Category Archives: Action/Dash Cameras

Meet Insta360 X4: Delivering 8K 360 for Unmatched Creative Possibility

Meet Insta360 X4: Delivering 8K 360 for Unmatched Creative PossibilityInsta360 is excited to announce its new, groundbreaking flagship camera: Insta360 X4. Much-anticipated 8K 360° video, plus 5.7K60fps and 4K100fps, add unparalleled image quality to the endless creative possibilities of 360° capture, including the ability to “shoot first, point later” and the Invisible Selfie Stick effect. X4 also doubles as a traditional action cam, with its Single-Lens Mode now upgraded to smooth, ultra-wide 4K60fps.

This premium imaging arsenal is supported by a powerful 5nm AI chip, a smart control system with features such as Voice and Gesture Control, and vastly improved battery performance with a 135-minute run time. A host of AI-powered shooting and editing features make it easy to capture and share unique, creative shots. New, removable lens guards for X4 will also be a very welcome addition, providing convenient, robust protection and peace of mind.

All of this in a tough, pocket-sized device makes X4 the new, essential tool for action enthusiasts, casual creators, and professionals alike.

“8K will be transformative for creators as reframed video now holds its own alongside footage shot on regular cameras. But X4 isn’t just about image quality, it’s designed to be the most robust, easy-to-use 360° camera ever, no matter your experience. This idea was at the heart of a lot of the changes we made,” JK Liu, founder of Insta360 explained.

Insta360 X4 is available to order from April 16th, 2024 via the Insta360 Official Store, Amazon, and select retailers, priced at US$499.99.

Incredible third-person views in 8K and high-res slow motion.

It’s finally here! 8K30fps is our highest resolution ever for a 360° action cam and it looks incredible! With 360° video, creators can choose any angle after filming (known as reframing), like going back in time and pointing the camera! This makes X4’s 8K resolution a real game-changer because the footage remains incredibly detailed and sharp, even after reframing– perfect as high-quality, standalone clips or for seamless integration into any edit.

And the upgrades don’t stop there. For action shots or slow motion, 60fps 360° video is now available at 5.7K for smoother, sharper images. There’s also a new 4K100fps setting for glorious, cinematic shots at 4x slow-mo.

Whatever the resolution or frame rate, 360° shooting with X4 offers unique benefits like the Invisible Selfie Stick effect, creating impossible third-person views that look like they were shot on a drone or with a personal camera crew! That extends to photos too, with X4 capable of 72MP 360° photos, now with built-in AI denoising.

With Me Mode, X4 can even automatically frame the subject in the shot, while keeping the selfie stick invisible. Now at a whopping 4K30fps (up from 1080p with X3) or 2.7K120fps, that means ready-to-share flat video clips with zero reframing!

Get two cameras in one.

That’s right! X4 doubles as both a 360° camera and a regular wide-angle action cam. When you know exactly what you want to shoot, like a first-person POV from a chest-mounted position, simply switch to Single-Lens Mode for an immersive, wide-angle video.

This has been souped up for X4 with super smooth 4K60fps, and an ultra wide 170° view with MaxView at an upgraded 4K30fps.

A true action specialist.

X4 doesn’t just withstand the rough and tumble of adventure, it embraces it! How’s this for some action credentials?

  • Removable Lens Guards: A key upgrade for X4. Easy to apply and remove at a moment’s notice. Two options include Standard Lens Guards (free with the camera) or the Premium Lens Guards, made with tough, scratch-resistant, tempered glass for action-ready ruggedness.

  • 2.5″ Corning® Gorilla Glass® Touchscreen – Bigger, tougher, and super responsive for on-the-go use.

  • FlowState Stabilization & 360° Horizon Lock – X4 delivers smooth, level shots, no matter how intense the action.

  • 135-Minute Run Time at 5.7K30fps – A huge new 2290 mAh battery offers genuinely impressive 67% longer run time than X3!

  • Seriously Waterproof – Take X4 down to 33ft right out of the box, or for seamless 360° underwater stitching, try the Invisible Dive Case for shooting to 164ft.

  • Cold-Weather Resistant – Handles temperatures as low as -4ºF (-20ºC) with ease.

Creativity made easy.

No matter what you’re into, X4 makes it simpler than ever to capture incredible footage!

Got the camera mounted out of reach? No problem! Use hand gestures to start/stop shooting or take a photo (known as Gesture Control), or use voice commands courtesy of Voice Control 2.0.

Timed Capture lets you schedule X4 to power on, record, and shut itself off automatically. Perfect for capturing a sunrise without having to wake up!

X4’s creative shooting modes have also had some major upgrades:

  • Bullet Time – our signature Matrix-like slow-mo shot, now up to 5.7K120fps or 3K240fps.

  • 8K TimeShift – a mind-bending hyperlapse in sensational 8K resolution.

  • 11K Timelapse – watch time fly and capture the magic in between moments.

Other fun tools to try with X4 include the Motion ND effect, for adding cinematic motion blur without an ND filter. For runners and riders, try overlaying data like GPS, speed, and power from your Garmin device or Apple Watch in your video, with a choice of interactive stats dashboards (applied in the Insta360 app).

Smart, AI-powered editing.

The Insta360 editing suite has options for creators of all levels, from one-tap, zero-effort AI edits, to fully customized manual editing.

Reframing in the Insta360 app has two upgraded options. With Quick Edit (formerly known as Snap Wizard), simply move your phone or use the virtual joystick to point the camera. Editing your 360° video is now easier than playing a video game and just as fun! The reframed clips are immediately saved and ready to share!

For a fully hands-off approach, try AI Edit. Insta360’s algorithm handles the entire reframing process, now faster with improved subject detection. The Insta360 app also has Shot Lab, where creators can find 30+ viral-worthy effects that can be edited in just a few taps.

For creators who prefer a desktop workflow, the recently updated Insta360 Studio is a highly flexible editing tool for seriously clean, ready-to-share edits at maximized resolution, compatible with both 360° footage and regular flat images.

Both the mobile app and desktop software are also free to use, no subscription required!

Besides this, Insta360 has just launched Insta360 Reframe, their own plugin for Adobe Premiere Pro! Creators can reframe 360° files shot on X4 directly in Premiere Pro for a smoother workflow with minimal exporting and maximum image quality.

Availability

Insta360 X4 is available to purchase worldwide from 16th April 2024, priced at US$499.99. For more information and to order, check out the Insta360 Official Store.

Meet Insta360 Ace & Ace Pro:

Meet Insta360 Ace & Ace Pro: Unrivaled Image Quality in the Smartest Ever Action Camera.

Insta360 is thrilled to announce the release of Insta360 Ace and Insta360 Ace Pro, a pair of groundbreaking, wide-angle action cameras that deliver smarter action capture powered by AI and incredible image quality.

The flagship version of the camera is Insta360 Ace Pro. Co-engineered with Leica, it boasts truly superior imaging performance courtesy of an elite 1/1.3″ sensor, 5nm AI chip, and Leica SUMMARIT lens. Creators can enjoy stunning 4K120fps video, 48MP photos, PureVideo for low light shooting, PD fast charging to 80% in just 22 minutes, and more. Insta360 Ace is the budget-friendly option, with the key differences being a smaller 1/2″ 48MP sensor, regular lens, and standard charging.

Both cameras are also packed full of unique, smart shooting features that utilize the latest in AI developments. Practical elements like a vlogging-friendly 2.4″ flip touchscreen provides excellent creative flexibility. Meanwhile, innovative functions such as the option to pause or cancel a recording, gesture and voice control, plus the brand new AI Highlights Assistant and custom-keyword based AI Warp feature transform the shooting and editing experience.

“With Insta360 Ace and Ace Pro, we’re bringing smarter action capture to thrillseekers around the world,” shares JK Liu, founder of Insta360. “We’re making significant steps in AI, which has allowed us to bring in new features that we think not only make the video creation process easier for users, but unlocks completely new ways to make shots truly stand out.”

Insta360 Ace and Ace Pro are available to order today via Insta360.com worldwide, as well as from trusted retailers such as Amazon and select authorized partners.

