Browning non-cellular black flash cams

[BSK]

For those who use Browning non-cellular black-flash cameras, they have changed the model name this year from Spec Ops Elite HP5, to Spec Ops Elite HP5 Ultra. What the "ultra" stands for, I have no idea. Supposedly they are an upgrade, but looking at the specs, the only thing I can see is perhaps 10 more feet of night-time illumination, plus a few programming upgrades (options the older cameras didn't have). One good thing, they're $10 cheaper than the old models!

I'll probably be picking up 4 of them before camera census time in August.

 

[TheLBLman]

I'll have to check into this.
Browning already has more programming options than most other brands in a comparable price range. The icing on the cake for me with these Browning cams is their ability to accept large data set sd cards, while many "popular" trail cams limit their sd cards to a very low capacity card (especially for running video).

 

[TheLBLman]

Our friends at Trail Camp Pro are in process of comparative testing for it. I see where they just rated its trigger speed at 0.02 seconds, which is incredibly fast.

Using their standardized testing, they rated this cam's battery life at 25.1 months.

 

[BSK]

If I remember correctly, the original version of the HP5 had an illumination range rated at 90 feet, and the new one 100 feet.

 

[JCDEERMAN]

Very cool. They are my favorite cams, however the last 2 HP5's I bought I had to send back within 1-2 months. The date, at some point while out in the field within a few weeks, would default back to midnight 1/1/2020. They both kept doing it and pissing me off. Seem to be all set now, as the 2 new ones they sent worked fine once received.

 

[volboy]

Very cool. They are my favorite cams, however the last 2 HP5's I bought I had to send back within 1-2 months. The date, at some point while out in the field within a few weeks, would default back to midnight 1/1/2020. They both kept doing it and pissing me off. Seem to be all set now, as the 2 new ones they sent worked fine once received.

I have 1 doing same thing

 

[BSK]

I have 1 doing same thing

I had two HP4s that did that. Eventually, they also started having the problem that once triggered by an animal, for the next hour they would trigger every minute. I ended up retiring both of them.

I'll have to check, but I think I'm running four HP4s, 12 HP5s, and four GardePros. But I'm going to pick up four HP5 Ultras to somewhat replace the GardePros. I'll keep running the GardePros but not in high-traffic census locations. They miss too many triggers, so I can't rely on them for census data.

 

[Ski]

I'm going to pick up four HP5 Ultras to somewhat replace the GardePros. I'll keep running the GardePros but not in high-traffic census locations. They miss too many triggers, so I can't rely on them for census data.

That's surprising to me. I've not experienced that at all. I'm about to set out new salt so it'll be a good opportunity to set up a few different cams on one spot to test which cams are doing what. I'm bored anyway and need a project lol.

 

[JCDEERMAN]

For those having issues with their HP5's or any browning cameras, send them back and they will either replace or give you a discount on their current inventory.

I had one that was about 8 years old and would only work during daylight. Sent it back, said there was nothing they could do with it, gave me a discount on a new HP5 that I ordered and sent my original 8 year old camera back to me. Lo and behold it started working normal again for night time pictures. And we still use it

 

[BSK]

That's surprising to me. I've not experienced that at all. I'm about to set out new salt so it'll be a good opportunity to set up a few different cams on one spot to test which cams are doing what. I'm bored anyway and need a project lol.

Are you using any A60s? That's all I have. I have tried, and tried, and tried to figure out a pattern in why they don't always trigger but come up with nothing. I've tried changing my settings around, turning on and off the side censors, etc. Yet I still get times they don't trigger. For census work, I can't have that. I will still use them on food plots, but not in the primary census location.

 

[TheLBLman]

But I'm going to pick up four HP5 Ultras to somewhat replace the GardePros. I'll keep running the GardePros but not in high-traffic census locations. They miss too many triggers, so I can't rely on them for census data.

Other than Reconyx, nothing I've tried has been as reliable on getting the pics (triggering reliability) as the Brownings. Many cams, Tactacam in particular, have very slow triggers, and that slowness is often the cause of missed pics.

And often, users simply never realize what they've missed, as it's hard to measure the value of pics you're not getting.

 

[BSK]

And often, users simply never realize what they've missed, as it's hard to measure the value of pics you're not getting.

