There are plenty of action cameras on the market, such as the famous GoPro, which attaches to your head like a helmet and allows for the user to capture footage of them performing action packed activities. Well the famous GPS and sports watch company has now decided to enter the action camera market with a product that is sure to stand up to its competition, especially with the use of Garmins ANT+.
The two Garmin cameras are also very strong cameras that look to be able to stand up to almost any abuse you can throw at them. Of course you wouldn’t want to be TOO hard on the devices, but the protective shell around the cameras is sure to keep them safe. The cameras are also waterproof, and are designed to be mounted on your wrist, helmet, surfboard, and so on.
The video quality on the devices is 1080p at 30 frames per second. This isn’t a small amount, and should mean you can capture crisp and good-looking footage. The camera can also take 16 megapixel photos while you’re recording video. The camera displays everything on a 1.4″ LCD display
The battery life on the cameras is no small feat either, boasting a whopping 3 hours per charge, which may not sound like much, but considering the quality of video that is being captured 3 hours is a lot.
The fact that the VIRB and VIRB Elite can sync up to other Garmin products through ANT+ is a very welcome addition indeed, and means the camera will be able to do a number of things that a lot of its competitors simply cannot do. For example, the VIRB and VIRB Elite will be able to connect to your Garmin sports watches, allowing you to log GPS coordinates of video clips that you have taken. If you decide on the more expensive VIRB Elite, you will have built in sensors for positioning, along with WiFi capabilities for connecting to your Android or iOS device. Garmin says that soon you will be able to send video that you have captured with your VIRB camera directly to you smartphone.
The VIRB and VIRB Elite do not have any built-in storage, so you will need to use a microSD card in order to save your videos.The Garmin VIRB is expected to ship next month and will be available for $299. The VIRB Elite will ship at the same time, and will set you back a little more at $399.