Unbeatable imaging: day and night.
As a major determinant of a camera’s image quality, Ace Pro’s premium 1/1.3″ sensor immediately sets it apart from many of its competitors. It captures more light and offers far better dynamic range, making it capable of high-level performance even in fast-moving action scenarios or with challenging lighting. Not only that, but Ace Pro was co-engineered with Leica, bringing all their expertise in optical design and imaging to the camera.

Ace and Ace Pro also have a unique, dedicated shooting mode for low light: PureVideo. Powered by a 5nm AI chip, the cameras use a custom-trained AI neural network to denoise the footage for a clearer image in real time. Meanwhile, that big, beautiful sensor on Ace Pro captures huge levels of detail with impressive stabilization, even at night! This expands the use you’ll get out of the camera, from twilight strolls to late-night urban shooting.

During the day, again Ace Pro comes packing heat with built-in Active HDR (High Dynamic Range). This is especially helpful for shooting scenes with both bright and dark areas, with more details in the highlights and shadows and more vibrant footage. A serious amount of work has also gone into color accuracy. Ace Pro delivers accurate and rich colors, excelling even when underwater.

AI is a key element in the overall image quality too. Insta360’s dedicated R&D teams have specifically trained computational photography models, based on the cameras’ unique lens and sensor data. These models underpin the 48MP Photo Mode and 4K30fps PureVideo, enhancing both the signal-to-noise ratio and dynamic range in low light, surpassing all other action cameras on the market in the process.

A smarter way to shoot, inside and out.
Ace Pro’s robust 2.4″ flip touchscreen lets you see exactly what you’re shooting at all times, making framing your shots a breeze. This flexibility makes the camera incredibly useful for vlogging, selfies, hard-to-capture angles, and various action scenarios for optimal preview. What’s more, a magnetic mounting system lets you quickly mount your camera and seamlessly switch between accessories. Less fussing with screws and knobs, more filming the action.

Internally, a series of new features solve problems that have plagued action enthusiasts for years:

  • Clarity Zoom – want a close-up but the image quality becomes too poor? Ace Pro can zoom in and out 2x without any loss in quality.

  • Gesture Control – use hand signals to start/stop recording or take a photo! Perfect for group selfies, noisy environments, or if using voice control doesn’t feel right (though it has this function too)

  • Cancel Recording – failed the trick? Messed up a line? Instantly cancel the recording and go again, saving space on the SD card and fewer files to sort through.

  • Pause/Resume Recording – time between shots? Hit pause and record to keep everything you want to film in one continuous file for easier file management and editing.

  • Photo Grab – you’re filming a video when an ideal photo op presents itself. Keep filming and take a photo at the same time, but in far higher resolution than a screen grab from the video.

We like to make shooting as easy as possible, but every creator knows that feeling of looking at an intimidating number of files and not knowing where to start. Enter the revolutionary new tool, AI Highlights Assistant.

First, it automatically detects the peak moments in a video, and delivers ‘clip highlights’ for in-camera review. Creators can merge every thrilling moment into one incredible recap, or choose the ones they like, and quickly delete any unwanted clips to save storage.

And like magic, the Assistant will also edit your latest adventures into one epic video and push it directly to your phone or mobile device via the Insta360 app. Look back on all your Moments and relive unforgettable memories, just like the first time.

The Insta360 app is also packed full of advanced AI editing tools. Take advantage of slick auto-editing tools to have your clips ready in moments, or go manual with our full editing suite. There’s really no limit to what you can do.

Unlock your creativity.
The Ace series comes equipped with a unique Stats Dashboard and is the first action camera to integrate seamlessly with your Garmin device or Apple Watch, allowing you to overlay your videos with GPS, speed, and other data. Share your adventures with a new level of detail, whether you’re cycling, running, or enjoying the great outdoors.

AI Warp is another new creative tool, the latest addition to Insta360’s expanding Shot Lab lineup. Through preset or custom keywords, you can add dynamic effects to your videos. This premium AI feature is highly customizable, giving your footage an incredibly unique twist based off of any prompt you can think of. As Insta360 continues to embrace the game-changing capabilities of AI, you can expect more features added to Shot Lab on the Insta360 app heading into 2024.

The Ace series also features Insta360’s signature eye-popping shooting modes, including the ability to shoot timelapses, hyperlapses (in TimeShift mode) and so much more. The infamous Invisible Selfie Stick effect is also possible with the Ace series via the new AI Selfie Stick Eraser, rendering your selfie stick invisible in shots for an immersive third-person experience.

Action anytime, and anywhere.
With their waterproof design, the Ace series can handle depths of up to 33 feet (10 meters). Plus, the Dive Case allows you to take your camera even deeper, down to 196 feet (60 meters).

It isn’t just water where these cameras shine, either. They operate smoothly in temperatures as low as -20°C (-4°F), making them ideal for winter sports shooting. The cameras utilize Insta360’s cutting-edge FlowState Stabilization technology, ensuring your videos remain incredibly smooth, no matter how intense the action gets. 360° Horizon Lock takes things to the next level by keeping your videos perfectly level, even when you’re on the move. So, whether you’re racing down a mountain trail or capturing high-speed action shots, your footage will remain steady as a rock.

Ace Pro also prioritizes convenience with fast charging. The battery charges to 80% in just 22 minutes (full charge in 46 minutes), ensuring you spend more time capturing the action and less time waiting.

These action-ready cameras are perfect for outdoor enthusiasts and adventure seekers who demand high-quality performance and durability. Whether you’re exploring the ocean or conquering snowy mountain peaks, the Ace series stands ready to capture your most thrilling moments.

Championing winter with Shaun White
Insta360 is excited to announce that legendary snowboarder Shaun White has joined Team Insta360 as a brand ambassador. Shaun White’s passion and drive match Insta360’s mission to capture the boldest action out there.

“I’m excited to be joining up with Insta360,” says Shaun White. “I like what I see with the new Ace series, so naturally I’m stoked to collaborate with the team at Insta360 and explore some of the incredible possibilities this camera can offer.”

Available Now
Insta360 Ace and Ace Pro are available to order globally from Tuesday, November 21st, 2023 via Insta360.com, Amazon, and select retailers.

Insta360 Ace retails for £359.99 (Motorcycle Kit – £440.00), while the flagship option, Insta360 Ace Pro, is priced at £429.99 (Motorcycle Kit – £510.00)

Vantrue F1 Motorcycle Dash-Cam

Our colleague Ells at Ride and Rest has spent the last couple of weeks with the Vantrue F1 Motorcycle dash-cam

First impressions – The packaging and presentation are worthy of an apple product, it’s a small matter I know but when a company presents its stuff to the end user it gives a warm fuzzy feeling to see this? Yep, I’m a packaging pest! 😊 I also like a sticker or two!

What’s in the box then? The base unit, two cameras, battery connections, the necessary leads, instructions, remote device, cable ties, sticker pads, screwdriver, screws, etc.

The only thing I did need to provide was a micro-SD card to fit into the unit.

Installation – I watched a couple of videos about this before attempting it myself. Unsure if the guys doing said vids were a bit bone but I had it all done within an hour and a half. At least 45 minutes of that time was trying to find a suitable site for the front facing 4k camera. The MST’s* front end is quite angular and it still needs a tweak to get spot on. I will mention in this section about the sticker pads provided for both cameras and the remote unit… utterly USELESS! I have had to remove the supplied pads and use some genuine 3M stickers to get the right result. As stated above though it did come with some screws so I may utilise these also. The rear will be easy as I can screw straight into the Givi top box rack. The front is a bit more problematic though so needs a bit more thought before I attempt.

Set Up – Easy, download the app, sync app with base unit, away you go. Absolutely no dramas at all. Took perhaps a minute to establish the connection first time. Subsequent syncing takes seconds.

Mobile App – simple, easy, intuitive. Browse through your files – both cams loop on 1-minute intervals, cut, crop, delete, there and then in app, or simply download to your phone for later use on video editing suites. Whilst on this subject – each video taken (front and rear) is time and date, lat’ and long’, elevation, speed stamped. So be careful with the right wrist as it may get thee in trouble with the fiveO!

