Proof of Life: Plenty of options allow consumers to record excursions
Beyond category leaders GoPro and Contour, there were plenty of video capture alternatives to check out at Summer Market.
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Throughout the next month, SNEWS will recap its coverage of Outdoor Retailer Summer Market 2013 with select stories from the O.R. Daily we published at the show July 31 – Aug. 3. It’s an opportunity for you to catch up on stories you might have missed in O.R.D., and for us to update and upload the articles to our searchable archives.
If it isn’t digitally documented, it didn’t happen. Or so seems the mantra for the social media generation, which is increasingly capturing outdoor adventures on point-of-view (POV) video and action cameras. The latter, in turn, are making it easier to transfer and post the footage online quickly.
Beyond category leaders GoPro and Contour, there were plenty of alternatives to check out at Summer Market, with new innovations in the field.
Oregon Scientific’s ATC Chameleon camera (MSRP $199) sports two lenses: one that records the camera man and one that records the subject. Viewers can watch both angles simultaneously in either horizontal or vertical screen splits. “We noticed that many people were using two cameras at once to capture both themselves and the action,” said David Fuhriman, Oregon Scientific’s director of product development and marketing. “Instead of two cameras, two mounts and time-consuming post-production to synchronize audio and video, you can accomplish everything with just one mount and the ATC Chameleon.”
Intovaloaded its Sport HD-1 camera with features, but at $149, it has kept the price low compared to competitors. In addition to being buoyant and waterproof up to 200 feet, the 1080p action camera sports an LCD screen, WiFi with live broadcasting, motion sensor, picture in video, 14mp camera with slave strobe, 10x zoom and a host of other options.
While cameras keep upping the game when it comes to resolution and recording features, accessories are rising to take some of the spotlight, from new cases to hardware upgrades.
Instead of buying an action camera, Mophiegives you the option of turning your iPhone into one with the OutRide case. This year, it’s released the OutRide for iPhone 5 (MSRP $100), a weather- and impact-resistant case with a wide-angle lens and multiple mounting options. There’s also a watersports version that is submergible up to 15 feet.
RAM Mounting Systems is offering a new line of extension arms for action cameras. The arms are available in 14- and 18-inch options and can be cut to size. The arms are modular, so users can link arms together to get the perfect angle. The arms float when dropped in water, and they break down for easy transport.
— Billy Brown
