The Camera Bag: Zeal Optics’ Ion HD Camera goggles for recording your ski adventures
posted Wednesday, October 3, 2012 at 2:55 PM EDT
Action cams like those offered by GoPro, Contour and, more recently, Sony, are pretty cool but they do add an extra appendage to your helmet. While dedicated ski goggle cameras are nothing new -- Liquid Image has been making them for years -- we prefer them to action cams for recording high-def footage and still photos on the slopes
Lately we've been digging this snazzy new offering from Zeal Optics called the Ion HD Camera. Designed like a pair of high-end ski goggles, the Ion HD Camera can shoot full 1080p or 720p HD video and will capture 8-megapixel still photos.
The Ion HD Camera goggles have a 170-degree lens with infinity focus to help you shoot your turns, jumps, tumbles, and scenic mountain vistas. The camera and lens also automatically adjust for variable lighting conditions, which can be a big help when you're moving from dark shadows to bright snow.
You can play your HD clips and photos back immediately inside the goggles on a built-in viewfinder and there are big, glove-friendly buttons on the side of the frame for playing, pausing, and fast forwarding.
The rechargeable lithium-ion battery will let you shoot for a maximum of three hours.
What we really like about the Ion HD Camera is that it's a high-quality goggle for skiing in its own right. The lenses have an anti-fog coating so things don't get blurry and there's 100% UV Protection for bright days.
The only thing the Ion HD Camera goggles don't offer is a guarantee it will snow. After last season's unusually warm and snow-free winter, we'll just have to hope that Mother Nature gives us more of the white stuff this time around.
(Via Red Ferret)