If you like over priced garbage that fails to perform even the most basic functions smoothly, buffered playback and out of focus videos…well then the Tactacam 5.0 is for you!! I am not impressed, for what it cost it should have greater functionality. Honestly it’s like some nerd designed this TACTACAM 5.0 and they didn’t have real people use or test it.
| MSRP: $649.95 | |
| Pros: Lots of different accessories Second Battery Customer Support Responsiveness | Cons: Limited functionality Poorly Designed components Need tools |
NUTS:
Tactacam 5.0 Plus Issues:
Limited recording functionality is a hindrance, anyone who has shot video knows you may want the option of either recording lots of short videos or one long video where you can pause/resume the recording…well apparently the folks at Tactacam didn’t know this because this isn’t an option. SO if you, like me are shooting high volume and are recording the shots then at the end of the day you’ll have 200 10-15 second clips to sort through instead of one 45 min video. its a lot of fun when you have to download them all then put them into image editing software and link them all together.
When connected to an app via WiFi the buttons on the camera do not work so you can’t start recording with your phone, throw it in your pocket and stop recording with the physical camera button.
When my phone (Galaxy S20) is connected to the camera via wifi and I’m using the app it seems to eliminate all other connections, I tried to troubleshoot this issue with Tactacam support however as soon as I connected my phone to the camera’s WiFi I was disconnected. This happened 3X also when connected to camera WiFi I could not access the internet or use any apps requiring connectivity using data. It turned my phone into an over sized $1200 camera/remote. It’s possible this is some setting in my phone but if it is supported I should be aware of and know how to solve this.
Playing video back on android requires the same WiFi direct connection and also performs poorly, any video more than a couple seconds takes an eternity to connect and buffers almost constantly making the playback feature utterly useless.
The how-to documentation physically supplied doesn’t tell you what all the icons on the screen are while using the camera via the APP. Honestly this would be acceptable if there was a comprehensive digital version but again I didn’t see one.
The battery charging system is also trash if the camera gets bumped while charging and the battery becomes dislodged from the camera charging stops, the cord should plug directly into the battery or camera and charge. I have a $60 flashlight that accomplishes this.
The FTS works well enough but is quite a bit bulky and requires tools to attach to the scope as well as to hold the camera. It should be tool free to move from one weapon system to another as well as remove the camera. I would think this could be accomplishes with a clamp or cam lever screw. Also there is no way to focus the camera where you want so either the target or scope cross are out of focus and since its so big you cant focus the crosshairs for the camera because that functionality is lost during attachment…which did I mention requires tools so you cant just pop it off and pop it back on.
The flat black stabilizer for the Tactacam 5.0 has as far as I can tell two issues:
One it uses a thumb screw seems likely to become loose while holding the Tactacam in place which could lead to losing the camera. While it’s not a 100% solution I removed the screw and put an o ring on it so there is less likelihood of it vibrating loose.
Second issue is that the same thumb screw to hold the camera in place with only pressure/friction; nothing holds the screw in the stabilizer when not in use. It seems easy to lose. I solved this by using a center punch and marring the last thread so that it can’t be screwed completely out of the stabilizer. The downside of this is that it can no longer be removed should I need to replace the o-ring mentioned above
Tactacam 5.0 Positives
There was one main positive and that was tactacam’s customer service. I would be remiss were I to fail to mention the support was very responsive however seemed to only be knowledgeable of the basic function of the camera and was not knowledgeable enough to answer complex or advanced question.
If you are some sort of inbred neanderthal that like to experience true pain and suffering who’s still interested in buying this you can find it here: TACTACAM 5.0 Hunting Action Camera
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