Bushnell HD Vital 119726C User Guide

INSTRUCTION MANUAL

Model#: 119726C 01-15

IMPORTANT NOTE

Congratulations on your purchase of one of the best trail cameras
on the market! Bushnell is very proud of this little unit and we are
sure you will be pleased with it as well. We appreciate your business
and want to earn your trust. Please refer to the notes below and
the instructions in this manual to ensure that you are completely
satisfied with this product.

If your Bushnell Trophy Cam HD Vital does not seem to be
functioning properly or if you are having photo/video quality
issues, please check the Troubleshooting/FAQ section on
pages 27-31.
Problems are often due to something simple that was
overlooked, or require only changing one setting to solve.

If your problem continues after trying the solutions in the
Troubleshooting/FAQ section, please call Bushnell Customer
Service at [phone]. In Canada, call [phone].

Bushnell recommends using 8 Energizer® Lithium AA batteries in this

Trophy Cam HD Vital model to obtain maximum battery life

Do not mix old and new batteries

Do not mix battery types-use ALL lithium or ALL alkaline

Rechargeable batteries are NOT recommended

Bushnell recommends using SanDisk® SD and SDHC Cards

2

(up to 32GB capacity) in all Trophy Cam HD models

INTRODUCTION

About the Trophy Cam HD Vital

The Bushnell Trophy Cam HD Vital is a digital scouting camera. It can be
triggered by any movement of game in a location, detected by a highly sensitive
Passive Infra-Red (PIR) motion sensor, and then take high quality pictures (up to
12MP still photos), or video clips.

The Trophy Cam HD Vital consumes very little power (less than 300mA) in a
stand-by (surveillance) state. This means it can deliver up to six months stand-by
operation time when the device is powered by eight AA alkaline batteries, and
up to twelve months utilizing lithium AA batteries. Once motion in the monitored
area is detected, the digital camera unit will be triggered at once (typically less
than 0.3 second) and then automatically take photos or videos according to
previously programmed settings. The Trophy Cam HD Vital is equipped with
built-in infrared LEDs that function as a flash, so that it delivers clear photos or
videos (in black & white) even in the dark, and it can take color photos or videos
under sufficient daylight. The Trophy Cam HD Vital is designed for outdoor use
and is resistant against water and snow. Your trail camera is one of the latest
generation of Bushnell Trophy Cam HDs, and includes many new or improved
features, such as:

• Auto PIR Sensitivity- the camera monitors ambient temperature conditions
and automatically adjusts the sensor/trigger signal to be more sensitive to
slight variations in temperature on hot days, less sensitive on cold days.

• Field Scan 2x with Live Trigger- the original “time lapse” feature has been
enhanced with the addition of the option for a second block of recording
with its own start/stop times. Trigger signals generated by nearby wildlife
activity will still generate additional photos/videos as they normally would,
independently of the Field Scan operation.

• Audio Recording capability in Video Mode. 720p HD Video.

Applications

The Trophy Cam HD Vital can be used as a trail camera for hunting or scouting
game. It is also suitable for surveillance usage.

3

PARTS AND CONTROLS

The Trophy Cam HD Vital provides the following connections for external
devices: USB port, SD card slot, TV Out, and external DC power in (Fig. 1).

A 3-way power switch is used to select the main operating modes: OFF, SETUP,
and ON (Fig. 2).

A control key interface with six keys is primarily used in SETUP mode to select
operational functions and parameters. As shown in Fig. 2, these keys are: UP,
DOWN, LEFT, RIGHT, OK and MENU. Four of the keys can also perform a
second function (shortcut operations in SETUP mode) in addition to their main
function: The DOWN key can be used to set the camera to Photo mode (still
camera icon), and the UP key can set the camera to Video mode (movie camera
icon). The RIGHT key also serves as the manual shutter (“SHOT”) button of the
camera and the OK key switches the camera to the Playback (“REPLAY”) mode.
These secondary functions are indicated by icons or text above the key as shown
in Fig. 2.

BACK VIEW

LCD Screen

Power/Mode
Switch

4

ON
SETUP
OFF

Cable to Battery
Compartment

UP/Video

DOWN/Photo

LEFT

MENU

OK/Replay

RIGHT/Shot

Fig. 2: Button and
Switch Guide

PARTS AND CONTROLS

TV Out

DC In

Video Mic

SD Card Slot

Fig. 1: Connections

FRONT VIEW

USB Port

Video Mic

DC in
Cover Plug

LED IR Flash

Motion/ Low
Battery Indicator

Lens

Lock Hole

PIR Sensor

Tripod Socket

5

INSTALLING THE BATTERIES AND SD CARD

Before you begin learning how to use your Trophy Cam HD Vital, you will first
need to install a set of batteries and insert an SD card. Although that may only
take you a minute, there are some important notes about both batteries and SD
cards you should be aware of, so please take the time to read the following
directions and cautions:

