Drift Innovation HD170 1080p Action Camera

Promise

In addition to all its features, it’s the easiest camera on the market to use and set up.

Verdict

The first notable edge the Drift has against its competitors is a fully rotatable lens. The 170º wide angle field of view (in 720p or 127º in 1080p) can be twisted 300º to level out your horizon line in relation to your mount angle – essentially giving you more mount options and less fiddling than other models.

With a wrist-mountable remote control and all the accessories you need to get recording your sport of choice, the Drift HD170 is up there with the usual family of HD action cameras. The rotatable lens is a bonus that almost makes up for the lack of 60fps capability. If this camera could deliver slow motion video and was seriously waterproof it would have it all.

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Oregon Scientific ATC9K HD Action Camera

Promise

Tough enough to follow you anywhere.

Performance

HD1080p recording, with 60fps at 720p for nice and smooth slow motion. 5mp stills with a continuous shooting option of up to 5 in sequence. Full of effects like sepia and black and white, you can also opt to take the exposure up or down a couple notches depending on conditions. It’s waterproof to a depth of 20m/60ft and shock resistant, as genuinely proved. It takes a micro SD up to 32G which is an approximate 10 minutes of video per gigabyte. The LCD screen gives you full control as well as a laser pointer to ensure you get the shots you want.

The unique selling point to this particular action camera is it’s ability to measure the force of gravity during acceleration, deceleration and hang time with its built-in G-sensor by way of a pseudo-sphere graph. For the hardcore action sport enthusiast you can track your speed and distance with a GPS module (sold separately) that will map all your movements onto Google Maps and Google Earth. A great camera for any sport at a competitive price.

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Predator VX360 action camera.

Promise

Can a wearable, waterproof camera really face up to the action?

Verdict

A wearable, waterproof camera that’s built specifically for the demands of sports like canoeing, the VX360 is a lightweight (78g) mounted camera that links to an arm-mounted base unit. The base unit stores up to 8GB of footage on SD cards and photos and has a 2.4” colour screen for instant reviews. Recently this was given the thumbs up by a team of kayakers who filmed their descent along the final uncharted tributary of the Amazon (read our feature here) , and they told WideWorld it performed brilliantly. Who are we to argue with that?

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