Wildview Xtreme2 Trail Camera TGL-2M Review:
The Wildview Xtreme2 Trail Camera is a cost-effective trail camera. In fact, you can even purchase 2 or 3 of these cameras for less than you can purchase one of the middle to higher-end trail cameras. Despite its low price, the camera performs very well. We captured deer moving during the day at over 30 feet away from the camera. At only 2 Mega pixels, the pictures you take won’t appear on the cover of Deer Hunter Magazine – but they will be good enough to tell you about the activity in your area. We applaud the inclusion of the 12-volt battery connection and the easy setup. Although easy to access, we worry about the durability of the control panel area – we suspect the plastic clips will eventually break or that this area will succumb to the elements. Hey, but with such a modest price tag, we feel the Wildview Xtreme 2 is the best entry level priced trail camera on the market!
Positives:
- Simple and cheap!
- Easy to setup - controls on front
- Can be hooked up to external 12 volt - yes!
Negatives:
- The battery status only indicates "low battery"
- Slot for memory card is difficult to manage (See tip)
- Durability of control panel housing in question
| Picture Size - Day: |
2.0 Mega pixelsApprox
300 KB image file size
1600 px wide x 1200 px high (72 px per inch) |
| Picture Size - Night: |
Same as day |
| Batteries: |
4 "C"batteriesExternal: Plug-in for 12 volt |
| Memory: |
Memory Type:
SD Card (upto 2 GB max)Internal Memory - 16 MB |
| Flash: |
White flash (On/Auto/Off) |
| Picture Modes: |
SingleBurst (2-3)Video (AVI) |
Our initial test was 10 days long. The camera was setup on the edge of a tree area overlooking CRP - it wasn't overlooking any specific food source, mineral block or trail. During the test, the camera had 75 triggers, of those, 47 pictures contained wildlife in the frame - 62%. The batteries (4 "C" batteries) seem to be fine (no "low battery" indicator).
After clearing the card and putting it back in the camera, the Wildview Xtreme2 took 5 more pictures and then the batteries failed. Of course since the low battery light wasn't light, we had expected that the camera would be able to take significantly more than just 5 pictures. This again reinforces our point on using external 12 volt battery for power.
Sample Pictures
The following are sample pictures from the Wildview Xtreme2 Trail Camera. These images have been reduced in file size by 30% from their original for display here.
Sure, you can knock the image quality as the images do lack crisp color and appear washed out, but are you really expecting Planet Earth quality images out of an $80 camera?
Below is a sample picture showing the nighttime picture with flash. The effective flash range extends just beyond 10 feet (advertised accurately at 15 feet). Night pictures are the same size/resolution as day pictures.
Our review indicated a strong sensor range for this camera. This picture shows a deer walking past our camera at a distance of over 30 feet. The PIR heat and motion sensor was dialed in – it was sensitive enough to capture this picture below, but not too sensitive that grass blowing in the wind triggered too many blanks.
The camera is extremely simple to setup. You can access everything directly on the front of the camera. Here is a picture of the camera with the control panel open:
After setting the time using the SET button inconjuntion with the UP & DN buttons, you can then adjust the Time Out (1, 5, 10 or 20 minutes), the Resolution (Hi & Lo), Burst (1, 2, 3 or AVI), and Flash (Auto, On or Off). Also, you can turn the camera on or off as well as putting it in test mode. The camera displays a LED light for Test mode and also for Low Battery.
Update: 8/15/2009: The recent pictures through the Wildview have been over exposed a bit. Not the same quality as last year. Also, for daylight pictures this camera has the biggest issues with direct sunlight compared to the rest. The Stealth cameras had an issue with direct sunlight as well, but the Scoutguard and Cuddeback cameras don't seem to have that issue. Still a good value, though. I had a couple recent pictures where I couldn't distinguish the number of points on that 10 pointer as it wasn't clear enough. The Cudde or Scoutguard wouldn't have that issue.
Reviewer: - Nick Schwarz
Review Date: - 7/28/2008