Exactly. It's easy to see those the camera misses when you drive an ATV or walk right in front of the camera and it doesn't trigger, but unless you're there, you never know the deer the camera has missed. I've been hunting a tower stand overlooking a food plot and watched deer walk right in front of my GardePros and they didn't trigger. Now I DO get a lot of images/videos from them, but I know they are missing some video opportunities. I can't have that for census work.

 

[megalomaniac]

Brownings are like cell phones... minimal upgrades if any every year, to justify the premium price....

They could pack 5 years of upgrades in a single year, but they dont do it to continue with the minimal upgrades.

Dont get me wrong... I do believe they are the best cams out there....

But im not sure the hp5 series is worth the price....

My $70 defender vision pros cell cams are incredible when not used as cell cams... so you get a great cam with the 'option' of activating cell service if desired. Ill prob keep buying those instead of the hp5s

 

[JCDEERMAN]

Brownings are like cell phones... minimal upgrades if any every year, to justify the premium price....

They could pack 5 years of upgrades in a single year, but they dont do it to continue with the minimal upgrades.

Dont get me wrong... I do believe they are the best cams out there....

But im not sure the hp5 series is worth the price....

My $70 defender vision pros cell cams are incredible when not used as cell cams... so you get a great cam with the 'option' of activating cell service if desired. Ill prob keep buying those instead of the hp5s

With those, what is Illuma-Smart night vision?

Is that red glow or black flash?

 

[BSK]

Just talked to Trailcampro. They said the only real difference with the Ultra over the original HP5 is they upgraded the video from 30fps to 60fps. I bet I won't even be able to tell the difference.

 

[megalomaniac]

With those, what is Illuma-Smart night vision?

Is that red glow or black flash?

No idea, mine are 3 years old and dont have that...

But I suspect that is what Cudde does... adjusts flash intensity (and battery consumption) based on distance target is from camera.

To my knowledge it is not possible for any camera to switch from black flash to low glow unless it has a full additional complement of illuminating bulbs.

 

[BSK]

Brownings are like cell phones... minimal upgrades if any every year, to justify the premium price....

They could pack 5 years of upgrades in a single year, but they dont do it to continue with the minimal upgrades.

Dont get me wrong... I do believe they are the best cams out there....

But im not sure the hp5 series is worth the price....

My $70 defender vision pros cell cams are incredible when not used as cell cams... so you get a great cam with the 'option' of activating cell service if desired. Ill prob keep buying those instead of the hp5s

I wouldn't say the Brownings take the best still images. I've seen better from other brands. But their video is absolutely stellar. And since I've switched all my personal census data to video, that's enough of a plus to justify the price.

 

[megalomaniac]

Just talked to Trailcampro. They said the only real difference with the Ultra over the original HP5 is they upgraded the video from 30fps to 60fps. I bet I won't even be able to tell the difference.

Your SD card and laptop will.

 

[BSK]

But I suspect that is what Cudde does... adjusts flash intensity (and battery consumption) based on distance target is from camera.

This is correct. The ability to adjust brightness depending on how far away the target is.

 

[megalomaniac]

I wouldn't say the Brownings take the best still images. I've seen better from other brands. But their video is absolutely stellar. And since I've switched all my personal census data to video, that's enough of a plus to justify the price.

Have you found a cam with better images, battery life, triggers on game, and longevity combined?

I sure haven't.

 

[BSK]

Your SD card and laptop will.

You know that's true! probably double the file size.

I'll collect some video in 60fps and see if it makes a noticeable difference. If not, I'll step them back to 30fps.

 

[BSK]

Have you found a cam with better images, battery life, triggers on game, and longevity combined?

I sure haven't.

No. But if still image quality was my number one concern, I would look at other cameras. I think the still images on the Browning are OK, but not great.

 

[TheLBLman]

I've been hunting a tower stand overlooking a food plot and watched deer walk right in front of my GardePros and they didn't trigger.

Some of the missed triggering often has to do with "recovery" time between triggerings.

Recovery time is how long the cam is non-functional after it triggers on an event. This is not to be confused with a chosen "delay" setting. You might have a cam set to "delay" anywhere from a few seconds to minutes, between triggering events.

"Recovery" time is added to that chosen "delay".
Cheaper cams tend to have longer "recovery" times.

Since this thread is about the new Browning, Trail Cam Pro's analysis claims it has a "recovery" time (for pics) of 1.1 seconds. So if you had your "delay" between potential triggerings set for 15 seconds, it would really be 16.1 seconds of non-working after something triggered your cam.