Camera quality – I’ve got an Insta360 X3 which just blows my mind every time I use it, the image quality is better than that of the Vantrue F1 however it is a dedicated sports cam, so I must remind myself that they are not comparable.  The quality of the Vantrue cams is very good, 4k front is superb, 1080p rear is also pretty good. I haven’t encountered any mucky weather yet this week, so when I do I will have to give the lenses a booghie before setting off.

Summary
Smart, quality, simple to use and it could be invaluable if the worst were to happen one day. Once it is installed it just fire and forget until you have a notable incident. I captured a van driver on Thursday who very nearly caused a 3-car pile-up due to his stupidity and lack of concentration. I would have been involved also if my spider senses were not so keen, so in that scenario it is a very useful tool for those who rely on their motorcycles daily to get to and from work. Of course it will not prevent an accident but the footage quality would be very useful for a courtroom situation, insurance claim, etc.

For more info or to purchase the dash cam head to the Vantrue website https://www.vantrue.com/en-gb/products/f1

*Ducati Multistrada V4

 

Meet Insta360 GO 3: Unleash Your Creativity with the Ultimate Tiny Action Camera

Next-Gen Tiny Camera Gets Flip Screen Action Pod, Longer Battery Life & More

Insta360 is proud to announce the highly anticipated Insta360 GO 3, the latest iteration of its groundbreaking tiny action camera. The tiny but mighty GO 3 takes on-the-go capturing to new heights, building upon the ultra-portability of its predecessor with unparalleled versatility.

Truly tiny, the camera comes in smaller than thumb size and weighs in at only 1.2oz (35g). Its unique magnetic body allows you to effortlessly mount it anywhere, opening up a world of possibilities for capturing unique shots from creative angles. The new Action Pod is the ultimate shooting companion, transforming GO 3 into a more versatile and powerful camera. Using the flip touchscreen, users can control the camera remotely and preview their shot even when GO 3 is mounted in hard-to-reach locations. When running low on power, GO 3 can be mounted in the Pod to keep shooting for up to 170 minutes.

Whether you want to capture immersive first-person POV shots, discover life from your pet’s eyes, or explore new perspectives, GO 3 provides unprecedented flexibility. Insta360 GO 3 is available to order today via Insta360’s official website worldwide, as well as from trusted retailers such as Amazon and select authorized partners.

Unleashing the GO 3 Concept: Limitless Creativity in a Tiny Camera

Capturing moments with GO 3 is effortless. Recording on the go is as simple as pressing the front of the camera body, thanks to QuickCapture. The camera’s lightweight and low-profile design means there’s never a question of whether to take it with you on a day out. Whether you’re playing with your kids or barreling down the trails, GO 3 never detracts from the moment. Any perspective can be captured in vivid 2.7K, perfect for social media sharing.

GO 3 comes with a set of magnetic accessories that truly unlock the camera’s creative potential:

  • Magnet Pendant: A circular magnet that can be worn around the neck and sits beneath clothing, allowing GO 3 to be seamlessly worn on the chest for first-person POV filming.

  • Easy Clip: An accessory designed for hats, snugly fitting GO 3 above the head for a hands-free, high-angle shot.

  • Pivot Stand: A reusable sticky mount with an adjustable design that allows for tricky angles to be shot with ease. Completely redesigned, the stand also unscrews to reveal a 1/4” mounting point for attaching to a selfie stick or tripod.

Multifunctional Action Pod: Remote Preview and Enhanced Control

A completely new innovation, the Action Pod is a hub that takes your shooting capabilities to the next level. A housing, remote control and charger for GO 3 all in one.

With a convenient 2.2″ flip touchscreen, the Action Pod connects to GO 3 over Bluetooth for real-time remote control and live preview. Difficult angles, from a cat’s collar to a kid’s bike, can now be easily framed and mastered. The best part—the Action Pod and the camera are compatible with the same magnetic mounts, ensuring hassle-free setup and enhanced versatility. Running low on power is now easily remedied by simply putting GO 3 into the Action Pod, attaching it to the same mount, and continuing to shoot.

Coupling all of this with an IPX4 water-resistant design for the Pod and IPX8 waterproofing to 16ft (5m) for the camera, GO 3 is perfect for capturing memories anywhere. A signature of Insta360, GO 3 comes equipped with FlowState Stabilization and 360 Horizon Lock, ensuring silky-smooth footage even in the most action-packed scenarios and eliminating unwanted tilting or distortion. A replaceable Lens Guard also comes pre-installed for worry-free shooting.

Remarkable Improvements for Flagship Performance

Insta360 GO 3 addresses the pain points of the GO series, bringing sweeping enhancements to ensure this new generation of tiny camera has staying power. Software optimizations and a resolution upgrade to 2.7K deliver crisp, vibrant videos. With no clip length limitations and a larger 310mAh battery, creators can keep shooting for up to 45 minutes without the Pod—a 50% increase on the previous generation.

Sporting an additional mic, GO 3’s dual microphones offer clearer and crisper audio over its predecessor. Voice Control 2.0 also comes with this upgrade, allowing for complete hands-free operation of GO 3, no matter the situation.

New recording modes are also available, including Pre-recording, Loop Recording and Timed Capture. With Timed Capture, simply schedule GO 3 to power on and start recording at a specific time. No more waking up early to shoot a sunrise timelapse!

A World of Possibilities with the GO 3 Ecosystem

As is the case with all Insta360 cameras, GO 3 is more than just a camera; it’s backed up by Insta360’s powerful app and editing ecosystem, designed to simplify your filmmaking journey.

FreeFrame Mode enables you to modify the aspect ratio of your footage after shooting, so you can edit the same clip for a 9:16 Instagram Reel as a 16:9 YouTube video. Where other action cameras force the user to pre-select the aspect ratio before shooting and only save the content within that aspect ratio, GO 3 saves all the content for sharing in any aspect ratio, offering unmatched flexibility.

Insta360’s infamous AI-powered editing features automatically curate your best clips and edit them into custom reels. The app’s intelligent features and user-friendly interface allow you to focus on your creativity while the technology handles the rest.

There’s also a whole host of creative modes to create inspiring content. TimeShift for hyperlapse montages, AI-powered PureShot HDR for photos with enhanced dynamic range, slow motion up to 120fps and stunning timelapses are all possible with GO 3.

Available Now

Insta360 GO 3 is available for purchase starting today globally. GO 3 comes with the Action Pod included and other useful accessories, including the Magnet Pendant, Easy Clip, Pivot Stand, and Lens Guard. Three storage options are available: 32GB, 64GB, and 128GB models, priced at $379.99, $399.99, and $429.99 respectively.

You can secure your GO 3 directly from Insta360’s official website or via platforms such as Amazon and select authorized retailers.

Insta360 Link: The Powerful 4K Webcam Using AI to Redefine Remote Work

Today marks the beginning of a new chapter for Insta360 as they announced the launch of Insta360 Link, an AI-powered 4K webcam. 

Insta360 Link offers the powerful combination of premium image quality with a seamless user experience for business professionals, educators and live streamers. Equipped with 4K resolution and an industry-leading 1/2’’ sensor, Link delivers life-like image quality, detail, and high dynamic range in any lighting conditions. A 3-axis gimbal and built-in AI algorithms enable the webcam to always keep the user in frame and respond to gesture controls. With versatile modes like DeskView and more, Insta360 Link is ready for any kind of remote work.

“Developing Insta360 Link was a natural evolution of our mission to help people share their lives. With the pandemic shifting work to our homes at an unprecedented rate, we saw the opportunity to help people ‘work from home’ better with our expertise in AI image processing. Link’s ultra-precise AI tracking algorithms and premium imaging hardware make communicating remotely more intuitive than ever before,” said JK Liu, Founder of Insta360.

Insta360 Link is available to order from August 2, 2022 via Insta360.com and select retailers.

Premium imaging

Insta360 Link offers best-in-class 4K Ultra HD resolution at 30fps, for online interactions that are true to life, with detail in all the right places. There are several resolutions and frame rates to choose from, as well as full settings customization for brightness, exposure, white balance, and more in the companion Link Controller software.

