Dave Petersen Reviews the Drift HD on SuperSport's 2 Wheels

Dave Petersen's Drift HD review on Super Sports Two Wheels Motorbike show.

Go Pro 2 - Tips and Tricks

Update: The GoPro Hero 3 Black Edition is in stock now at this link "GoPro Hero 3 Black Edition" 


A customer and friend of ours Coenraad shared his tips for how to more easily remove the battery from the Go Pro 2 camera. As they are designed to fit quite tight inside the camera it can be difficult to get it out when you need to replace it or put it into an external GoPro charger.

Coenraad's solution is to stick some boxing tape on the underside of the camera sticking out the side so that you can grip onto this and gently remove the battery without having to bump the camera body around to try loosen the battery from its tight spot. This even works perfectly with riding gloves on.

If you have a bunch of extra batteries then you may also want to number them to keep track of which you've used and which is still fully charged and ready to power your Go Pro 2 helmet camera. 

Thanks for sharing this neat trick Coenraad! 

Even Santa's using Action Cameras this Christmas

Merry Christmas to all our our customers, followers and friends!

Action Cameras Skydiving Xmas Party 2011

Why spend your company Xmas party at a restaurant when you can spend it falling through the sky at terminal velocity!?!?! Well, that's how the Action Cameras Team want to celebrate an awesome year :)

Check out this awesome video of our 2011 Xmas party all shot on the Drift helmet cams and hand cam rigs. A big thanks goes out to the gents from Rustenburg Skydiving Club for getting us to the ground in one piece and for the awesome video edit.

Londolozi

Our friends at Londolozi Luxury Bush Lodge recently had some fun with their GoPro action cam! What an interesting way to send out a Xmas wish :) 

Free 8Gb Card Xmas Deal for All GoPro cameras

It's almost that time of year for giving and we're getting into the Xmas spirit early by offering a FREE 8Gb Kingston SDHC Memory Card with all of our GoPro HD and GoPro 2 cameras.

This free 8Gb Card deal saves you a cool R250 but you can also choose to increase this to a 16Gb or a 32Gb memory card at a hugely discounted price of just R299 and R599 respectively (see the drop-down menu on the product pages).

Mens Health lists the GoPro2 & Drift HD in the 100 Best Man Products!

Mens Health (December Issue) is now out and features their Tested, Tallied, Ridden, Red-Lined, and Ranked 100 Best New Products for Men!

Alongside products like the iPad 2 and the latest Oakleys, you'll find two of the hottest products in South Africa... The Drift HD and the GoPro 2 action cameras! Awesome!

 

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Technorati Blog Claim

Technorati Blog Claim
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Win a Skydiving Experience for 2 with Action Cameras

Action Cameras is giving away a skydiving experience to two friends. Go to the Action Cameras SA facebook page and upload a pic of you and your mate doing your sport, tag both of you and mention "Action Cameras SA".

It's as easy as that! On the 15th of December we'll be picking a winner and having them thrown out of a plane. And of course, there will be a camera man strapped up with action cameras all over him to make you a DVD of the experience!

Comparison of Go Pro 2 vs Drift HD vs Contour

With all these new HD helmet cams being released in quick succession it can be difficult to figure out which one you want. You may have know three weeks ago but now there are so many new ones which look awesome - so which one do you go for?

GoPro has just launched the GoPro HD Hero2 which is a super fast and high quality upgrade of the normal Go Pro HD. Drift Innovation just launched the Drift HD cam which delivers awesome video and still includes the screen, remote and rotating lens which is terrific. Contour's not missed a beat and have also recently launched their Contour+ Plus which pushes them up into the professional camera levels.

How do you compare one against the other? The Go Pro 2 has the waterproofing and loads of awesome accessories but the Drift HD comes with the screen and remote which makes using it super easy. Comparing the GoPro 2 and the Contour Plus is tricky because the GoPro Hero2 offers more user functionality but the Contour+ has all kinds of extras which make it suitable for the professional market. Again comparing the Contour and Drift means you need to compare functionality against user friendliness. It's not an easy choice.