As a comparison, TCP rated the GardePro's T5CF cam to have a "recovery" time of 2.0 seconds.

Then, there is also the actual "trigger speed" which is how fast the cam will actually trigger a pic when something moves in front of the sensor. That GardePro T5CF is rated at 0.5 seconds. So, if you had your "delay" set for 15 seconds, you would need to add 0.5 for triggering time + 2.0 seconds for recovery time = a minimum "down" time of 17.5 seconds after something trips the sensor to trigger.

By comparison, the Browning's trigger time is 0.02 seconds, considerably quicker than the GardePro (along with Browning's 1.1 second recovery time).

Different Brands & Different Models within brands can vary greatly on trigger speeds & recovery times.

The Reconyx Hyperfire 4k Ultra HD has a trigger speed of 0.25 seconds & a recovery time of 2.2 seconds. Surprisingly, the new Browning is beating this Reconyx on these two parameters!

Looking at a few other brands & models:

Tactacam Reveal Pro 3.0
Trigger Time = 0.38 seconds Recovery time = 21.1 seconds
(Not a mistake. Recovery time is 21.1 seconds.)
Set this cam on a 10-second delay, and your "down" time exceeds 30 seconds.

Stealth Cam Fusion Max 2.0
Trigger Time = 0.26 seconds Recovery time = 18.5 seconds

Bushnell Core DS 4k No Glow
Trigger Time = 0.15 seconds Recovery time = 0.7 seconds
Really fast recovery time.

Spypoint Flex Dark
Trigger Time = 0.37 seconds Recovery time = 3.6 seconds

All above regarding cams set to "pics".
If set in video mode, can be major differences in recovery times.

 

[Ski]

Are you using any A60s? That's all I have. I have tried, and tried, and tried to figure out a pattern in why they don't always trigger but come up with nothing. I've tried changing my settings around, turning on and off the side censors, etc. Yet I still get times they don't trigger. For census work, I can't have that. I will still use them on food plots, but not in the primary census location.

Yeah I have a half dozen or so A60's, although I prefer its predecessor the A5.

I believe the reason you're noticing missed triggers and I am not is two fold. Firstly you're almost certainly getting many, many more times the amount of takes than I am, so just from sheer numbers you're seeing more faults. When I check cams I have a few hundred to a few thousand takes to go through and I delete a large portion of them without even viewing because it's not of a specific deer I'm interested in or of a deer at all.

Secondly I'm not looking for the same data criteria you're looking for. You're counting population density, sex ratio, age structure, etc., and doing so on larger properties for paying clients. It's professionally critical for your data to be accurate and complete. I'm running cams on smaller properties for my own personal use, and my personal objective is killing a specific buck. Any pics/vids that don't reasonably relate to him are discarded or at most set aside for later processing, such as other bucks that I may be interested in hunting in the future. I skim through my cards & retrieve relevant data and delete the rest.

So undoubtedly I am not noticing trigger misses the way you notice them. I may very well be experiencing the exact same malfunctions that you're reporting. I've got not much else going on so I'll run a GardePro, Browning, and something else on the same tree pointed at the same mineral site, set with the same/similar functions. Might actually be a good idea to check all of my cams like that.

 

[Ski]

Your SD card and laptop will.

That's my biggest gripe about Browning and the thing I love most about the GardePro. I cannot visually say one is better than the other as both take very clear videos and pictures, but the time it takes my computer & laptop to load the data for viewing is much different. The GardePro loads nearly instantaneously. Put the card in and everything is immediately ready to view. Deleting pics/vids is immediate. Formatting cards is immediate. But the Brownings take foreeeeeeeever. No idea why it's like that but I loathe checking my Browning cams because I know it's going to be a lot of hurry up & wait when I'm going through the cards.

 

[BSK]

That's my biggest gripe about Browning and the thing I love most about the GardePro. I cannot visually say one is better than the other as both take very clear videos and pictures, but the time it takes my computer & laptop to load the data for viewing is much different. The GardePro loads nearly instantaneously. Put the card in and everything is immediately ready to view. Deleting pics/vids is immediate. Formatting cards is immediate. But the Brownings take foreeeeeeeever. No idea why it's like that but I loathe checking my Browning cams because I know it's going to be a lot of hurry up & wait when I'm going through the cards.

