Tuesday 22 April 2008

New Action CamsNew Action Cams

Left QuoteSince the demise of the original AshCam back in March, I've been on the lookout for a new Action Cam from Oregon Scientific. When the ATC1000 / ATC1k came out in 2005 it had problems with battery life and not being very watertight. These problems were fixed with the ATC2000 / ATC2k in 2007 ... which is turn suffers from poor quality audio and a narrow field of view.

/photos/oregon_scientific_atc1k.jpg /photos/oregon_scientific_atc2k.jpg

Imagine my surprise when I stumbled over a brochure from Oregon Scientific's German website and found the ATC3000 / ATC3k

/photos/oregon_scientific_atc3k.jpg

  • Mounts to bicycle handlebars, helmet, snowboard etc (multi-mount kit included)
  • Shock resistant and waterproof up to 5m
  • Improved image quality, and 48° viewing angle
  • Up to 4Gb SD card memory
  • 640x480 pixels at 30 frames/sec
  • Includes: internal 32Mb memory, LCD display, USB cable, AV cable, multi-mount kit
  • Compatible with Windows 2000, XP and Mac


By the looks of it, they've kept the same chassis as the ATC2k, but fixed the problems with audio and field of view. Due for release 15 May 2008 at €149 (£99 in the UK)

The other item I found was this ... the ATC5000 / ATC5k

/photos/oregon_scientific_atc5k.jpg

  • 1.5" TFT screen
  • Water resistant to 10m
  • Improved CMOS sensor
  • 53° viewing angle
  • Up to 4GB SD card memory
  • Remote Control
  • Photo Feature
  • Includes: multi-mount kit
  • Optional: additional lighting, flash, carrying case
  • Compatible with Windows 2000, XP, Vista and Mac


Looks superb, but I'd be worried about using this camera. The ATC2k and ATC3k are rugged little rascals, so adding a TFT screen is going to cause all sorts of problems. I'm assuming it's still intended for underwater use, but haven't seen anything to confirm or deny that. Watch this space.

Due for release July 2008 at €199 (£149 in the UK)Right Quote

Next article: Windsurfing in Advertising (02 May 2008)

Next Gadgets article: ATC3K First Impressions (14 June 2008)

CommentsComments

Keith Says:

12th August 2008 at 04:50

Is the ATC5000 ATC5K Action Camera currently available please?


Captainash Says:

12th August 2008 at 20:26

Yep, from Oregon Scientific themselves - www.oregonscientific.co.uk/prod_atc5k.htm - the new photos look better too, but I don't know if I'd want to bolt that thing onto a helmet!!


Add your comments

Name

Comments

Question

3 + 2 = (this security question stops automated submissions)