Moultrie P-120i Review

Model # MCG-13269 | P120i Owner's Manual

Panoramic 120i FAQ's

The P120i takes an excellent photo, good day video, and covers a large area. However, the battery life and detection circuit are both well under the modern average. Unless you specifically need a wide angle trail camera, we think there are better cameras for the money on the market.

Trailcampro Comprehensive Score:

69/100

Moultrie Panoramic 120i Trail Camera Review

Pros

• n/a

Cons

• n/a

Picture Quality: 82/100

Photo resolution: 21 mpxl (interpolated)

Video resolution: 1920 x 1080 w/ audio

Flash Type: Low glow IR (Moultrie labels this no glow but we can see a very faint visible glow)

Day pictures have tons of color, great clarity, and good depth. In panoramic mode, the camera takes two photos and puts them side-by-side to create the larger photo. From our examples below, you can see there is an annoying overlap on the two photos. It sticks out more when an animal is walking in that middle zone. Overall, it isn't a big deal, just something to note.

Night pictures are really good and offer a ton of flash. Video quality during the day mimis the video quality, however, the night videos have minimal flash range and are quite dark (compared to the pictures). We were disappointed in the night videos.

Battery Life: 55/100

Picture & Video Resting Power (on): 2.65 mW

Picture Daytime/Nighttime Power Consumption: 4.3 Ws | 7.6 Ws

Video Daytime/Nighttime Power Consumption: 31.3 Ws | 130.4 Ws

Keep in mind, the battery consumption data is from the Panoramic mode, which is two photos in one. With that in perspective, we are happy with the battery life here even if the rating doesn't reflect that very well.

Picture Mode

If this camera were to take 35-day and 35-night pictures every 24 hours, the 2018 P120i would last 5.6 months in the field on a set of 8 AA Lithium Batteries.

Video Mode

If this camera were to take 15-day and 15-night videos (15-second videos are the only option) every 24 hours, it would last 1.4 months in the field on a set of lithium batteries.

Detection Circuit: 57/100

Picture Trigger & Recovery Speed: 0.66 s. / 4.6 s.

Video Trigger & Recovery Speed: 2.49 s. / 8.6 s.

Detection Range: 60 ft. (maximum)

The detection circuit is slow in both picture and video mode. The detection range is 60 ft., which isn't bad, but by modern standards it is below average.

Quality of Design: 81/100

Dimensions: 6.5" x 4.5" x 4"

Battery Type: 8 AA Batteries

External Battery Jack: 12-Volt

Case Design

This category is pretty solid. This is obviously a bigger trail camera, but it feels well-made and thought-out. The latch to open and close the camera has an unorthodox mechanism, but it is easy to manipulate, even with cold fingers. We think it is much more practical and durable than it may appear at first glance. The battery tray ejects from the bottom of the camera and fortunately, the batteries are easy to load and unload.

the P120i has two python brackets, both on the back of the camera, and one tripod mount on the bottom of the camera.

Camera Setup

We've struggled the last several years with Moultrie's setup process. To us, it isn't intuitive and feels clunky. You shouldn't need the owner's manual to set the camera up, but it does take some getting used to. This shouldn't deter you from purchasing the camera, though, after spending some time with the P120i it starts to feel more natural.

SD Card Storage Examples

With a 16 Gig SD card and the camera taking "Low" photos in the settings (this is our recommended setting as it is closest to the native resolution), this camera could store over 5,000 pictures on the SD card.

With a 16 Gig SD card and the camera taking 1080 video resolution, this trailcam could store 753 10-second videos.

From this data, you can extrapolate out storage capacities of different sized SD cards and different resolution settings. We give you a 16 Gig SD card with the purchase of this camera through us. If you need additional or larger SD cards, you can shop all SD card options here.

Durability

Durability will be worth keeping an eye on. With past Panoramic cameras, we have had issues come up. With this one, we haven't seen anything yet but will update the review if something comes up.

Keep in mind, our 2-year warranty program is your free insurance program in case something goes wrong with a camera you purchase from us. This warranty protects you from any manufacturing defect the camera might experience for two years.

The P120i takes an excellent photo, good day video, and covers a large area. However, the battery life and detection circuit are both well under the modern average. Unless you specifically need a wide angle trail camera, we think there are better cameras for the money on the market.

Since 2005, our mission has to been to provide consumers with unbeatable value, advice you can trust, and customer service that exceeds expectations. There are a plenty of places you can choose to do business with, if we are lucky enough to earn your support, we promise to give you our undivided attention. Trailcampro has grown each year not only by relying on your happiness but on the assumption that if we blow you away with customer service, you will brag about us to your friends (have you seen our referral/reward program?).

Enjoy our reviews? Please consider purchasing your next trail camera from us.

FAQ's: Trail Camera

Q: How do I view the pictures?

A: There are a number of ways to do this. Pictures/videos are stored on the SD card you place in the camera.

• View pictures on your computer. Plug the SD card in a desktop computer or laptop via the built-in SD card reader or use a USB reader if your computer doesn't have one. This method works for most tablets as well. With this method, we recommend having two SD cards per camera so you can swap them in the field.
• View pictures on your smartphone. Choose between the iOS Reader for iPhones and the Android Reader. Phone readers require an app to access the photos, you can read more about these via the previous links.
• Trail Camera Viewers. While more expensive, handheld viewers are useful if you don't have a smartphone or run multiple trail cameras.

Q: Will this trail camera trigger on small animals (birds, rodents, etc.)?

A: Trail cameras detect on a combination of heat and movement, so, yes, small mammals will trigger the camera. However, if you are going after smaller warm-blooded mammals, we recommend getting the camera closer to your target. For best performance, place the camera in an area that would enable picture detection from 3 - 20 ft.

Q: Can animals see the infrared flash on this camera?

A: This is somewhat controversial. Moultrie labels this as a no glow camera, but we can visibly see a very faint red glow at night. For practical purposes, this is much less visible than a typical red glow camera, but it is not a true no glow camera either.

Q: Where can I purchase this camera?

A: From us! We hope to woo you with our incredible charm, two-year warranty, 90-day returns, free continental U.S. shipping, and technical expertise. If that isn't enough, we give you a 16 Gig SD card with this camera and you can call and talk our ear off anytime.

Seriously, though, we know you have plenty of options of where to spend your hard-earned money. The internet can be the wild, wild, west of too-good-to-be-true deals. If you choose to do business with us, we will go out of our way to make sure you are happy with the camera you select and the service we provide you.

We are passionate about testing and reviewing trail cameras, but most importantly, we are passionate about treating our customers the right way. We do things differently from what you have come to expect from other internet retailers and we hope you give us the opportunity to prove that to you.

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