Luckily Action Cameras has taken a lot of the confusion out of this comparison by putting these top HD action cameras together in a side-by-side comparison review. Check out this page to see the review....

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GoPro HD Hero2 in South Africa

The GoPro HD Hero2 is now available to buy in South Africa! You can choose between the HD Hero2 Motorsport Edition, the HD Hero 2 Outdoor Edition, and the HD Hero2 Surf Edition. All of these Go Pro packages include the same HD Hero2 camera but the mounting accessories which come with each edition are tailored for different sports.

GoPro HD Hero2 

In stock today at www.actioncameras.co.za, the GoPro HD Hero2 cameras are going for just R3,999.00 including free delivery anywhere around South Africa.

Get 'em while they hot!

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GS Adventures Lesotho Mountain Adventure

Here's an awesome promotion for taking a BMW GS'er tour of Lesotho mountains. Obviously this has all been caught on our HD Helmet Cameras!

Filmed with the Drift HD170 Stealth

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Crowned Eagle caught on GoPro HD

This incredible footage was captured by a South African customer after placing his Go Pro HD 2 in the bush looking at a bush buck carcass. The Crowned Eagle is pretty rare so this truly is an interesting shot.

Trail Cameras and Camera Traps

We've recently had an incredible amount of interest in the trail cameras which we have and so we now think they deserve a mention on the blog!

Trail Cameras (AKA Camera Traps) are small cameras designed for taking photos and videos of animals for research out in the South African bush. There is a wide range of camera traps ranging from the cheap ones which delivery reasonable quality up to the top end HD trail cameras which are really great quality.

Funnily enough, here in SA, more and more people are now using these trail cameras for security purposes to trap thieves at trespassers on their land. Its perfectly simple, just set up a camera where you think people are breaking in and come back the next day to see who it was. You'll have great quality photos or videos of who it was that passed in front of the camera. Best thing is that these will work as well at night as they do during the day. You can even select your camera in full camouflage!

Check out these small camera traps on our site to see the full range available at great prices.

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94.7 Choose us as the Business of the Week!

We're stoked to announce that 94.7 Highveld Radio and Standard Bank have selected Action Cameras as their Business of the Week for next week! Listen to Highveld at 8.15 this coming Monday (3rd Oct) as we'll be going live on air with Whackhead Simpson to talk about what makes our business stand out above others.

Here's a clue to what we'll tell them.... It's our AWESOME customers who keep referring their friends to us which has gotten us to where we are today!

Thank you! 

We're Sponsoring the "Ride for Kimmy"

Many of you would have heard about our friend Kim McCusker's recent accident in Jo'burg when a taxi ran her down and dragged her for several hundred meters before being forced to stop by her fiance.

It seems as though Kimmy is facing a long road to recovery, and a costly one at that. In order to help raise funds to help with the financial burden Action Cameras has jumped on board to sponsor the Ride for Kimmy 94.7 Cycle Challenge Team.

If anyone is interested in getting involved through donation or joining the team, please get in touch. Thank you. 

     

GoPro HD User Guide Manual - English

Have you lost your GoPro HD user guide or manual? I know from personal experience that trying to navigate the GoPro menu on the cameras small screen can be flipping difficult.

Not to worry though, click the following link to start downloading the English GoPro HD manual.

GoPro HD User Guide Manual 

Download
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GoPro HD Motorsport Hero

Looking for the GoPro HD Motorsport Hero? It sure is an awesome camera for filming your extreme sports on the track. Its the same Full HD GoPro camera which comes with the Helmet Hero and Surf Hero but its just the mounting brackets which have been tailored specially for the motorsports enthusiasts.

GoPro HD Motorsport Hero 

You'll get the GoPro HD camera and the waterproof housing and then a whole bunch of motorsport related mounting brackets like the Suction Mount, flat mount adhesives for putting the GoPro onto a flat surface of the vehicle/ bike, curved mounts for attaching the camera to a helmet or curved surface and a J-hook which allows you to mount the Go Pro camera on the side of your helmet.

