build quality seems excellent. The User Guide is a good size, well printed, and easy to read.

One of the several unusual features of this camera is the way it is powered, which is different to any other trail camera I have tried. The camera has a detachable combined rechargeable lithium battery pack and solar panel which clips to the top of the camera. This battery unit can be detached with a rubber cover provided to protect the terminals. The rechargeable battery can be charged through the solar panel or using the grommet protected USB-C port on the side. This is handy because it means on dull days the battery can be recharged indoors without needing to disturb the camera itself. (Take note that the other USB-C port inside the camera door flap is for data transmission only and will not charge the battery). The camera can also be powered by 8 standard AA batteries accessed by removing the panel inside the body. The camera can be powered by the AA batteries alone when the rechargeable battery is removed or automatically when the rechargeable battery is too low. From being fully depleted the camera will automatically begin working from solar charging when it has returned to a usable battery level. If used intensively the rechargeable battery will run down in just a few days but in normal use in good sunlight, Campark claim a standby life of up to 12 months. There is also an power-in port on the camera body allowing the camera to be connected to an permanent external power supply.

On the front of the device are the two lenses (one for night and the other for day), a light sensor, Status LED (Setup only mode), front and side motion sensors, a 24 LED 850nm night vision infrared panel and a microphone. On the side are clips to secure the front flap which opens out to give access to the colour LCD monitor and control buttons. Inside the door flap is the full-size SD card slot (Class 10 U3 or better), with the USB-C data port for computer connection port and camera reset pinhole. Inside the door flap below the speaker grill and 2.4" 320 x 240 colour LCD screen are an array of buttons for track navigation, menu, mode selection, camera selection, wifi on/off, replay, shot taking and OK. The buttons are a good size and reasonably easy to find and use outside at night. Below them is a turret switch to set the device to OFF/SETUP/On and a USB-C data only port. On the camera base is the metal screw hole for a tripod.

The camera is triggered by the front and side facing motion detection sensors (total angle of view 120°) has three sensitivity levels available and at 0.1 seconds the trigger delay is the fastest I have yet tried. Care must be taken also to avoid false motion sensor alerts – foliage, vehicles, etc – as this will soon flatten the battery. Although the trigger time is fast nevertheless when recording wildlife try and position the camera so the subject approaches the camera and not across it. To position the camera correctly put it in Setup mode and the red LED on the front of the camera will light up when you are detected, the LED will not light up in recording mode.

Although there are plenty of refinements and fine-tuning that can be made, the camera can be up and running very quickly with the default settings. After fully charging the batteries and removing the gels covering the lens, sensors and screen, insert the full sized SD card and set the turret slider to SETUP. You will be prompted to format the SD card and you can now set the image and video resolutions, video recording lengths and other parameters such as time stamping, schedule timer etc. One particularly useful feature is that you do not have to choose between Video or Stills as you can set it to record both at once.

For Full review see YouTube: https://youtu.be/IWncjmgIKeI