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There is always a period of time in the spring that
things finally begin to slow down and we have normally just filled it up
with gathering the pictures and videos from the multitude of cameras we
have in our long range tests. This year we decided to take a look at
these camera accessories and try to give a review on their function.
This was probably one of the biggest can of worms that we ever opened.
Nothing is standard, even the labels and terms for operation varied from
unit to unit. The documentation was written in some cases so poorly that
I just could not follow the instructions. By trial and error I managed
to work my way through each one and done a feeble attempt to report my
findings. I will say that every unit tested did work, but in some cases
not very well. Most of the testing is on going and there are still areas
that we have not been able to test. Maybe there is an issue on the unit
or maybe there is a difference in format causing the problems. Every
unit tested did handle the JPG pictures with out problems. Some were
very easy to use and some required a bunch of toggling to select and
play the first picture and then more to continue. Some of the viewers
were very slow to load the pictures and if you had 50 or 60 pictures to
look at you had better find you a good soft spot to park your butt in
the shade because you are going to be there a while. Probably the
biggest complaint we have seen so far is that one camera company to
another they choose to use some different format and this requires that
you purchase a viewer of that same brand name to accomplish this task.
SD and CF cards seem to be the two most used cards in scouting cameras.
Select few readers will view both style cards, some read only SD cards,
and some read pictures, some read pictures and videos. For those of you
who run a lot of cameras you may have several different brand name
cameras deployed. If this is the case, then you may have to own more
than one viewer to be able to view your pictures/videos in the field. At
a cost average of $150 each then this makes a pair get into the 300
dollar range. I took a trip to Wally World and in their computer section
they had a small lap top that had a built in set of card slots for about
$250 and was loaded with home version of Micro soft windows. This might
be another option for field use and still remain portable. Being that
the majority of our viewing is on SD cards I have taken note that I have
reached for just one viewer most every time. I will go through the
brands and speak a little about each one in general because the in depth
reviews are still on going. The one that I reached for most of the time
will be the last in the narrative. In our particular case we most always
have one of our lap tops with us but when you are in the back 40 and
find where someone or something has screwed with a cam then you can pull
the card and get immediate information. For those who use their viewer
with a base card and copy to it so you can return the card to the cam
that it came out of prior to moving to the next cam, you are going to be
there a while. This is not an instant function. Having enough cards to
just swap out may be a better option. (a 2 gig is under $10 now) They
have their place in the world of scouting cameras, you just have to
figure out just how well a selected viewer will fit in your situation.
Cuddeback CuddeView 4-in-1 Viewer
Very slick operating viewer, nice screen, does SD and CF cards, easy to
use, rechargeable LI, no video capability and loads pretty fast.
StealthCam STC-CRV20 Card Viewer
Probably the best functioning of the viewers, because of its
capabilities to do all cards, copy SD to SD, do video in most formats
except Leaf River, nice rubber armor, Small screen and very slow to
load. Instructions and function as written were easy to understand.
Leaf River PV-2.5 Multi-Card Viewer
The toggle function to view did not seem to work very well. Very stiff
and had a tendency not to accept my requests. It accepts all the cards
but will only play video from the Leaf River cameras. I have yet to get
to get that function to work but instructions indicate the method but my
attempts to view several cards from one of out IR-7 cameras in the video
mode have failed. I am still working on this. The method to view
requires toggling through files to make it happen. Loading was somewhat
slow but the nice screen size made sharp and clear viewing when it
happened.
Spypoint PV-2.4 Digital Picture
Viewer
This is some type of multi-media device plus it is a SD card viewer. Of
the viewers, seen so far this has been the most difficult to use and has
a very slow load time. The many functions like having a radio get in the
way of the business of being an easy to use reader. It does work and
does work well when figured out but has a learning curve associated with
its use. I have to log a few more hours in the field with this viewer
before I give a final decision as to function.
Custom1Enterprises Envue Field
Picture Viewer
This is the last in the series so far and there might be a couple more
on the way in but delays because of year model are keeping from us
getting 100 % of available viewers. Custom one decided to just take the
simple route go out and find a small digital picture frame that seems to
double as a viewer very well. No frills, no copy function, no video
function, no multi card slots, just a plain old SD card viewer. Turn the
switch on with the card installed and hit the slide show button is all
it takes to view your pictures on a 3.5 inch screen. As I said above,
when I am in the field and have this sack full of viewers and I want to
see what is on a particular SD card in a hurry I will reach for this
unit. I will say that this viewer may not be as rugged as the others but
a little protection by using the wallet that it comes with should keep
it in peak shape for a long time. We have only a few cams out anymore
that use the CF cards and they are all Reconyx cameras which take an
enormous amount of pictures each week which makes trying to view that
amount in the field impractical so we have to swap and run unless we
find a situation has happened in that test area.
Bushnell Viewer:
Bushnell declined to have a unit tested at this time due to them having
a very new updated Viewer on the way out for 09. When ever it becomes
available we will see if we can get out hands on one.
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Conclusion
These are very useful devices
and in most cases function very well. If you are running multi
brand name cameras and use both the picture and video
capabilities of your cameras then having a small laptop like the
acer 8 inch would be advisable. The computer will perform all
the functions and do it faster plus will have storage and
transferability that some may require. They are larger and
require prior planning before venturing in the field. This means
some type of protective case for your mini computer. Most of the
time we are on some type of ATV so the load is not an issue. If
I had to do my route on foot then the portable reader that would
slip into a shirt pocket would have to come up as first choice.
Some thought must be put into your selection. Good luck |
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