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Adventure Cams – YOU are part of the action! These tiny camcorders have created quite a stir recently, with some sensational footage of some of the world’s best action sports. Here we take a look at the market leaders – where YOU can get up close and personal with the action! Y ou must have noticed quite a number of TV programs, especially extreme sports, which feature “action” sequences from positions which would either be impossible to film using traditional techniques or at the very least, would have posed great risk to life and limb. Many programs, action sports in particular, feature amazingly detailed footage from “right inside” the action – more often than not you see exactly what the participant sees. How do they do it? Just as in most things electronic and photographic, great advances have been made in recent years. Miniaturisation has been the byword but that miniaturisation has not come at the expense of quality – in fact, the opposite is usually true. If you’re used to seeing “webcam” quality (at best VGA, usually a lot less!) look again – full HD (1080p) is now the norm with full broadcast quality almost passé! I’ve seen a lot of these so-called “adventure cams” in recent times. But I still marvel at how “in your face” they can make the action and just how good the quality is! Several months ago, I witnessed just such action first hand at the NSW Surf Lifesaving Championships, and the lat18  Silicon Chip er two-night highlights program shown on Foxtel. I knew that a company had been contracted to put together the program and indeed, saw their “typical” (read large tripod-mounted!) video cameras in action. It was only when it came to the “flags” event, where competitors race each other across 20m of sand and dive for lengths of rubber tube stood vertically in the sand, that I noticed the other cameras in their “arsenal”; tiny cameras, no bigger than a couple of cigarette packets. There are a couple difficulties in filming flag competition. One is that sufficient clearance must be made between a fast-running then diving competitor and any film gear (it’s common for stills photographers to use pretty long lenses for this reason). Another is that in that dive and mad scramble for flags, sand literally goes everywhere. Pity help a ten or twenty thousand dollar professional video camera that’s within range (salty sand and precision optics do not make good bedfellows). Then there were all of the water events – surf swimming, boards, skis and the perennial surf boats. Practice by Ross Tester in the past has been to put the camera in a waterproof case (even more size and weight) and place the cameraman in a rubber duck (IRB) or on the back of a jet ski. At these championships, they went one better – the tiny cameras were in waterproof housings all right but these were secured to the front and rear of the boards, skis and boats in the competition, or fastened to the helmet of the sweep in a row boat (for example). Others were actually held in the hand by cameramen swimming with the competitors for some sensational water-level and indeed underwater action. Of course, surf lifesaving is not the only area where video action is captured in this way. Yachties love ’em, because a tiny camera secured to the mast (or elsewhere) isn’t going to affect the yacht’s performance but will still get some memorable footage (what is the right word in the digital age?)! Think Sydney-to-Hobart or Olympic Yachting and you’ll probably remember some. Mountain biking, surfboard riding, snow skiing and snowboarding, scuba diving, kayaking, even skateboarding... just some of the sports where some amazing footage has been taken. It’s also used extensively in advertising, on board aircraft, racing cars and bikes siliconchip.com.au – in fact, anywhere you can strap on or clip on a camera! The media used in the camera (or more accurately camcorder) is normally a microSD card. By far the largest share of this “sports action” video camera market belongs to a company called GoPro. They’ve been the innovators in this area and have certainly earned “the name”. To prove what I’ve been saying about the quality of the video shot by GoPro gear, even if you never intend to buy one, have a look at the GoPro website and take a look at their opening page video. And be gobsmacked! In fact, it was GoPro gear that I was referring to above at the SLS NSW Championships. There is a range of cameras in their latest “Hero3” edition, from their 5MP “White Edition” featuring 1080p <at> 30 fps (frames per second), through the 11MP “Silver Edition” (also 1080p <at> 30 fps) up to the latest and greatest 12MP “Black Edition” which does 1080p <at> 60 fps – ie, virtual broadcast quality, especially with a bit of postproduction! They’re sold just about everywhere these days from sporting stores and outdoor stores to many photographic stores and even some department stores, with prices of the three models ranging from about $269 to $489, depending where you buy. The earlier, similar “Hero2” models are still available in many stores – in fact, you have to be a bit careful that you’re being sold the model you want. Apart from the camera itself, the thing that sets GoPro apart from its competition is the huge range of accessories available. Some of these are “necessaries” rather than accessories so you need to factor them in before you slap down your plastic. We were so impressed with the GoPro that, after many “dead end” phone calls we finally tracked down an Australian distributor who said that they would be happy to supply one for review. And we waited. And waited. And . . . GoPro’s Hero3 series is by far the market leader with a well-earned reputation. Shown here is the “Silver” model, middle-of-the-road in both features and price. Here’s the Contour +2 inside its waterproof case. While many sports don’t require immersion, the case gives a lot of protection from inevitable splashes. Much ligher and cheaper is Sony’s Action Cam. Picture quality might not be up there with the big boys but it’s still certainly worth another look! Go-Pro siliconchip.com.au August 2013  19 So we would have liked to bring you a “hands on” report on the GoPro Hero3 but we’ll have to limit ourselves to the observations already made. Contour +2 This is a rather different beast from the GoPro but from reports we’ve heard, is gaining a very healthy reputation. The main thing that sets it apart is its built-in GPS (so you not only know what you’ve seen but where you’ve seen it!), a rotatable lens, a laser-sight level and the ability to mount it without putting it in its waterproof case. That case, by the way, gets you down to 60m. It’s no lightweight at 155g but it can shoot 1080p <at> 30 fps right through to 480p <at> 120 fps. Battery life, too is a possible gamechanger – we’ve heard reports of 4 hours of life in the Contour +2, versus ~1 hour (or less) for the GoPro Hero3 Black. Its low-light performance is supposed to be right up there. The Contour +2 is also controllable from your iPad or Android smartphone. In fact, to access most settings you’ll need to pair it with your phone or connect it to your computer. Price-wise, there’s not a lot to choose from between the GoPro Hero3 Black and the Contour +2, at least as far as Australian street prices go. But shop around! is the easiest to point and shoot. The Action Cam starter pack represents pretty good value at $299 (RRP) and there are many, many accessories available for it. Sony Australia (www.sony.com.au) are the importers but both the Action Cam and Contour +2 are available just about everywhere! the case. It offers full HD (HDMI 1080i) resolution in movie mode and can also shoot stills at up to 3200 x 2400. With just 1 lux minimum illuminaton it can handle dark scenes with ease. It’s just 30 x 52 x 26mm and weighs in at around 24g. www.altronics.com. au; tel 1300 797 007. Ion Air Pro Plus Another one that hasn’t received the rave reviews of the GoPro but is nevertheless attracting a lot of attention is the Drift HD Ghost. It’s quite a different beast to look at and it’s quite a different beast in operation. It shoots 1080p like the rest and it sports a 170° wide-angle rotating lens – mount the camera on whatever angle and the lens rotates itself to ensure the perfect horizon/angle. It’s waterproof to 3m without an optional housing. (There is an optional housing which goes down to 60m if you want it). With built-in WiFi it can communicate instantly with smartphones, while the battery life is claimed to be the longest on the market, at 3 hours. Included with the Ghost is a twoway remote control, a spare rear connector hatch, USB cable, 3.5mm mic extension cable, accessory travel case, 1700mAh battery and three mounts: a goggle mount plus one curved and one flat adhesive surface mount. Recommended retail in Australia is $459.00 Camzilla in Sydney (02) 9880 9883 (www.camzilla.com.au) is the only Australian retail showroom dedicated to action cams (including the Drift) and will be glad to advise you on the best suited camera for your purpose. One you may not have heard of is the Ion Air Pro Plus. It’s distributed by CR Kennedy in Melbourne (www.crkennedy.com.au). It’s one of the lighter action cams at just over 120g and is waterproof “as it comes” to a depth of 10m, so no separate casing is needed. It also comes with a waterproof microphone so you can dive with the whales and