Primos Proof Cam 01

Discontinued Model

“This camera trap has one fatal flaw – inferior picture quality.  Not many complaints outside of that.  Unfortunately for the Proof Cam 1, a cameras #1 job is to take pictures”.  – TCP Staff

Read our full review below.

Primos Proof Cam 1 Review

Model # 63054  |  Primos Proof Cam 1 Owners Manual

Pros

• Crazy fast video trigger and recovery times
• Very battery efficient
• Easy programming
• Good detection range

Cons

• Poor quality day pictures
• Weaker night flash
• Bad battery connections on earlier models

Trailcampro Analysis

The Primos Proof Cam 1 is the entry level Proof Cam for 2015.  Many of the initial specs like trigger speed, recovery time and detection range look really good.  The big question, will be how do the pictures and videos compare to the slightly more expensive Proof Cam 02 and Proof Cam 03 models.

Quality of Design     

Dimensions: 5.25″ x 4″ x 2.75″  |  Battery Type:  8 AA Batteries  |  External Battery Jack:  12 Volt

The case design is simple and strong.  The camera works well with both the Slate River Mount and the Python Cable Lock.  The cable lock goes around the front of the camera, locking both the camera shut as well as securing the camera to the tree.

The programming is incredibly easy.  Throw away the owner’s manual, you won’t be using it.  Simply slide the toggle switches to your desired setting, and put in the time/date and off you go.  The only downside to the programming is the lack of advanced options.  Here is a breakdown of some of the more popular settings:

• 1-5 multi-shot
• 5 s. – 60 s. video clips
• Time Lapse: 1, 2, 5, 10, 30 or 60 m. intervals – Daylight Hours
• Photo Stamp: Time, date, temperature and moon phase
• Picture + Video Mode: No
• Start/Stop Time: No
• Password Protection: No
• SD Card Overwrite: No
• PIR Settings: No
• Flash Settings: No

Durability on the Primos Proof Cam 01 has been hampered significantly by failing battery connections.  This defect was prevalent on early production runs, but has since been fixed on subsequent runs.

Detection Circuit     

Picture Trigger & Recovery Speed: 0.50 s. / 3.8 s.  |  Video Trigger & Recovery Speed:  0.82 s. / 1.8 s.  |  Detection Range:  80 ft.

The big standout in this category is the incredibly quick trigger and recovery times for video mode.  This camera does something we have never seen before which is it recovers faster when taking videos than pictures.  The Video speed is the big reason the overall score of the Primos Proof Cam 1 is higher than other Proof Cam models.

Quite impressively, the Proof Cam 1’s detection angle is almost an exact mirror image of the field of view.  The camera also detected out to 80 ft. in our testing, which is impressive in itself.  We have had quite a few false trigger from a few of these cameras, which is surprising considering the field of view and detection angle are so similar.

Picture Quality     

Photo resolution: 10 or 3 mpxl  |  Video Resolution: 1280 x 720 HD w/ audio  |  Flash Type:  Red Glow Infrared

Picture quality is lacking.  The clarity is poor and the color is significantly down from the Proof Cam 2 and 3 models.  Night pictures are pretty solid, although they do display substantial blur in many of the photos.

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Battery Life     

Resting Power (on):  0.18 mW  |  Daytime Power Consumption:  2.12 Ws |  Nighttime Power Consumption:  3.87 Ws

It is no real surprise the Primos Proof Cam 1 is a bit more efficient than other Proof Cam models, as this particular camera does not have near the flash range of the Proof 2 or Proof 3. 

The Proof Cam 1 will use lithium, alkaline or nimh rechargeable Batteries.  We recommend the lithiums if you want trouble-free, long battery life.  If this camera were to take 35 day and 35 night pictures every 24 hour time period, the Proof Cam 1 could still last an insane 9.9 months in the field on a set of Energizer Ultimate Lithium Batteries.

Primos Proof Cam 01 Reviews Conclusion     

Overall, this is a really solid camera except for picture/video quality.  In our opinion, it is easily worth the few extra bucks to jump to the Proof Cam 02.  The difference in picture quality is night and day.