If you’re a lover of the outdoors and you’re looking to capture the beauty of nature, the Tactacam Reveal X is always a great go-to option.
The Tactacam Reveal X trail camera is an amazing device for outdoor photography and wildlife observation. It uses advanced technology to help you capture stunning images and videos in the wild. To get the most out of this powerful camera, you need to have the best settings in place, which might be tough for newbies to understand.
In this article, we have provided a comprehensive guide to the different settings of the Tactacam Reveal X, explaining what they are, and the best settings to enhance your outdoor experience.
Best Tactacam Reveal X Settings
1. Motion Sensitivity
The camera’s motion sensitivity can be adjusted on a scale of 0 to 9, with 9 being the highest and 1 being the lowest. It’s recommended to start with a middle value and fine-tune it based on your needs.
- If you’re experiencing frequent false triggers, check if the camera is being triggered by leaves, weeds, or other vegetation. Lowering the sensitivity can help reduce these false alarms.
- To minimize false triggers caused by shadows during sunrise or sunset, it’s advised to face the cameras towards the north.
- If you’re receiving a continuous stream of images to the app even when the sensitivity is set very low, there might be animal damage to the camera’s fresnel lens. This lens is a curved plastic piece located on the front of the camera. In such cases, contact Customer Support to arrange for camera repair.
2. Work Timer
Enabling this option allows you to specify designated times of the day when the camera will be active. This feature is useful for security purposes when you only want the camera to operate during specific periods. Please note that the start and end times should be set in military time.
3. Delay
The delay refers to the time between photos taken by the camera. It’s important to understand that due to security reasons, there is already a delay of up to 2 minutes between photos when using the timely send type, as the camera’s PIR sensor needs to turn off while connecting to the server. If you enable an additional delay, it will be added to the time it takes for the camera to connect to the server and send the picture to your app.
- Adding a delay is generally recommended for cameras placed in high-traffic areas, such as near a food source or mineral site, where receiving multiple pictures of the same subject within a short period is unnecessary. This helps conserve data usage.
- In the case of a camera set to capture both pictures and videos (Pic+Video mode), the picture will be sent to the app after the video has finished. So, you need to account for the video length when considering the time between pictures sent to the app.
4. SD Loop
Enabling this setting allows the camera to overwrite the oldest image on the SD card, ensuring that the card never becomes full. This is the recommended setting to prevent the SD card from running out of storage space.
5. Flash Power
This setting determines the brightness of the infrared (IR) low glow flash used by the camera for night vision. There are two options: High and Low. It’s important to note that the IR low glow flash used in Gen 1 REVEAL and REVEAL X cameras is not visible to animals but may be visible to humans.
6. Night Mode
Night mode settings affect the flash power and its impact on image quality. There are three options: Max Distance, Min. Blur, and Balanced.
- Max Distance provides the brightest flash but moving animals captured in the images may appear blurry. This mode is recommended for cameras positioned over large areas like fields or driveways.
- Min. Blur minimizes blurriness by using the lowest flash power. This mode is suitable for low-distance detection, such as near a feeder or in heavily wooded areas.
- Balanced mode offers a compromise between the two, providing moderate flash power and image quality.
7. Settings Check Instant/Daily
These options determine how quickly the settings applied in the app are implemented by the camera.
- Instant setting is recommended for users using external power sources like 12V batteries or solar panels. However, keep in mind that setting it to “instant” may drain the camera’s battery.
- Daily setting applies the changed settings when the camera checks in twice daily. This option is suitable for most users.
8. Detection Range
Adjust the detection range based on your specific needs. For a wildlife observation scenario, a range of 80 feet should suffice. This range allows you to monitor a considerable area without triggering false captures from distant movements.
9. Battery Type
Select the appropriate battery type for the AA batteries used in your camera. The options include Alkaline, Lithium, or NiMH (rechargeable) batteries.
- If you’re using an external power source like a 12V battery or a solar panel, choose the type of AA batteries present in the camera. In such cases, the camera will primarily run on the external power source, using the AA batteries as a backup if needed. The external power indicator will show 100% only when the camera is running on external power. The camera cannot detect the battery percentage of the external power source.
10. Check-in Picture
This setting provides peace of mind by ensuring that the camera is functioning correctly. The camera takes and sends a picture at random times twice a day.
- Note that check-in pictures are not identified as such in the app and may appear as false triggers.
- This setting is recommended for low-traffic areas where you may go days without receiving a picture, allowing you to confirm that the camera is operational.