record their discomfort at having you in their domain. It’s claimed to have a super-low-light sensitivity of >1.4 V/lux-sec. It also features 1080p (HD) 30 fps video and 5MP stills – these can be sequenced in three per second or one every 10, 20 and 30 seconds to create “step photo” video. The microSD card can be up to 32GB and on this you could fit up to about 250 minutes of 1080p video. Battery life is a bit limited at 2.5 hours. Altronics HD Action Cam For those looking for a much lighter action cam, you might look at the 55g Sony Action Cam. According to most reports I’ve heard, its video quality is not quite up to other action cams on the market (when compared A:B) but in isolation, you’d probably be pretty happy with it. However, it’s the only one that offers image stabilisation (called Steady Shot) and Altronics Distributors (Perth, Melbourne and Sydney) have this lightweight (24g) camera which offers 1920 x 1080HD or 848x480DI resolution but also has a low-resolution mode to extend recording time. The 450mAh Li-Ion battery gives up to two hours recording. It comes with a waterproof case (rated to 20m) and a range of mounting accessories, including helmet strap, bar mount and neck hanging strap, all of which can be used with or without The barrel-shaped Ion Air Pro Plus is waterproof to 10m without the need for an external case. It features 1080p resolution and inbuilt WiFi. This model from Altronics includes a selection of mounting accessories including helmet strap, bar mount and neck hanging strap all of which may be used with the waterproof casing. Sony Action Cam 20  Silicon Chip Drift HD Ghost Epic At around $230, the EPIC SSTCEPIC1 is one of the lower-price models on the market. The Epic is described as ultra-light-weight (70g) and it’s a bar- The Drift HD Ghost certainly looks the part. I’m not sure about the 170° field – it makes everything look a bit “fisheye-y”. But it’s a neat package! siliconchip.com.au rel shape which measures only 75mm long. It too will shoot up to 30 frames per second with up to 100 minutes of video on a 4GB card. We don’t know of anyone with an Epic, nor have we found an Australian distributor – though there are several retailers that pop up on good ol’ Google – LeGear (Gold Coast) and Sportscamera (Sydney) for example. Navig8r NavsportPro We didn’t know much about this brand, apparently from the same people who bring you the Navig8r GPS units (among other things), until we spotted an advert for it in a Target Toy Sale flier, of all things. The thing that attracted our attention was the price – just $59 (reduced from $99) – but then we noticed that this was for a 720p model so it doesn’t really compare with the others shown here. There is a second 720p “Mini” sports camera on their website selling for $69.95 but it is marked as “not available” at the moment. But further investigation showed that Navig8r (part of the Laser Corporation, an Australian company) do indeed have a 1080p model (60 fps) with a housing claimed to be waterproof down to 100m, a wireless remote control, an additional battery pack and an assortment of “premium mounting accessories”. One nifty feature of the Navig8R NavSportPro is a built-in laser pointer so you can aim the camera exactly when it is mounted, for example, on your helmet. The Pro model (shown below) is priced at $299.95. Incidentally, Laser Corp also have a range of in-car event and accident recorders including (as you might ex- Then there’s the EPIC – one of the lower-priced models on the market. siliconchip.com.au pect from this company!) GPS tracking. Further details from the Laser website, www.laserco.net/products/gps/ navig8r-sports-camera And then along came Jaycar! Purely by coincidence (honestly!) while we were waiting for GoPro to get back to us, the manager of our local Jaycar emporium (knowing my interest in photography) told me about the new action camcorder they were stocking (thanks, Zig!). A call to Jaycar’s marketing manager soon had a sample on its way to us for a review. So while this feature is about several of the sports/ action/adventure camcorders available in Australia we will concentrate on the Jaycar 1080p HD Sports Camera (cat no QC8020). The most noticeable Jaycar’s HD Sports Cam is the cheapest 1080p on the feature, even before market yet offers at least as good facilities as most, and you open the box, is more accessories than most! The remote control and the price. At $169 it’s waterproof case are included. significantly cheaper mount and a surfboard mount, along than most of the other action cams with an infrared remote control. That’s sold in Australia. The “gun” price in a pretty impressive list to be included Australia for the GoPro Hero3 White, in