Driving with the Drift HD170 Action Camera

The Wheel Deal puts the Drift HD170 Action Camera to the test out on the race track

Cameras and motorsport go together like asphalt and burning rubber, right? Exactly. That’s why The Wheel Deal didn’t hesitate in putting the Drift HD170 through its paces at a recent historic race meeting at Zwartkops Raceway (Konica Minolta Dimage e50 Battery)

So what have we got here? Tell me what’s hiding inside that box

Made by an American company called Drift Innovation, the imaginatively named Drift HD170 is an all-purpose video camera designed to record everything from your favourite mountain bike trail right down to a wild weekend of windsurfing action. Hewn out of a sturdy rubberized casing, its compact and extremely lightweight design not only makes it easy to handle but also dead simple to attach to your equipment or – through the use of the included head or goggle strap – person. (Sony Np-77 Battery)You can also purchase an optional PanaVise suction-cup mount that makes it even more versatile – particularly if, like me, you’re into motorsport.
Usability aside this unit also stands out for having a built-in 1.5″ LCD screen and single mono speaker. Not only does this come in handy for framing your shots but it also allows you to immediately play back your recordings once you’ve captured them. Yep, no longer do you have to wait until you’re behind a laptop to watch your latest adrenalin-fuelled exploits.(Dell Precision M6300 AC Adapter )
Sounds interesting but is it easy to use?

Very. For even though an instruction manual isn’t included in the actual kit (you can download one later if you like) it takes no time at all to get this camera up and running. Once you turn it on by pushing that big play button you can then access the four-stage setup menu that allows you to adjust everything from microphone sensitivity, desired frame rate, recording resolution and basic exposure control. Of course professional users would probably want more scope for manual manipulation but for the weekend warrior there’s enough tweakability here to get the best out of almost any shooting environment.
Once you’ve set everything up and given that lithium-ion Toshiba Tecra a2 Battery a charge, it’s then just a case of choosing a mounting point and pushing the record button. In my experience the latter has always an impossible feat as I’m always tightly strapped into a five-point racing harness; something that required a team member to do it for me just before I headed out onto the circuit. Fortunately, and in a stroke of pure genius, the smart HD170 features a wireless remote control that allows me to turn on the red light whenever I want to.(Panasonic Lumix Dmc-fx8 Battery)
Like the camera itself you can mount the little remote almost anywhere but I chose to attach it to the roll cage of my racecar with the Velcro wrist strap already provided in the kit. It worked seamlessly all weekend and helped cut out a lot of the unnecessary footage we usually accrue over a typical race weekend.(Motorola GP340 battery)
Okay, so how does this camera perform when the red-mist comes down?

Again, I found very little to dislike about the HD170 when I stuck it to the front window of my racecar. After my first practice session I discovered on playback that the footage was upside down but this was quickly rectified by simply twisting the camera’s unique, 170° fully rotatable wide-angle lens hood. You see unlike in other comparable units that would require remounting, this feature compensates for awkward angles by allowing you to put the lens on the correct horizontal, or vertical, plain – a massive time saver.
Performance wise, I managed to get an entire day’s worth of shooting from a single Acer Aspire 7735z Battery charge. I imagine this would only get better as the cells get better conditioned from more frequent use. During the duration of my test period I shot in 720p resolution (1080p is available) and found that the supplied 16GB SD memory card provided enough space to store my on-track shenanigans without having to dump any files onto my laptop Canon Digital IXUS 75 Charger.
As mentioned before there’s a microphone sensitivity setting lurking within the menu system; something that’s particularly useful when shooting in high noise environments like the inside of a racing car. Consequently I turned it way down to avoid any audio clipping.(Jvc Gr-c7 Battery)
On a final note I can report that the PanaVise suction-cup mount – something that at first investigation looks a little flimsy – did a great job at keeping the camera still and steady. Even at high speeds and through high-G turns, the picture remained sharp and shake-free. A must-have if you plan on shooting inside motor vehicles.
Let’s talk post-production. How does this camera behave after the shoot?

Often times I’ve been annoyed by certain video cameras as they shoot in a format that isn’t immediately compatible with my Apple iMac. To get around this I’d have to download third-party conversion software: something that made the prospect of editing footage more of chore than visiting the dentist on a Monday morning. Fortunately the HD170 was a breeze to use as it shoots in QuickTime (.mov) format. I simply plugged it in; found the footage; dragged it onto my desktop and then imported it straight into Final Cut Pro. And perhaps best of all is that the quality is high enough for use on our local sports TV channels.(Sony NP-FR1H Charger)
So if you were your money would you buy one?
Definitely. The Drift HD170 is a well-engineered piece of kit that will keep even the most demanding action sports enthusiasts happy. What made it so appealing from my point of view was the wireless remote control, that adjustable lens hood and, of course, the built-in LCD screen that allowed me to better analyze each one of my practice sessions after the fact. Of course at R2999 it’s not exactly cheap considering you still have to add in, at the very least, a 16GB memory card (R475) and that PanaVise mount (R395) but for the money I doubt whether you’d ever need purchase another camera system.(Sony Cybershot Dsc-v1 Battery)
Watch the footage here:

Hot:
A snap to use
Rugged construction
Records in QuickTime format
That wireless remote control
Not:
A little on the pricey side but not much else
The Drift HD170 at a Glance:
Price: R2999
Weight: 138g
File Format: .Mov
Resolution: 1080p, 720p & WVGA
Water-Resistant: Yes
OS Compatibility: Windows 7, XP & Vista; Mac OS 10.2

The kit comes with all sorts of mounts and straps to get the most out of your camera

Dig thrashing cars around race tracks? Then make sure you buy the optional sucker-cup mount
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