Link’s 1/2” sensor puts it head and shoulders above many other webcams with similar resolutions. The larger sensor size means it captures far more detail, has a better dynamic range, and stronger low light capabilities. This ensures a consistently perfect image in any room or environment.

A specialized HDR mode is also available to give greater balance between highlights and shadows in the image, ensuring the background isn’t blown out by a nearby window or other light source.

And blurry shots are a thing of the past thanks to True Focus. Link uses Phase Detection Auto Focus (PDAF) and auto exposure technology for near-instant focusing.

Work smarter with AI

“Insta360 Link is as much about the software as the hardware. Insta360 has been a pioneer in developing AI image processing technologies for 360 cameras since 2020, and we’re now bringing that expertise to a wider audience of people with Insta360 Link,” said Max Richter, Vice President of Insta360.

Link’s AI-powered features make life easier for webcam users in a number of ways. The 3-axis gimbal lens uses AI tracking to follow the user’s movement, keeping them perfectly centered at all times. With automatic framing and zooming, there’s no need to manually adjust the camera during a call.

For adjustments from a distance, Link responds instantly to gesture control. Using simple hand gestures, users can enable AI tracking, zoom in and out, and activate other camera modes. No clicks necessary.

Link’s advanced software also enables DeskView Mode, which allows users to quickly toggle between showing their face and their tabletop. Software algorithms level the perspective for easier viewing of documents, perfect for presenting during a video call or working out a math problem.

Specialized modes for improved communication

With so many potential use cases, Link has a series of specialized modes to give users every possible advantage when communicating online:

  • Whiteboard Mode: Enhance a designated whiteboard area to give students or meeting participants a much clearer view.

  • Portrait Mode: Live stream with a totally uncropped 9:16 view for optimal mobile viewing and better image quality.

  • Overhead Mode: Capture precisely level top-down views with Link mounted on a table stand, perfect for unboxing a product or sketching a design.

When you’re done with your call, Link’s lens will automatically point downwards within 10 seconds of inactivity to maintain privacy protection.

Life compatible

From dual noise-canceling mics to block out unwanted interruptions, to easy mounting with a built-in screen clip and 1/4” mount, Link is designed to fit seamlessly into everyday work and life. For video calling, it’s fully compatible with Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Skype, Google Meet, and various other platforms on both macOS and Windows computers.

Available Now

Insta360 Link is available to order from August 2, 2022 via Insta360.com and select retailers. It retails for US$299.99, with the webcam, 4

Insta360 Sphere Brings the Magic of 360 Filming to Drones

Insta360 Sphere, the invisible drone 360 cam, is the ultimate solution to turn a DJI Mavic Air 2/2S drone into an all-powerful content production tool.

With the camera attached, the drone becomes totally invisible in 360-degree footage, while the lightweight structure and intuitive operation make 360 aerial filming easier than ever before.

Insta360 Sphere offers immersive footage, without the need to buy a new drone or have professional flying or editing skills. Powered by Insta360’s industry-leading software, Sphere unlocks endless ways to create killer content from drone footage. Insta360 Sphere is available to order today via store.insta360.com in the U.S. and Mainland China.

Immersive footage without the learning curve.

From awe-inspiring landscapes to urban vistas, drone pilots have been capturing stunning aerial footage for years now. But, the key limitation of wide-angle cameras is that they can only capture in one direction. A user’s ability to get the best footage is dependent upon their flying abilities and the maneuvers they are capable of pulling off in real-time.

That’s no longer the case with Insta360 Sphere. By filming in 5.7K 360, users can adjust the angle and camera direction in their video after the fact. Using the easy reframing tools in the Insta360 app and Studio desktop, anyone can add thrilling rolls and turns to their aerial footage in post, achieving FPV-like footage on an easy-to-handle drone.

Shooting with a 360 camera also opens up the option of getting multiple edits from the same flight, in addition to the wide angle footage from the drone itself.

A truly invisible drone. 

Many drone users are accustomed to mounting a 360 camera above or below their drone to get 360-degree footage. But since 360 cameras film in all directions, this means that half of the video is often obstructed by the drone itself, requiring tedious post-processing or paid video editing software to remove it.

With Insta360 Sphere, the camera’s lenses are precisely mounted on either side of the drone to ensure the drone is invisible in the resulting footage. Insta360’s proprietary dynamic stitching algorithm makes the whole drone (including the propellers) disappear automatically, leaving the user with glorious, uninterrupted shots.

Smooth flight, smoother shots. 

Killer image stabilization is crucial to getting immersive aerial footage. Insta360’s proprietary FlowState Stabilization technology has been fine-tuned for Insta360 Sphere to ensure super steady aerial footage, no matter the conditions.

Perfectly compatible. 

The camera is compatible with the Mavic Air 2/2S and attaches to the drone with an ultra-secure locking mechanism. There is zero impact on the drone’s structural integrity, and it doesn’t impede the GPS signal or remote control system.

Powerful AI editing suite. 

Sphere represents a continuation of Insta360’s mission to help people capture and share their lives better, making Insta360’s industry-leading 360 reframing and editing software accessible to a wider range of creators. Sphere users can edit their videos using the same AI-powered features as the Insta360 ONE Series in the Insta360 app. Creative effects like barrel rolls and dolly zooms are as easy as a tap.

Become a 360 pilot today!

Insta360 Sphere is available from May 24, 2022 in the U.S. and Mainland China at store.insta360.com and retails for $429.99.

Drift Innovation Ghost XL Action Cam Review

Who doesn’t like to record their ride when the sun is shining, the skies are blue and you’ve got that happy feeling on your motorcycle taking in the stunning views on bendy roads. If not for publishing it then for your own record to watch them in those long winter days when the bikes are parked in the garage and we are missing the thrill of the ride.

I have been using the Insta360 R camera for nearly 18 months and whilst I’m not a wizz at video editing I do like the way it captures the scenery and gives you the option to choose the view of the camera after the footage has been recorded. The downside of this is that everything seems so far away. Watching YouTube vloggers with their forward facing cameras I did wonder if they are onto a better thing. I do have a forward facing camera on my Insta360, too but I haven’t really used it.

So I figured doing a side by side comparison would be an interesting exercise. But let’s go back to the Drift Innovations Ghost XL Camera first.This is an action camera that comes with a variety of mounts to use on a helmet or on different parts of your bike, an external microphone with waterproof connector and a USB charging cable.

As I am the type to just switch things on and start using them rather than reading the user manual I was struggling to see the screen on the back of the camera as I was scrolling through the options. With glasses perched on my nose I realised each setting shows up in a different screen colour to make it easier to tell at a glance whether the camera is recording or not and in what setting it is on.

Finally giving up and opening the user manual I realised there is an app to download to your phone from where you can control the camera. It is very intuitive, super easy to use and it offers remote control of the camera which means you can mount it anywhere without worrying about accessing the buttons.

At first I wasn’t sure about the look and design of the camera, being used to Insta which is very Go-Pro like in the looks department. I mounted both cameras to my bike and went for a ride. Insta360, due to its design, sticks out like a sore thumb and is very obvious whilst I had to look twice on several occasions to really notice Ghost XL. It is actually genius in its design and it is almost invisible at first sight regardless of what position I mounted it in.

The lens rotates 300 degrees which means no matter how you mount the camera, it will always capture the footage the ‘right way up’. The great thing about the phone app is that you can see a live view of what the camera is looking at and you can set it all before riding off, knowing the footage will be recorded as you want it to.

It does seem to struggle with low lighting conditions as you can see on the video. The beginning is filmed on a brighter day and the footage looks good but the very end is filmed on a gloomy, overcast day which means the footage is quite dark. The lens opening is quite small so you are to expect this and worth taking into the account when purchasing such cameras.

I have recorded footage in different resolutions and to be honest, not being an expert, I couldn’t really tell much of the difference on the screen between them.

The adjustment of the field of view, on the other hand, is a great option to give you flexibility on how much you want to include in the frame. The options are 90°, 115° and 140°.

The manufacturer claims the battery lasts 9 hours of recording time at 1080p which is very impressive. I haven’t used it for long enough to test this claim.

