Drift HD170 point of view camera - videos- Lee Lau

INTRODUCTION

Drift Innovation's HD170 camera has the best quality video of any camera presently in the market. Some of the stock mounts included in-box need some work; this review suggests mount modifications and the purchase of a simple/cheap accessory purchase option to give you more POV choices. This article is meant to be read in conjunction with Brian Mullin's article and will focus on improving utility of the Drift HD 170.

FEATURES

The Drift HD170's features are already thoroughly described in Brian Mullin's definitive article. My review is intended to complement Brian's article but with an emphasis on some minor modifications to make this camera more user-friendly for video. Some key features of the Drift HD170 are described below.

Key features

1. Form factor; It's tempting to compare this to the ContourHD since they are both bullet style cams. The DriftHD is larger than a ContourHD (133mm long vs 95mm long)and slightly heavier (138g vs. 123g). Suffice it to say that you won't look very stealth with this thing on your head or strapped to bike.

2. Video recording modes; Full HD; 1920x1080 ("1080p"), 1280x720 ("720p")(both at 30 frames per second) and 720x 400 SD. The Drift HD's footage is easy to handle despite footage being recorded at a 12 Mbps bitrate. The DriftHD offering lacks a 960p mode and 60fps mode in HD (60fps mode is recording in the standard definition WVGA mode)

3. LCD Screen for playback & viewing; At first I thought this was a bit of a gimmick since I was so used to working blind with POV cameras that I would be able to guesstimate viewing angles quite easily. However, I've now seen the light and find the LCD screen incredibly useful from a videographer's perspective since now one can take and immediately inspect footage, taking out the guesswork.

4. Menus written in "plain english" and field-configurable; The quick-start guide and the copious documentation on Drift's website are nice touches but let's face it, most users either don't read documentation or, if they read it, they don't understand it. The menus on the DriftHD camera can be accessed by a few simple buttons and read via the LCD screen. Key functions are readily accessible & can be configured in the field. If the light changes, you can change exposure settings on the fly.

Other features

Listed below are some other features I thought were useful but not as noteable (along with short comments)

1. Rotating lens - Rotates 300 degrees (allows you to position the camera in various positions yet take video).
2. Remote control (wearable on the wrist, allows you turn the camera recording on/off from about a 10m range)
3. Lithium Ion battery (rechargeable, I found my charge to only last about an hour and a half in warm temperatures and sometimes a little more than an hour in colder temperatures)
4. External microphone (sound recording was acceptable. Not as bad as some other POV cameras but not up to the level of dedicated video cameras)
5. Zoom function (didn't use this function much in the POV setting as zoomed-in POV footage in almost any situation was too jerky and poor quality)
6. SD cards - max of 32GB
7. Water-resistant (as opposed to water-proof (fairly rugged and rubberized coating held up under light rains)
   

Drift HD170 with helmet and universal mount

VIDEO QUALITY

In the video below I've chosen to compare the Drift against the GoPro since I (and many others) consider GoPro's video quality to be the best among POV HD cameras at this present time.

The DriftHD and the GoProHD compare very well against each other in terms of video quality with a slight but noticeable edge to the DriftHD in dark light. Note the following comments:

1. The DriftHD reflects just a tad less "rolling shutter" jellovision. In short, jellovision refers to a characteristic video effect produced by POV cameras which use the relatively cheap CMOS type sensor when there's a lot of movement or shaking going on (ie any rough trail). The surrounding scene will vibrate as if you are seeing everything through Saran wrap or as if everything is made out of jello and is vibrating. It explains why a lot of video shot in rough terrain is so shaky.
2. The DriftHD was also was able to handle changes in light better.

Note that both videos were shot at 720p at 30fps so both cameras have a 170 degree wide angle view (the DriftHD shoots with a field of view of 127 degrees @ 1080p, 170 degrees at 720p) . In true geek fashion I wore the GoPro on a chest-mount and the DriftHD on the helmet mount at the same time. In terms of minimizing the jello effect and handling exposure ability (in order of best to worst) my opinion in terms of ranking is as follows:

1. Drift HD (best)

2. GoPro HD

3. ContourHD

The one area where the Drift HD170 needed improvement was in battery life. found my charge to only last about an hour and a half in warm temperatures and sometimes a little more than an hour in colder temperatures. Drift has recently released a new better battery which apparently will last longer.

Comparison of the DRIFT HD 170 HD vs the GoPro HD from Lee Lau on Vimeo.

What I found to be remarkable was the DriftHD's ability to handle dark conditions. No POV camera (and very few cameras in general) handle the dark light that I often encounter riding in the dense forest of North Vancouver. However, when I adjusted the Drift HD to the maximum possible exposure and used the night setting video quality was acceptable (as contrast to grainy, pixelated, muddy videos from other POV cameras.

DRIFT - included mounts and the VIO double hook and loop mount

There's not much to say about the Drift HD 170-provided mounts which haven't been already covered in Brian Mullin's article. I predict most people will use the vented helmet mount and the goggle mount. I tried the handlebar mount but without much success. In my opinion, too much movement is transmitted by the bike that handlebar-mount footage is generally not acceptable in rough trails. People with smooth trails will have more success with the bar mount.

I will note that there is a standard threaded receiver on the HD170. Simply unscrew the mount adapter and you'll find it on the underside of the camera. With this received you can attach tripods, suction mounts, clamp mounts & roll bar mounts.