GoPro HD Motorsport Hero on the side of the helmet 

Mounting it on your bike with the suction cup or on the side of your helmet with the j-hook is a must for offf-road riding so you don't loose your GoPro the first time you duck under a low branch. We personally tested the suction cup up to 270km/h at the 2008 Isle of Man TT so we can vouch for the hardcore-ness of this suction cup.

GoPro HD Motorsport Hero 

Available from Action Cameras South Africa

Randburg Office - 011 781 1323

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Riding the Spruit in Jo'burg

The Spruit is an amazingly unknown stretch of pure awesomeness running like a vain through Johannesburg. It's a city slicker and weekend warrior paradise for mountainbiking. Running from Emmerentia, through Greenside, Delta Park and Bryanston and heading even further out, its been said you can ride for more then 60kms along this epic trail - right in the heart of jozi. Awesome.

We had to try this out for ourselves and obviously took our helmet cameras along for the ride. Below are a few stills shot on the Drift HD, videos are coming soon. Some of the team are trying to bribe us to not upload the videos online as they had somewhat of a tricky time in the technical sections around Emmerentia :) Watch this space....

Action Cameras Team on Johannesburg's Spruit MTB Trail

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Review of Gobii 720p HD Action Camera

To review the Gobii 720p HD Action Camera we needed to confirm exactly what the Gobii was. When we received one to test and review we saw it was the same as a few other products which had been sent to us in the past it. This seems to be a generic camera sent straight out of China and labelled differently depending who is selling it.

Gabii Action Camera Review 

While this camera looks good on paper it is unfortunately not something that would be featured on Action Cameras. The video quality is good, especially for the low price, but the build quality of the camera isn't up to scratch - we've seen too many of these "made in China" cameras come into the market and soon exit because of huge return rates.

If you're keen to see the range of helmet cams that we do recommend then check out the Action Cameras Best Sellers.

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Action Camera Bodyboard Mount

Loads of guys have been trying to figure out how to mount their GoPro or Drift helmet camera to their bodyboard. Well, this guy has finally figured it out but stretching his Drift head strap all the way around his board and using the camera inside its waterproof housing.

Bodyboard camera mount 

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Contour vs GoPro HD Comparison Review

To do a comparison review of the Contour and the GoPro HD you need to look at quite a few varying factors. You need to compare the features beyond the video quality as they both deliver 1080p HD video and are both made for extreme sports.

GoPro HD 

ContourGPS 

It's always good to kick off a comparison review with a video comparing the warmth of the video quality between the GoPro and the Contour helmet cameras. 

GoPro vs Contour

Let's also take a look at all the features compared on a side by side chart. 

Go to the comparison section on the Action Cameras website to generate this head to head comparison for yourself for the GoPro and Contour cameras or for any other helmet cam. 

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Action Cameras YouTube Channel

Feel like seeing some awesome helmet camera video from GoPro, Drift, and Contour then check out the Action Cameras YouTube Channel!

Another awesome channel worth subscribing to is GoProSouthAfrica's channel - Check it out 

GoPro South Africa's YT 

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Tachyon Helmet Camera

Today we had a customer phone us up asking about the Tachyon camera (pronounced Takkie-on) and whether it was available in South Africa. While we're not completely sure if it is or isn't available from a local SA dealer, we can tell you that its not something that you'll find on the Action Cameras website.

If you had your heart set on this camera then we're sorry that we won't be able to help out but we have run tests of it and don't think that it is fit to be on our website.

All of our helmet cams come with the Action Cameras Seal of Approval which means we've tested it to the limits and can vouch for its awesomeness! Check out our best sellers to see South Africa's best selling helmet cameras.

GoPro Floaty - In Stock

Unfortunately we've had more then one customer phone us up in the past to say that they had lost their GoPro while diving or kitesurfing and now it's with the fish rolling around the sea bed.

Well this should never happen again now that GoPro has launched the GoPro Floaty backdoor which is a little buoy device which sticks onto the backdoor. Not only with this mean that it will no longer sink but it'll also be super visable as the Floaty is bright orange (No it wasn't designed to match the Action Cameras colours - or maybe it was!)

GoPro HD Floaty - Now in South Africa!  

