As virtual reality (VR) continues to be one of the most talked about technologies, the number of cameras on the market that can capture VR-capable, 360-degree video is growing as well.
YME-D1 is a connected panoramic imaging action camera that features an 8-megapixel CMOS sensor and a Sunplus 6350 chipset that can capture VR-capable 360-degree video at 1440p (30 frames per second) and 1080p (also 30 fps). Standard recording options include loop recording and time lapse.
When the GoPro hit the scene many moons ago, it made a huge splash quickly becoming synonymous with the connected sports movement. It was everywhere: billboards, commercials, movies — everyone either had one or wanted one. But that massive excitement growth trailed off. And while the brand and its products are still popular, they face some stiff competition with arguably better ideas.
The Frodo is a wrist-worn smart adventure camera that intelligently edits videos using one of five styles: Genius, Action, Calm, People, and 15 Second (for Instagram, of course.) The product’s aim is to help people enjoy their adventures versus being stuck editing a bunch of videos they don’t really want to and with full HD resolution, a boot-to-shoot speed of 0.7 seconds, video stabilization, and a modular design for extra battery packs,
The action camera category keeps growing as new players attempt to compete against the popular GoPro.
Shockwave is a wearable action cam that can stream live video on the Internet via Wi-Fi or 4G service, meaning it will transmit data whether the user is indoors or outdoors. It can easily be installed on the surface of any object through solutions including a tripod, unmanned aerial vehicle suspension or its sport camera wearable mounting design, according to the Indiegogo campaign.
There are many action cameras competing for consumer dollars now, although none of have been able to eclipse sales of the GoPro product line yet.
The third-generation ViDi is billed in its Kickstarter campaign as a quality waterproof action camera that was created “for the people” thanks to its design, multiple features and relatively low price in comparison to rival products. The 1080p HD LCD camera can shoot video and still images. It has fully waterproof housing and is waterproof up to 40 feet, according to the campaign.
The action camera market keeps growing thanks largely to the success of GoPro and other established competitors. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t room for more.
U-HWK Show is a low-profile, lightweight wearable video camera that’s been developed by athletes and designed for all types of athletes. It’s rugged, flexible and under 50 percent the weight of the leading competitors’ newest and smallest models, according to the device’s Kickstarter campaign. U-HWK has also been designed to get easily attached to helmets used in a wide variety of sports, including hockey and baseball. It’s compatible with most existing media players and video editing software, and can store up to 10 hours of video.
Some car enthusiasts would probably love to capture video footage of what’s happening around them on the road while driving –- especially while racing their vehicles.
Waylens is an action camera that, unlike the popular GoPro and other traditional action cams, was specifically designed to enable drivers to easily capture, edit and share video taken while they’re driving. The camera works in conjunction with a vehicle’s OBD-II on-board diagnostic system port and automatically turns on while driving. By plugging in to the information provided by the port, Waylens can display useful information to the driver while the camera end is capturing video, video that the campaign claims beats those of other action cameras. There’s also the option to overlay these measurements atop the video as we’ve seen from GPS-equipped action cams from Garmin.
With the formidable quality of video that can be captured by smartphones, there’s got to be something special offered by a camcorder to arouse interest. GoPro figured out that small size, ruggedness, a wide angle. It’s attracted a number of competitors, including Contour, Drift Innovation, Sony, C&A Marketing (using the Polaroid Cube brand) and, more recently, TomTom (yes, the GPS company) with a 4K camera called the Bandit.
Graava enters this crowded field with a small, polished gemstone-like camcorder that affixed to a range of bikes and apparel with the right mounts. Lacking an LCD as many of these products do, it has a grid of LEDs on its side that indicate the product’s status, and has an enclosed HDMI connector and microSD slot for expansion It can also be charged wirelessly using the Qi standard. What sets Graava apart is that it has the ability to analyze the video it captures and pick out the most interesting parts depending on how long the resulting video is. And when it’s not capturing extreme surfing, it can be used to capture the gentle sounds of a napping infant as a baby monitor.