Drift Stealth 2 user review

[Cruz Addict]

Hi all, after picking up a Drift Stealth 2 in the shops a while ago and seeing how small and lightweight the camera was I have eventually committed to buying one and here is my little review of the camera, please note this is my opinion of the product and other products mentioned are through personal experience only.

 

before I start my feedback on the drift I think it’s important I explain my history a little with regards to action cameras:

I was lucky enough to be given a Go-Pro hd hero 2 by my wife when they were first launched and while I revelled in the opportunity to take video of my MTB adventures to show my wife all the crazy things I get up to I was always disappointed in the quality of the video, no matter which setting or mount I used my go-pro footage always looked like I was in a tumble dryer and while the image was awesome and clear while the camera stayed still I could never get a decent enough segment of riding footage to actually make use of and so my cameras while being used have purely been for my own little remembrance of events etc. the best thing I ever did was to get an extended battery pack which took my recording time from roughly 40 min to about an hour and half at best but this was as I say at best. things like my kids Christmas concert were just too much for the little guy to take, I did manage to score a second hero 2 for R500 so now I have 2 for the advantage of getting different camera angles etc. but as I say the problems of the 1 are purely echoed by the 2nd.

 

I have looked at buying a hero 3 or 4 but the money required for me is just too much or what I plan on doing with the device etc.( yeah I know I am just poor but I have to work with what resources I have available to me)

 

as a comparative from my side received a HP AC100 camera as a gift from work and played a little with this, while it misses the mark in terms of functionality or quality compared to the Go-Pro I found the image stabilization superior to the hero 2 cameras by a long way. the flip side to this is the video was not as good and the mounts are complete crap, the best thing about this little camera is that is mounts directly to a std tripod screw so no additional mounts are needed to do this vs the Go-Pro.

 

now onto the Drift, as I said initially the size of the stealth 2 was what initially caught my eye as I can mount it on the side of my helmet and not have to worry about extension arms etc. when mounted I hardly even know it’s there and only when seeing my shadow do I remember the cam is there. the video is sharp and crisp and despite only having a 135-degree video capture I found the narrower field of view just worked out better than any other I have played with as the fisheye is far less pronounced and the quality is awesome for what I want use it for.

so far my range of use is over very rough terrain( took a trip out to Hakahana to test) and while there is the normal expected shakiness the video is watchable and it doesn’t feel like I am in a washing machine.

the included accessories are very limited and the things I know I am going to want shortly are the waterproof case and the remote.

 

a nice feature is that the led back light changes colour depending on what function you are in and this form what I can tell echoes to the remote as well for easy reference( it’s a little difficult to see in bright frikken daylight though)

for me the nicest surprise I found after playing a bit was the battery life, the camera has a built in battery so it can’t easily be replaced etc. but after shooting and playing for roughly an hour I still had 70% left, that alone for me is a reason to buy one. while is not a cheap piece of kit the 3k price tag is less than I would have expected and for me at least it does the job I want it to do.

Coming in at 80 mm x 42 mm   x 27 mm and only 97 g it really is easy to forget that it’s with you on the trail and with camera functions that include, Time lapse, Photo burst, Flashback Video tagging( no idea what the hell it is as yet) and a 300-degree rotating lens getting the correct shot is very very easy.

while the Drift does not have the GPS functionality of the Garmin or the 4k capability of a hero 4 for my needs it is just right. the camera has 

I suspect I will be making more effort to take the camera with me now and invest in some video edition software that will allow me to do the camera justice.

 

as I say that is my 2c worth. if you are looking for a more affordable camera that has a great build quality and product features I would highly recommend the stealth.

 

 

 

[BikeBret]

I have this cam and it has everything a good action camera should have. It's small and light and so aerodynamic that I cannot even feel it when I ride fast on my motorcycle. Cube-shaped cameras fail as action cams, they always distract me. Stealth has never done so.

[Mrgreeky]

I bought the same camera and for exactly the same reasons mentioned. more than happy with it's performance. real value for money. If you have decided on a video editing package give us your thoughts as I am also looking.