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Trail cameras used to run on 6-volt batteries and use film. Then they evolved to AA batteries and SD cards, and now we live in a time when you don’t need an SD card at all, and rechargeable lithium has pushed battery life from weeks to months.
By coupling a rechargeable lithium battery with a solar panel, you can push battery life from dove season right through fawns hitting the ground the next spring. If you’re looking for a trail cam with that much battery life, the new Tactacam REVEAL Pro 4.0 Solar is worth looking at. I tested its trigger speed, flash range, photo quality, sensitivity, and battery life. Here’s what I think of it so far.
See It
Key Features
- Warranty: 1 year from activation date
- Photo Definition: 4K (UHD), 2.5K (WQHD)
- Flash Range: Low Glow – 96 feet; No Glow – 80 feet
- Memory: 8GB internal storage with optional SD card slot
- Power: 12 AA batteries (not included); optional external power source (5K External Battery Pack or solar panel included)
- External Power: DC 12V-2A input
- Live video
- Built-in monitor
- Built-in GPS
- Two-axis tree mount
- Includes: REVEAL Pro 4.0, solar panel and R5 battery
- Price: $200
I Tested the Tactacam Reveal Pro 4.0 Solar #outdoorgearreview #trailcam #tactacam #shorts
R5 Battery
The REVEAL Pro 4.0 Solar comes with an R5 Flexpack, a 5,000mAh rechargeable lithium battery. My R5s last about a month on cameras with a high-battery-use setting — instant sends and lots of photos. You can extend that battery life by sending photos to your app once a day and adjusting your camera settings to take fewer photos. Charging an R5 only takes about 3.5 hours.
Battery Manager
If you’re really into adjusting your camera settings to maximize battery life, there’s a Battery Center feature in the Reveal app. It shows a summary of battery usage, how well the solar panel or external battery pack is performing, and suggested settings for maximizing battery life. You can click the Battery Saver setting and hit Apply to get the most battery life possible — or just keep the settings on Instant if you’re like me.
Mount
This solar package comes with an upgraded tree mount that lets you adjust the camera’s angle vertically and horizontally. So you don’t need to rely on the old trick of propping a stick behind the camera to angle it down — you can aim the camera exactly where you want it.
Monitor and Controls
The new Pro 4.0 has Tactacam’s best image quality to date and the trail camera door is now located on the side of the camera — instead of directly in front of it. This allows you to aim the camera with the view finder without blocking the camera’s view.
Testing the REVEAL Pro 4.0 Solar
Last month, I reviewed the REVEAL Pro 4.0 and conducted a walkthrough test, which evaluates trigger speed, night performance and detection range. The test involves walking from right to left, then left to right, at 10, 60, and 110 feet — day and night. The Pro 4.0 triggered with 100 percent reliability at 10 and 60 feet, catching me as I entered the frame from both directions during the day and at night. It did not trigger at 110 feet, day or night, which isn’t uncommon. With the camera set to Low Glow, it puts out a nice, even IR flash that illuminates a wide area out to about 100 feet. What I appreciate most is that it doesn’t blow out detail up close and still has plenty of brightness to clearly see animals at 60 feet. Like the 3.0, you can adjust between No Glow and Low Glow settings right in the app.
I wanted to see how the REVEAL Pro 4.0 performed when animals walked directly at it and directly away from it. Starting at 110 feet, I walked straight at the camera, and it captured me at about 10 feet. Starting from behind the camera, I walked straight past it, and it captured me again at about 10 feet.
In the Field
I deployed my REVEAL Pro 4.0 Solar on an old logging road, where it gets a few hours of sun per day, to see if that would be enough to maintain the battery. I’ve had success running the Tactacam Folding Solar Panel in the woods, so I wanted to see if the smaller panel that comes with the 4.0 Solar has similar capability.
I’m still early in my testing of the Pro 4.0 Solar, so it’s too soon to say how well the panel works with partial sunlight. I’d suggest giving it as much direct sun as possible and angling the solar panel so the light squarely hits the solar cells. That’s easy to do with the adjustable mount the Pro 4.0 Solar comes with.
Final Thoughts
The Pro 4.0 Solar is a solid trail camera and a good value. If you were to buy a 4.0 Pro and an R5 battery pack separately, your cart total would be $220. But the Pro 4.0 Solar costs $200 and includes a solar panel — so it’s the better buy for anyone who’s already thinking about getting an R5 for their trail camera.
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