Knowing that your camera won’t die if it rains is a great comfort, especially living in Wales. Personally, I don’t record anything in rain as the water drops settle on the camera lens and distort the image and I see no point in it unless you are using it as a dash cam. It is great to know that you don’t have to panic and pull over to pack the camera away if you get caught in the rain.

All in all, a great robust camera that is super easy to use and produces good quality footage. At half the price of the Ghost 4K version I think it is a great value action camera but if you have the budget, I’d go for the better lens option.

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Drift Innovations Ghost X Action Cam Review

Neil Jewell of Jewell Bike Training tests the Ghost X Action Cam with many thanks to Drift Innovations check driftinnovation.com for more info

Cameras are everywhere you look these days. Speed Cameras, CCTV cameras, Dash Cams and also Action Cams. If you are looking to capture your epic events then is an action camera the tool for the job? Superbike News recently reviewed a motorcycle dash cam https://superbike-news.co.uk/viofo-mt1-dash-cam-review/ so, which is right for you, an Action Cam or a Dash Cam.

The Ghost X from Drift is a compact action camera that has been designed to be mounted virtually anywhere. It records HD 1080P video at 30fps

It’s Drift’s budget camera coming it at about £130, it offers a 5 hour battery life which can be extended to 8 hours with the bigger battery unit that is available for another £25. The included 32GB microSD card might need to be replaced for a bigger one as a 10 minute video (1080P) takes up 3.8GB of storage so by my very rough calculations you are probably good for 1.5 hours before you’d fill the card. Not a problem if you change one of the mirad of settings to give you loop recording. The loop interval can be set at different stages between 10 seconds and 10 minutes meaning it will record at 10 minute lengths until the card is full then return to the start and begin overwriting.

In the box is everything you need to get started. I initially ignored the instruction manual as it looked too thick and technical.  I set about figuring the camera out myself. There are only 3 buttons on the top how hard could it be. One button is clearly an on/off as identified by the international on/off symbol. I pressed it, nothing. I pressed and held it for a couple of seconds and the little camera beeped into life.

The back of the Ghost X has the tiniest of screens, smaller than a postage stamp, it had illuminated a pleasant green colour. This is where those with bad eyesight may begin to struggle. The little screen is giving out a lot of information in such a small space but, if you can see it, it does makes sense.

Information such a recording mode; view angle; recording quality; the number of files saved; battery life and remaining card capacity are all shown on a screen size of 132mm²

Staring at the screen I began pressing buttons, The top button, the one closest to you as you look at the screen, cycles the display through the various modes that the Ghost X has to offer, Video, Still camera, time lapse, burst image, settings menu, each one of these comes with its own colour. This will prove useful as you can instantly tell the mode the camera is in simply by looking at the glow and not squinting at the screen. Pressing the button again cycles back to the start. I pressed the middle button and discovered this cycles through the options on the screen being displayed, so in video mode you can alter the resolution to 1080, 960, 720 or WVGA which is probably the same resolution as a typical CCTV camera the advantage being you can up the frame rate to 60fps if you need to. I’m not a keen photographer so would probably need to look up what a lot of the settings do to fully understand the functionality of the Ghost X but then I would probably ignore them all and set it to record video at its best 1080P x 30fps resolution and never touch any settings again.

Cycling through the screens and the modes, I only had to revert to the instruction book once and that was to understand what the K140 meant. I could change it to K90 and K115 but did not know what I was doing. Reluctantly, I flicked through the quick guide to realise that the K wasn’t a K but a symbol to illustrate the field of vision for the recordings. There are three options 90º, 115º and 140º.

Once familiar with the button layout and how the options on the screens cycle through the menu options and back to the beginning, setting up the time and date and other options on the Ghost X was relatively simple. Just click slowly to get to where to need to be otherwise run the risk of cycling through all 28 menu options before getting back to where you need to be. (press and hold the button to go backwards through the menus)

One of the 28 menus was Video tagging, this seems like a very clever idea if you don’t want to be recording all day and then have to wade back through hours of footage to find that one time where your mate did something cool. Video tagging is like having the Ghost X set in sleep mode, it’s always watching but not recording until you press the record button. Then, depending on the settings it can record the previous 2 minutes and the following 2 minutes. With Video Tagging, you’ll never miss that perfect action shot ever again.

I eventually found my way back to the screen that told me the camera was in video mode but how to actually record video? I had one button left to press so pressed it, The Ghost X emitted a little beep, change to a big beep or no beep in settings, and the green glow turned red. It was recording.

Starting and stopping is as simple as touching a button and to check it was all fine I hooked the camera up to the computer using the included USB lead and was impressed at how quickly the device was recognised. Much easier than removing the SD card from a DashCam type recorder. The Camera also charges up while attached to the computer and the little screen glows green when fully charged.

Feeling good that I had worked out all the buttons and squinting at the tiny screen, I was feeling ready. I just one had more flick through the user guide to make sure I had found everything. It was at this point I made the life decision to read the manual first on every new thing I get.

The guide was easy to use and only so thick because it contained all of the languages. It mentioned an APP, of course there is an APP, I downloaded that and looked up how to connect the APP to the camera. It was here that the instruction booklet came into its own. After connecting the APP to the phone via on-board Wi-Fi (easy) you get full access to all the system settings on your phone screen, not one that is 11mm wide x 12mm high. You can see a live image of the camera on the phone to help you set in the perfect location. You live and learn. The APP does a lot more than just system settings you can control the camera, live stream and join the drift community to share videos and experiences.

After fiddling with the menus, it was time to fix the camera to my crash helmet. I already have a motorcycle dash cam on the bike, I didn’t want to go full Tellytubby and mount it on the top on my lid so opted for the side. The box contains 2 x 3M sticky pads, one is flat and the other curved. There was a lot of searching for the best location on the helmet to stick it. 3M pads are wondrously sticky so I wanted to find the right place first time. One of the great things about the Ghost X is that the lens can rotate so the camera can be mounted at any angle and the level corrected by simply rotating the lens so that the marker arrow is pointing straight up. Doing this exercise while looking at the image on your phone means you can get it right first time.

As expected from an action camera there are many different mounting option available, the handlebar mount, designed for mountain bikes, might work on the handle bars or crash bars of some motorbikes. It is made from metal and looks & feels well build and robust. There is a pivot mount that will allow for the camera being mounted any which way; a roll bar mount for clamping onto scaffold sized tube. In fact, wherever you want to mount your camera there is probably a mount designed to do that job on the Driftinnovation.com website.

I wanted a sleek fitting camera so went for the simplest solution of the curved sticky pad and then having the camera clip fitting directly into that. The camera clip is indexed onto the camera with a serrated grooved ring that controls the vertical angle the camera. The horizontal view depends on where you put the sticky pad. Changing the orientation of the camera and rotating the lens can be done without tools making camera position changes quick and easy, something that can’t be done with a dashcam.

The camera clip locks into the sticky pad via a couple of spring loaded plastic prongs. Pinching these together enables the camera to slide out. When not on the helmet the sticky pad socket is hardly noticeable. One thing I would always want to be sure of, though, is that the camera clip is securely located in its socket. Make sure you listen for 2 audible clicks as it locks into place and then try to pull it back out. The last thing you want to see is footage of your camera bouncing down the road, if you ever find it again that is. There are no tethers available on the website to offer peace of mind.

The buttons and the release prongs are easy to use with a gloved hand. Once you have mastered where the buttons are, you can turn the Ghost X on and off and start and stop the recording by touch. Or do as I did and start the camera recording and then lock it into place on the helmet. Remember that colour coded screen? There’s a small indicator light above the lens so you can check in a mirror what mode you’re in and if you are recording or not just by looking at it.

Out and about on the bike, I didn’t notice the camera at all. It’s slim enough that it doesn’t rub on your shoulder when cornering and light enough that I couldn’t feel it. I made a few runs, the first one used the onboard mic and suffered horrific wind noise, maybe the sensitivity was too high. The second run I used the external mic. On returning back to base and reviewing the footage I was very disappointed that the mic had not picked up commentary. I did some checks with another mic and diagnosed a bad connector on the original mic. I’ve ordered a new one for £10 which fixed the issue.