That's something too that I can't figure out. Both cams create their videos in MP4. But the Browning videos of the same length will be more than twice the file size of the videos from my GardePros (both collecting video in 1920x1080, and same frame rate).

But my PCs HATE the GardePro videos. Every time I insert an SD Card from a GardePro it tells me the card is damaged and needs to be repaired. Repair takes just a few clicks and a few seconds. But it does get tiring when your download data from 20+ SD Cards. On the other hand, the download time from the GardePros is a fraction of the time for downloading from Browning camera.

 

[BSK]

Some of the missed triggering often has to do with "recovery" time between triggerings.

Recovery time is how long the cam is non-functional after it triggers on an event. This is not to be confused with a chosen "delay" setting. You might have a cam set to "delay" anywhere from a few seconds to minutes, between triggering events.

"Recovery" time is added to that chosen "delay".
Cheaper cams tend to have longer "recovery" times.

Since this thread is about the new Browning, Trail Cam Pro's analysis claims it has a "recovery" time (for pics) of 1.1 seconds. So if you had your "delay" between potential triggerings set for 15 seconds, it would really be 16.1 seconds of non-working after something triggered your cam.

As a comparison, TCP rated the GardePro's T5CF cam to have a "recovery" time of 2.0 seconds.

Then, there is also the actual "trigger speed" which is how fast the cam will actually trigger a pic when something moves in front of the sensor. That GardePro T5CF is rated at 0.5 seconds. So, if you had your "delay" set for 15 seconds, you would need to add 0.5 for triggering time + 2.0 seconds for recovery time = a minimum "down" time of 17.5 seconds after something trips the sensor to trigger.

By comparison, the Browning's trigger time is 0.02 seconds, considerably quicker than the GardePro (along with Browning's 1.1 second recovery time).

Different Brands & Different Models within brands can vary greatly on trigger speeds & recovery times.

The Reconyx Hyperfire 4k Ultra HD has a trigger speed of 0.25 seconds & a recovery time of 2.2 seconds. Surprisingly, the new Browning is beating this Reconyx on these two parameters!

Looking at a few other brands & models:

Tactacam Reveal Pro 3.0
Trigger Time = 0.38 seconds Recovery time = 21.1 seconds
(Not a mistake. Recovery time is 21.1 seconds.)
Set this cam on a 10-second delay, and your "down" time exceeds 30 seconds.

Stealth Cam Fusion Max 2.0
Trigger Time = 0.26 seconds Recovery time = 18.5 seconds

Bushnell Core DS 4k No Glow
Trigger Time = 0.15 seconds Recovery time = 0.7 seconds
Really fast recovery time.

Spypoint Flex Dark
Trigger Time = 0.37 seconds Recovery time = 3.6 seconds

All above regarding cams set to "pics".
If set in video mode, can be major differences in recovery times.

It is important to understand trigger, recovery, and delay times. But with my GardePros, it can be the only deer of the morning walking in front of the camera, and sometimes, no trigger. I can drive my ATV in front of the camera (hot engine) and still sometimes no trigger. When I drive up and park right in front of the camera, get off the ATV and walk up to the camera to change SD Cards, again, sometimes no trigger. And it's not just one of the cameras. All of mine do this.

 

[Andy S.]

.......but looking at the specs, the only thing I can see is perhaps 10 more feet of night-time illumination, plus a few programming upgrades (options the older cameras didn't have). One good thing, they're $10 cheaper than the old models!

Just talked to Trailcampro. They said the only real difference with the Ultra over the original HP5 is they upgraded the video from 30fps to 60fps.

At first I was not going to share this, because it really does not matter, but why not. I emailed Browning to see what their product specialist would tell me. Their answer below.

My question: Do you have a table that illustrates the specifications/differences of this camera with prior year model "Spec Ops Elite HP5"?

Browning's reply: The only difference between the two models is the Ultra has a higher mega-pixel resolution. I don't have a chart, but the ultra has 46MP while the previous model had 26MP. If you have any other questions, please let me know!

 

[BSK]

How interesting Andy S.

 

[TheLBLman]

Browning's reply: The only difference between . . . .

I would speculate that's just the only perceived "significant" difference between the two (by whomever responded), albeit in reality, it may not be that significant.

To me, a little further flash range is more significant.

One of the most misleading aspects of comparing trail cams is whatever they claim in their image megapixels. What they don't usually tell you is that their numbers are "interpolated".