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Digital Camera World

Chris George

Technaxx Birdcam TX-165 review - a basic bird feeder camera that doesn't try to be smart

Chris George Digital Camera World

Technaxx Bird Feeder Camera hanging from tree in garden.

The Technaxx Birdcam TX-165 was introduced some five years ago – in 2021 - well before bird feeder cameras became popular. Because of that, perhaps, it may look like it is showing its age – as it does not have the wifi-connected smartphone pizzazz of some of the many recent models on the market. But for some, this will definitely have some appeal - you don't need an app to get the Technaxx to work, and it takes joy in its functional simplicity.

(Image credit: Chris George / Digital Camera World)

Technaxx Birdcam: Specifications

Camera sensor	1/3.2in CMOS
Video resolution	1080P 25fps
Photo resolution	8MP
Feed Capacity	150g
Dimensions (H x W x D)	228 x 152 x90mm
Weight	716g
Battery	4x AA cells
Power	Optional external DC6V/1A supply
Wireless connectivity	None
Materials	ABS plastic
Waterproof Rating	IP56

Technaxx Birdcam: Price

The Technaxx Birdcam has a recommended retail price of $129.99/£129.99 – but I have regularly seen it on sale under $95 / £90 – which feels a much fairer price to pay for this, so do make sure you shop around to get a reasonable price.

Technaxx Birdcam: Design & handling

The bird feeder itself is made up of three separate pieces. The camera is essentially just a trail camera that provides a weather-sealed unit for the video and photo functions. The second part is the food hoppers - two separate containers for filling up with seeds, nuts, or mealworms of your choice. The third is the exterior casing, which the other two parts fit into, which provides a roof, and the various modes of attachment that can be used to fix, hang or strap your feeder to a branch, post or wall. This also offers a small reservoir for water.

The camera is best set up before you put the three parts together – but as you will have to put in the 4x AA batteries and the memory card before the unit is made watertight, this is not a huge difficulty.

The camera settings are a touch fiddly with six different buttons helping you to navigate the menu system, which is displayed on a small 2in exterior screen. You can choose between recording video, stills or both - and then you have the options for these. This means choosing the number of images taken in stills mode, and the resolution and frame rate you want for video. You can also choose to have audio recording on and off, and whether to record the time and date (and temperature) with your captures. Other settings allow you to adjust the sensitivity of the motion sensor, which starts the recording, and the times of day you want the bird feeder camera to be operational for. Fortunately, the manual that covers all of this is excellently written.

Although there is no solar panel option – unlike on many of the best bird feed cameras – there is a socket to provide DC power to the unit, if you don't want to be reliant on AA batteries (you'd need to source the transformer and wiring yourself).

I was very impressed with the number of mounting options that are available – with fixings for attachment to a wall or post, and one for attaching to a rail. You also get a belt, for fixing the Technaxx around the tree. In our tests, we used a piece of wire attached to the eye at the top of the feeder, and tied to a low branch of an old apple tree.

Technaxx Birdcam: Performance

Sample photo taken with Technaxx Bird Feeder Camera (Image credit: Chris George / Digital Camera World)

The camera uses a wid-angle lens with a field of view of 100° - but it is set up so it only keeps subjects in a range of 6-15cm in focus – so just those on the field itself. This means that the images you get show the birds against a nicely blurred background of your garden or yard, thanks to the limited depth of field offered by the f/2 lens. This effect was particularly appealing with video clips - with the birds staying in focus as they fed, that being seen defocused as they flew away to a neighboring branch.

The resolution is only 1080P - so can't compete with the 4K and 2K video that is found on many rivals. Nonetheless the imagery was more than enough to make appealing footage - and certainly enough to identify birds, and see them close-up in a way that you can't usually enjoy.

The camera also offers a four infrared LEDs - so can capture footage at night, or just before dawn, when some species are active. This footage is recorded in black and white (and you can see a sample of this at then end of the video sample below).

Sample photos

A selection of some of the bird photos we managed to capture with the Technaxx suspended from the branch of an apple tree (Image credit: Chris George / Digital Camera World)

Shots taken with the Technaxx on a garden table included some entertaining frames capturing the visits from the family cat and the local squirrels (Image credit: Chris George / Digital Camera World)

Sample video

Above: compilation of the best video clips we captured with the Technaxx

Technaxx Birdcam Verdict

In comparison to many other bird feeder cameras, the Technaxx is a pretty basic affair. But the fact that you don't need a smartphone or an app to use this, may well be its biggest appeal. It works well, and although made of plastic, is solidly built – and comes in a color that looks at home in your garden.