Tactacam Reveal Trail Cameras

What Tactacam makes for hunters

Tactacam makes cellular trail cameras under the Reveal name, plus the parts that keep them running: solar panels, rechargeable battery packs, a battery belt, tree mounts and chargers. It also sells the Defend line of cellular cameras, and the maker's own site lists a web-based land-mapping tool called Habitat IQ.

On this site, Tactacam covers one product type: trail cameras. Every Tactacam camera in the grid above is cellular. That matters more than it sounds. A cellular camera sends photos to your phone over LTE, so you check it from the kitchen table instead of walking in to pull an SD card. It also means each camera needs a data plan, which I'll get to.

The grid changes as listings come and go, and a lot of the listings are bundles of the same camera. So I'll write about the lines and what separates them, not about how many are listed this week.

Most of the grid's specs come from Amazon listings, and the grid marks those. Where the maker's own page says more, I've used the maker's page and said so.

How the Reveal lineup is organized

Here's what actually changes from one Reveal listing to the next. There are three layers:

• The line: Reveal X, Reveal Pro or Reveal Ultra
• The generation: 2.0, 3.0 or 4.0, the version number after the name
• The bundle: single camera, 2-pack, or a camera with a solar panel, a battery pack, an SD card, a tree mount or a cleaning cloth

The line decides the flash and the extras. The generation decides the image sensor, storage and power options. The bundle decides what's in the box. Read a listing title in that order and the long names start to make sense.

Lineup notes: the Tactacam Reveal X

The Reveal X is the line most people mean when they search "Tactacam Reveal X." Across the 2.0, 3.0 and 4.0 listings in the grid, the flash type is the same: low glow.

Low glow means infrared LEDs that show a faint red glow when they fire. No glow uses LEDs you can't see. In kitchen terms, low glow is a stove burner a minute after you turn it off. No glow is the burner an hour later. Tactacam lists the Reveal X 3.0 and 4.0 flash range at 96 feet.

Reveal X 3.0

The maker's Reveal X 3.0 page lists:

• Photos: 4K or 2.5K
• Video: 1080p clips of 10, 15 or 30 seconds
• Trigger speed: under half a second
• Storage: 8 GB built in, plus an optional SD card slot
• Extras: built-in GPS, and live aiming through the app

The "Tactacam Reveal X 3.0" listings in the grid come as a single camera, a 2-pack, and bundles with a solar panel, an SD card or a tree mount. The camera inside is the same; the box is what changes.

Reveal X 4.0

The Reveal X 4.0 keeps the 4K and 2.5K photo options, 1080p video and the 96-foot low-glow flash, per the maker. Its page adds simultaneous photo and video capture. It lists 8 GB of internal storage with an optional SD slot, and power from 12 AA batteries or a 12-volt external input.

Reveal X 2.0

The older Reveal X 2.0 is still in the grid. Its Amazon listing gives a 0.4-second trigger speed, a 96-foot low-glow flash, 12 AA batteries and AT&T as the carrier. The 3.0 and 4.0 listings name multi-carrier or auto-connect service instead. If you hunt where only one carrier has signal, that line in the listing is worth reading twice.

Lineup notes: the Reveal Pro

The Reveal Pro is the line for people who don't want any visible glow. The Pro 3.0 listings in the grid name a no-glow flash, and the maker's page agrees: no-glow IR with an 80-foot range.

That's the trade in one sentence. No glow is invisible but reaches a bit less far than low glow on the maker's own numbers.

The Pro 3.0 page also lists a 2-inch screen with live aiming, on-demand video and HD photo requests from the app, built-in GPS and the same 8 GB plus SD slot as the X 3.0.

Reveal Pro 4.0

The Pro 4.0 is where the flash becomes a choice. Tactacam lists a selectable flash: low glow at 96 feet or no glow at 80 feet. Its page also lists live view and on-demand requests, both as added subscriptions, plus built-in GPS. Power is 12 AA batteries or external power, the same as the X 4.0.

In the grid you'll see the Pro 4.0 alone, in 2-packs, with a solar panel, and in a power bundle. The Pro 4.0 Solar listing names a FlexPack R5 5,000 mAh rechargeable battery as its power source.

Lineup notes: the Tactacam Reveal Ultra

The Reveal Ultra is the line with the most features per the maker's page. That's the "Tactacam Reveal Ultra trail camera" people search for, and here's what its page lists:

• Flash: selectable low glow (about 96 feet) or no glow (about 80 feet)
• Trigger speed: under half a second
• Live video streaming, plus on-demand videos
• Active GPS: keeps sending location after the camera loses power or is turned off, and alerts you if it moves more than half a mile
• Storage: 16 GB built in, plus an optional SD slot
• Screen: 2 inches
• Power: 12 AA batteries or a 12-volt external input

Live view means you can watch the camera's view from your phone in real time. Most of what you'll watch is an empty food plot. (That's not a complaint. That's deer hunting.)