Differences Between the Drift HD170 and the Drift HD170 Stealth

Drift Innovation launched a newer version of the HD170 camera called the HD170 Stealth. While the HD170 has been taken off the market a lot of users are asking what the difference between the cameras is.

Apart from the obvious colour change from the orange and black HD170 to the newer all-black design of the Stealth, there weren't actually too many differences. One of the differences which did attract a lot of attention was that the Stealth gave the users the ability to film in 50 or 60 frames per second whereas the older HD170 only shot in a max fps of 30 frames per second. This is pretty useful for production companies looking for sharper quality images and for normal users wanting to capture their videos in a way which would allow for slowing the video down into slo-mo.

The colour change was mostly brought about by Drift taking on board their customers feedback, people were asking for the camera in black - and they got it. This is one of the great things with the guys at Drift Innovations HQ, they really do listen to what people are looking for and then do their best to cater for everyone.

A really great example of Drift executing feedback from customers is the Drift HD, the model one up from the Stealth. Check this post on our blog to read all about the Drift HD.

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Porsche Carrera Cup - Onboard Cameras

We just had to blog this awesome video created by our German mates from Blickvang who worked closely with Porsche to create this video shot totally by the Drift Stealth cameras. Enjoy

Shot on the Drift HD170 Stealth

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How to install the GoPro HD Flat Lens

The Flat Lens for filming underwater with the GoPro HD makes a terrific difference to the quality of your video when shooting underwater. The curved lens which comes installed on the standard GoPro housing is awesome for filming above the water but as soon as they is under water is bends the images and softens the focus. This is where the flat lens for the GoPro comes to the rescue. In fact, its so effective that all film makers using the GoPro underwater are now using the flat lens to give incredible shots.

Once you have the flat lens then you may have some difficulty installing it to your gopro housing. The video below gives an excellent tutorial on how to replace the standard domed lens and install the flat lens to the gopro housing.

How to install the underwater flat lens on the GoPro housing

Step 1 -

Remove the camera and unscrew the 6 screws on the front of the black ring on the front of the GoPro housing. Lift this off the GoPro housing carefully so as not to loose any of the little screws. 

Step 2 - 

Lift the black ring off revealing the domes lens and the black rubber seal (washer). 

Step 3 - 

Life out the domed lens. If the washer sticks to the domed lens then take it off the lens (it peals off pretty easily but take care not to damage the washer). Replace the washer in the exact position that you found it. There is a slight rim on the washer, this should be facing downwards (the same way it was when lifted out of the GoPro HD housing). 

Step 4 - Now take out the Flat Lens and place it on top of the washer with the ridge of the Flat Lens facing upwards. 

Step 5 - 

Now all you have to do is put the black ring back in place and tighten up the screws. 

Step 6 - TESTING THE WATERPROOFING

GoPro won't cover your warranty if you have any issues with the self-installed flat lens so we highly recommend testing the waterproofing of the camera housing before using it with the camera inside. To do this, seal up the housing by closing the backdoor and dunk it in the pool, basin or bucket. Its best to leave it there for a while. Watch for bubbles or any water inside the casing after the test. 

If this is all good then you're ready to go!

Here's a video to show you the quality you'll 

experience once you've installed the new lens :) 

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Cape Epic Crash from a GoPro

Last years Cape Epic race saw loads more helmet cameras then the years before - which is excellent for the rest of us as we get to relive some of the action afterwards without having to slog the entire race! Here's an excellent GoPro HD video captured on a massive downhill - lookout for the wipeout!!

Shot on the GoPro HD Helmet Hero

Available from Action Cameras 

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Crazy GoPro Wingsuit Video

Something that not many people talk about when talking about GoPro cameras is that people tend to go a little crazy and do things that they normally wouldn't do if they weren't wearing a GoPro HD. There are somethings that people just shouldn't do. Case and point.... This video.

Filmed with the GoPro HD Helmet Cam 

This guy is taking wingsuit flying to a whole new level. But I guess we gotta thank him for wearing his GoPro (actually it seems that he's got about 5 GoPros all over him!) so we can check out this kind of sport without having to try it ourselves. Crazy stuff.

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ContourRoam Announced! It's on!