Here are some additional comments about the mounts provided with the Drift HD170

1. Handlebar mount; see Brian Mullin's article for some pictures and example of useage

2. Goggle mount; this is the mount that will work with full-face helmets provided the user wears goggles. With the weight of the Drift HD170 its well-nigh impossible to get the goggle tight enough so the camera doesn't move around while you're filming (to get the goggle strap acceptably tight you'll be cutting off blood circulation. I found the goggle mount worked if you you do some modifications. Put a strip of velcro under the mount and put another strip of velcro on your helmet so there is a firm contact between mount and helmet and the mount will not move while you're on rough terrain.

Goggle mount used in obviously a skiing situation (from the DriftHD website)

3. Helmet mount (plus included velcro); this vented helmet mount option works really well. It's secure. It doesn't move. When you need to remove the camera you can remove it easily. It's only downside is that your field of view is somewhat isolated from the rider (this is also true of the handlebar mount); its hard to position this mount so you get any part of your bike or hands in the field of view so your video is suspended in space. Having said that, this is a personal preference issue. A slightly more obvious downside is that Drift does not supply much of the velcro you need to attach the mount to your helmet and once attached; the mount is there permanently. This will be an issue if you change helmets or if you want to put the Drift on more than one helmet.

DOUBLE HOOK AND LOOP MOUNT ACCESSORY

Let me put this in capital letters; VARIETY IN VIDEO ANGLES MAKE FOR INTERESTING VIDEO. This cheap, easy to use accessory was originally designed to be used with the VIO camera. It will let you set up any bullet-style cam on different positions on your helmet (full-face or XC) or bike frame. At a cost of $8.95 (source for buying this at the end of the article) this accessory is a very worthy and cheap addition to a videographer's grab-bag of tricks. In a short period of time, I've found three worthwhile mount positions giving you different interesting POV videos (and one mount position that I thought was kind of boring but maybe you'll like it). I'm sure it won't be too much trouble to come up with more ideas so please feel free to shoot some ideas my way in the article's comment field.

This mount is basically a flexible rubberized mount. There's two round surfaces; one to go with a camera and one surface to attach to a round surface - like a bike frame. Velcro'ed webbing is supplied along with a buckle. The big advantage I found with this mount was:

1. it was easy to swap the mount around on various parts of the bike and/or body. It takes less then a minute to move the mount around on your bike.
2. it is secure because there is a lot of velcro keeping this on your bike or helmet,
3. it is stable because you can get the mount very tight and the rubberized surfaces absorb a lot of the micro-vibration that contribute to bad video

SETTING UP THE DOUBLE HOOK AND LOOP MOUNT

When you buy this mount you'll have to do some re-arranging and re-packaging so it can work with the DriftHD. Here are the instructions along with pictures.

Firstly, unwrap all the webbing. Lay the webbing on some surface. Put the camer on one of the round rubber surfaces as pictured below.

Wrap the long end of the webbing over the top of the camera and put it through the buckle. Cinch it firmly but not too tight (that'll be the next step). Now pull the webbing through the other end of the buckle and cinch the webbing tight. You'll be left with a long "tail" of webbing that flops free. The camera will now be cinched tight against the rubberized round surface of the mount

Here's the end product ready to go on some round surface. Remember that "tail" of webbing. You loop it around something round (like a bike tube) and then secure the camera onto that round surfaced object. You'll want to put the Vholdr-supplied hooks around the buckle so you don't lose that camera. Note that obviously you can rotate the camera around on the rubber mount surface to get the right angles.

SOME SAMPLE "DOUBLE HOOK AND LOOP" MOUNTING OPTIONS

1. Side Helmet Mount

The Drift-supplied helmet mount is very good. But it has downsides as mentioned previously in this article. The double hook and loop mount works on all types of vented helmets . The rubberized surface grips and the webbing and velcro harness leta me tighten the mount against the helmet. Moreover the rubberized mount also compresses; all-in-all a very strong, secure mount.

Double hook and loop mount

Drift HD supplied helmet mount

Drift HD 170 POV camera - various modified helmet mount options from Lee Lau on Vimeo.

2. Top Tube Mount looking forward

This is a pretty basic mounting option that's self-explanatory as seen from the pictures below. It's interesting perhaps because you get to see the handlebars and bike turning. Position the mount more forward and you don't see as much of the bike but still see the cable. It's best used when you're following another rider closely especially on steep trails, which this mount captures exceptionally well.

VIO mount with the Vholdr on the top tube looking forward

3 . Downtube looking down

This is a pretty cool angle that would work very well for a trail with lots of skinnies and/or air. Otherwise, on fast sections of trail you're not going to see a lot of action and get a lot of blurred ground footage. Used sparingly you can get some cool footage of your bike's rear shock and/or your scabby legs doing their thing.

Downtube looking down mounting option

Here is a compendium video showing the various video angles described above in use and the resulting footage

Drift HD 170 POV camera - various frame-mount options from Lee Lau on Vimeo.

4 Top tube looking back

This is another self-explanatory mount. Make sure you orient the Drift HD 170 so the bulk of the camera is as high as possible so the swingarm doesn't contact the camera. You'll hear a lot of brake and shock action.

It's an interesting perspective seeing the suspension work. Also you get the vantage point of seeing the trailing rider. Unfortunately, on steep trails where you get behind your seat this has the tendency to become a crotch cam.

Double hook and loop mount on top tube looking backwards.

Drift HD 170 POV camera - rear mounted views from Lee Lau on Vimeo.

How to buy

Buy the Drift HD170 and the double hook and loop mount at various retailers including in either Canada or the USA ($330MSRP)