A small camera ready for plenty of action
It’s fair to say that GoPro has an almost strangle hold on the action cam market at the moment. It’s hardly surprising since we’re regularly fed video clips from notable organisations or personalities, such as the recent GoPro feed of the astronauts. It’s difficult to see another contender being able to its head enough to be seen in such an environment. However, Drift Innovation’s Drift Stealth 2 Action Camera may well be one to send shivers down the collective spines of the GoPro community.
This is a ridiculously small video camera that can film in full 1080p at 30 frames per second, while still weighing only 97g and measuring just 80 x 42 x 27mm. That’s not all this remarkable little device is capable of, though.
It has a three hour battery, a 300° rotating lens, and it’s rugged enough to withstand rain, snow, mud and dust. As well as being able to record video in full HD, it can capture still images either singularly, in a rapid photoburst mode, or as a series of timelapse stills, all in resolutions up to 12MP. You can even take a photo midvideo recording, or tag image and video sections as important so as not to be overwritten.
If that wasn’t enough, the Drift 2 has a built-in wi-fi module that can be paired with the Drift App, available on both Android and iOS devices, which allows you to remote shoot video and images from the camera while controlling everything from your phone.
The packages comes with the Drift Stealth 2 Action Camera itself, a set of instructions, a goggle mount, universal clip, micro USB cable and both curbed and flat surface mounts. All in a professionally turned out, and neat box.
Setting the camera up is an easy enough job. You simply unscrew the rear hatch, revealing an SD card port, mini HDMI port and the micro USB port, and insert a class 10 or better Micro SD card. You then plug in the micro USB cable and after a couple of hours’ charging the Drift Stealth 2 is ready to start filming.
Operating the camera is also very easy. There are only three rubberised buttons on the top of the Drift Stealth: Mode, Cycle Option, and Action (which accounts for on, off, record and stop). Within the internal settings menu you’ll find a long list of options, ranging from exposure through to speaker volume, LED backlight timings, and the ability to format the SD card or update the device’s firmware. Once you have the right settings, though, depending on what you intend to use the Drift Stealth for, then there’s really very little need to visit the options menu again.
The Drift Stealth 2 may seem like a backwards step in terms of video resolutions when compared to its chief rivals – the GoPro and others like it now offer 4K resolutions – but 4K is still very much an emerging technology and in all honesty it’s going to be a few years yet until every technology and entertainment user has a 4K TV or monitor in their possession. So, while the other action cameras may seem alluring with UHD resolutions, the Drift Stealth 2 provides the more widespread and stable full HD experience.
The Drift Stealth 2 is a superb action camera, with a list of features that are far too long to mention in a single review. It’s light, small, but very tough, and will no doubt provide you with many breath taking actions shots throughout its lifespan. David Hayward
A great little action cam, with an abundance of features.