In fairly quick succession Contour has released the Contour + and today, the ContourRoam which they've launched with the focus of bringing a more price-friendly Contour camera to the masses. The pricing and availability is yet to be confirmed in South Africa but will be posted up here as soon as we know.

We're estimating that it's going to come in at a price point somewhere around the R2,500 to R3,000 mark but let's wait and see. In the meanwhile, here's an intro to the camera to get you started.

Contour Roam

The ContourROAM is the ideal camera for a fun and easy experience capturing your adventures anywhere life takes you. Just slide the record switch and you're instantly filming beautiful HD video. The award-winning design is tough, compact, waterproof to one meter, and versatile which means you can use your ContourROAM anywhere, anytime and capture all the action you want.

EASY TO USE

Shooting video should be simple and fun. With the ContourROAM, we've introduced one-step recording. Just slide the record switch, and you're instantly filming. Easy as that. It's the ideal camera for a fun, stress-free experience capturing your adventures anywhere life takes you. The ContourROAM is incredibly intuitive and easy to use, with a sleek, award-winning design and a laser that helps you level the camera and get the right shot every time.

BEAUTIFUL HD VIDEO

The ContourROAM records the action with a 170° super wide-angle lens, capturing all the backgrounds and peripheral moments that can be missed with a narrower field of view. Sophisticated camera technology automatically adjusts the exposure and white balance, ensuring crisp, beautiful video every time. You can choose between three different video resolutions, 720p, 960p and 1080p, or shoot 5 megapixel photos enabling you greater creative flexibility.

WATERPROOF

No need to worry about your camera surviving your next big water adventure, the ContourROAM is waterproof to one meter. A sealed gasket protects the camera's insides, allowing you to catch the action under water or in the rain, sleet, or snow. For full submersion sports, such as scuba diving or wakeboarding the ContourROAM Waterproof Case provides totally dryness up to 60 meters beneath the surface.

MOUNT UP

Mud. Dirt. Snow. Rain. The places you roam can be some of the roughest places on earth. The ContourROAM is made to withstand encounters with everything from eating mud puddles, to monster barrels at Teahupoo, to drops down the Khumbu Icefall. The rugged aluminum body withstands serious abuse, while the waterproof design keeps everything safe and dry up to one meter.

The Contour Roam will be available soon at Action Cameras South Africa (www.actioncameras.co.za). 

ContourRoam introduction

Contour Roam compared to the ContourPlus and ContourGPS
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Action Cameras Selected as on of SA's Top 40 Websites

It's great to see all of our blood, sweat and tears being recognised!

 www.actioncameras.co.za has been selected as one of South Africa's top 40 e-commerce websites. Not only are we hoping to reach the next round of the Top 20 but we're aiming to take home one of the 5 awards up for grabs. Help us get there by voting for us as your favourite (by doing this you also stand a chance of winning a iPad 2!)

Vote for Action Cameras | Win and iPad 2
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Western Cape Wildogs ride to the EC Bash 2011

Action Cameras has worked closely with the members of the Wild Dogs dual sport riders for the past 18th months and is glad to be associated to them as an official WD Vendor. While we try to get out to as many of the Wild Dog events as possible to show off our awesome helmet cameras, we couldn't make it to the Eastern Cape Bash this year. We do however appreciate that a ton of the rider were sporting their helmet mounted cameras supplied by Action Cameras.

Check out this awesome compilation of head camera shots taken in the Time Lapse mode from the Drift cameras. Special thanks to Wayne H for putting this together!

Shot on the Drift HD

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Dome 2 Dome Road Race

The Action Cameras Team was at it again this past weekend by taking on the first road cycle race of the season, the Dome 2 Dome cycle challenge. Although there was a 98km route, we opted to take on the 48k race just to ease into the season.

Here are some awesome in action shots before the race....

And after the race ....

Shot with the Drift HD camera on the timelapse photo mode. Using your helmet cam in this mode means you can take photos continuously as you ride in intervals of 2, 3, 5, 10 or 30 seconds. At the end you'll end up with a load of rubbish shots but you're guaranteed to have a few pearlers in there!

