action camera
Latest
DJI takes on GoPro with the Osmo Action camera
The action camera space has a new player: DJI. Today, the company revealed Osmo Action ($349), its first ruggedized, compact shooter. The Osmo Action, which is designed to compete with GoPro's Hero line, features a 1/2.3-inch sensor capable of capturing 12-megapixel photos, 4K and 4K HDR video. It also comes with electronic image stabilization (EIS), which is going to come in handy during your adventures. But what really makes the Osmo Action stand out are its dual displays: There's a 2.25-inch touchscreen on the back and a 1.4-inch on the front, the latter of which has 800 nits of brightness that will help it be useful in direct sunlight.
GoPro turns the Hero 7 Black white
The GoPro Hero 7 Black lived up to part of its namesake by actually being, well, black instead of silver or gray like previous models. If that new lick of paint wasn't enough, you'll soon be able to get it in a limited edition white (or "dusk white" in GoPro's words) version. According to the company, this is the first special colorway of its flagship snapper. And, yes, it's still called that despite being the tonal opposite.
Xiaomi's action cam bests a GoPro Hero for half the price
Xiaomi has unleashed a 399 CNY ($64) action cam onto unsuspecting cats in China, but will it join the Mi band in the US? The Yi Camera actually trumps the specs of GoPro's entry-level camera with 1080P, 60fps video and up to 64GB of memory at about half the price (the $130 Hero has 1080/30p video and 32GB max storage). It also weighs significantly less at 72g, has a bigger battery and can go the same 40m (130 feet. Update: separate case required) underwater. To be fair, unlike the Hero, it doesn't come with a housing, mounts or the impeccable rep. But Xiaomi is offering a bunch of extra accessories, including a helmet mount and, yes, a cat harness.
Olympus expands its rugged camera line with the Stylus TG-860
There's no doubt that the E-M5 II is Olympus' big reveal of the night. Still, there are people out there who are just looking for something simple, like an all-terrain digital camera. Here's where the newly announced Stylus Tough TG-860 hopes to come in. While this compact shooter won't blow anyone away with the internal features it boasts, interested parties would likely care more about its ruggedized features than anything else.
Vivitar DVR794HD Action Cam: You get what you pay for
Like many TUAW readers, I'm one of those people who has been drooling over the GoPro Hero4 Black action camera since it was recently released. But at US$500, it's a bit on the high side for someone who doesn't actually engage in a lot of activities that would would benefit from the high definition video - I don't skydive or scuba dive, and I'm not a snow or skateboarder. So I was fascinated to hear about a much less expensive Wi-Fi enabled action camera from Vivitar - the DVR794HD (US$99, £75.99), and quite happy when the venerable camera and accessory manufacturer offered to send a review unit, even when it's not available yet in the US. Read along to see how the DVR794HD works (or doesn't...) in the Apple ecosystem. As with most of the action camera genre, the DVR794HD is tiny - just 2.44 x 1.57 x 1.26 inches (62 x 40 x 32 mm). With the battery installed, the bare camera weighs just 2.8 ounces (79.4 grams). It wouldn't be an action camera without being waterproof, so Vivitar ships it with a clear plastic waterproof housing. There's also a helmet mount for capturing your skydives and heliskiing, and a handlebar mount for those times where you're racing through the pines on your mountain bike. They don't include one necessity - the MicroSD card that photos and videos are stored on. However, those are really quite inexpensive, with a 64 GB Class 10 MicroSD card selling now for as little as $25 online. Setting up the camera is simple and fast; you just pop the included battery pack into the back of the unit, plug the camera in until a small blue LED goes out, and then you're ready for action. The waterproof case goes on easily, with a nice snap-on lock that keeps it securely shut. That case is good to 30 meters (about 100 feet), so it shouldn't have any issues with taking a dip in a swimming pool or going snorkeling. Of course, the point of cameras like this is that they're supposed to shoot incredible video through a wide-angle lens. The DVR794HD uses a fixed focus 2.9 mm lens at F3.1, so it certainly fits the bill there. The controls are fairly simple. On one side are a power button and a button for linking to the camera from your iOS device using Wi-Fi and the free Action Cam app. On top is a button to toggle between video and still photography, and also to start and stop video or take a still photo. The only display on the camera is a tiny LCD display that is almost worthless. It shows if the camera has turned on or is turning off, and has almost microscopically small icons to denote video/photo mode, battery capacity, and the remaining duration for the camera while filming. According to the app, at 64 GB microSD card should give me 11 hours and 3 minutes of filming capacity (although the battery won't last that long), but the display just showed 1:03. By the way, on the other side of the camera is the microSD card slot, a port for an external microphone, a micro-USB port for charging, and an HDMI port for viewing your output directly from the device. To power on the DVR794HD, you long-press on the power button. By long-pres, I mean about five seconds. A barely audible beep tells you that the camera is turned on, and the LCD shows "On". To link to the camera via Wi-Fi, you press the Wi-Fi button and it begins to blink on and off. Selecting the camera (ActioncamXXXXXXX) in Wi-Fi settings makes the Wi-Fi light go to a steady red glow. One interesting bug - being connected to the DVR794HD Wi-Fi, my iPhone 6 Plus didn't show the usual Wi-Fi icon. However, opening the free Action Cam app showed a connection to the camera. Tapping on the button, I immediately received an image from the camera showing me what it was seeing. At the bottom of the screen are a toggle for video or photo mode, a large red record button, a time-remaining indicator, and some buttons to set rudimentary white balance and resolution settings. I found the software to be relatively useless; yes, the app can be used as a remote control, but the Wi-Fi connection dropped out on a regular basis. About the only thing it would be useful for is setting the resolution, as the manual method of doing that involves pushing the power/mode button repeated times to bring up those miniscule icons on the LCD. When Wi-Fi was turned on and actually working properly, the battery indicator on the camera would sometimes show a drained battery, even when it had just been charged. My suggestion? Don't use the Wi-Fi. There's just no point to it with the poor iOS app and connectivity issues. About this point, I started seeing a number of other issues with the camera and the app. On occasion, the camera would totally lock up to the point that the battery pack had to be removed in order to reset everything. Sometimes the device would simply shut itself off. I would assume that it's an auto power saving mode, but there's no way to set the auto power-off time. So the iOS app is pretty worthless, how about Mac software, AKA "The Vivitar Mobile Experience"? Well, the brilliant minds at Vivitar included an installation CD, which shows just how out of touch they are with the world of Apple. Most Macs haven't come with optical drives for years, and none of them can read the "mini-CD" that was included. A look at the Vivitar website was relatively useless as well - it doesn't even show the DVR794HD as a current model, and there's no software to be found in the scanty online support section. Even Google couldn't help, as most of the links to the Vivitar Experience Image Manager software for Mac actually went to Windows downloaders or to sites that were so questionable there was no way I was going to download anything from them. The app is available for iPad, but I chose not to download it just out of spite at this point. Fortunately, there was a way to get the photos off of the camera - the microSD card had an adapter that could be used with my Mac. How does the DVR794HD stack up? To start with, all images - video or still - are going to be wildly distorted by the wide angle lens. That's understandable, since you're going to be using this device on a helmet or bike to get action videos, right? Still images on this camera are taken at 4000 x 3000 pixel resolution - a 12 MP image. iPhone 6 Plus images are done at 3264 x 2448 resolution, about 8 MP images. Resolution isn't a guarantee of good photos. The DVR794HD images were grainy, colors were off, and the shutter speeds were so slow in some cases that handheld images were blurred. Here are segments of two images (scaled to fit the page, of course) of the same subject under identical lighting. First, the DVR794HD: Now the iPhone 6 Plus: Despite all of those extra pixels, the DVR794HD photo looks like something I shot with my first camera phone in the early 2000s. What about the video? The following two short clips are taken from the same spot under similar lighting conditions. First, the DVR794HD: Next, the iPhone 6 Plus: Sure, the iPhone 6 Plus is not an "action cam". But as a video camera it's much, much better. There's less distortion, the iPhone 6 Plus handles changes in light intensity much quicker, and the colors are much more authentic compared to what was seen with the DVR794HD. Conclusion I've already wasted enough time, both mine and yours, reviewing this product. The Vivitar DVR794HD is yet another example of "You get what you pay for", and the $99 price tag on this action camera should not be an enticement to anyone to buy this, unless you want a digital lump of coal to put into someone's Christmas stocking. Between poor image quality, bad Wi-Fi connectivity, an iOS app that has very limited utility even when Wi-Fi is working, a truly nonexistent Mac app, a tendency to lock up and/or shut down unexpectedly, and an on-device display that practically requires a magnifying glass to make any sense of, I cannot recommend the DVR794HD, even when it does finally make it to American shores. I'll give it a half-star just for having bike and helmet mounts and an infrared remote, and because that waterproof case is kinda cool. But if you really want to shoot action video, get a GoPro and forget this Vivitar product. For $30 more, you can get the entry-level GoPro Hero and I can guarantee you'll much happier, even without Wi-Fi. Rating: One-half star out of four stars possible
When it comes to GoPro's new Hero4 camera, silver is the new black
GoPro cameras have come a long way in the last couple of years. Not only are they a lot smaller (my once "slick" HD Hero2 looks enormous compared to the new Hero4), but also the resolution they can record has finally reached full 30 fps 4K. Not bad considering I don't even own a 4K TV yet. Sure, there are phones that can record 4K, but not with the same versatility and control of an action camera. GoPros have actually recorded 4K (albeit only at 12 fps) since the Hero3, but it's taken until now to deliver a decent frame rate without severely compromising the (already medicore) battery life. This means the company has possibly reached something of a glass ceiling when it comes to its top-billing feature (resolution). Maybe we'll see 8K next year, or 4K at 60 fps, but I honestly feel most of us are a long way from either wanting, let alone needing that. So what's a camera company to do?
