SPYPOINT FORCE-4K Review: Sometimes Simple Is Better

Just last week, I wrote and posted an article about trail cameras and all the amazing technology and features available on new models. This week I’m reviewing a camera that, on its surface, would seem to fly in the face of almost everything I wrote previously.

But there’s something refreshing about simplicity when it works really well. Meet the SPYPOINT FORCE-4K.

While I just described the FORCE-4K as “simple,” please don’t interpret that to mean the camera is lacking in quality features. Its 48MP photos and 4K videos with sound don’t disappoint. It also has an LCD screen for setting up the camera and viewing photos.

Options include photo, video, photo-plus-video, burst and time-lapse modes, with plenty of control over how and when the camera captures images. Video can be recorded with or without sound.

What the camera doesn’t have is cellular connectivity. If you need a camera that sends photos to your phone, this isn’t it. But I have to say there is something really pleasant about how easy this camera is to operate.

Setup Is About as Easy as It Gets

My standard for testing a new trail camera is whether I can set it up and get it fully working with multiple options without using the manual. That’s not just my masculine tendency to avoid reading instructions. I’ve been caught in the woods too often with cameras that require adjustment and no way to access a manual.

Setting up, or attempting to set up, a camera this way tells me whether I’ll be able to handle different situations in the field. If I fail, it also helps me learn the new camera so I can hopefully remember how to operate it later.

The FORCE-4K required zero written instruction. But if I had needed it, everything you need to know to set up the camera is right there above the LCD screen.

Setup starts by sliding the power switch to Setup mode. Next, hit the Menu button, which offers every choice you might want to change, including date and time, photo resolution, mode, interval, sensitivity, SD card options and more.

Scroll to each setting with the arrow buttons, hit OK to access it, hit OK again on your preferred choice, and you return to the list of settings. When you’re done, hit Menu again to return to the LCD screen. Slide the power switch to On and you’re taking pictures.

Testing Photo and Video Quality

I live in the country and tested the FORCE-4K behind my house. I picked a deer trail in a rather thick area with only about 20 yards of visibility, mostly because that was my best bet for getting deer pictures.

After 24 hours, I pulled the card and had pictures of a bobcat, a fox, an opossum, one of my dogs and even a whitetail doe. Hoping to get a few more deer pictures and maybe even a velvet buck, I added an attraction block the next day.

I wasn’t surprised that I didn’t get any buck pictures because bucks are few and far between here, but I was pleasantly surprised to get multiple daylight pictures of does feeding on the block. Both the daytime and nighttime images were bright and clear.

Next, I changed the camera to video mode with sound. Again, the results were very good, with clear video and crisp sound.

As a check, I also ran a trail camera from another brand during the test so I could see whether either camera was missing activity. Neither appeared to be leaving animals out of the picture.

I also did some detection testing on a hot Alabama morning. I already had results at 10 yards, so I wanted to see how the FORCE-4K would do at 20 and 30 yards (60 and 90 feet, respectively). To make things even tougher on the camera, I conducted the test on a narrow trail I mow through the woods behind my house. The limited opening gave the camera less time to detect my movement and take a picture.

It did great at both distances, capturing me before I reached the center of the frame each time.

Build, Power and Storage

Ease of setup was one of the first things I liked about the FORCE-4K, but its physical design is equally straightforward.

The side-locking latch is solid and operates easily and securely. The frame is equipped for a cable lock, and the camera comes with a quality mounting strap.

The FORCE-4K is powered internally by eight AA batteries. My only real criticism of the camera is that it is not compatible with SPYPOINT’s drop-in rechargeable lithium battery packs. I’ve come to appreciate the convenience of those packs and would prefer to have that option rather than relying on AA batteries inside the camera.

Of course, because this is not a cellular camera, you must visit it to view the images on its LCD screen or retrieve the SD card. The card is required because the FORCE-4K has no built-in storage.

Is the SPYPOINT FORCE-4K Worth $99.99?

After spending time with the camera for this SPYPOINT FORCE-4K review, I came away thinking it’s one of those products that does what it does really well without trying to be something it’s not.

If you don’t need cellular connectivity but want quality pictures and video, it’s a real contender. With an MSRP of $99.99, a two-year warranty and no monthly subscription bill, it’s an affordable camera to add to a larger scouting setup.

For many of us, it’s not really a choice between cellular and non-cellular cameras anyway. Few avid whitetail hunters use just one trail camera, and that often means running a mix of cellular and traditional models.

For the non-cellular side of that equation, the FORCE-4K is more than up to the task.

SPYPOINT FORCE-4K Specifications:

1 / 14