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Theres a big market for action cameras that let us record the rough and tumble of our sporting achievements, and one name thats currently synonymous with them is GoPro. Hoping to dent GoPros market share, however, is Toshiba with its much cheaper Camileo X-Sports.
The design of the Camileo X-Sports looks very similar to the GoPro Hero3, and its reasonably compact. The X-Sports weighs 94g, so its slightly heavier than the GoPro Hero3 and Sony HDR-AS15, but you probably wont notice the extra weight when the X-Sports is mounted on your helmet.
The X-Sports rectangular design is simple and the camera looks tiny when its taken out of its tough case, which is waterproof up to a depth of 60m. As the camera isnt waterproof or rugged youll want to make sure its kept in the case whenever its in use. Annoyingly, though, we found the X-Sports buttons difficult to operate when its in the case, and required a firm and forceful press for something to happen.
Thankfully, the X-Sports comes with a remote control, which has a wrist strap, or you can control the X-Sports with the Toshiba WiFi Connect app thats available for iOS or Android devices. The app provides a useful live feed from the camera, but there is, predictably, some noticeable. You can also use the app to change the resolution and control the 10x digital zoom.
It may be priced similarly to the GoPro Hero3 White Edition (£190, www.argos.co.uk), but the Camileo X-Sports specifications are best compared to the more expensive Hero3+ Black Edition (£360, www.gopro.com) due to the X-Sports 1/2.3in sensor and ability to capture a 12MP still image.
Such a large sensor combined with a maximum ISO speed of 6400 means that the camera performs admirably under low light conditions, although there is noise. The lens has a wide aperture of F/2.8, and uses an electronic image stabiliser to reduce the shakiness of footage.
Youre able to capture burst images at up to 30fps, although youll have to reduce the resolution to five megapixels. At the cameras full 12-megapixel resolution the maximum burst rate is only 10fps. A simultaneous video and photo setting allows you to record video footage while capturing a still image at specific intervals.
You can review footage on the Camileo X-Sports 2in LCD display, which has a resolution of 320×240 pixels. It isnt a particularly good display due to its low resolution and poor brightness, even on its highest setting, but its still good to have, especially when many other action cameras dont have a display at all.
The X-Sports menu provides you with the usual array of video options, and you can choose to shoot Full HD video at up to 60fps. If you reduce the resolution to 720p you can even shoot at 120fps, which is useful for creating slow-motion videos. The menu is easy to enough to use, considering the limited amount of buttons, and we had no trouble seeing it outdoors in daylight.
In our battery test, the Camileo lasted one hour and 32 minutes while recording video at 1080p/30fps, which matches Toshibas claimed battery life. The Li-ion battery is user-replaceable, so you can buy more and replace drained batteries in the field.
The Camileo comes with a generous assortment of mounting options so that you can attach it to vented helmets, bikes and surfboards, as well as curved and flat surfaces. These mounts work with or without the waterproof case.
Our review model also came with an optional head and chest strap mount (PA5150E-1AKA, £25 from www.toshiba.co.uk), and we decided to test the X-Sports with the chest strap during a game of football. While the footage captured wouldnt rival a commercial production, the setup was surprisingly comfortable and the image stabilisation did a good job of reducing camera shake. The mount and case were tough enough to survive the bangs and knocks that inevitably occur in a park kickabout.
We also tested the X-Sports with our HPI Racing Bullet MT test radio-controlled car. While the image quality didnt rival that of the impressive GoPro Hero3 Black Edition, the X-Sports certainly performed better than expected. Grass had lots of detail and clouds and the sky wasnt overexposed.
We found the Toshiba Camileo X-Sports to be a good alternative to the GoPro Hero3, and one that provides good performance and specifications combined with generous mounts and accessories. If you dont have the budget for a GoPro Hero3 and dont mind sacrificing a little image quality, the Toshiba Camileo X-Sports is a good alternative.