that $169! which the Jaycar is very close to in specs, appears to be about $230 – but OK, so what are its specs? ranges up to about $300 or so. And As we said, it comes pretty close that’s the naked camera – if you want to the GoPro Hero3 White: 5.0MP any accessories, you need to add them resolution, f/3.1 2.9mm lens with 120° on. angle, a 4x digital zoom and can shoot The Jaycar sports cam comes with at three resolutions – 640 x 480 (VGA) a fully waterproof case, a handlebar <at> 120 fps, 720p (1280 x 720) <at> 60 fps mount, glass suction mount, helmet and 1080p HD (1920 x 1080) <at> 30 fps. In still image mode you can get up to a 12MP (4000 x 3000) image and the built-in microphone adds sound if you want it. With up to a 32GB microSD card, you can store up to 192 minutes of video; however the drawback here is the limited (1 hour) battery life. Weight is a very respectable 50g and size of the camera (out of the waterAnd proof case) is 74(l) x 52(w) x 30(d)mm. finally, the So as you can see, it’s not dissimilar Navig8r Sports to the other action cams we’ve listed Cam Pro, in above. Of course, it won’t match the its 100m-rated performance of the GoPro Hero3 Black waterproof – then again, none of the others will case. either – but you’ll pay the best part of August 2013  21 OK, so the front of the Jaycar Action Cam is pretty bland – but then again, given the usage of the device and minimal user controls, why wouldn’t it be? $500 for one of those from an Australian retailer. There are better deals from some stores who sell overseas-sourced models but questions are then raised about warranties and so on. Controls There are only three instantly accessible controls: power, shoot and display on/off (to save power). And when inside the waterproof case you only get the first two. Arguably, that’s all you need – especially when in an action environment. The infrared remote, which of course works through the waterproof case, has power, snap (ie still photo) and video buttons. Attachment to the camera is via a standard 1/4-in thread so as well as using any of its mounts, it will fit on a standard photographic tripod thread. A rubber cover on one side lifts to reveal the microSD card slot (it will handle up to 32GB, though this needs to be a class 10 for optimal performance – class 4 cards will give error messages). On the opposite side is another rubber cover which hides the standard mini-USB socket (used for both 22  Silicon Chip Almost the whole of the rear of the cam is this 2.4-in colour touch screen which doubles as a menu selection device. charging and connection) and an HDMI socket for connecting your HDMI TV. The back of the cam is, with the exception of the display on/off switch, taken up almost completely by the 2.4-inch colour touchscreen display. This shows real-time images along with settings for date/time, mode (video/still), resolution (FHD [30 fps], HD [30 fps], HD [60 fps] and VGA [120 fps], + and – (for zoom) and elapsed time (ie, amount of video stored) in h:m:s. In use With only two buttons, even the most non-technical person should be able to figure this one out – power it up and press the “go” button to start recording. Oh yeah, you have to press the “go” button to stop it again. Even the display-driven controls are pretty-much self explanatory. So how did it go? Well, I have to admit that, being the middle of winter and in a particularly nasty week of weather in Sydney, I didn’t exactly take it underwater. However, I did try it mounted in the car and it behaved exactly as I expected it to. Incidentally, that’s been a somewhat unexpected application for a lot of action cams: vehicle recorders. It’s become quite popular for owners to put them in their cars when not using them as “nature” intended, thereby keeping a video of their car and those around them. Very handy for road rage incidents and accident insurance claims, I’m told! My son and heir, who is a lot more athletic than I, volunteered to take it skiing and get some real action video (well, in his case, probably more upside-down-in-the-snow video!). He did, and he did . . . and no, I wouldn’t let him keep it. While the snowboarding videos Craig took were tame by comparison to the off-the-side-of-themountain footage on the GoPro site, they’re nevertheless quite impressive and demonstrate the potential of this remarkable little camera. OK, in a nutshell? Impressive. And at the price, it’s a bargain, especially compared to the big name models. Please note: the only action cam we were able to actually use was the Jaycar model (even though we’ve tried out a GoPro Hero2 Silver in the past). All other information came from the various company literature and/or websites. SC siliconchip.com.au