I purchased my first SpyPoint camera this year. I had heard some good things about them on the TalkHunting Forum, as well as through the reviews on ChasinGame. I purchased the base model, the FL-A. They are phasing this model out and going with the IR-5 as their base model camera, so this review will be for quality and support for the SpyPoint cameras and company in general as well, not just the FL-A model.

When I received the camera, I was impressed immediately with the construction. It was small, but felt solid. The case wasn’t overly “cheap”, but felt pretty rugged and I was confident it would hold up to months at a time in the woods. The camera runs on 6 AA alkaline batteries which install easily into the back of the camera when removed from the case. The battery terminals seemed solid. I wasn’t afraid of breaking the tabs or terminals while installing the batteries unlike some cameras I have seen.

Set Up:

Set up was a breeze. All of the controls to the camera are activated by simple select switches found on the back of the camera. One switch controls the mode, “Video”, “Photo”, “Set Up”, or “View”.

The set up mode allows you to set the date and time (which are automatically printed on each photo so you want to make sure you set them before putting the camera out in the woods. It also allows you to set the picture quality. The FL-A is a 4MP camera, but allows you to lower the resolution to 3MP if you want to have more pictures taken on the memory card. The FL-A takes any SD/SDHC card from 2 to 32GB however so I saw no need to lower the quality of the pictures taken.

The next switch controls the trigger delay. The minimum delay is 1 minute, which was one feature I found a little disappointing. I have not noticed a lack of pictures as a result of it however. The delay settings range from 1 minute to 15 minutes, but I have not tried any higher delay settings as I love as many pictures and videos as I can get. But if you are leaving the camera in the woods for extended periods of time, meaning months or more at a time, a higher delay setting may help to preserve battery power, which I will discuss later in the review.

The third and final switch controls the number of shots taken while in photo mode, and also the length of video taken in video mode. The number of pictures can range from 1 to 4 shots each time the camera is triggered. There is an approximate 15 second delay between shots, so the 3 and 4 shots setting I found produced more blank shots unless stationed over a food plot. The video length ranges 10, 30, 60, and 90 seconds. Again, I found the 30 second setting produced the best footage without a lot of blank image. Even when over a food plot, longer videos tend to drag on for me unless there is more action than eating. I may try to station the camera over a rub or scrape this fall to see how the video runs on longer settings.

Finally for setup, the FL-A has a dial to adjust the sensitivity of the motion detector. It is located on the side of the camera next to the SD card slot and adjusts the range from 5 feet out to 50 feet! I liked this feature as it helps to avoid triggers from distant brush or tree movement and can let you tailor the trigger to open areas such as fields and plots or to close in areas of woods or trails. It took me a little bit to get the trigger adjustment where I wanted it, but with a few sets of pictures you get it down easy enough.

Daytime Photos & Video:

Daytime photos are clear and sharp and have great color. Shaded areas and cloudy days affect that some, but not enough to create any real disappointment in the camera for me. I did experience some darker foreground pictures during dawn and dusk transitions, but it was mainly camera positioning as opposed to poor camera quality. The dusk or early dawn pictures are not washed out from the filter change like some I have seen, unless of course the sun is shining directly or close to directly into the camera. But that is more of a positioning issue as I mentioned.

The trigger speed seemed to vary from just under 2 seconds to sometimes 3+ or so based on whether the camera was in sleep mode. This is fairly standard for most base model cameras, but I found the trigger speed to be very effective and not a major downplay for the camera at all. I have several shots of deer just walking into the view and can say overall very few blank shots from what I would consider to be poor triggering, though it did happen.

Daytime video is very clear I feel for a less-than-HD video. They are sharp and allow you to follow movement and details very well.

IR (nighttime) Photos & Video:

The infra-red portion of the camera functions very well for a base model camera I felt. Pictures in early dusk and dawn are lighter, but still clear. In pitch black, with only 35LEDs, the IR field of range seemed very concentrated and drops clarity considerably at distance, but the pictures and video were still very noticeable for detail. And you could easily make out what you were looking at within the scope of the direct view. The IR almost gave a tunnel vision aspect when it was very dark out however. But all said and done I am VERY pleased with the nighttime function of the camera.

Overall I have to say SpyPoint’s quality and construction is very good. As I said I was very impressed with the solidness of the case. The camera is lightweight, is compact, and does just what it was created to do, take pictures and video of animals both day and night and do so in a consistent and quality manner. The firmware of the camera is upgradable via your own computer through SpyPoint’s website as well so you can have instant access to any upgrades made for the model you purchase. I will not hesitate to purchase another camera from SpyPoint when the time comes. They have made their mark in the trail camera industry and have numerous new products on the market to suit many scenarios of game watching. Check them out at www.spypoint.com/EN/.

By Duane Taylor

TalkHunting Pro Staffer Duane "Duane72" Taylor was born in western NY. As the son of a pastor, he spent several childhood years in Wisconsin, then West Virginia where he graduated high school before landing in Rhode Island. Moving out on his own, Duane spent a few years in Texas before enlisting in the US Air Force where he served for four years, stationed in Germany and South Carolina, and took part in Operation Desert Shield. After, he returned to RI where he served an additional year in the Air National Guard and married his fiancé Desiree. He now works full-time as the Facility Manager of his church, as well as volunteer serves on the board of Deacons. Duane cherishes his life with Desiree and is the proud father of two boys.

Growing up in a family that, even though they were not opposed to it, had minimal interest in hunting, Duane had few, if no, opportunities to experience the world of hunting for himself. He has always had an enjoyment of fishing and holds fond memories of fishing the ponds and lakes of Wisconsin with his dad and siblings. Always having a deep interest in hunting though, he took it upon himself to get started the year after settling home in Rhode Island. Armed with nothing more than an ancient recurve given to him by an old man in his church when he was in his teens, and decked out in his Air Force BDUs, he plunged into what would soon become a passion, hobby, and lifestyle.

It was several years before Duane would arrow his first deer with a used compound bow he had "upgraded" to. But those first years brought with them many valuable lessons, mentors, and friends and were the foundations of the successful years that followed. Hunting also the shotgun and muzzleloader seasons, spring & fall turkey, as well as some small game and coyote, Duane spends a great deal of time in the woods or preparing to be there. His other passions are most importantly God, his family, and his off-season fix of motorcycles.