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Cape BMW Club Track Day - 4 Sept 2011

Killarney Race Track hosted this weekends duel sport BMWs track day where the off road boys got a chance to open up their throttles on the raceway! Here's an awesome point-of-view video shot from the helmet of John Carr who is the BMW instructor from Donford BMW, Cape Town.

Shot with the Drift HD

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GoPro HD Surf Hero

The GoPro HD Surf Hero camera isn't only for mounting on your surfboard but, as you can see below, can also be used for getting epic photos of your mates big wave!

GoPro HD Surf Hero

I want to see the actual photo from this guys GoPro Surf Hero! This was shot by New Pier, Durban, South Africa.

If you would like to learn how to add the flat lens to your GoPro housing to give crystal clear underwater images then check out this post which is a tutorial to install the flat lens to the GoPro.

MTB Spring Classic 45k race

Part of the Action Camera Team braved the seasons first mountain bike race, the EQSTRA Spring Classic. For anyone who missed out, this is an awesome race to kick off the season and to explore the surprisingly vast farmlands hidden just beyond Johannesburg. You start in Helderfontein Estate and wend your way around dams, over hills, through paddocks, and all the way through to seemingly unspoiled african bush. Anyone with a keen birdwatching eye would also enjoy the birdlife in the area, we had a few nice sightings including the grey hornbill which isn't normally in the Jo'burg area.

There's a 10k race for kids and beginners, a slightly more difficult 20k route which is a good season-starter for most, and then the big 45k race for us people who didn't really understand how difficult that would be. It was an awesome race through and very worthwhile.

The cloudy weather was awesome to ride in but didn't really leave us with any awe-inspiring footage from our helmet cam. We'll post up some videos of the big downhills soon, but for now here's a pic of us exhausted at the end :)

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The Sunday Times Reviews the Drift HD Camera

It's a good day at the office when The Sunday Times rings you up wanting to review one of your motorsport cameras! Thanks to Thomas Falkiner for giving the Drift Cameras a thorough test and and even more thorough review on both the Sunday Times Racing website and Sunday Times Racing Blog.

Take a look at a video Thomas shot while cruising around in his Ford Mustang Fastback with the Drift HD Camera at Zwartkops Raceway near Pretoria.

MTB in Majik Forest, Cape Town

"The Wes" from Rather Be Riding took the new Drift HD for a test run on the single tracks of Cape Town's Majik Forest. Catch his video below for a nice wipe out!

Drift HD Action Camera | Cape Town | South Africa

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Have Helmet Cameras been Banned at UCI MTB races?

At the starting line of South Africa's season opening mountainbike race, the EQSTRA Spring Classic, we heard the announcer saying that helmet cameras, chest cams, bike cameras and anything of the sort were not allowed at the race. What a bummer! They said this was a new rule passed by the UCI recently as the helmet cameras are referred to as non-essential items on a race.

What a load of ****! Of course they're essential! Essential for catching the awesomeness of the race and for bragging rights afterwards. This announcement didn't stop us as we promptly clipped our cameras back onto our helmets once we were passed the race officials on the start line.... And we got some awesome footage from the race!

After a bit of research it seems that this is not a recent rule of the UCI but was in fact put in place in 2009. Although this is in the rulebooks of the UCI it has never been seriously enforced - as you can easily tell from all the awesome helmet cam race footage popping up on YouTube and Freecaster from all the big races. Part of this rule is that they reserve the right to use helmet cams for TV footage purposes if they choose (this seems a bit unfair to us!).

I can understand some of the reasons for this rule such as some people struggle to stay on their bikes without having the distraction of trying to operate a camera mounted on top of their helmet during a race. Some people may also arguably ride a bit more flashy (risky) if they know they'll be showing the video off to their mates later on.

But what about the positives of these races being filmed by the riders themselves? Surely event organisers would love that the riders are posting in-action videos and photos from the mornings ride on facebook! This would almost definitely bring more riders to the next event or to the same event the following year.

Having videos of the course online can also help potential riders make up their mind as to whether the MTB race they're considering is too technical or not for them.

And lets not forget that having these helmet cam videos being shared freely online would be awesome for the mountain biking sport as a whole!

