Browning Recon Force Elite HP5 Ultra

Camera has a Serious Pixelation Problem

I started using camera traps twenty-five years ago, long before they were compact, and a click away from your doorstep. In those early years, if you wanted a trail camera that did exactly what you needed, you built it yourself. I did just that—tracking down used Sony cameras on eBay, sourcing PIR sensors from small specialty shops, and sealing everything inside waterproof Pelican cases. I’d build a snorkel for the lens, rough up the outside with Liquid Nails for texture, then paint each case to match the bark of the tree it would live on. They were heavy, imperfect, and deeply satisfying tools.

Most of those early cameras captured still images only. Eventually, I built a few video units, and that changed everything. The more video I captured, the more I realized how limited single frames really are. Video tells the full story—how an animal moves through the landscape, how it reacts to air currents and sound, how long it lingers, what it does before and after the shutter would have clicked. Video is ecology in motion, and once I saw that clearly, there was no going back.

That’s why, when Browning released the first Recon Force camera capable of recording 1080p video at 60 frames per second, I stopped building my own cameras. I still remember watching a YouTube clip of a badger captured with one of those early Recon Force models. The fluid motion, the detail, the behavioral context—it was exactly the platform I’d been waiting for.

From there, I bought every successive Recon Force model Browning released. Advantage. Extreme. All the way up to the Elite HP5. These cameras became trusted field tools, quietly working in the background while I focused on reading tracks, patterns, and landscapes. When Browning ran out of inventory on the Elite HP5, I’ll admit I felt a genuine lump in my throat. That camera had earned its place.

I was reassured by Browning staff that the next generation would retain 60 frames per second, with resolution increasing from 1080p to 1440p. On paper, it sounded like a natural evolution. It’s worth noting that most Browning customers primarily use image mode. I don’t. I always capture video. If I want a still image, I pull a frame from the footage. That approach gives me far more flexibility and far more information.

So when the new Browning Recon Force Elite HP5 Ultra was released—and backorders were being filled before it even appeared on the Browning website—I was eager to put it to work. I received a box of these new cameras from Browning and immediately set one up in the backyard for testing.

It didn’t take long to realize something was wrong.

The video quality took a clear nosedive compared to the previous Elite HP5. Pixelation was severe, fine detail was lost, and the white balance was noticeably off. The footage lacked the clarity and natural color that had defined this line for years. It was bad enough that I began to wonder whether there was a manufacturing issue, an engineering misstep, or a processing problem somewhere in the pipeline.

This was surprising—and frankly disappointing—because Browning has produced excellent cameras in the Recon Force line for many years. That consistency is why I stayed with them. I have no doubt this issue will eventually be identified and resolved.

But until it is, I would not recommend purchasing this camera.

For my work, video quality matters. It’s the difference between simply knowing an animal passed through and understanding how it lives in that place. At this moment, the Recon Force Elite HP5 Ultra does not deliver the video quality—or usable still frames pulled from video—that I rely on. I’ll be watching closely to see how Browning addresses this, because when these cameras work as they should, they are powerful tools for learning from the wild without interfering with it. I’m confident Browning will address this issue.

The test video from this new Elite HP5 Ultra camera shows the horrible pixelation and white balance issues. Compare this video with a video from the previous model, the Elite HP5.

Browning Recon Force Elite HP5 Ultra versus Elite HP5 (previous model)

Image from a video frame from the Browning Recon Force Elite HP5 Ultra camera. Note the heavy pixelation and blurry artifacts in the grass.

This image was saved from a video frame from the Browning Recon Force Elite HP5. It is by far a better image than the one generated by the Elite HP5 Ultra camera above.

Test Video and Image - Browning Recon Force Elite HP5 (Previous Model)

The video below shows the excellent resolution and white balance captured with the Browning Recon Force Elite HP5 camera.

And here’s an example below of an image from the Browning Recon Force Elite HP5. The detail, lack of pixelation, excellent white balance, and accurate color rendition are all fantastic. Unfortunately, Browning no longer manufactures this camera.

Elite HP5 image from a video frame.