Loading Batteries

After opening the two latches on the right side of the

Trophy Cam HD Vital, you will see that the Trophy
Cam HD Vital has eight battery slots. Starting at the

top of the battery compartment, slots 1, 2, 3 and 4
form one group, while slots 5, 6, 7 and 8 form the
other group, each providing 6 volts in parallel. For
maximum battery life, you should install a full set of
eight batteries. The Trophy Cam HD Vital may also
be operated by just four batteries installed in the top
group only (see right), starting at slot 1. Battery life
will be shorter with 4 batteries, but the camera will
operate normally. Whether you use 4 or 8, be sure to
insert each battery with correct polarity (negative or
“flat” end against the long spring of each battery slot).
Bushnell recommends using eight new lithium AA (Energizer
AA batteries. NiMh Rechargeable batteries can also be used, but they might
have a shorter life span due to their reduced efficiency over time and at low
temperature. It is also possible to use a lead-acid external battery cell with 6V output

or suitable AC adapter-see below for more details.

Using an External Power Source (optional, user provided)

Optionally, you can connect an external 6V DC power source to the “DC In”
jack at the bottom of the Trophy Cam HD Vital. It is recommended to use a
power source with a current output greater than 1000mA. However, during
bright daytime operation when no flash is required, the Trophy Cam HD Vital
can function with much less current (>400mA). Please use a compatible power
source cable (not provided) to connect the external DC power source with the

6

®

brand) or alkaline

power input jack of the Trophy Cam HD Vital, making sure that the polarity is
correct. Note: The power connector is a 4.0x1.7mm coaxial DC power plug with

positive “tip” (inside pin) polarity (Radio Shack P/N 274-1532 or equivalent).

If both an external power source is connected and batteries are installed, the
Trophy Cam HD Vital will be powered by the external power source.

When the batteries become weak, the low-battery indicator LED will glow blue,
indicating the batteries should be changed (pg 5, “Front View”).

Inserting the SD Card

Your Trophy Cam HD Vital has 32MB internal memory, which can hold only
about 10 photos (@ 5MP resolution). This is handy for testing and getting familiar
with the camera, but you will no doubt want to leave the camera unattended for
longer than a day, so using an SD card is recommended. Insert the SD card (with
the camera’s power switch in the OFF position) before beginning to operate the
camera. Don’t insert or remove the SD card when the power switch is in the ON
position.

The Trophy Cam HD Vital uses a standard SD (Secure Digital) memory card to
save photos (in .jpg format) and/or videos (in .avi format). SD and SDHC (High
Capacity) cards up to a maximum 32GB capacity are supported. Before inserting
the SD card into the card slot after opening the camera’s front cover, please
make sure that the write-protect switch on the side of the card is “off” (NOT in the
“Lock” position). The following describes how to insert and remove the SD card:

• Insert the SD card into the card slot with its
label side upwards (see above). A “click” sound
indicates that the card is installed successfully. If
the wrong side of the card is facing up, you will
not be able to insert it without force-there is only
one correct way to insert cards. If the SD card
is not installed correctly, the device will not display an SD card icon on
the LCD in SETUP mode (the SD card icon displayed after switching to SETUP
mode will have a “lock” symbol inside it in it if the card is locked). Formatting the
SD card by using the Trophy Cam HD Vital’s “Format” parameter before
using it for the first time is recommended, especially when a card has been
used in other devices (see “Format", pg. 19, for details).

7

• To take out the SD card, just gently push in the card (do not try to pull it out
without pushing in first). The card is released from the slot and ready to be
removed when you hear the click. Be sure the camera’s power is switched
OFF before inserting or removing SD cards or batteries.

USING THE Trophy Cam HD Vital

Once you’ve prepared your Trophy Cam HD Vital by properly installing batteries
and an SD card, you could simply take it outside, strap it to a tree, switch it on
and leave-and you might get some great photos that are exactly what you wanted.
However, we highly recommend that you first spend some additional time indoors
with this manual and your camera until you know a bit more about what the 3-way
switch and those control keys do. If nothing else, you’ll probably want to at least
set the date and time so the camera will imprint them (or not-it’s your option) on
your photos as they are taken, learn how to set the camera to shoot video clips
instead of still photos if you like, and read some tips about mounting it on a tree.

THE OFF, ON, AND SETUP MODES

The Trophy Cam HD Vital has three basic operational modes:

• OFF mode: Power switch in the OFF position.

• ON mode: Power switch in the ON position (LCD screen is off.)

• SETUP mode: Power switch at SETUP position (LCD screen is on).