GoPro's Hero4 cameras offer 30 fps 4K shooting or touchscreen controls
GoPro started life as a home-brew wrist-mounted 35mm camera, but it's come a long way since. Today we're getting a look at the next installment of that story: The Hero4. The latest cameras from the action sports behemoth bring some anticipated features, along with a few surprises. Most notably, while the Hero4 still comes in three tiers/editions, there are greater differences between them. Black is still the top-specification model (more details of which after the fold), but Silver has a few neat tricks of its own. Finally, the White edition is out; in place is a new camera simply called "Hero." The new family structure is essentially: professionals, prosumer/consumers and entry level -- which isn't that different from before, just this time around it's more pronounced. "Enough already. Tell me about the features," I hear you say. Glad you asked, follow on below for details.
Ricoh's new action cam isn't a toy, even if it looks like one
When you're in the market for an action camera, we'd imagine GoPro or Contour would be the first names that sprang to mind. Ricoh is hoping to crowbar itself onto your psychological roster, however, with the WG-M1, its latest ruggedized action camera. Looking more like the sort of spy compass you'd get for free on the front of a magazine, the hockey puck-style device offers a 14-megapixel CMOS sensor and a six-element lens with an f/2.8 aperture. That'll be good enough for 1080p video of you on your longboard hurtling through traffic at 30 miles an hour.
A taste of adventure with Veho's new Muvi K2 action camera
Who doesn't love adventure? Or, at the very least, the idea of it. I won't lie -- that's what appeals to me most about action cameras: It's the potential adventures they promise. The scuba diving trip you haven't taken yet, or the white water rafting you've yet to enjoy. With a dedicated action camera, you're one step closer to making it happen. Like getting some fancy new trainers to spark off that exercise kick.
HTC's next device could be an action camera
It's been a testy couple of weeks for HTC. It's had new phones, plus rumors of a canceled wearable, a new tablet and a fragile deal with Amazon. What's a company to do? If reports are true, the answer is "release a camera." More specifically, a rugged GoPro-like device. Bloomberg's sources suggest the forthcoming action cam would be tube-shaped (so more like Contour's design), have a 16-megapixel sensor and an ultra-wide lens (though no specifics). The camera also reportedly has both Bluetooth and WiFi. WiFi isn't uncommon in helmet cameras, letting you control it with apps and accessories, but Bluetooth suggests a closer relationship with a phone. More likely meaning it could be a standalone device, and one that's tightly integrated with an HTC handset -- much like Sony's QX line of lens cameras. As luck would have it, HTC's hosting an event in October, so whatever it is, we shouldn't have to wait too long.
Ricoh's WG-M1 is an action camera from the people that make Pentax
Dizzying first-person footage? Check. Skate/parkour/longboard adrenaline ride? Check. Ricoh (perhaps better known for its Pentax brand) knows what action camera buyers want. Or at least the category's marketing staples. Its latest cam is the Ricoh WG-M1, and it's aimed squarely at the Blanchards and Bruscos of this world. It shoots full HD, takes 14-megapixel stills, has WiFi, is waterproof to over 30 feet and sports an LCD display -- all good stuff. But there's one big question -- does it come with a carabiner-equipped strap for easy carrying? Glad you asked, the press materials say yes. The camera will cost $300 when it shoulders its way onto shelves in October, so plenty of time to look up what a carabiner is.
GoPro files for an IPO to grow its media empire
Look, it was no surprise that GoPro has been planning to go public for a while now -- it said as much back in February. Things are finally getting officially official, though: the company just filed its S-1 with the Securities and Exchange Commission, so you can expect to see the ticker symbol GPRO on NASDAQ in due course. There's no shortage of financial types digging through the document as we type (bits to note: the company managed to turn a pretty profit last year, and it shipped a net total of nearly 4 million cameras in 2013), but the story is clear -- GoPro is a big deal, and it's going to get even bigger.