Cameras like the GoPro, Drift HD and the Contour cameras have been around for ages and I hope the event organisers aren't going to start spoiling peoples fun by banning the cameras at upcomming events. Because, as it seems, this UCI rule on helmet cameras is only as enforceable as each individual ride organiser wants it to be. They haven't been banned so much as frowned upon but this ain't going to stop us using the cameras over the rest of the upcoming races this season.

Feel free to get hold of us at www.actioncameras.co.za if you have any questions on this.

Drift HD vs GoPro HD Comparison Review

Comparing the GoPro HD and Drift HD is an awesome head to head battle between two of the best helmet cams around. While they both film in 1080p full HD video, that's about where the similarity ends.

  

The GoPro wins hands down on the waterproofing side as it can easily go go to 60meters underwater whereas the Drift HD is merely water resistant against rain showers.

One other thing they both do is take still photos, the GoPro in 5Mp stills and the Drift HD in 9Mp shots. Both have the ability to shoot photos continuously in a timelapse mode which pretty awesome for getting excellent in-action shots.

The benefits of the Drift range of cameras has always been the built in screen, wireless remote and rotating lens. The original Drift X170 couldn't really stand side by side with the likes of the GoPro HD but now that the 4th generation Drift HD is out it is more then fair to give them a good comparison review.

The advantages of the screen include easy aligning of the shot (so you know what you're filming) and being able to watch your videos on the go which is cool. Recently GoPro has released the LCD BacPac which of course allows for GoPro users to add a screen onto their 1080p GoPro cams but this will set you back an extra R995.

The new GoPro cameras have the ability to film in the upside down mode adding an extra dimension to your mounting ability so you can mount the camera in all kinds of places (older cameras can get this feature with a simple firmware upgrade. The comparing feature here is the Drift HD's rotating lens on the front which means you can mount the camera body in any orientation and simply twist the lens into an upright position so your picture will always be upright.

The wireless remote control on the Drift HD is a great feature for a lot of users. The benefits are pretty easy to figure out and, as it works up to 8meters from the camera, it's pretty sweet.

Mount wise, both the GoPro HD and Drift HD come with a range of mounts in the box to get you started. The adhesives provided work on 3m tape which seriously stick on properly.

Here's a graph showing a side by side comparison of the specs. (The Drift HD pricing is actually R3,750, not R,3999 as in the image below).

So, which one is the best of the comparison?

It depends on what you're using it for. People into land and water sports - the GoPro is for you. People into land and air sports who like the idea of the wireless remote and screen, go for the Drift HD.

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Kevin Pietersen and his GoPro HD

Today our accountant walked in and asked quite seriously; "What would you use these action cameras for?"

Seriously!?!?!? Our answer was along the lines of "What can't you use these cameras for?" While these cams have been designed for extreme sports and helmet mounting, you really can use them for just about anything. We've sold GoPros to everyone from surfers and bikers to miners and surgeons! The list of uses for the GoPro is really unlimited, even Kevin Pieterson could figure out how to use one!

gopro 

Helmet Camera Comparison Feature

You're interested in a helmet cam but not sure which one to go for? Well, you can do one of two things...

1) Phone us to pick our knowledgeable brains (we've been doing this for 5 years!), or
2) Go to our Best Selling Action Cameras page, click on the helmet cameras you're interested in, and hit the "Compare Selected" button at the bottom.

Our new comparison feature will instantly give you a head-to-head comparison of your selected cameras. Add or delete cameras from the list or delete comparing features which you're not interested in. This list includes the GoPro HD, Drift HD, Contour range, ATC9K, and more.

Be sure to take full advantage of this exciting new feature as it is a first in helmet camera websites worldwide!! Check this link for a detailed review to compare the GoPro HD and the Drift HD.

Contour Plus camera available soon

Post update (5th of Sept 2011) - The Contour Plus is now in stock at Action Cameras! Come and get 'em! 

