Our Covert mpe5 Review gives an insight into this affordable and highly functional trail camera that is suitable for even the least technical user. Having full details of all the features that you can find on this affordable trail cam will help you decide if it meets the needs for you hunting or scouting.
Affordable
The Covert mpe5 is one of the most affordable game cameras available on the market. Its simple no-nonsense design and its durability makes it the perfect companion for the novice user and great for those on a budget.
Trigger Speed
A 1.28 second trigger speed is still quite speedy as a response time, and the Covert mpe5 manages to capture the shots you need it to, despite its low price. For most animals, 1.28 seconds is not a long enough time for them to be able to disappear from shot, so whilst this trigger speed isn’t as fast as some trail cameras, it is still perfectly sufficient for surveying wildlife.
As with other cameras that carry a similar price tag, the Covert mpe5 suffers a long recovery time after its motion detector triggers a response. This doesn’t have to be a disadvantage though. It’s not often that more animals would venture into the shot too soon after the first, so all the recovery time does is takes fewer photos of the same animals. Unlike with other cameras that have burst mode and constant recording settings, the Covert mpe5 takes fewer shots giving you fewer photos to look through. This also means taking up less storage space and using less battery power. All in all, this feature would probably be seen as an advantage rather than a disadvantage.
Easy to Use
Unlike other cameras that come with complicated menus, which rarely get used to their full potential. The Covert mpe5 has a simple 4 programs to choose from.
You can decide whether you want to take:
- 2 shots over 30 seconds
- 2 shots over 1 minute
- 3 shots over 5 mintues
- 10 second video
Whilst this can limit the camera’s functionality for an advanced hunter, the simplicity of these 4 basic programs is enough to make any novice feel comfortable with setting it up.
Battery Life
The Covert mpe5 uses 8 normal AA batteries. Because of the way that this camera uses its energy, unlike some other cameras, you are able to use rechargeable batteries with it. Rechargeable batteries can help you save money and it is of course better for the environment. You can still use regular AA batteries too.
The camera doesn’t overkill on the image taking, which means that the Covert mpe5 is incredibly energy efficient as a trail cam and can be used for around 8 months without needing fresh batteries. You’ll be able to leave this camera set up all season if you wish without the batteries diminishing.
Camera Design
If you like your cameras to last for a long time and to take the strains of being out in all weather, then the Covert mpe5 is a good choice for you. Its casing is strong and sturdy and there are plenty of options when it comes to fixing or mounting the camera to its desired location.
Picture Quality
Surprisingly for a camera with such a low price tag, the Covert mpe5 has amazing color and quality when it comes to taking daytime photos. You wouldn’t think that you were looking at the photos of a low end trail camera.
Nighttime scenes are a little trickier to get consistent high quality from, as the infrared LED flash isn’t very strong and there does seem to be better quality at the center of photos where the camera’s LEDs are the most focused. Having said that, the clarity of the photos even at nighttime is perfectly adequate for scouting game and wildlife.
Pros
- A highly affordable trail camera
- 8 AA batteries with a long lifespan
- 28 second trigger speed
- Sturdy and durable design
- High quality daytime photos
Cons
- Slow to recover – the camera will take a little while to recover after it has been triggered to take a photo. But this can mean that you’re not left with lots of photos of the same animals to have to look through later.
- Limited IR flash range – in order to be so affordable, the camera has to make some sacrifices, and a short flash range is one of them. Although with some careful positioning, it can still be highly effective at taking shots.
- Not very programmable – although this is advantageous to those who find all the excessive menus on other cameras quite daunting.
Summary
The Covert mpe5 is a great camera for the price. As stated in this Covert mpe5 review, the camera is simple to set up, with a limited number of user-defined programs. As well as this, it’s easy to install the camera and you can enjoy a long battery life too with high quality images. Such simple setup and good recording capacity means you’ll have this camera recording in no time.
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