Engadget giveaway: win a V.I.O. Stream Battery System HD camera!
We can't help you with the lights or the action, but the professional video folks at V.I.O. will provide the camera for one lucky Engadget reader this week. We have one V.I.O. Stream Battery System, which is a seriously rugged little POV shooter capable of capturing and streaming 1080p HD video using the Real Time Streaming Protocol (RTSP). It's waterproof, dustproof and shockproof (earning it an IP67 environmental standard rating), so it can handle all the extreme action you want to throw at it. And the battery add-on, which is included in this model, lets you roam free and capture footage for up to two and a half hours on a charge without any wired entanglements. Whether its documenting base jumps, birthday parties or kickstarting a budding film career, this HD video camera is up to the task. All you need to do is head on down to the Rafflecopter widget below for up to three chances at winning this V.I.O. Stream Battery System. Winner: congratulations to Alex B., Skokie, IL
Polaroid's C3 is an action camera in tiny cube form (hands-on)
We were hoping to get our hands on Polaroid's Socialmatic camera, but unfortunately the company only had the shell of a prototype on hand. Luckily, though, we found something even more interesting when we stopped by the booth: the C3 action sports video camera. It's a tiny cube of a thing -- a 35mm square, to be exact -- but its wide-angle lens captures 120 degrees of action, and the form factor lends itself well to going on the road. (It's also perfect for stacking -- but just for fun.) It's called an "action sports" camera, but we don't really see it holding up when you're snowboarding or biking. It is, however, waterproof for up to 2 meters. We also don't know how practical this guy is, given that WiFi isn't on board and you'll need to transfer photos and video via micro-SD. Its compact size, in other words, is the selling point. Like the Socialmatic, the C3 is still in the prototype phase, though the models on hand seemed closer to final production, with the sensor built in. It has a soft-touch finish and feels very light. We like how the classic Polaroid rainbow carries over to this product, with versions in red, blue and black. There's a button on top, which you'll press to record video or snap a photo. The C3 's 5-megapixel cam shoots in 1,280 x 720 or 640 x 480 resolution -- we obviously can't speak to image quality quite yet, but we're intrigued to see how this gadget works when it debuts in the summer. It will cost $99, and a Polaroid rep told us there will be straps to make the C3 wearable, along with other accessories. Check out our hands-on below. Billy Steele contributed to this report.
JVC's upgraded GC-XA2 ADIXXION action camera is really, really hard to put down
Look, we all know someone suffering from an insatiable appetite for [insert vice here]. But if you've ever met someone who picked up the OG ADIXXION, you probably understand just how fixated on a single product one can become. Keeping the fix going is JVC, who has introduced the latest -- and perhaps most addicting -- ADIXXION yet. The GC-XA2 is obviously designed to rival anything in the space that GoPro presently owns, boasting a water-, shock-, dust- and freeze-proof enclosure and mounting options galore. Performance improvements in the new model include 1,920 x 1,080 60p/50p Progressive Full HD recording, and 1,280 x 720 high-speed recording at 120fps / 100fps for 4x slow-motion playback. ther upgrades include a brighter and wider-angle optical lens, improved image stabilization, a higher-resolution LCD monitor with auto-off and auto-brightness functions, a higher-resolution image sensor, a higher audio bit rate and better noise reduction. It'll start shipping later this month for a hair under $300... just don't go stealing from your mum in order to finance it, okay?
Polaroid's XS80 action camera records adventures in 1080p, whether you're shaking or not
Polaroid's come a long way since, well, Polaroid. Now its portfolio includes retro devices, tablets and action cameras. It's that last category we're interested in today, as the company just announced a new shooter, the Polaroid XS80. The credentials break down thus: HD recording in 1080p and 720p and VGA, waterproof to 30 feet, 16- 5- and 3-megapixel still modes and 120 degrees FOV. The barrel-bodied camera also includes a G sensor for auto rotation, plus anti-shake technology, a memory card slot (good for 32GB) and an HDMI socket. The price ($130 including helmet mount) puts this just below the XS100 model, but if this is just the right level of extreme for you, the good news is it's available now.
