Overview

The latest Bushnell Core S-4K wildlife trail camera offers 4K video resolution at 20fps, interpolated 30MP still images and improved SD card storage size. 

However; we are seeing more and more wildlife cameras on the market saying 4K on the information but offering low frame rates which make this mode borderline unusable. The Core S-4K is offering 4K, but at 20fps. Below 25fps and videos tend to look jumpy. This is right on that borderline. The next model up - the Core DS-4K - offers 4K video at 30fps.

It is however capable of higher frame rates in the default 1080p HD mode. 

The Core S-4K does have some other good specs however; trigger speeds are amongst the fastest in both video and photo modes, and battery life is very good too. 

Finally, Bushnell have added the ability to use SD card sizes above 32GB - so now you can use up to a 512GB SD card in a Bushnell wildlife camera for the first time.

The Camo finish on the Bushnell Core cameras is some of the most realistic we’ve ever seen.

It is straight-forward to use and the menu will be familiar to Bushnell users, with no major departures or changes in the settings.

It’s powered by a 9V system from 6x AA batteries, less than normal in a Bushnell, but battery efficiency is a big improvement over the Aggressor models. This still means night time videos are limited to 15 seconds per clip with LED Control set to ‘High’. Turning this setting to ‘Low’ or ‘Medium’ means you can get 60 second clips at night.

Video Quality:

Max res: 4k (20fps day, 20fps night)     Max length: 2mins day, 15 secs night
Trigger speed: about 0.4 seconds     Recovery time: about 1 second

Video quality has always been a strong point with the Bushnell cameras, and now they've made the push for 4K. However, this is at a lower frame rate when set to this resolution which isn't to be ignored. 

That said, when set to standard 1080p resolution, you get 30fps. 

Performance is generally good both day and night, and coupled with the strong points of this model, this mode is a feature most users will go for.

Cameras are out gathering videos now - check back soon for updates

Photo Quality

Max res: 30MP (lowest 2MP)    Max number per trigger: 6 photos
Trigger speed: under 0.2 seconds    Recovery time: about 0.8 seconds

There is a large amount of interpolation happening with the Bushnell - its base sensor is 2MP and its interpolating that (the process of adding more, similar pixels around an original pixel) up to as high as 30MP. That means that at the 30MP option, most of the image is made up. We always suggest therefore to chose image resolutions at the lower end in the Core S-4K menu - i.e. 8 or 12MP, for better results in photo mode.

Build quality & batteries

Warranty: 2 years (through NatureSpy)
Batteries: 6x AA (Lithium strongly recommended)

The Bushnell Core S-4K is a well built wildlife camera that feels good in the hand and lasts in the field. The battery tray makes replacing the batteries much easier and everything is well put together.

As you’d expect from the Bushnell brand, the camera trap feels strong and robust and will hold up well in the field for extended periods of time.

The latch is better than previous models, although the door is quite lightweight. However, we have had no problems reported so far.

Battery life is very strong better than on previous Bushnells, with the camera using 6x AA batteries at a time. Lithium are strongly recommended to get the best out of the camera. Note that officially, rechargeable batteries are not recommended with this camera by the manufacturer.

If using Lithium AA batteries and taking about 20 videos every 24 hours, you will get just over 2 months from one set of batteries. If taking about 60 photos every 24 hours, you will get over 1 year. Very impressive considering only 6x batteries are being used, and in part it’s thanks to its modern IR LEDs.

The Bushnell Core S-4K is covered by a 2 year manufacturer’s warranty in the UK when bought through NatureSpy.

Ease of use

The current crop of Bushnell wildlife cameras are sturdy, well built devices. The forward-facing colour screen makes setup and review in the field easy, and the menu flow and changing settings is straightforward.

Those that have used Bushnell cameras before will recognise all the settings – there are no major changes or departures on the Core S-4K, but the layout is clearer and more intuitive. The manual is clear and easy to follow.

Overall a very straight-forward camera trap to use, but if you do require any help or have any questions you can just get in touch with us.

If you’ve found our review useful, please consider supporting our work and purchasing your next camera trap from us.