Qualities & Features
- Current, up-to-date model
- 0.2 second trigger speeds for photo and video
- Up to 90 images per trigger + video
- 720p HD Video
- Long range No-Glow IR LEDs
- Incredible photo battery life of up to 40,000 images (Lithium)
- 5 year warranty
Although we appreciate that some conservation efforts require wild animals to be controlled, we have a strict anti-hunting policy. As such we cannot supply camera traps for the purposes of wildlife monitoring with the intention of dispatching any animal.
We work hard to minimise our impact on the environment. We recycle all cardboard, plastic, batteries and other packaging. For shop orders, all cardboard used is made out of 70% recycled material and is 100% recyclable. If you do receive any paper, plastic or polystyrene packaging, we have reused these materials from packaging that has been sent to us. Sustainable resources are used wherever possible. We think before we print. NatureSpy branded apparel is 100% certified organic made using solar and wind powered renewable energy and low waste, cruelty-free inks.
We’re a small organisation that aims to produce a big impact. Through our wildlife work we also want to educate people and communities about their local green spaces and wilder neighbours. In doing so we hope to achieve a dual purpose of encouraging people to care for and protect wild animals and habitats while using nature for their own health and well-being.
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Overview
The Reconyx HyperFire 2 is a high-end, high performance trail camera. This thing is a photo taking machine, with incredible stamina, battery life and photo quality.
Night time pictures are the best available currently, and day time aren’t far behind.
Trigger speeds are lightning for both photo and video at 0.2 seconds, meaning it’s highly unlikely you’ll ever miss anything with this camera.
Video quality is the only thing the HyperFire 2 falls down on – not full HD, not 30fps, but not terrible.
Battery life is groundbreaking on a set of Lithiums; able to take between 30,000-40,000 photos – very impressive, and leagues ahead of any other camera trap.
It is also backed up with a 5 year warranty. That said, you’d expect all this for the cost, and around twice the price of most other trail cameras.
It is an outstanding trail camera – just a shame the video quality isn’t great. We give it a 9 out of 10.
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Video Quality:
Max res: 720p (20fps) Max length: 10 seconds
Trigger speed: about 0.2 seconds Recovery time: about 1 secondThe video quality is the one thing that lets this camera down. It’s pretty average at best. You can still absolutely tell whats happening, identify species, behaviours etc, but it doesn’t blow you away.
Please note however that YouTube compresses Reconyx videos more than usual, leading to a loss of quality and playback at 480p. In reality, the video quality is better than in the examples below.
What does work well however is the hybrid mode. The camera can do up to 90 photos and then do a video (realistically, you’d just use 3-10 photos per trigger) – and this video starts immediately where the last photo left off – no delay.
Photo Quality:
Max res: 3MP Max photos per trigger: 90 photos
Trigger speed: about 0.2 seconds Recovery time: about 1 secondPhotos are absolutely what this camera is about. The quality is great, day or night, and it can fire them off at a rate that no other camera can match.
Don’t let the megapixel rating fool you – all other cameras use interpolation to artificially boost the sizes of the images, but Reconyx don’t do that. The image quality on this HyperFire 2 at 3MP compared to a Bushnell Aggressor at 24MP for example is much, much better.
It can take up to 90 photos per trigger if you really want it to as well – we found that using 10 photos per trigger generally worked best however.
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Speed and detection
Trigger speed: approx. 0.2s (photos), 0.2s (videos) Recovery speed 1s
Detection range: approx. 80ft LED type: No-Glow LEDsThe Reconyx HyperFire 2 is one of the fastest camera traps on the market. The speeds on both photos and video triggers are lightning quick, making it very unlikely you’ll miss anything with this camera.
Detection, from the five-zone detection circuit, is very good and it consistently detects out to around 80ft for a human or deer sized animal. The camera has a number of sensitivity options to tweak this detection for your requirements.
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Build quality & batteries
Warranty: 2 years (through NatureSpy)
Batteries: 12 x AA (Lithium strongly recommended)A big headline on this camera is the battery life. There is no other camera with better battery life for photos. It can take 30-40,000 photos on one set of Lithium AA – seriously impressive. Taking around 60 photos every 24 hours, that gives approximately about a year and a half’s battery life.
Video battery life is a bit more average, at about 3 months taking around 30 videos a day.
The case of the camera is strong and it can endure all weathers without issue. It feels very well built (Reconyx cameras are made in USA) and Reconyx back this with their 5 year warranty – the longest available on a trail camera.
The loop for a Masterlock on the front of the camera is also a nice touch, meaning that you don’t need a separate lock to lock the camera shut.
The screen is no frills, and it can take a bit of practice to navigate the menu. There are a lot of options depending on your requirements, but once its set up its easy to use.
One nice feature is the CodeLoc – this means that you can’t activate or use the camera at all without inputting a pin code.
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Ease of use
As this is a high-end camera, there are more options than on most cameras, and the small screen makes it a little harder to programme than something like a Browning Advantage camera.
That said, it still isn’t difficult. Once the date and time are set, it is generally intuitive and the camera comes with a very detailed menu.
We’re also on hand to help should you need it.
Every purchase funds our projects
Buy a camera, back a project.
We use the kit we sell to help monitor, record and protect wildlife and habitats all over the world.- Audio Recording: Yes
- Battery Life - Photos: Up to 15 Months
- Battery Life - Video: Up to 3 months
- Can use rechargable batteries: Yes - above 2500mAh
- Cellular: No
- CMOS Sensor: 3MP
- Detection range max: Up to 80ft
- Encryption option: No
- External power jack: Yes
- FPS: 20fps
- GPS Geotag: No
- Hybrid capture: No
- Image data strip: Yes
- IR flash range: Up to 80ft
- LCD Display: Black and white text only
- LED Type: No-Glow
- Max Images per trigger: 8
- Max SD Card capacity: 512GB
- Max video resolution: 720p
- Memory overwrite: No
- Night vision flash: No-Glow
- No of batteries: AA x12
- Number of LEDs: 10 Power LEDs
- PIR sensor: Up to 80ft
- Power supply: AA batteries
- Recovery speed: 1s
- Resolution: 3MP
- Solar compatible: Yes
- Start Stop Timer: Yes
- Strap included: Yes
- Timelapse: Yes
- Trigger speed - Photos: 0.2sec
- Trigger speed - Videos: 0.4sec
- Tripod mount: Yes
- Video length: Up to 90 seconds
- Warranty: 5 year
- Weatherproof: Yes
- Wireless connectivity: No
Need some help?
We pride ourselves on our pre and post-purchase customer service.
We understand that occasionally, there is a question you can't find the answer for, or a tweak you need to make to improve the performance to help you get that shot you've been after.
Fortunately, we've seen it all before. We have a dedicated support section that covers loads of topics both simply and also in depth, depending on what you need.
Because we're Europe's experts and we work with the products we offer on a daily basis, we know them better than anybody. Our support area is based on years and years of working with the products we offer.
So instead of scratching your head to trying and figure something out, head over to the support centre or check our FAQs.