With the mic fixed and installed inside my helmet alongside my intercom mic, I connected the app to the camera via the on-board Wi-Fi and set off on another test run using the app to alter the settings along the way.

The Ghost X is not waterproof at least, I don’t think it is. It’s probably not fully waterproof. you see, I’m not really sure if it is or not but there is a waterproof case that is available as an accessory so, if you do want to go out in the rain then that is probably what you need. I tried in on the camera and was not happy with it. It’s good for 40m underwater though! The Ghost XL is waterproof, according to the website, and as it’s only another £20 I’d get that one. However there is one annoyance that comes from browsing the Driftinnovation.com website, and that’s the constant notifications that people are buying stuff. I really don’t need to know that Karen from Margate has just bought a Drift Class 10 MicroSD card 1 hour ago. I want to know the IPX rating of the Ghost X is please so I can decide to go out in the rain or not. Thank you very much.

Overall, a great action camera, reasonably simple to set up and get going but will need some fine tuning of the settings to get the most out of it. I was happy that it came with a fully charged battery so I could start to mess with it immediately. I later searched the website and found out that the Ghost X is IPX4 rated. This means that you can use it in the rain, but not at high speed in heavy rain.

It has other modes apart from the video; you can take 12MP still images; bursts of up to 15, 4MP images and set up time lapse. These are good to have but I wonder how many times they will be used.

It’s certainly less hassle as a camera than a dash cam system, it’s compact and easy to access the files with the USB link, the quality of the video is great and it offers more to the video creator because when mounted on the helmet it follows the rider’s eye. With the bigger battery and a larger SD card up to 128GB the recording times are comparable to that of a hardwired dash cam system, but ask yourself how often do you ride for longer than 8 hours? Even if you do, grab a spare battery that can be charged up via USB and swap them in seconds. The downside is that it only records in one direction and if something happens behind you you’ll miss it.

So which is right for me dash cam or action cam?  Well the perfect solution is to have both. The helmet mounted action cam will be used extensively to record live commentary over the top of video for training and feedback purposes and the front and rear dash cam system will be there to record any incidents and as also as back up when, not if, I forget to press the record button.

Definitely a great little camera that looks sleek has a lot of functionality and will absolutely capture your best moments. You should get one.

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Review and photos by Neil Jewell of Jewell Bike Training

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Viofo MT1 Dash Cam Review

Neil Jewell of Jewell Bike Training tests new Viofo MT1 Dash Cam with many thanks to Viofo check Viofo for more info

Getting your bike permanently rigged up for on-board video recording may not sound like the sort of thing you want to do but having a record of that car pulling out on you while you were perfectly in the right may go a long way to help with any insurance claim, but why else would you want one?

Action cameras have come a long way in recent years; Go-Pro, Drift, Insta360 and the like are great, but there is an element of faff that inherently comes with them. If you are like me, you don’t want to get to the end of a gorgeous ride and realise that you forgot to record it. You don’t want to be mithered with batteries and charging and limited video length. And you don’t want to look like a Teletubby with a camera stuck on the top of your helmet.

The VIOFO MT1 Motorcycle Dashcam has both front and rear cameras. It is hardwired onto your bike so it starts to record once the ignition is on and stops when the ignition is off. You can put a 256GB microSD card into it that will record around 18hours of footage on the front and rear cameras in 1080HD at 30FPS. You will never miss capturing that silky smooth set of curves again. The DVR (Digital Video Recorder) is water resistant and conforms to IP66 protection so it ideal for use on a motorbike.

In the box is the full system, two cameras, DVR, remote mic, 32GB MicroSD card with adaptor, GPS receiver, wiring loom for connection to battery and switched live, a load of sticky pads, hook and loop pads and zip ties. There is also a well written, simple instruction manual, but who’s ever going to read that, right? There is a downloadable APP for your smartphone that you’ll need to adjust the settings. More on that later.

I have used another twin camera video system for a few years now so was interested to see the differences between these two systems which, on the face of it should be very similar.

First job was to remove the old system that has done a great job over the last 3 years, producing content videos and also assisting in footage for rider training. Putting the two systems side by side you can see that the VIOFO is slightly bigger.

The quality of the connections appear better and because they are all colour coded it makes for a very easy installation so still no need to read the manual.

One of the downsides to hard wiring cameras onto your bike is that there is going to be some disassembly required. If you are not very confident in removing fairing and the fuel tank then something to consider would be the additional cost of getting someone to for it for you. Budget for around 2-3 hours work. There will also be some electrical connections to make. The kit includes a power loom that comes with connectors to attach directly to the battery and a third wire that will need to be attached to a switched live. Tap into anything that comes on with the ignition.

The permanent live wire is used to keep the camera system ready to record. There is an inbuilt G-sensor that detects if the bike has been moved or knocked and it will start recording until movement stops before resetting. The sensitivity can be adjusted (low, high and off) and there is also a motion sensor option that will start the camera recording if it detects movement in front of the cameras it will record for 60 seconds then go back to detecting motion again. The switched live starts the camera recording around 5 seconds after you turn the key. Once these wires have been attached to your bike, the rest of the fitment is very straightforward, the hardest decision being where to mount the cameras.

With all panels removed from the bike, you can start to identify the best place to mount the DVR and cameras. The length of the camera wires will dictate where the main DVR unit will be fitted. There is enough cable to run from the front/rear of the bike to the seat area but if you wanted to mount the DVR at the extreme front or rear of the bike you would struggle to make the connection. If you have a tortuous wire route through the bike frame then you might struggle with available wire length.

A few moments to plan your layout before you start the installation is time well spent.

Resting all the components on the bike and seeing where you can run the wires is a useful tip.

Once you are happy with where the DVR will mount you can start to run the wires. The colour coded plugs are narrow enough to squeeze through gaps and can be well hidden inside fairings and alongside the original loom. Make sure that there will be no pinch points when putting it all back together.

With the wires in their designated places and the plugs joined up it’s time to mount the cameras.

The kit comes with two types of mounting plate that are both essentially the same. One plastic and the other metal. You can choose to stick these mounts onto the bike with the supplied sticky pads or use a more extreme method such as self-tapping screws through the holes provided.

The design of the mounting plate gives limited options for camera location. There is no swivel facility once you have stuck the pad down. So if you are going for the sticky option be sure to get it right first time round. – a suggestion here is to get everything all wired in and working and then set the view of the camera up on the APP before securing the mounting plate to the bike. The mounting plates have quite a big footprint, this is to allow for enough sticky material to be in contact with the bike – a good idea but this limits fitment options. The last thing you want to be doing is fabricating mounting brackets and fitting them to the camera clamps. In this instance there wasn’t a good option for the front camera so, as a compromise, I re-engineered the foot and made it fit. Clearly, the smaller you make the area available the less secure the camera will be. Personally, I would have liked to have had a few more options available in the kit.

After a bit of fettling, the front camera was mounted and attention was turned to the rear. This was mounted to the underside of the luggage rack with a couple of Tek screws (not supplied). Both cameras have an indicator arrow to assist you with orientation when mounting. The cameras themselves are the same as each other and roughly the size of your thumb.

Next up was finding a place for the GPS sensor. This is used to record speed on your videos although it can be turned off. The GPS sensor will also track your geographical location so that your journey can be overlaid on to google maps via third party software such as Dashcam Viewer.

Finally, fitting locations also needed to be found for the remote control (which houses a couple of control buttons and the external mic). With all the elements connected up and wired in and all the panels put back on the bike it was time to see if it all worked. For that we need the APP.

The VIOFO app is available for android or apple from their respective app download locations.

The app controls the system settings of the camera. You can choose options such as time lapse speed, how long your loop recording is, sensitivity of the G-sensor, and if you want text superimposed onto the video – a great feature for content creators! There are also some very useful additional camera set up options available such as altering the exposure, this would be handy in dim or bright light conditions. You can set the speed unit and format the SD card all from within the app.

The app is very intuitive to set up and use. It was easy to connect to the inbuilt WiFi of the VIOFO MT1 system (password 12345678) and access the saved recordings. Fine tuning the camera placement can be done in real time while watching the image on your phone (not while riding your bike obviously!). There are 4 modes available Front, Rear, PIP (Picture in Picture) rear and PIP front.

