I've spent the past couple of weeks talking about regular cameras souped up for use outdoors. This week, I'm going a step further with a camera made to be on the go all the time.
Unlike the previous two cameras, this one is made more for video than photographs, though it does both. The camera is rugged, made to be used outdoors. It's also made to work with smartphones for monitoring and viewing of photos and videos. It's in the same class as the well-known GoPro cameras.
where it’s @
The Elmo QBiC MS-1 camera requires a USB port for charging, a micro-SD memory card and an Android phone or iPhone with WiFi capabilities. The smartphone app is free to download from the App Store or Google Play. The camera retails for $259. More information is available at elmousa.com.
The camera is the Elmo QBiC MS-1. It's a small, square camera with a single lens in the center. The package comes with a clip that can mount the camera to a smartphone. It also includes a micro-USB cord for charging the camera's built-in battery.
The Elmo is small and square, so it easily fits in the palm of a hand. It has a power button and camera shutter on the top and a video record and Wi-Fi connection buttons on the left side. The right side has the interface ports, which consist of micro-USB and HDMI ports for viewing and charging. It also has a small slot for a micro-SD memory card to record photos and videos. The top of the camera has little slots so a lanyard can be attached, and a screw port on the bottom allows it to be mounted on a standard tripod.
The Elmo camera has a single, wide-angle lens that delivers a whopping 185 degrees of image. It's essentially what photographers call a fisheye lens. By contrast, both eyes open at the same time and looking straight ahead can see only about 130 degrees. The good news is, the ultrawide lens means you get a broad picture of the surroundings. The bad news is, you also get a lot of distortion. The picture is curved, and spaces appear bigger than they are.
That's not a knock against the lens at all. In fact, that's pretty typical for fisheye lenses or those with ultrawide angles.
In reality, the lens delivers a fairly crisp, colorful picture. It has a 2.0 aperture, which means it does pretty well in low light. A few tests in various situations backed this up. However, it's not going to be able to see in pitch-black. It lacks the infrared light that would make it capable of that.
Then again, this camera doesn't need the infrared. It's designed to be worn and taken on the road.
While designed to clip onto a smartphone, it doesn't make much sense to put a rugged camera on a delicate phone with no protection. What I did find was that the clip slid over straps easily. It wasn't 100 percent secure, although it stayed fairly tight on the padded strap of my backpack-style camera bag. It also can slip over the front collar of a T-shirt, though you have to be careful not to lean over too far.
If it does fall, you won't have to worry too much. The camera is built with a solid design, so it can take falls and spills. You do have to be careful not to scratch the plastic covering the lens, but an included lens cap can help with that when the camera isn't being used.
The camera says it's "waterproof," but it's closer to say it's water resistant. It can take splashes and water drops on it, but I wouldn't go swimming with it. The biggest concern is the interface cover on the side. It fits nicely and is surrounded by rubber, so it makes a fairly strong seal. But if it's even slightly out of place, you're getting water on your memory card and in the ports of the camera, which can damage both.
The camera can record in full high definition, and it creates smooth, colorful video. The audio is decent, equivalent to other cameras of this type. The photos are colorful and fairly sharp. The camera can do a shutter delay or take rapid shots, though I had trouble getting it to switch modes easily.
The Elmo has an added bonus. It has an app for Android and iPhone that allows you to view live video from the camera, or even view the photos and videos you've taken. The app is very simple and straightforward, so it's very easy to use. The key is to make sure the camera is connected to the phone first. That requires going into the phone settings and connecting the camera via the phone's Wi-Fi signal. The password to connect is in the Elmo's user manual. Once connected, video and photos can be viewed through the app.
The app is a nice bonus to an already-great camera. The Elmo is compact and easy to use and produces great video and photos through a lens wide enough to get everything in view and beyond. If you're looking for something to take action video, this is a great option.
That's it. I'm all camera'd out, for now. We'll have to move it indoors next week.
Melissa L. Jones can be reached via email at [email protected].
Business on 07/28/2014