The Action camera world seems to be overwhelmed by Go Pro and Contour. That being said there is a lesser known alternative out there by the name of the Drift HD Action Camera. It has a unique design, good video quality and comes with a lot of accessories that the others charge for. It also has a less fish eye perspective that some other cameras deliver which makes hills look more steep. It still doesn't capture the way it looks when you are riding it but it's better than every other camera out there. The best thing for us is this has a Zoom where no other action cam in this price range does. The biggest thing about the Drift is the versatile design. You can wear it on your helmet one run, put it on a monopod the next and then give it to your buddy to wear on his goggles the next. Check out the detailed review below.
Take our review of the The Drift Stealth, add these features mentioned above and you have the Drift HD review. The Drift HD is still not as small as the Go Pro but when it's on your helmet, goggles, or mono pod it looks and acts smaller. It has a much lower profile and can adjust to just about any way you want it on your helmet, goggles or mono pod. Our only complaints are the buttons on all the Drift Camera's and remotes aren't as easy to push as others out there. When you have gloves on it is not easy to find the button on the camera but easier with the remote. The other complaint is the new Drift HD seems to only take a micro SD card instead of an SD card but this is minor.
Video Quality To us the Drift is right there in terms of video quality with the Contour and Go Pro. One of the biggest complaints we have with all action cameras is their wide angle lens makes even the steepest run on the mountain look like it's an intermediate run. We aren't saying that Drift doesn't do that same thing but the runs are closer than they appear in real life compared to the Go Pro and about the same as the Contour. It seems that everyone loves the 1080p setting with all the cams out there but we found that the 30 frames per second makes snowboarding down a hill jumpy and is lacking. When we shifted to 720p with 60 frames per second that is when the magic happened. It's smooth and much better for snowboarding. You loose a little clarity are all happy to live with 720p at 60fps if the video quality is smoother.
The Drift HD is hands down one of the best action cameras you can get for Snowboarding in the $300 something price range.
durable, easy-to-use Drift HD camera elevates the point of view camera market to a higher level with the most feature-rich, multi-functional, professional helmet camera available to date:
Full HD for creating crystal clear footage
More compact housing, 4.1 inches and 4.23 oz., 25 percent smaller that its predecessor
Replaceable lens
Second rear cover to protect the camera when using an external mic or a USB charger
A playback LCD screen for lining up shots and the ability to play back the footage right away
Micro HDMI connector for HDTV playback
A remote control to enable you to film what you want to record, not the boring stuff in between
New goggle strap in addition to curved and flat adhesive mounts, paired with a universal clip for multiple mounting options
Standard 1/4? 20 mm thread for use with most tripods
If that isn?t enough the camera also has the following :
A rotating lens so you can mount the camera at any angle and any position to get that shot you are looking for
It can take 9 MP photos. Put it in the photo burst mode and you can take pictures every few seconds for as long as your memory card and battery lasts
You can pair the remote control to your camera or any number of additional cameras.
A digital zoom function so you can get even closer to the action or your friend in front
A 2.5 microphone input for external microphones
Night mode so you can record in darker and duskier conditions
Waterproof case accessory offering
External power pack accessory offering (20 hrs. record time)
Features
Maximum Video Resolution: 1080p High Definition
microSD Memory Capacity: up to 32GB
25 / 30 / 50 / 60fps in 720p or 25 / 30fps in 1080p
Still Photo: 9 megapixel with Photoburst Mode
Digital Zoom: Digital x4 (in 1080p, 720p/30/60fps & WVGA mode)
Lens Angle: 170° Fully Rotatable Wide Angle Lens
LCD Screen: 1.5? Colour TFT
Water Resistant
Remote Control: Wireless RF (5m range) Hands Free Video and Photo
Mounts: Multiple Mounting Design, Standard 1/4? 20 mm thread
The new compact,