You can use the app to take stills with the camera should you wish.

Getting familiar with the functions of the APP takes a few minutes of tapping on the screen. The interface is car orientated and I would have liked to seen a bike on the splash screen, but once in, it is possible to review video footage stored on the MicroSD card directly over the internal WiFi and delete videos if required.

Depending on the system settings you may see that some videos are locked, these have been recorded due to activation of the motion sensor or G-sensor and can only be deleted by taking the MicroSD card out and putting into a computer. This is so that they cannot be accidentally deleted.

Getting a file off the DVR and saving onto your phone is possible but takes around 8 minutes to download a 10 minute video clip over the internal WiFi, much better to remove the SD card and take that to a computer for editing.

The video footage quality is full HD 1080P with a 170º wide angle. This is great for recording where you’ve been and where you are going. However, even in Full HD picking up registration plates is difficult. (Screen shots of Video)

If your reason for having a Motorcycle Dash Cam is to record wrong doers then unless you are close to them you will struggle to get a clean shot. At 30FPS a vehicle can be out of shot too quickly to capture a good frame.

Overall, this system offers good value for money at just over £200 and once installed can offer peace of mind to riders that want proof of fault in accidents and incidents. They can be very useful for fleet managers who want to keep tabs on their machines and riders, blood bike groups or for riding instructors.

My main use for it is to review footage taken when training associates for their IAM Advanced Motorcycle qualifications. They can reflect back on how they have ridden and with having the two cameras means I can lead or follow without losing footage of them.
If you want to see the actual footage taken by this camera please head to

Notice that the GPS has not recorded a speed on the video but watch right to the end and it does start to do something. This could be due to the positioning of the GPS receiver so that will need to be investigated but it is in the same position as my previous one was.
There is a lot of wind noise from the remote mic and this could probably be fixed by altering the location to a quieter wind noise / louder engine spot but, as it has the control buttons on it, some consideration and some trial and error may be required to find the sweet spot.

Overall, it is an easy to install and user friendly system that quickly connects to the app and offers different modes of recording and playback. Being around £100 cheaper than my previous system it’s a good choice for those looking to save a few quid and still have the peace of mind that on-board video recording gives you.

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Review and photos by Neil Jewell of Jewell Bike Training

You can check out Jewell Bike Training website and also follow on socials

T: @jewelltraining
FB: @jewellbiketraining
Insta: @jewellbiketraining

For more reviews check out our dedicated Reviews page

Dash cam supplied by Viofo check Viofo for more info

GoPro will continue to bring all the best action of MXGP

Infront Moto Racing is extremely delighted to announce that GoPro will continue as MXGP’s official action camera as they pursue to bring all the best photo and video content from the FIM Motocross World Championship.

GoPro, a manufacturer of the world’s leading action-sports camera, joined the FIM Motocross World Championship back in 2013, and since then has produced some top-quality content, giving all MXGP fans the opportunity to enjoy motocross from a variety of perspective and angles, all thanks to the creative technologies of the GoPro cameras and mounts!

During the race days, MXGP uses numerous GoPro cameras on athletes and in the paddock to capture some of the best action and unique angles up close and inside of the race. This footage appears on MXGPs, GoPro’s and the athletes social media channels and is often used in broadcast.

Most recently, GoPro launched a new addition to their camera line-up, the GoPro HERO9 Black! The new flagship model features “more everything” including a new sensor that delivers 5K video and 20-megapixel photos, next-generation HyperSmooth 3.0 video stabilization and a new front-facing display in order to give the user and viewer an even better experience!

While around the circuit you can find various GoPro advertising boards and activations, including a window giving prime TV visibility of the all-new HERO 9 camera ad! This new advertising window along with GoPro boards were visible during the MXGP Lombardia, and will be present at the MXGP of Spain, Monster Energy MXGP of Flanders and the MXGP of Trentino.

In previous years, fans also got the opportunity to take part in GoPro’s many activities at selected events, getting to test all the latest technology and the coolest gear, as well as participate in some exciting giveaways, which we look forward to welcoming back in the future when it is safe to do so.

Infront Moto Racing looks forward to continuing this wonderful cooperation, with one of the leading brands in the industry, as we bring our fans an even more exciting look of the FIM Motocross World Championship!

What’s new at GoPro”

Click HERE and Meet HERO9 Black. More power. More clarity. More stability. Featuring a 23.6MP sensor for 5K

Furthermore, GoPro has offers the GoPro subscription service, which delivers the best value and end-to-end experience to GoPro users. GoPro subscribers benefit from no-questions-asked camera replacement; unlimited cloud storage of their GoPro photos and video at original quality; enhanced live streaming to GoPro.com with fewer restrictions than other live streaming services; up to 50% on mounts and accessories at  GoPro.com, including the brand-new lineup of GoPro Lifestyle Gear;

Check out the all-new GoPro Hero 9 at www.gopro.com

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Vroom – Your Motorsport Fix

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VIOFO introduces its dual lens MT1 Motorcycle Dash Camera

With 170° wide angle and dual Sony Starvis sensors delivering 1080p at 30 fps, the MT1 delivers amazing video quality to protect in the event of an accident.

Innovative dash cam manufacturer, VIOFO, is today pleased to announce that its MT1 dual-channel motorcycle dash camera is now available. The versatile and rugged action camera system includes Sony Starvis sensors, dual-lens 1080p, remote control, Wi-Fi, GPS logger, G-sensor, super capacitor, loop recording, IP66 waterproof rating and more. The MT1 is available from Amazon UK for £229.95 and Amazon for $299.90.

Specially designed for motorcycles, the VIOFO MT1 is a dual-channel camera which allows for front and rear road recording at Full HD 1080P video resolution with Sony Starvis image sensors. Both lenses have a 170° wide angle which makes it possible to cover multiple lanes and capture more details than ever before, resulting in super sharp image quality and a crystal-clear video. In addition to the wide dynamic range (WDR) technology, the motorcycle dash camera delivers outstanding night vision footage even in low light. The device is also dust and water proof to an IP66 rating, meaning riders can use in all weather conditions without concern.

The MT1 uses loop recording where the oldest footage is overwritten by the newest when the memory card fills up, but will not overwrite any accident-related files thanks to the built-in G-sensor that locks and protects such footage automatically when the dash cam detects a sudden shake or collision. There is also an option to begin manual recording in an emergency using the remote control which can be mounted in an easily accessible position to save full evidence. The remote control also lets riders control the Wi-Fi connection and includes a microphone to record important audio. The MT1 includes a 32GB microSD memory card, however memory can be expanded up to 256GB if required

Thanks to its GPS Logger, the MT1 can record the speed, route data and time (synchronised with GPS time) in the video file allowing viewers to display these data on playback. The device uses a super high-quality capacitor to ensure a more stable power and longer lifetime with excellent performance in harsh climate from -10°C to 65°C.The included power cable also includes ACC function to detect when the ignition is turned on and off automatically.

The MT1 features built-in Wi-Fi connectivity which together with the intuitive VIOFO app, allows users to easily and instantly view the real-time recording, manage files and change settings using their phone.

The box includes:

Pricing

The MT1 is available from Amazon UK for £229.95 and Amazon for $299.90.

https://www.viofo.com/en/dash-cam/185-mt1-dual-channel-1080p-motorcycle-dash-cam-built-in-wi-fi-gps-with-32gb-microsd-card.html

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Drift Innovation Launches Waterproof Ghost XL

Drift Innovation (driftinnovation.com), celebrating 10 years  providing wearable cameras, launch the latest iteration of their acclaimed Ghost series in July 2019.

Ghost XL, Drift’s 12th Generation camera continues their mission to achieve class-leading battery life in an incredibly user friendly package, and adds an innovative all-new waterproof connection for power or external audio.

Featuring Drift’s signature aerodynamic form, Ghost XL is designed to capture the action without taking anything away from the ride. Boasting an incredible 9 hours battery life Ghost XL goes the distance, and a waterproof TRS power connection keeps your rolling no matter how long the journey.

