TechGearLab's favorite non-cellular trail camera (85/100, first of 11): a compact No-Glow camera with a fast, consistent trigger, crisp photos and 4K video that its testers called outstanding, running for months on six AA batteries. Night captures past 70 feet were indistinct, its 30MP mode looks interpolated, and the small screen washes out in sunlight.
Full review
TechGearLab's top non-cellular camera
TechGearLab ranked the Bushnell Core S-4K first of the 11 trail cameras it tested, with an 85 overall score, after running it in Idaho where it captured moose, deer, turkey and coyotes. It calls the camera its favorite non-cellular model for its fast, consistent trigger and video quality, and its top recommendation for a non-cellular workhorse on public land.
In its walk-and-jog trigger tests the camera consistently caught testers 15-20% into its field of view, took a photo and then started a video, with results consistent out to 100 feet. Walking straight at it from 100 feet, it sometimes did not notice until about 50 feet, and night captures past 70 feet were indistinct.
Photos and 4K video
TechGearLab found the S-4K produced some of the crispest photos in its test, with restrained, nearly true-to-life color, though the 30MP mode appears interpolated and is not as sharp as a native resolution. It saw a little motion blur on a close coyote. The 4K video impressed it most, holding detail in the black fur of a cow moose and tracking movement without focus trouble.
The No-Glow infrared did not disturb wildlife and produced some of the clearest night photos TechGearLab saw; it found the sweet spot for night illumination around 15 to 20 feet, with close, fast-moving deer starting to white out.
Setup, build and limits
The 1.5-inch color screen makes setup easy and lets you check the field of view while aiming, but TechGearLab found it could wash out in sunlight glare and some lettering was small, and settings need a button press to save. The housing felt compact and rugged with no creaking, and the door seals over a gasket.
There is no cellular connection, which TechGearLab says suits public land and seasons that restrict technology but not anyone who wants to check activity often. Battery life on six AA cells is a strength TechGearLab calls outstanding.
Strengths
- +Fast, consistent trigger: TechGearLab's walk tests caught it 15-20% into the field of view, with results consistent out to 100 feet
- +Some of the crispest photos in TechGearLab's testing, with restrained, near true-to-life color
- +4K video TechGearLab calls outstanding, showing detail in a cow moose's black fur
- +No-Glow IR that did not bother animals and gave some of the clearest night photos TechGearLab saw
- +Battery life on six AA batteries that TechGearLab calls outstanding
Watch-outs
- −Nighttime captures past 70 feet were indistinct, per TechGearLab
- −The 30MP mode appears interpolated, so it is not as crisp as a native resolution, per TechGearLab
- −The 1.5-inch screen can wash out under sunlight glare and some lettering is small
- −No cellular connectivity, so it is not suited to frequent remote monitoring
How it compares
Unlike the cellular Tactacam Reveal Ultra and SPYPOINT FLEX-M2 it stores everything on an SD card and sends nothing to a phone. In TechGearLab's comparison table it scored 85 against 71 for the GardePro A3S, with higher image quality and durability ratings, though the GardePro has a larger 2.31-inch screen and 48MP stills.
Price history
5 daily reads from amazon.com since Oct 29, 2026. Lowest $146.80 (Nov 2), highest $149.95 (Nov 3), latest $149.95 (Nov 8). We call whether it's a good price once there are 7 days of reads at one store.
Rating sources
Our 4.7 score is the average of these published ratings, each adjusted for how strictly its publisher scores. More about methodology.
