Moultrie M-990i Review

Moultrie brand has been making some of the most dependable cameras on the market. Their trail cameras are the most sought after and the M-990i model especially stands out. Moultrie has over 30 years of experience in manufacturing of trail cameras. Their products are known to be reliable, top performing, durable and affordable. In their new cameras, they implement new innovations and they continue to develop new and superior models. To help you decide if this camera will fit your needs, we have prepared this Moultrie M-990i review. Below you can find out the features that make it so great, and the disadvantages to consider.

Trigger Speed and Detection Circuit

The M-990i has an integrated passive infrared motion sensor. It can detect movement and heat and trigger the camera within 50 feet. Alternatively the camera can be triggered by a time lapse program.

The trigger speed for this model is only 1 second, after which it rapidly resets and is ready to detect any motion again and capture more images.

For capturing nighttime images, the camera is equipped with 32 LEDs. This model incorporates No Glow technology that makes the camera’s illumination at night essentially invisible. The detection circuit for the flash is up to 70 feet.

Image and Video Quality

Using this camera you can capture high-resolution 10-megapixel images. Additionally, the Moultrie M-990i also captures HD video.

When capturing an image, the camera also records date and time, temperature, barometric pressure and moon phase. The maximum image resolution is 10 megapixels, but it also offers optional choices. You can set it to 0.9, 2, 4 or 10 megapixels. The M-990i also features a digital zoom.

The video recording is also high resolution and comes with audio capturing. The audio has a clear sound and helps you to get a fuller experience of game watching.

The day pictures of the camera have vivid colors and mostly lack any blur. The night pictures are also sharp and clear.

No Glow Technology

The Moultrie M-990i features No Glow technology. It’s an infrared flash that emits a minimum amount of red light, so the animals will not see it. To make the pictures recorded at night brighter and clearer, the infrared flash works together with the Illumi Night sensor.

I highly recommend cameras with no glow technology, as they are virtually invisible to both humans and animals. The benefit of it is that the animal will not get spooked. It’s also perfect for security surveillance applications, as the person passing by the cam will not see it and will not know that a picture is being captured of them.

Operational Modes

• Motion detection. The camera will use the PIR motion sensor to detect heat and movement to trigger the image capturing within 50 feet.
• Motion detect delay. You can use this mode in high traffic situations, such as with lots of game in the area. This mode allows you to extend the battery life and saving storage space by limiting the images recorded. You can the camera for 5, 10 or 30-second delays. The delays can also be set for 1, 5, 10 or 30 minutes.
• Multi-shot mode. If you are using the delay function, you can also use this mode to record multiple photos between each set of the chosen delay increments. It can be either “triggered” (3 photos for motion triggering for each photo) or “burst” (3 photos after each motion trigger).
• Time-lapse mode. In this mode, the camera is triggered not by the PIR sensor, but by the timer. It can be set for up to 2 time-lapse captures per day.
• Time-lapse interval. You can set a particular interval between each image capture. There are 13 different interval settings. The available range is between 10 seconds and 24 hours. If you have slower changing subjects, you can use longer intervals. For faster-changing ones, shorter intervals would be more suitable.
• Hybrid mode. This mode allows image capture with the use of both time-lapse programs and PIR motion sensor triggering.

Battery Life

The M-990i operates on 8 AA batteries. Both alkaline and lithium batteries will work fine for this unit. They fit nicely into a removable battery tray. The power consumption of this unit is really outstanding. Using the lithium batteries, you can expect up to a year of battery life.

Ease of Use

The cam comes in a great case design. It features a solid weatherproof plastic exterior with Mossy Oak camouflage. For attaching the unit to a tree, it features a tripod mount on back and bottom and nylon mounting strap.

On the inside of the cam, there is a handy viewer that provides a live preview when setting up the camera.

The downside of this camera is the tricky programming. Some of the users found it quite difficult to set up. However, if you are used to operating high-tech products, you will be able to easily operate and set the unit up.

Pros of M-990i

• Compact size and great design of the case
• Gives high-quality clear images and videos with great color and high resolution
• Amazing battery life
• Good trigger speed
• Availability of different operational modes that allow you to choose the most suitable one for your situation
• The Now Glow technology allows capturing images of the animals without them spotting the camera
• Affordable price for a unit that has so many useful features to offer

Cons of M-990i

• Some users might find the programming part a bit tricky
• Some of the reviewers have found the day pictures to be slightly out of focus

The Bottom Line

Overall, Moultrie M-990i is full of potential. It’s affordable but offers to capture of sharp and clear images, recording of high definition videos with audio, excellent battery life, an internal viewer, no glow infrared flash. It offers good night and day time detection range. Considering all its advantages and not that many downsides, I would recommend this camera for both game watching and home surveillance applications. To check more Moultrie M-990i reviews, you can jump to the product’s Amazon page, where you can also find the best price for the cam.