Editor & Article Writer for Outdoor Wilds
The Earthtree Trail Camera is no longer available. The closest trail camera to the Earthtree is the Kufa T1, which is a better camera overall due to it having a more current video chipset. (See below)
Last update on 2024-10-11 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
Trail cameras are becoming more popular which is great, and to cater for this demand more cameras are being introduced to the market. This is no bad thing, however it does mean that its now harder to make a choice when looking to buy a trail cam.
This is even more the case at the budget end of the market, so I decided to take a look at what has to be said one of the most popular budget trail cams you can get your hands on at present.
I’ve had the Earthtree for a couple of months now so I thought it was time to write an Earthtree trail camera review to let you know my honest opinion of the camera and what I like and don’t like about it.
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Earthtree Trail Camera Review
In this review I’ll cover the accessories that come supplied with the camera, the build quality, setup / features, plus most importantly how it performs in the field with a 7 minute example video of footage captured with my own Earthtree trail cam.
Whats in the box - Accessories supplied
For the price, remember it’s a budget camera, it does come supplied with a host of extras.
- Wall mount bracket and screws
- USB cable
- Tree strap
- Instruction manual & simple operating instructions.
Build quality & first impressions
Overall I’d have to say pretty good on the build quality side of things. At first I was a bit sceptical about the 2 locking brackets that hold the front hinged door in the closed position. They just don’t feel as solid as say, a Brownings single locking mechanism, but that is probably being unfair as they are a lot more expensive, costing nearly 3 times as much.
I also noticed the rubber seal that makes the housing waterproof to IP66 rating could, if not carefully maintained become clogged with bits of twig and dirt which may break the seal.
Having said all that, in the field my camera had no problems at all with leaks and withstood a gale force 9 storm which battered my part of the “woods” for several days.
So to sum up, the Earthtree should stand up to most general use without any problems, just keep an eye on that rubber seal.
Setup and ease of use
It is a very easy to setup camera it has to be said. Unlock the 2 clips which you can see in the picture above to the far right of the picture and the hinged front opens.
This reveals 2 sections to the camera. On the right is the battery compartment which is covered by a plastic cover. The left side of course is the hinged door which houses the 2.4″ TFT LCD operating screen.
Viewing screen
The viewing screen is full colour and provides a live feed view of what the camera lens is viewing. Which isn’t much use really as once the hinged door is locked back in place the camera lens is pointing in a different direction. Although it does give an indication of light levels. I do prefer a front facing fixed LCD screen that shows you what the lens will see when the camera is live, but again you’ll have to pay a lot more for that type of feature found on trail cameras.
The LCD screen displays the menu settings using the operating buttons below. The screen also allows for playback of captured video and still images.
There are the usual trail camera modes and settings which are clearly laid out on the easy to read menu.
Settings overview
- Video mode – 1080p, 720p, WVGA, VGA
- Photo size – 14MP, 12MP, 8MP, 5MP, 3MP, 1MP
- Picture number – 1 photo, 2 photo, 3 photo
- Video length – 10 seconds, 1 to 60 seconds, & 3, 5 and 10 minutes
- Interval: 30 seconds, optional from 5 seonds to 60 minutes (Timelapse)
Performance
We now get down to the most important part, the image quality and detection range. I wasn’t expecting a great deal it has to be said from this trail camera. However I was in for a surprise.
Detection range
The detection range is advertised at 65 feet. At night I’d estimate thats the absolute maximum distance that you should expect, in real world conditions I’d say to expect nearer 55 feet, unless its a very clear night with no mist or fog etc.
It’s the daytime detection range that really impressed me. I paced out the maximum distance that movement was being detected, and I’d say it was at least 70 feet, perhaps a bit further which is impressive for a budget trail camera.
The other aspect of the camera that impressed was the “PIR Angle”. Earthtree advertise a 90 degree angle and I’d say thats underestimated, it looked closer to 100 degrees. The camera certainly had no problem picking up movement as it entered the video lens “FOV” field of view.
The trigger speed is around 0.5 seconds and I’d say in the real world is about right. In photo mode it did catch a few fast moving bucks mid frame occasionally. But overall I was very impressed with the detection circuit.
Picture quality
Take a look at the video from my Earthtree to see what you think. Unfortunately the lens did have some water droplets on it for some of the captures but I was impressed with the overall image quality of the video camera especially at night.
Final thoughts
Well, that concludes this review. I wasn’t expecting too much from the Earthtree but as I mentioned I was pleasantly surprised by the detection circuit and the video quality.
I’d certainly suggest you consider it if you’re looking for a budget trail camera, as if you look after it I’m sure you’ll be in for many years of use from the camera.
If you’re considering buying the Earthtree you can purchase the camera at Amazon. I would appreciate it as it’ll buy me a coffee. Good luck out there and happy scouting!…Rob J