New for 2020 is the updated Browning Recon Force Edge wildlife camera trap. It’s main, standout feature is the fantastic quality 1080p, 60fps video quality and also has 20MP photos, a very fast trigger speed and a host of other features, building on the hugely popular 2018 Recon Force Advantage.
Another much-sought after new feature is the Recon Force Edge now has a programmable start and stop timer – meaning you can tell it when you want it to be active. This means with this wildlife camera, you can avoid the early morning pigeons or the dog in the backgarden, and focus solely on the best times for wildlife.
The Browning Recon Force Edge in particular delivers best-in-class video footage, day and night. If you’re looking for a camera to take great videos, this might well be the one for you. There are two choices for video resolution – ‘Ultra’ and ‘High’. Ultra is uncompressed 1080p HD video. The quality is undoubtedly amazing, but the file sizes are very large – over 400MB per video. Choosing ‘High’ resolution means the same 1080p and video quality is almost as good, but the file sizes are much more manageable.
Another bonus is that day and night videos are now 60fps when in ‘Ultra’ mode – the highest available on any camera currently. This means smooth footage, in addition to the brilliant quality.
The LEDs are low-glow and have an impressive max. range of about 60ft. The camera has a setting which allows you to tweak the flash based on your requirements; Power Save, Fast Motion or Long Range. The Browning Recon Force Edge can detect movement out to about 90ft and has the ability to adjust the sensitivity and therefore the detection ranges to between 60-80ft. In the UK, we’d always recommend leaving it on the 80ft option. If you’re after no-glow, the Spec Ops Edge offers the same features as the Recon Force but with no-glow LEDs.
You can also adjust the trigger speed of the camera to between 0.2 and 0.7 seconds – if you have a slow or fast moving animals, for example. This new model adds a faster recovery time too, down to 0.6 seconds.
The forward-facing colour screen not only lets you view the images/videos captured, but is invaluable during set up as it shows exactly what the camera can see – so if you’ve set it too high, a look at the screen will tell you and you can then adjust.
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Another new feature on the Recon Force Edge is the addition of SD Card encryption. This is useful if you want to ensure that the files on the SD card cannot be accessed by anyone else. You input a 4 digit pin to activate this feature – only the camera can then access the card. If you take the card out without re-inputting the pin, the SD card cannot be read by any other device.
It includes the exciting innovation from Browning of ‘Smart IR Video’ – this means that the camera will continue recording video footage for up to 5 minutes during the daytime and up to 20 seconds at night as long as the wildlife/people continue to move in front of the camera. So if you’re worried about video length vs. battery life, this feature takes that concern off your hands.
One interesting feature on the Recon Force Edge is being able to select how many images you want the camera to take per trigger. You can select either Multi-shot, which takes up to 8 images at 2 second intervals, or Rapid Fire, which can take up to 8 images at 0.2 seconds apart.
The Browning Recon Force Edge is powered by 8 AA batteries (not provided), and now has the ability to use an SD card up to 512GB – unprecedented in camera trapping. We’re not sure if you’ll ever need that amount unless using ‘Ultra’ video resolution, but it’s nice to have the option of using a 64GB card for long-term monitoring, or if you don’t want to keep deleting captures from your SD card. The Edge also has a SD management option which will overwrite the oldest recordings/photos once the SD card fills.
The Browning Recon Force Edge is supplied with a 2 year warranty when bought through NatureSpy. Browning are an American company; but if anything goes wrong with your camera, we’ll deal with all warranty returns here in the UK. We’ll never ask you to send your Browning camera trap direct to the manufacturer.
Browning Recon Force Edge features:
20MP high-quality full colour resolution
Full HD Video – 1920 x 1080 pixels at 60fps
2″ colour viewing screen
Programmable start/stop timer
SD Card encryption
Smart IR video detection system
Fast 0.2 ‐0.7 Second Adjustable Trigger Speeds with 0.6 second recovery
Adjustable Detection Range up to 90 ft.
‘Zero-blur’ technology – ensuring crisp photos
Day/night autosensor
36 low-glow infrared LEDs with 60′ range
Programmable trigger interval: 5 sec. to 60 min.
Multi-image mode: 1-8 images per trigger
Video length: 1 second to 2 mins (night time video limited to 20 seconds)
Records audio with video
Highly programmable time-lapse periods
PIR sensor is motion activated out to 90′
Adjustable web belt and 1/4-20 socket
SD card slot (512 GB max.)
SD cycle option – so when the SD card gets full, it rewrites over the oldest images/videos
Weatherproof
2 year warranty when bought through NatureSpy
For full specs, click the tab above.
Browning Recon Force Edge – Our Rating:
Overview
We’re currently putting the Browning Recon Force Edge through its paces for this review – check back soon for more info, photos and videos!
The Browning Recon Force Edge builds on the Recon Force Advantage and is comfortably our favourite camera trap at NatureSpy. The video quality day and night is superb, better than on any other camera trap, and photo quality is very solid.
