X-Ride Ultra HD Action Camera User Review
Contents:
• An action camera, also known as a sports camera, is a device designed for lovers of active sports and recreation, as well as for tourists who love nature. Do you have a hobby that requires you to be outdoors often, such as fishing, hunting, tennis, cycling, even skydiving? If the answer to this question is “yes”, then an action camera is what you need.
For example, I love fishing and snowboarding, and I also like to review especially good moments for long evenings, indulge in memories and make plans for the future. Therefore, sooner or later, the understanding of the need to purchase a special camera came.
An action camera is a convenience: attach it to your head or chest and you're done. And the remote control, a wonderful addition, so that during the bite you do not frantically look for the button on your head. As a result, I thought about buying a sports camera, I decided to test the X-Ride Ultra HD. I'll tell you about my impressions.
Main Specifications
| Characterization | Value |
| Shooting angle | 170 degrees |
| Format | NTSC |
| Optical zoom | no |
| Built-in microphone and speaker | Yes |
| Focal length | 2.8 mm |
| Camera matrix | 4 MP |
| Matrix type | CMOS |
| Maximum video resolution | 2560? 1080 |
| Maximum video recording rate | 60 frames per second |
| Memory card | up to 64 GB |
| Wifi module | Yes |
| Display | TFT color XNUMX" |
| Battery capacity | 1050 mAh |
| Battery Continuous Recording Time | 147 minutes / 99 minutes WiFi |
| USB version | 2.0 |
• Well, the average price is more than acceptable – from 12. For it, you get not only an alternative to expensive GoPros, but many more additional accessories that may never come in handy, but let them be.
Appearance and equipment
- Remote control.
- A waterproof case, several types of mounts (to a bike, universal – a wide tape that can be attached to a helmet, and a bunch of buckles) and two USB cables.
The camera itself is quite small – 6 by 4.5 cm, 2.5 cm thick, and weighs 81 grams.
• The shooting button is large and easy to press.
The bottom of the camera has a hole for a tripod, but, in my opinion, it is not too deep, apparently, I will have to use a gasket. But for the included adapters it fits perfectly.
By the way, according to the manufacturer, all mounts and accessories are compatible with mounts for GoPro cameras, however, in practice, one of the latches inserted into the GoPro platform was very loose.
• Remote control on a rubber fastening strap, with a display, which is very convenient – you can track what exactly and at what angle the camera is shooting. The remote has its own settings adjustment buttons.
For the sake of interest, I tested at what distance the camera catches commands, it turned out to be about 20 meters. And the video broadcast goes to the remote control at a distance of up to 100 meters, if there are no barriers and Wi-Fi networks between these two “points”. The remote, by the way, is not completely waterproof – it will still endure the rain, but diving into stormy waters is unlikely, and it is pointless to test it in the aquatic environment, the radio does not work there. But the camera itself can dive into these same waters in its waterproof box. Fun effect when shooting: the box acts like a membrane, increasing the volume of all sounds. It was especially good and clear to hear how I took the box in my hand.
Videography
• The camera shoots in the NTSC system, clips in .mp4 format, photos in JPEG format. There are several modes with different frame sizes and bitrates (there is also HDR), but most of all I like the 1920 by 1080 mode, but instead of the logical frame rate of 60, here for some reason the maximum is 45. The movement catches, but when there are a lot of moving objects around, a barely noticeable rolling shutter effect appears.
You don’t have to mess around with setting the white balance, automatic is quite suitable. At night, illuminated objects shoot normally. The battery capacity is just over two hours of continuous shooting (exactly 147 minutes, according to the manufacturer).
X-Ride Ultra HD can also be used as a camera. The frame size is up to 5312 by 2988. The camera can also be used as a USB-powered DVR.
Software
• The camera has an HDMI port and can stream video directly to a computer. There is also a wireless adapter, but it only works in conjunction with the included remote control. That is, no control from your mobile and other newfangled things. In fact, there are several issues with the camera firmware, for example, why is the video quality slightly worse than GoPro if the same chip is used? Or, where does the noise on the audio track come from, when in reality the shooting took place in silence.
Conclusion
• The main question to ask yourself before buying an action camera is what do you plan to shoot? If you don't want to overpay for a GoPro, then take the X-Ride Ultra HD and you can't go wrong. This small camera does not have enough stars from the sky, but it has a good viewing angle, is easy to navigate and the video is of acceptable quality, and more is not really needed for everyday shooting. In addition, it is lightweight and can be easily attached to a vehicle or to your own headgear. For racing drivers or those who are going to ride on very rough surfaces, X-Ride Ultra HD is not suitable, because the picture will be unstable.
• The main advantage of this camera is the price. Compared to more famous brands, you get more than one device, but a bunch of additional accessories, including a very convenient remote control with a screen, the presence of which on the hand saves both nerves and time. You can know exactly where the subject is in the frame.
Action camera X-Ride Ultra HD for review and testing provided by the manufacturer XRide Electronics.
