Drift has also added new scene modes: Normal, Vivid, or Low Light. Normal gives you more natural colors that are easier to work with if you want to adjust color to your liking when editing. Vivid pumps up colors so they pop, while Low Light seems to increase noise reduction, though not so much that subjects turn to mush. The small screen and direct control buttons are only used to start and stop recording, and if you want to change any settings, then the fastest route is through the App.

Drift HD Ghost action camera review: Everything-but-the

The Ghost-S takes quite good pictures, and you can shoot in time-lapse mode at 0.5-, 1-, 2-, 3-, 5-, and 10-second intervals. You can also shoot in burst mode in five or 10 shots per second.

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Connecting the Drift to a Nexus 5 and an iPhone 5s via Wi-Fi was painless, and the well-designed app lets you remotely operate the camera and change its settings. The iOS version's video stream of what the camera is looking at was fairly immediate, but the same can't be said about the Android version; it shows a two-second lag. There are also no in-built story modes or many other fancy features or modules that we have come to expect from GoPro or Insta360; the Drift Ghost XL Pro is just a pure no-fuss action camera. Simple and solid essentially sums up this action camera. The sleek design makes it a perfect option for side mounting on a helmet, and with a huge array of mounts available, attaching it to almost anything isn’t difficult.

Drift Innovation HD Ghost review | Expert Reviews

The Ghost-S lets you record 1080p video at25, 30, 50, and up to 60fps withfields of view ranging from 90, 127, and 160 degrees. Setting the camera to 960p adds the option to record at 48fps, and if you want to shoot footage that you can slow down in editing, you'll have to step down to 720p, which the Ghost-S records at the same fps as 1080p, but with additional 100 and 120fps options. For both 960p and 720p settings, you're limited to the 160-degree angleof view. Still image quality is on par with the Hero3, which is to say good, but not great. The HD Ghost shoots images at 11-, 8-, or 5-megapixels. You're still dealing with a good deal of distortion introduced by the wide angle lens, but images look sharp and colors really pop. I noticed the HD Ghost had the tendency to blow-out highlighted areas, but otherwise the images looked crisp and generally noise free. The remote, which you can strap onto your wrist using the included wrist strap, pairs easily with the Ghost-S, and you can use it to start and stop recording as well as take still, time-lapse, and burst photos. It also indicates recording status, which is useful when the camera is mounted on, say, a helmet. The two buttons are large, which makes it easy to operate the camera when wearing gloves.

At the end of the test, the Drift Ghost XL Pro put in a solid performance; being able to mount the camera in ways that would usually be impossible gives you plenty more options when it comes to filming and enables plenty of fun. In use, it performs well with the large buttons and beep, enabling you to easily operate the camera even if you can’t directly see it. There were also aliasing artifacts and there's a fair amount of chromatic aberration (purple fringing) in high-contrast areas. And if you're shooting in low light, you'll notice an increase in noise/artifacts. That's not unusual, though, and well-lit indoor video was still watchable. The Ghost-S's best and most differentiating feature is Drift's signature lens, which swivels up to 300 degrees by simply twisting the lens itself by hand. With the up-facing arrow to indicate the lens's upright orientation, and as long the camera is pointing in the direction you want to record, it lets you mount the camera at almost any angle while keeping a perfect orientation. By comparison, action cameras without the swiveling lens must be mounted in their upright position if you want to shoot properly oriented footage. For motorcyclists, this is the camera of choice; its sleek, low-profile design sits easily on the side of a helmet. For motorsports, the ability to rotate the lens to get a level horizon is a godsend when attached to a roll cage.

Drift Innovation Ghost XL Action Camera – 1080 Full HD Video Drift Innovation Ghost XL Action Camera – 1080 Full HD Video

Like the Contour Roam2, the Drift HD Ghost looks fantastic. The camera has a tough exterior and is waterproof to 3m down out of the box, without requiring a separate housing. Keeping with the waterproof features, a waterproof adapter enables you to connect to accessories such as a mic or external power source. This I like as it means that you can mount and essentially not have to worry about the power going to the camera or record a voice-over through the action if required, perfect if you’re thinking about a bit of rally driving! Dropping the resolution definitely costs you some detail, but the 720p/60 video is still very good. In the end, the results are above average, especially considering the flexibility of the camera and all it can do. One of the most impressive features is the internal battery that can provide up to 7 hours of battery life when recording at 1080p or 4.5 hours at 4K. To put this into context, that’s over double that of the standard GoPro battery.

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The HD Ghost can also be used for burst-shooting 5-, 8-, or 11-megapixel photos at up to 10fps as well as time-lapse photos, snapping off shots at 0.5-, 1-, 2-, 3-, 5-, 10-, 30-, or 60-second intervals. While the Ghost XL Pro offers plenty of mounting options, it doesn’t offer quite so many advanced features. There is a screen, although it’s a mono LCD rather than a full-blown colour touch screen.