LAST UPDATED: May 8th, 2015
Predator Evolution digital trail camera –First and foremost, please don’t get this post confused. This review is on the Predator Evolution trail camera, not the new Predator Xtinction trail camera. We are still waiting to get a new unit in our hands for testing. I heard they are having some difficulties getting parts but they are on the way shortly. As soon as we get a new unit and have a chance to try it out we will let you know.
The Pros:
The video mode is super cool on mineral licks and scrapes! This is probably one of my favorite features of this camera. Still photos are great, but there's just something about watching a big buck working a scrape from close up that gets me excited. Plus having multiple angles of the buck's rack can allow you to see all those little stickers and kickers that are sometimes hiddenin standard photos. The LCD touchscreen is cool for programming the unit and viewing photos in the field. More than once I have found myself heading out for an evening's hunt only to stop and check my photos on the way in. The Predator Evolution is a very compact trail camera which makes it easy to carry around the woods in a fanny pack. The unit comes with a screw-in bracket for attaching the camera to trees easily. What makes this particular bracket nice is that by simply removing a pin you can take the camera off the tree to making changing batteries and reviewing photos easy, and simply replace the pin to secure the camera when you are done. It works well and is one of the better attaching mechanicsms that I have used.
The trigger speed on the Predator Evolution is also a huge plus. To put it simply, it's probably the fastest trigger speed of any camera I've ever tested or owned. I've gotten a ton of pictures of birds as they fly by the front of the camera, which is pretty impressive.
The Cons:
The battery life of this unit is not the best in the world, and replacing 10 AA batteries every few weeks can get expensive quick. My advice would be to buy rechargeables as soon as possible. You'll thank me later! Also, the images are kind of small. I wish you got a little larger picture so you could blow them up if you got a cool shot. Sometimes it can be difficult to see all the details of a buck's rack or body, especially if they are a little further away. The last downside to this camera is the performance of the LCD screen in really cold weather. Just like your cell phone if you leave it in your truck by accident, the LCD screen gets extremely sluggish when it's cold, which can make reviewing images tedious. And when it's that cold, you don't have much patience for staying still too long!
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This photo shows how good the day time photos can be.
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Here I must have had the unit programmed improperly, as there was plenty of daylight but yet it still took an IR shot.
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Not sure why these bucks bucks got freaked out, the unit is very quiet and has no flash.
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The IR flash range on the Evolution is decent, but not great. I am hoping in the new Xteniction unit's IR will reach out further.
Of course I save the best for last – All bowhunters and dee hunters in general will like this – if you want to get some great videos, this unit can do it!
Check out some of these videos….
Struting Turkey Video
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=3310603642800468404
20 Plus deer in Field – Pretty cool. You know at least one good buck has to be out there somewhere!
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-9007518874748441970
Buck at Licking Branch
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-8990171210984315572