Geonaute's 360 degree sports camera catches all the action, even our hands on
Sport and action cameras are big business, and even though there are a couple of main players, it doesn't stop other's trying to get a bite of the apple. Geonaute, however, have come at the situation from a different angle. Heck, they're coming at it from every angle, with its 360-degree offering. Equipped with three 8-megapixel wide-angle lenses the camera captures an almost spherical field of view. This might initially sound like a strange idea... after all, who wants all of that in one video, won't it all be warped beyond recognition? The short answer is no, in fact it's much better than you would ever have thought, and we'll explain why shortly. Going back to the camera itself, it looks a little like the innards of those security cameras you find in government buildings etc that peer at you ominously. However, in this case, the three lenses have color detail around them which makes them look anything but sinister, and the circular base section might look a little large, but in fact it's light in the hand -- and actually helps it sit quite comfortably atop a helmet. In 360 video mode the advertised resolution is up to 2,048 x 1,024. In photo mode you'll get single shot, burst and time-lapse modes with a top resolution of 4,096 x 2,048. The actual FOV is 360 degrees on the horizontal, and 150 degrees vertically, but the end result is a fairly complete viewing sphere. The 3,000 mAh battery should be good for two hours of footage, and the microSD card slot will take cards of up to 32GB. While there is a waterproof housing, the camera itself will take the elements on pretty well thanks to its IPX7 rating. Read on after the break for more impressions.
iON reveals Adventure and Air Pro 2 sports cameras, we go hands on
You may remember iON stepping out onto the action camera market back in spring, when we went hands on with the OG Air Pro. Fast forward to CES, and it's back with a brace of new cameras to capture your every move. First up is the iON Adventure, a 1080p GPS-enabled helmet cam with a twist, almost literally. The device has the same tubular format as the original, but the lens is actually on one of the longer sides, rather than at the end of the barrel, making it more suitable for chest mounting. The Adventure also has two memory card slots, meaning you can pack in a whole lot more footage, battery willing. For those extended shoots, a new loop recording mode allows continuous, non-stop recording between the two cards -- no more swapping out your micro-SD on the move. Other features include a vibrate-to-record function (it starts and stops recording when it detects movement) and a partnership with map / video sharing service Kinomap. The device has a sleek, gloss back finish, weighs just 4.2 ounces, and has a large, easily accessible record button on one end. While we only spent a short time with the camera, the quality of the build felt good, and the demo footage looked impressive. The Adventure will be available starting in March for $349. The second new family member is the Air Pro 2. As you might have guessed, this is the second iteration of the original we saw back in March. Much of the external design remains the same, with the distinct octagonal accents at either end of the barrel. The main difference being the image sensor upgrade, which can now shoot at 14 megapixels, with 60fps for video and a 180-degree mode for those extra wide shots. Last time we liked the Air Pro, but we'll be especially keen to see how the follow up performs. With more and more cameras launching into the market, differentiating can be difficult, something apparently not lost on iON, who has clearly tried hard to introduce new and distinct features. The Air Pro 2 also becomes available in March, with two versions -- one with WiFi, one without. The wireless enabled one will cost you $299, or $249 if you don't need the extra functionality. Sean Cooper contributed to this report
Slickdeals' best in tech for October 17th: Windows 8 Pro, GoPro HD Hero2 and Lenovo IdeaPad U410
Looking to save some coin on your tech purchases? Of course you are! In this round-up, we'll run down a list of the freshest frugal buys, hand-picked with the help of the folks at Slickdeals. You'll want to act fast, though, as many of these offerings won't stick around long. With the GoPro Hero3 announcement yesterday, the outfit's HD Hero2 is already seeing a nice discount. The action cam visits today's round of links alongside a 14-inch Lenovo IdeaPad and two Windows 8 options. Head on past the break to see what else is being offered with handsome savings, and as always, be mindful of those coupon codes and rebate forms should you need 'em. Don't drag your feet, though, as these deals are likely to disappear quickly.
GoPro Hero3 action camera hands-on
GoPro just revealed its new flagship action camcorder, the Hero3, and we managed to get our mitts on one this evening. First things first, the Hero3 is tiny, particularly when considering that it shoots 4K video (albeit at a paltry 12fps), a resolution usually reserved for much larger, cinematic cameras. Having handled its competition recently -- the Action Cam from Sony and the Contour+2 -- we can say that the Hero3 feels smaller and lighter than both of them. It's about the size of a couple of matchboxes stacked together and is quite lightweight, yet still feels sturdy. The textured plastic exterior is finger friendly, and the big round power / mode and record buttons give a reassuring snick with every press. The WiFi remote that comes with the Hero3 Black Edition is similarly solid in its construction, though we wish it had the same textured skin as the camera instead of its smooth exterior. We didn't get to use the Hero3 for its stated purpose just yet, but we'll be filming with the thing tomorrow, so stay tuned for all the POV footage. In the meantime, feel free to enjoy a tour of GoPro's new diminutive hardware and check out its first sample video after the break.