It offers faster trigger speeds, day and night video definition is improved, clearer audio and some extra menu options compared to the previous version. Detection and sensitivity have also been improved and the trigger speed has got slightly faster still.
One big new feature is the addition of a start and stop programmable timer – allowing you to set when you want the camera to be active, and avoid those times when the pigeons are in the garden, or the cat is let out etc – essentially, so you can focus on the wildlife.
Trigger speeds, particularly for videos, are very impressive and quick, at an improved 0.2-0.4 seconds – a stat that few can match (regardless of what the manufacturers tell you!). Detection is reliable and consistent.
The build quality and overall design of the camera is excellent and has improved, with a forward-facing colour screen to help with set up and so you can review images/videos without dismounting the camera in the field. The warranty length in the UK through NatureSpy is 2 years.
The Recon Force Edge is also straightforward to use – uncomplicated, without a vast array of settings, but quick and simple. This year, Browning have added a menu option to encrypt the SD Card – more on this below. The only difference between this and the Spec Ops Edge is that this camera has no-glow, rather than low-glow, LEDs.
Due to it’s 12V power system (the reason night footage is so good), night time videos are limited to 20 seconds per clip. However, if activity remains, the camera can recover in under 1 second and record another 20 second clip.
Also taking into consideration the price of the camera, we feel it’s a fantastic choice for nearly every purpose – therefore we give it 9 out of 10.
Not sure which is the right camera trap for you? Try our camera trap chooser…
Video quality
Max res: 1080p (60fps day, 60fps night) Max length: 2mins day, 20 secs night Trigger speed: about 0.3 seconds Recovery time: about 0.8 seconds
Photo quality
Max res: 20MP (lowest 4MP) Max number per trigger: 8 photos Trigger speed: about 0.2 seconds Recovery time: about 0.6 seconds
Warranty: 2 years (through NatureSpy) Batteries: 8x AA (Lithium strongly recommended)
Browning cameras have been very reliable for us and are covered by a 2 year manufacturer’s warranty in the UK when bought through NatureSpy.
Ease of use
If you’ve found our review useful, please consider supporting our work and purchasing your next camera trap from us.
Browning are an American-based camera trap manufacturer with a growing reputation. They’ve innovated fast and won loyal customers across the pond – and its easy to see why. We’re proud to be a main UK distributor.
The current range from Browning builds on their successes, pushing the boundaries and improving every time. The Recon Force Advantage and Spec Ops Advantage have some of the best video quality we’ve ever seen on a camera trap; comfortably beating the previous leaders, Bushnell.
Browning say that you can watch their 1080p footage back on a 60 inch TV and not lose clarity – and we can see what they mean. Add excellent video trigger times (which are always slower than photo triggers) of about 0.4 seconds, and you can start to see why we’re so excited about these trail cameras. You can see videos for the product you’re viewing on the ‘Example video’ tab or in the ‘Our Review’ section.
Photo quality is also generally good, though differs throughout the range. Trigger times again are strong. All models also have Multi-Shot and Rapid-Fire modes, which give you control and choice over what you want your camera to do when taking photos.
Many models also have built-in, forward facing colour screens and a host of smart features and simple set ups to make camera trapping that bit easier and convenient. Add this all together with the excellent price and it can be difficult to look beyond a Browning camera trap.
And as NatureSpy are an official UK distributor, you’re fully covered by our 2 year warranty and if in the unlikely event something goes wrong, we’ll deal with it entirely in the UK.
If you need to have a chat about Browning or any other camera trap, just get in touch and we’ll be happy to help.
Key Features:
Model: Browning Recon Force Advantage (BTC-7A)
20MP Camera
2” Color Viewing Screen
Infrared LED Illumination at Night
Adjustable IR Flash (Power Save, Long Range, Fast Motion)
1920 x 1080 Full HD videos with sound (Daytime Settings Range from 5 Seconds – 2 Minutes in Length; Nighttime Videos
are Limited to 20 Seconds)
Timelapse Plus Camera Mode with Infrared Triggered Pictures
Compact Case Size 5.0” x 4.0” x 2.5”
Supports up to a 512GB SDXC Card (SD Cards Not Included)
Distance & Speed Features:
60 ft. Flash Range
80 ft. Detection Range
0.4 Second Trigger Speeds
0.6 Second Recovery Time
Up to 8 Multi-Shot Images
Up to 8 Rapid Fire Images
Programmable Picture Delay (Delay Settings Range from 5 Seconds – 60 Minutes)
Additional Features:
SD Card “Memory Management” Option
“Smart IR” Video Detection System
Fast 0.4 ‐0.7 Second Adjustable Trigger Speeds
Adjustable Detection Range up to 80 ft.
Long Battery Life from 8 AA Batteries (Batteries Not Included)
12 Volt External Power Jack
TV Out and USB Port
Picture “Data Strip” Displays: Time, Date, Temperature, Moon Phase, & Camera ID
Camo Finish
Compatible with Browning “BuckWatch Timelapse Viewer” Software
Threaded Insert Size of 1/4” – 20 on Bottom of Camera for Mounting Purposes
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