Who all is running tacticam reveals?
I'm running 3 1st gen cameras and love them! They can be temperamental at times but have not failed me yet!
I have no experience with any other model they have, but interested in the newer ones. Would like to get some video's - but do they send video's over cellular or do you have to pull the cards to get them?
I have run a couple of the Tactacam OG "Reveal" cams for 2 years now (and continue to). I get great battery life on the settings that I'm using as long as I put in Energizer Lithium AA batteries. (They go for almost a whole year on the settings I'm using).
I ran five of the Tactacam Gen 1 "Reveal X" cams for the past year. Battery life was similarly impressive ... most needed replacement after about 9 months and I had them set to capture 1 max resolution pic then 10 seconds of max resolution video written to the SD card. "Timely" delivery of pics, "High" flash power, and "Daily" settings check. Of note, the max resolution of Gen 1 Reveal X still photos is 16M, whereas the max resolution of the OG Reveal is 24M - and that makes the full size images higher quality. (Though the Gen 1 Reveal X 16M resolution is acceptable to me.) The Gen 1 Reveal X cams don't support video requests over the cell network, so you have to pull the SD card to review video. Overall, they're a great value if the functions meet your needs, especially if you find them on sale or clearance, now that the Reveal XB, Gen 2 Reveal X, and the Reveal X-Pro are available. One more thing, the Gen 1 Reveal X cams have a max video resolution of 1080p.
Earlier this month I sold all of my Gen 1 Reveal X cams and purchased Reveal XB cams to replace them. The Reveal XB cams have GPS built in to assist with location monitoring if they get stolen; They have "No Glow" IR flash (important to me because the "Low Glow" IR flash on my earlier model cams could spook deer, which was apparent by the reactions I'd sometimes see on video clips.) The Reveal XBs have a max still photo resolution of 24M and a max video resolution of 720p. Incidentally, the clarity of the still photo thumbnails and full resolution photos seems to be markedly better than on the OG Reveal cams that were also 24M max resolution. Seems like they upgraded hardware to achieve higher quality pics than anything they released previously? Maybe it's my imagination but the photo quality is noticeably better. I love that I can request video now when I see a nice buck on the still photo that comes through. Helps me to see where he came from and (sometimes) where he's going ... all without disturbing the area with another visit to the camera.
Some of the other model Tactacam Reveal cams currently in production also have the new "Hybrid" mode for settings checks/updates. This is a compromise setting that saves battery life if you value the ability to instantaneously update your camera settings remotely through the app. It lets you make a change to the settings instantaneously for a limited time after a thumbnail photo is sent to your phone. (10 minutes) Instead of constantly pinging the cell tower 24/7 to see if you have made settings adjustments (like the non-hybrid models do when you set the "Settings Check" to "Instant"), it only checks one regular time each day plus for 10 minutes after each photo is transmitted. This is really valuable because during stormy weather, moving brush and tree limbs can cause false triggers and send you numerous useless photos, unnecessarily draining your battery life if you have a lengthy storm duration. The Hybrid mode's 10 minute window after each photo is sent gives you ample time to reduce motion sensitivity to stop the false triggers. You can change it back to higher sensitivity after the storm passes.
Even though the Reveal XB doesn't offer the Hybrid mode for Settings Check, I still prefer it to the Reveal X-Pro because it has a better price point, higher resolution still photos, and I see no real value in the X-Pro's internal LCD screen. A comparison table is in the FAQ on their website, but here it is for reference. Note that the Gen 2 Reveal X is disadvantaged to to XB and the X-PRO because it has No built in GPS capability, 16MP max still photo resolution, and "Low Glow" IR LEDs. It does, however, have the Hybrid mode option for settings checks, which the Reveal XB lacks.
