Covert Illuminator Review

Trailcampro Comprehensive Score:

In Progress

At this sales prices, this camera does not include our two-year warranty, 90 day return policy, or free SD card They still come with manufacturer warranty. All sales final.

- Color night videos should be what you need if you are looking at the Covert Illuminator. Unfortunately, the detection speed is relatively slow, so the animals will need to be in front of the camera for some time. - TCP Staff

covert illuminator review

Covert Illuminator Review

Model # 2915 | Covert Illuminator Owners Manual

Pros

  • Color night videos & photos
  • Good daytime photos
  • 2" Internal Viewer
  • Fantastic battery life

Cons

  • Slow trigger & recovery speed

Trailcampro Analysis

The Covert Illuminator is a white LED trail camera. The LEDs produce an extremely bright white flash when taking pictures or videos at night. This enables the camera to take color night pictures/videos.

Quality of Design:

Dimensions: 5.5" x 4" x 3" | Battery Type: 12 AA Batteries | External Battery Jack: 6 Volt

The Illuminator has a built in bracket for a python cable lock and a 1/4" x 20 threaded insert on the bottom for a Slate River Mount.


This is one of the few cameras on the market that still has an internal picture viewer (2"). You can view pictures on this screen from the inside of the camera.

One of the most impressive features of this camera is the long list of programmable functions. Not only does the Illuminator have overwrite function, password protection, and PIR controls; this is one of a very few that has start/stop time. This means the camera can be set to turn on at custom time intervals during the day. There are only a handful of cameras that have this feature.

Programming the camera is incredibly easy and intuitive. You shouldn't have problems getting this camera up and running without looking at the manual.
Here is a look at many of the popular setting options:

  • 1-3 multi-shot
  • 5 s. - 60 s. video clips
  • Time Lapse: custom start/stop time. 5 s. - 8 hr. time intervals
  • Photo Stamp: Time, date, temperature and moon phase
  • Picture + Video Mode: No
  • Start/Stop Time: Yes
  • Password Protection: Yes
  • SD Card Overwrite: Yes
  • PIR Settings: Yes | High, Low
  • Flash Settings: No

Detection Circuit:

Picture Trigger & Recovery Speed: 1.08 s. / 5.8 s. | Video Trigger & Recovery Speed: 1.49 s. / 5.1 s. | Detection Range: 60 ft.

Trigger and recovery times have improved slightly on the 2016 Illuminator scouting camera. However, they are still below average.

Detection zone is decent, it is just the overall detection capabilities are hampered by the slow, methodical recovery time.

Picture Quality:

Photo resolution: 12, 8, 5 or 3 mpxl | Video Resolution: 320 x 240 w/ audio | Flash Type: White LED

Day pictures have great color and clarity. They are vivid and very true to life. We saw a bit of blur during the day, but nothing alarming.

Night pictures come from the white LED flash. This enables the Illuminator to take color night images (and videos). These are typical of white LED pictures - colorful but blurry. Flash range is decent but not spectacular.

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Battery Life:

Resting Power (on): 3.36 mW | Daytime Power Consumption: 2.38 Ws | Nighttime Power Consumption: 3.15 Ws

For 2016, the Illuminator has greatly improved battery life. Resting power dropped almost 2 milliwatts. For a white LED scouting camera, this is incredible battery data.

The camera operates on 12 AA batteries. You will get the best performance out of your camera if you use Lithium batteries. Alkaline batteries will work, but they are very unreliable and drain faster in cold weather. The Illiminator will work with Tenergy Nimh Rechargeable batteries.

If this camera were to take 35 day pictures and 35 night pictures every 24 hours, this camera could last 11.2 months in the field (with lithiums).

Covert Illuminator Conclusion:

The Covert Illuminator has improved significantly in 2016. Better battery life and a slight improvement to detection speed being the biggest improvements. We would like to see less blurry night images, but that seems to be the case with every white LED scouting camera. Buy this camera if you need an affordable trail camera that takes color night videos.

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Manufacturer Specifications

  • 12 Mpxl photo resolution (interpolated)
  • White LED Flash
  • Color day and night images
  • Time, temperature, date and moon phase stamp on each image
  • 2" internal color viewer
  • 1/4" x 20 threaded insert on the bottom of the camera
  • Built in python cable bracket
  • Requires 12 AA batteries
  • Accepts up to 32 gig SD card
Ups Ground Shipping Times Domestic Shipping Options
  • Free UPS Economy Shipping on all orders over $99
  • Free shipping applies only to the lower 48 states and will be shipped via the most economical method.
  • Orders placed before 3 p.m Central Standard Time are usually shipped the same day
  • We are happy to offer expedited shipping options. Prices are shown during checkout.
International Orders

Dear International Customer:

International rates vary by country and postal code. Please click here for detailed international rates.

Trailcampro L.L.C.

3048 S. Clifton Ave
Suite 108
Springfield, MO 65807
1-800-791-0660

Covert Illuminator Accessories

Here are a few of the accessories we like to use in the 2016 Illuminator.

8 lithium batteries

Energizer Ultimate Lithiums | 12 Pack

$29.95

- There is no downside to using lithium batteries. Long battery life, extreme durability and better night pictures. You will be happy you did.


python cable lock


6 Foot Python Cable Lock

$19.95

- Use this with the security case, or just the camera itself. The Illuminator has brackets on the back specifically for this lock.



Extra SD Cards

Start at $9.95

- SD cards store your pictures and videos for easy removal. We give you a free SD card with the Illuminator, but most people use a second card. If you have two cards, you can swap them out when you retrieve the pictures.

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