“With the Ghost XL we set out to combine our action camera lineage with key Dash Cam features, to provide one camera to cover weekend adventures and weekday security,” said Robert Li, CEO of Drift Innovation.

The proven mounting system and rotating lens carry over from previous Ghost generations to provide absolute versatility, while an unobtrusive matte-black finish and a sleek silhouette help the Ghost XL to keep a low profile.  Dash Cam Loop recording mode and Event Detection ensure that if the worst happens out on the road that crucial moment will be captured.

The Drift Life mobile app (iOS/Android) lets you relive and share your favourite moments with absolute ease. Create a masterpiece with our Edit function, or let Drift Life handle the work for you with our new Auto Video Editor. View, manage and share your files, or kick back and enjoy other Drift fans content in our online community.

Ghost XL key features include:

  • Full HD 1080p/30fps video recording
  • 12MP photos
  • Timelapse and Photoburst modes – Stitch together a series of Timelapse photos, or shoot a rapid burst of still images
  • 9 hours battery life at 1080p/30fps
  • Rotating lens – mount the camera at any angle and twist the lens to ensure correct orientation of your shot
  • Waterproof Power and External Audio Connection – waterproof TRS adapter allows a power supply or external microphone to be used even in foul weather.
  • ‘Dash cam’ loop recording mode – when your MicroSD card reaches capacity Ghost XL overwrites the oldest footage. Simply stop the recording to save key moments.
  • Event Detection – Ghost XL automatically saves footage when an impact is detected.
  • ‘Video Tagging’ mode – save video retrospectively by hitting the record button after an event that you want to capture
  • ‘Instant-On’ mode – power up the Ghost X and start recording with a single button press.
  • Built in Wi-Fi for Drift Life app connectivity
  • Low-Light mode
  • Manual ISO
  • 128GB MicroSD card compatibility

About Drift Innovation

Drift is one of the world’s most experienced and trusted wearable camera brands. Since

2009, Drift’s innovative approach to usability, design and dedication to its customers ensures it provides award winning cameras at highly affordable prices. A small, dedicated and passionate team based in London, Drift specializes in wearable action cameras including the flagship Ghost 4K, a fully-featured Ultra HD modular action camera.

For more Drift Innovation and our reviews check out our new dedicated page Drift Innovation News

or head to the official Drift Innovation website www.driftinnovation.com

Triumph announces free GoPro Hero 7 and many more offers

Triumph Motorcycles has unveiled a raft of new offers across its exciting range of bikes, including a free GoPro camera and a £1,000 contribution towards the personalisation of your new motorcycle. 

Buyers of the Triumph Scrambler 1200 XC or XE – An incredible new benchmark in scrambler capability and style – will get a free GoPro Hero 7 camera worth nearly £400 with which to record their exploits both on and off-road. 

Meanwhile, the Thruxton R – arguably the most thrilling and full-blooded sports classic on the market today – comes with a whopping £1,000 to put towards Triumph’s bespoke personalisation programme, meaning buyers can truly make the bike their very own. 

The new collection of offers are available from now until September 30. 

Amongst the other great deals on offer, the dynamic and agile Triumph Street Triple range comes with a couple of additional incentives; the Street Triple R and S models come with a free Quickshifter, worth £400, while the even more explosive Street Triple RS is offered with a complimentary silencer. 

All three of these thrilling bikes can be bought with an APR of just 3.9% Representative; all other motorcycles in the range are subject to a 7.9% APR interest rate.

Elsewhere, £500 personalisation contributions are available for purchasers of the Triumph Bonneville T100 and T100 Black, as well as the Bonneville Bobber (excluding Bobber Black).

Across the Tiger adventure bike range, complimentary panniers will be a welcome addition for buyers of the Tiger 800, while the Tiger 1200 comes with the complimentary panniers and a £1,000 deposit contribution. A complimentary Garmin sat nav unit will be packaged up for buyers of the Tiger Sport model.

Devron Boulton, National Sales Manager at Triumph Motorcycles UK, said: “There’s a real variety of offers available to riders thinking about buying their next Triumph motorcycle, all designed to boost their enjoyment of a new bike. From enhancing their adventures in the saddle with gadgets to customise their ride to perfection, the next three month’s worth of Triumph offers make it a great time to book a test ride.”

To view the latest offers in more detail, visit: https://www.triumphmotorcycles.co.uk/offers/uk/latest-offers



 

Drift Innovation Launches Entry-Level Ghost X

Drift Innovation (driftinnovation.com), established provider of wearable cameras launch the latest iteration of their acclaimed Ghost series in June 2018. Ghost X brings Drift’s sleek form factor and modular customization system together at a price point accessible to all, so that anyone can capture their life, their way.

Featuring Drift’s signature aerodynamic form, rotating lens, and stealth matte-black finish Ghost X is designed capture the action, without taking anything away from the ride. Boasting an incredible 5 hour battery life out of the box, the included Standard Battery Module can be switched out  for the optional Long-Life Battery Module to boost recording time to a staggering 8 hours. Ghost X goes the distance without the need for clumsy power cables or a bag full of spare batteries.

“The Ghost X is really a product designed by Drift fans – we heard the demand for a no-fuss, full HD camera at an affordable price point that still retains the classic Drift form factor and ease of use,” said Robert Li, CEO of Drift Innovation.

Our versatile mounting system and rotating lens let Ghost X move with you unnoticed. The small and sleek silhouette works perfectly for keeping you safe on the road without shouting out to those around you that you’re filming, and Car DVR loop recording mode and a Video Tagging mode that lets you save events after the fact guarantee that those crucial moments are captured.

The Drift Life mobile app (iOS/Android) lets you re-live and share your favourite moments with absolute ease. Create a masterpiece with our Edit function, or let Drift Life handle the work for you with out new Auto Video Editor. View, manage and share your files, or kick back and enjoy other Drift fans content in our online community.

Ghost X key features include:

  • Full HD 1080p/30fps video recording
  • 12MP photos
  • Timelapse and photoburst modes – Stitch together a series of Timelapse photos, or a shoot a rapid burst of still images
  • 5 hour battery life at 1080p/30fps
  • Modular system – install the Long-Life battery module for up to 8 hours of 1080p/30fps video recording time
  • Rotating lens – mount the camera at any angle and twist the lens to ensure correct orientation of your shot
  • ‘Car DVR’ loop recording mode – when your MicroSD card reaches capacity Ghost X overwrites the oldest footage. Simply stop the recording to save key moments.
  • ‘Video Tagging’ mode – save video retrospectively by hitting the record button after an event that you want to capture
  • ‘Instant-On’ mode – power up the Ghost X and start recording with a single button press.
  • Built in Wi-Fi for Drift Life app connectivity
  • USB – audio adapter for external microphone connectivity – mount the Drift External Microphone remotely to cut wind noise, or clearly record your voice.
  • Low-Light mode
  • Manual ISO
  • 128GB MicroSD card compatibility

For more Drift Innovation and our reviews check out our new dedicated page Drift Innovation News

or head to the official Drift Innovation website www.driftinnovation.com

Wunderlich GoPro Mounts

Stable, secure and discreet, Wunderlich’s new mounts are a safe and simple way to fix a GoPro to almost any current BMW motorcycle.

Action cameras are becoming increasingly commonplace with motorcyclists, but finding suitable on-bike mounting points can prove tricky, with many owners resorting to precarious positioning and complex mounting solutions.

Designed to bolt onto existing mounting points – for the screen, headlight or indicator, depending on the model of bike – there are no suction cups, straps or other fiddly mountings to worry about. Neither is it necessary to drill or cut the bodywork.

Made from precision-cut aluminium alloy, they weigh very little, and feature rubber mountings to help cut out vibration when filming.

The GoPro camera attaches directly to the bracket – no additional adapters or hardware needed – and the bracket is discreet enough to leave in place when the camera isn’t attached.

Mounts are currently available for a wide range of BMW models.

Prices start from just £69.00 for the S1000R and S1000RR; kits for the F800 Adventure cost £75 and the R1200GS LC kits are £89.00.

Contact Wunderlich’s exclusive UK distributor www.nippynormans.com