The theft alert is the feature that changes how you place it. Half a mile is a long way for a camera to wander on its own. In the grid, the Ultra comes alone, in a folding-solar 2-pack, with a solar panel, and with a cleaning cloth. Danny asked if the cleaning-cloth bundle meant the camera came with chores. It does. The lens is yours to wipe.

The Defend 360

The Defend 360 Cellular is the odd one in the grid. Tactacam sells it under its Defend security line, and its page calls it an interactive scouting tool, with food plots and open areas as examples. The maker lists:

• Pan, tilt and zoom you control from the app, in live view only; it doesn't move on its own
• A rechargeable battery and a solar panel, both included
• A low-glow flash with a 75-foot range
• IP65 weather resistance and 8 GB of internal storage

If you want one camera that can look over a whole field, that's what this one is for. If you want a camera on a trail, the Reveal lines are built for that job.

How to choose within the Tactacam lineup

Pick the flash first

This decides the line. Low glow (Reveal X) reaches 96 feet on the maker's numbers. No glow (Pro 3.0) reaches 80. The Pro 4.0 and the Ultra let you switch between them. If you're not sure which you want, the switchable models keep the choice open. Background on flash types across brands is on the trail camera page.

Then pick how you'll power it

My one opinion on this page: decide your power setup before you pick the generation. The reason is on Tactacam's own 4.0 pages. They say the older Reveal lithium cartridge is not compatible with the 4.0 cameras, which use 12 AA batteries, the FlexPack R5 or R10, or a solar panel through the 12-volt input. If you already own 3.0-era power accessories, that changes the math.

Quick math on AAs: 12 per camera, so two 2-packs plus spares is a lot of batteries in the truck. A solar bundle trades that for a panel strapped to the tree. Both work. The difference is how often you walk in.

Then check the carrier line

Tactacam lists automatic carrier selection on the 3.0, 4.0 and Ultra cameras: the camera connects to the strongest available network. The 2.0 listing names AT&T only. Before you buy any cellular camera, check signal at the exact tree, not at the truck. The cellular trail camera page covers how cellular cameras work across brands.

Then decide how many cameras

The 2-packs exist because most people don't stop at one. Keep in mind that Tactacam bills app plans per camera, so a 2-pack means two plans. More on plans below.

The Reveal app and plans

Every Reveal camera sends photos to the Reveal app, and each camera needs a plan. Here's how Tactacam lays them out:

• Three tiers: two with monthly photo allowances and one with unlimited photos
• Monthly or yearly billing, with yearly billing costing less
• No carrier contract and no activation fee
• Pause in the off-season, per camera
• Add-ons: live view per camera, and an account-wide add-on for unlimited HD and on-demand requests

The practical bit: pausing a plan in February is a line on your to-do list, not a phone call. Put it next to "bring the cameras in" and "find where I parked the cameras." Picks across brands are on the best cellular trail camera page.

Setup and placement notes

The maker includes a tree strap with the Reveal X 4.0, Pro 4.0 and Ultra, and lists its tree mount as compatible. Where you strap it is your call, and a Texas A&M wildlife publication has some plain guidance for deer cameras:

• Height: 3 to 4 feet above the ground is ideal for deer
• Where: trails, water, and spots with sign like scrapes, rubs and tracks
• Before you leave: run a quick test to check it's working and the image is good
• After that: check it now and then for battery life

The same publication suggests aerial photos and topographic maps to find spots worth a camera. Cellular cameras skip the SD-card walk, but the battery still runs down.

Camera rules on public land and during the season vary by state. Check your state wildlife agency before you hang one.

Tactacam warranty basics

Tactacam's warranty page says Reveal cameras are covered for one year from the camera's original activation date. Accessories are covered from purchase. The coverage is for manufacturing defects, and Tactacam repairs or replaces at its discretion. It doesn't cover damage from use, accidents or normal wear.

Two details to know before you need them. Coverage applies only to items bought through authorized dealers and channels. And a claim starts in the Reveal warranty portal; support then issues a return authorization number, and returns without one aren't accepted. Don't send the batteries, antenna or SD card unless support asks for them.

Tactacam facts

Here's what I could verify on the maker's own site:

• Location: Decorah, Iowa, per Tactacam's contact details and its warranty return address
• Reveal launch: Tactacam's story page dates the first Reveal cellular trail camera to 2020
• Warranty: one year from activation for Reveal cameras, covered above

This page doesn't cover a founding year or where the cameras are made.

The warranty clock starts at activation, not at the store. Put that date in your phone the day you set the camera up, and you'll know exactly where you stand next September.