Cycling videos – Equipment (Part 2)

The sun is out, the winds are calm, I should be out riding. Instead I am recovering from the flu and inside writing part 2 of this series of posts. This post will focus on the better known action camera brands one at a time. Today we will show you what Drift Innovation has to offer. They offer a complete line of camera as well as accessories and have a pretty good following with many examples on YouTube, Vimeo, MTBR, PinkBike, etc.

We’ll start with the Drift HD Action Camera. Here is a camera with an LCD screen, a complete menu system and a rotating lens. It can shoot up to 60fps in 720p and 30fps in 1080p. It has a “Photoburst” mode that takes 9Mp (interpolated) images at specific interval used in time lapse photography. It supports storage on microSD cards up to 32GB. One of the unique features at this price point is a wireless remote control, capable of controlling the camera up to 5 meters away. Another surprising feature is that it also has a speaker so that you can playback your video on the 1.5” screen and also hear the recorded audio at the same time. If the built in microphone is not sufficient there is a 2.5mm mono jack included. Other ports include the requisite USB as well as an HDMI port to pipe your video creation to an external monitor. The battery is a phone type Lithium Ion rechargeable rated at 1110mAh. Even though the case appears to be rubberized, the camera itself is not waterproof. The feature list does say water resistant and careful reading of the FAQ says it is “splash-proof, dust-proof, weatherproof, and dunk-proof but not designed to be underwater for sustained periods of time.” They recommend using an aftermarket pouch for water sports. The only supplied cable is USB and you are expected to charge the battery in-camera with this same cable. Inside the box are the camera, remote, a spare rear cover, goggle mount, two adhesive mounts, a mounting clip, Velcro strap, and a battery.

YouTube has a variety of videos produced using the Drift HD as well as some video reviews.

The next camera in their line is the HD170 Action Camera. There are actually two models of this same camera and as far as I can tell they are identical in specifications except one has a black and orange case and the other is all black. For the sake of brevity I will discuss them as if they are just one model.

The same resolutions and frame rates as the HD camera above as well as the same menu system and 1.5” LCD screen. Again we have a water resistant but not waterproof rubberized non-slip case. The lens is capable of rotating 300° and shoots with a 127° FOV in 1080p and a 170° FOV in 720p & WVGA. Auto white balance and auto/manual exposure modes make sure the images look right while filming. The range on the included wireless remote is only 10 feet, so the antenna must be buried deeper in the camera than the HD. Built in microphone as well as an external microphone jack. Using the HDMI port and supplied cable you can view your creations direct from the camera on an external monitor. This uses the same battery as all the rest of their line but it can also be powered by the USB jack if you are willing to run it without the back cover. The 170 line is one of the few cameras with built in memory, although it is a rather paltry 32MB, a microSD card is really the way to go and this camera does support up to 32GB (class 4 minimum). Even though the size is a bit on the large side compared to others (133 (L) x 50 (D) x 33 (W) mm) the 138g weight is totally manageable hanging off the side of a helmet.

YouTube has quite a few videos of the HD170 in action as well as some reviews and comparisons to the GoPro and Contour offerings in the same market space.

The last camera we will look at today is the WVGA only X170 Action Camera. This is Drift’s offering at the low end of the action camera market. It only records at one resolution (740×480) and one frame rate (30fps). This might be good for slow moving action but in reality is not much better than any of the cameras previously discussed available from Chinavasion or DealExtreme. One advantage is that it uses readily available 1.5v AA batteries. It does support microSD cards up to 16GB and will take 5Mp still photos. It does include a remote control. Although the lens does have a 170° FOV, it is not rotatable so you are limited in your mounting options.

A quick search on YouTube resulting in a few videos displaying the capabilities of this camera as well as a review or two.

Well that does it for a cold fall morning. I will try my best to get another one of these introductions posted next weekend focusing on the GoPro line of cameras.

Until then, be safe, be seen and keep the rubber side down.