New for 2021 is the updated Browning Recon Force Elite HP4
wildlife camera trap. It’s main, standout feature is the fantastic quality
1080p, 60fps video quality and also has improved 22MP photos, a very fast
trigger speed and a host of other features, building on our most popular
wildlife camera ever (which this camera replaces), the 2020 Recon Force Edge.
A big change this year is to more powerful, long range IR
LEDs – this allows much better night time illumination using invisible
infrared, and importantly means the trail camera now supports rechargeable
batteries. This is something that has been on our wish list with Browning for
years.
The Elite HP4 also has the much-sought feature, a
programmable start and stop timer – meaning you can tell it when you want it to
be active. This means with this wildlife camera, you can avoid the early
morning pigeons or the dog in the back garden, and focus solely on the best
times for wildlife.
It also uses the latest V35MA processor from iCatch,
the leading camera processor maker to deliver the next step up in performance
and quality.
The Browning Recon Force Elite HP4 in
particular delivers best-in-class video footage, day and night. If you’re
looking for a wildlife camera to take great videos, this is likely to be the
one for you. There are two choices for video resolution – ‘Ultra’ and
‘High’. Ultra is uncompressed 1080p HD video at 6o frames per second. The
quality is undoubtedly amazing, but the file sizes are very large – over 400MB
per video. Choosing ‘High’ resolution means the same 1080p but at 30 frames per
second and video quality is almost as good, but the file sizes are much more
manageable.
Day and night videos are 60fps when in ‘Ultra’ mode – the
highest available on any camera currently. This means smooth footage, in
addition to the brilliant quality.
The LEDs are low-glow and due to the use of the high
performance LEDs, the range is improved over previous versions. The camera has
a setting which allows you to tweak the flash based on your requirements; Power
Save, Fast Motion or Long Range.
The Browning Recon Force Elite HP4 can detect movement
out to about 90ft and has the ability to adjust the sensitivity and therefore
the detection ranges to between 60-80ft. In the UK, we’d always recommend
leaving it on the 80ft option. If you’re after no-glow, the Spec Ops Elite HP4
offers the same features as the Recon Force but with no-glow LEDs.
You can also adjust the trigger speed of the camera to
between 0.2 and 0.7 seconds – if you have a slow or fast moving animals, for
example. This new model adds a faster recovery time too, down to 0.6 seconds.
The forward-facing colour screen not only lets you view the
images/videos captured, but is invaluable during set up as it shows exactly
what the camera can see – so if you’ve set it too high, a look at the screen
will tell you and you can then adjust.
It includes the exciting innovation from Browning of ‘Smart
IR Video’ – this means that the camera will continue recording video
footage for up to 5 minutes during the daytime and up to 20 seconds at night as
long as the wildlife/people continue to move in front of the camera. So if
you’re worried about video length vs. battery life, this feature takes that
concern off your hands.
In photo mode, you can select how many images you want
the camera to take per trigger. You can select either Multi-shot, which takes
up to 8 images at 2 second intervals, or Rapid Fire, which can take up to
8 images at 0.2 seconds apart.
The Browning Recon Force Elite HP4 is powered by 8x AA
batteries (not provided), and has the ability to use an SD card up to 512GB –
unprecedented in camera trapping. We’re not sure if you’ll ever need that
amount unless using ‘Ultra’ video resolution, but it’s nice to have the option
of using a 64GB card for long-term monitoring, or if you don’t want to keep
deleting captures from your SD card. The Elite HP4 also has a SD management
option which will overwrite the oldest recordings/photos once the SD card
fills.
The Browning Recon Force Elite HP4 is supplied with a 2 year
warranty when bought through NatureSpy. Browning are an American company; but
if anything goes wrong with your camera, we’ll deal with all warranty returns
here in the UK. We’ll never ask you to send your Browning camera trap direct to
the manufacturer.
Browning Recon Force Elite HP4 features:
Distance
& Speed Features:
80 ft. Flash Range
80 ft. Detection Range
0.2 Second Trigger Speeds
0.6 Second Recovery Time
Up to 8 Multi-Shot Images
Up to 8 Rapid Fire Images
Programmable Picture Delay (Delay Settings Range from 5 Seconds – 60 Minutes)
Additional Features:
SD Card “Memory Management” Option
Programmable timer
“Smart IR” Video Detection System
Fast 0.2 ‐0.7 Second Adjustable Trigger Speeds
Adjustable Detection Range up to 80 ft.
Long Battery Life from 8 AAx Batteries (Batteries Not Included)
12 Volt External Power Jack
Picture “Data Strip” Displays: Time, Date, Temperature, Moon Phase, &
Camera ID
Camo Finish
Compatible with Browning “Buck Watch Time lapse Viewer” Software
Threaded Insert Size of 1/4” – 20 on Bottom of Camera for Mounting Purposes