Tactacam Reveal X or Reveal SK?

[drewga11]

I've come to the conclusion that I really need to start using trail cams again and have heard nothing but glowingly positive reviews on the Tactacam Reveal cameras. My property is 165 miles from my house so a cellular cam is a necessity.

My only concern is battery life. The SK model is apparently new and has a built in solar panel but its $180. I'm just wondering how effective the solar panel would be if its in the woods and in a spot with not very much sun exposure? Would it be worth the extra cost or is the battery life on the X model decent enough to consider the additional cost of the SK a waste of money?
I would probably be using lithium batteries with either one.

 

[UptaCamp]

The battery life with my Reveal X is heavily dependent on the settings that I choose. If you like lots of high quality pictures and videos, get the solar panel.

I got the Reveal X for $120 and the solar panel kit for $60, so $180 wasn't horrible. Mine stays at 100% charge and is in thick woods. Though, this is likely due to all of the leaves being dropped. YMMV.

 

[GeauxLSU]

I run all mine on 12 second videos. I replaced them all with Lithiums mid October. Hundreds of videos and all are still registering at 100%. Honestly a little surprised. First time using Lithiums. I'd have to think (too hard) on the life I was getting out of Alkalines but it was months.
One downside I've noticed is the Reveal Xs do not get as good reception as the previous Reveals did (and that's with both carriers). Still better than any cell phone will get but not as good as the other wordly prior model.

 

[boinky]

Reveals are the worst! I own 3 and all 3 have been sent back for repair! 2 out of 3 broke again and I am done with Reveal. Never again. Good luck with them.

 

[jeffdt]

I'm running a Moultrie Delta cellular and am extremely happy with it. However I did get tired of changing batts not to mention the cost of lithium's. I was only getting a month out of regular copper tops. Yesterday my Son-In-Law installed a Winghome Solar Panel he had gotten me for Xmas. It has 6V and 12V outputs and an internal lithium 2.0 Mah battery.

When it was installed and connected my battery meter went from 44% to 99% in about two hours so hopefully no more batts to purchase. It was $59.99 on Amazon. Do the math based on the cost of 12 lithium AA's. Payback should be very fast!

 

[DimaGrow]

I know I'm jumping into this conversation a couple of years after the fact, but I was curious how things panned out for you with the Tactacam Reveal X or SK. Battery life is indeed a big consideration, especially when your property is 165 miles away! The last thing you want is a dead camera when you finally make the trek to check it. Since you made this post in early December, I'm wondering if you ever considered hunting for Cyber Monday deals. There are some pretty awesome markdowns around that time. Here's a resource that lists some of the Best Cyber Monday Deals for Hunting, including trail cams. So, did you make a choice? Are you happy with it? And how did the battery life turn out on whichever model you picked?