OFF MODE

The OFF mode is the “safe” mode when any actions must be taken, e.g., replacing
the SD card or batteries, or transporting the device. You will also use OFF mode
if you connect the camera to a computer’s USB port later to download your
photos/videos. And of course, when you are storing or not using the camera, you
will switch it to OFF. Please note that even in the OFF mode the Trophy Cam
HD Vital still consumes power at a very low level. Therefore, it’s a good idea to
take the batteries out of the battery compartment if the camera will not be used
for a long time.

8

ON MODE

Anytime after the batteries and SD card have been inserted, you can switch on
the camera. When the power switch is moved to the top position, the camera
will enter into the ON (Live) mode. The motion indicator LED (pg. 5, “Front View”)
will blink red for about 10 seconds. This interval allows time for you to close
the Trophy Cam HD Vital’s front cover, lock it, and leave the monitored area.
Once in the ON mode, no manual controls are needed or possible (the control
keys have no effect). The Trophy Cam HD Vital will take photos or videos
automatically (according to its current parameter settings) when it is triggered by
the PIR sensor’s detection of activity in the area it covers.
You can either move the power switch directly from OFF to ON mode, or stop at
the SETUP position first to change one or more settings, then move the switch to
ON after you have finished doing so.

SETUP MODE

In the SETUP mode you can check and change the settings of the Trophy Cam
HD Vital with the help of its built-in LCD (or a monitor connected to the TV out

jack). These settings, found in the SETUP Menu, let you change the photo or
video resolution, interval between photos, switch the time imprint on, etc. Moving
the power switch to the SETUP position will turn on the LCD display, and you
will see an information screen that shows how many images have been taken, the
battery level, camera or video mode, etc (see Fig. 3, pg. 10).

NOTE: Always move the power switch from OFF to SETUP mode. It is
possible that the camera could lockup if it is switched from ON to SETUP
mode. If this occurs, simply move the switch to OFF and then push it up to
SETUP again.

SETUP Mode Shortcut Keys/Functions

As mentioned earlier in “Parts & Controls”, four of the keys below the LCD
have secondary, “shortcut” functions when the camera is switched to SETUP
mode (but the MENU key has not been pressed):

• Press the UP key to quickly set the camera to shoot video clips.

• Press the DOWN key to quickly set the camera to take still photos.

• Press the RIGHT key to manually trigger the shutter. This is useful for

9

Fig. 3: SETUP Information Screen

Camera (Still Photo) Mode

10

Still Photo Mode

Time Stamp

Field Scan On

Video Mode

Video Mode

Image Size (Resolution)

SD Card Status

5

5

# of Photos Taken Remaining Photo Capacity

Video Sound On

Video Resolution

5

Available Video Recording Time

Battery Level

Date:Month-Day-Year

Time
Hour:Minute:Second

testing the camera-make sure you are in SETUP mode, press the RIGHT
key, and a few seconds later a photo or video (depending on how the
camera was set) will be saved to the SD card (or internal memory if no card
is inserted). The “number of images taken” counter on the bottom left of the
LCD will increase by one. If the display indicates “SD PROTECTED” when
you press the SHOT key, switch the camera OFF, remove the SD card and
slide its protect switch off.

• Press the OK key to replay (review or playback) photos/videos on a
connected TV monitor. See “Playing Back Photos/Videos” for more details.

USING THE SETUP MENU TO CHANGE
SETTINGS

The main purpose of the SETUP mode is to allow you to change the settings of
the camera’s parameters (14 different ones are available) so your Trophy Cam
HD Vital operates exactly the way you want it to. You will do this by entering the
SETUP Menu and pressing the keys below the LCD display, which will show you
each parameter and its setting.

Changing Parameter Settings in SETUP Mode

A wide range of options or “parameters” are provided to allow you to set the
Trophy Cam HD Vital to your operational preferences. To change the setting of
any parameter you must first switch to the SETUP mode. Once in SETUP mode,
pressing the MENU button will allow you to select any parameter and change its
setting. The name of the parameter and its current setting will be shown on the
LCD. Pressing the RIGHT or LEFT key scrolls to the next or previous parameter
(RIGHT key to move on to the next parameter and LEFT key to go back to
the previous parameter), and pressing the UP or DOWN key lets you select a
different setting for the currently displayed parameter. Once you have selected
your preferred new setting for a parameter, press the OK button to save the
new setting (actually change it). When have are finished changing the settings of
one or more parameters, press MENU again to exit the SETUP menu. MENU
can also be pressed anytime you want to cancel changing a parameter’s setting
after a new setting has been selected (but OK has not been pressed yet). After
setting the parameters to your preferences, be sure to move the switch to ON to
begin actually taking photos or videos. No images will be captured if the switch

11