*****

The Contour + camera comes in the same form factor as Contour's previous action cameras but this time they've managed to pack a lot more punch into this little camera. While some of the other helmet camera brands are moving to serve the lower price point customers, Contour seem to be moving the other way. The Contour + includes many new features which makes it more attractive to the professional videographer or film maker. Along with the more technical features also comes a higher price tag of R4,199 (South African Rands).

Contour Plus 

Let's take a look at some of the new features which they've included.

Unlike previous versions such as the Contour HD, and the Contour GPS, the newer Contour Plus comes with a wider angle lens of 170 degrees (previously 135 degrees). While this gives a slightly fish-eye effect on the video it is much preferred for the point-of-view shot as is picks up more of the action and gives a better perspective of the speed at which you are travelling.

Until now the Contour range of cameras has had a built in microphone which gives pretty good sound quality. The Contour + also has this but also has a 3.5mm mic jack so you can plug in an external mic to pick up seriously awesome sound quality. This can be really useful when filming at speed because you can tuck the external mic inside your jacket or underneath the bikes fairing to eliminate wind noise. Vloggers will love to clip the mic inside their helmet to give commentary while riding. Another benefit is that you can get a stereo mic to pick up directional sound.

The awesome Smart Phone Connection capability of the Contour GPS camera has been carried over to the Contour +. Use your BlueTooth to connect your smartphone to your camera so you can use your phone screen as a live viewfinder of the camera. This is a very cool feature as before this was available you never really knew what you were filming - it was just a hit and hope situation. Now you can frame your shot perfectly so you know exactly what is in and out the shot.

Another awesome feature carried over from the ContourGPS is the GPS capability. Not only will you have your extreme sports recorded in Full HD but you'll also have a recording of your GPS Location, altitude, and speed. Use the Contour software to blend this info into a sick video which will appear like a TV game - the main part of your screen is the video and then all the stats are surrounding this for live playback. Neat!

Check out the Contour + Plus page on Action Cameras for more info

Here's a quick video comparison showing the difference between the 

Contour Roam, Contour GPS and the Contour Plus. 

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Helmet Camera

Helmet Cameras have come a long way in the past few years. In 2006 we were making up helmet cam kits by plugging CCTV cameras into camcorders with external power packs and a spaghetti pile of wires - what a mess! The helmet camera technology has moved incredibly quick to today where you can get a full HD camera in small and durable design such as the Drift HD, GoPro HD, Contour and many others.

Each of these cameras come with mounts to attach to your helmet so you can film your own point of view in a hands free manner. Use your helmet cam to record your extreme sports from a new angle - yours.

Apart from the Drift, Gopro and Contour there are many other helmet cameras available on the market - so you're probably trying to figure out which helmet camera is best for you.... Well, that's what this blog is all about. Read the various posts on the Action Cameras Blog or go straight to the Action Cameras website to find out everything that you may want to know about the helmet camera world and all the best helmet cameras available.

Vote for Action Cameras as SA's Best E-Commerce Site!

Action Cameras SA has been nominated for the top award in the competition for South Africa's Best E-commerce website! Please help support us by casting your vote for us as your best online store. By voting you also enter yourself for a chance to win an iPad 2!

Action Cameras live on SABC 3's Expresso Show

Action Cameras were invited for a live interview on the SABC 3 Expresso Morning Show. This aired on Monday the 8th of August, if you missed out then check it out below. We also announce how you can win a Drift HD and the GoPro HD. Nice!

Visit Action Cameras for more info on these cameras and more...

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Mountainbiking with the Drift HD at the MTN Bike Park in Bryanston

The Drift HD had some great testing at the MTN Bike Park in Bryanston this weekend as we hit the track first thing on Sunday morning. As the MTB trail had more and more riders into the day we had more and more bikers asking us about the Drift HD helmet camera as they were all super keen to check out the video quality and to see the trails we had been riding. 

Even though we don't ride as hard as some of the guys hitting single track at speed, we still managed to get some awesome shots from the Drift HD mounted on our helmets. 

MTN MTB Bike Park

Point of view from the helmet cam

  

Awesomely designed MTB trail

Tricky MTB hills 

Busy editing some cool videos from the track too, will post these soon :) 

For all the helmet cameras designed for mountain biking, check out this page for MTB cameras. 

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