When it comes to using the Drift Ghost XL is one of my favourite cameras. It’s easy to understand and operate, and most importantly, the quality of the video matches the quality of use. In the box, you'll find the camera itself, a remote, the battery, a non-waterproof connector hatch that gives easy access to the mini USB and mic out ports, a universal clip, two mount clips, a wrist strap, a mini USB cable, a microphone extension cable, and a goggle mount. While the Ghost XL Pro offers plenty of mounting options, it doesn’t offer quite so many advanced features. There is a screen, although it’s a mono LCD rather than a full-blown colour touch screen.

Video Tutorials – Drift Innovation

Alongside that feature, there’s also the ability to shoot at 4K@30fps, 2.7K@60fps, and 1080p@120fps. The HD Ghost can also be used for burst-shooting 5-, 8-, or 11-megapixel photos at up to 10fps as well as time-lapse photos, snapping off shots at 0.5-, 1-, 2-, 3-, 5-, 10-, 30-, or 60-second intervals. The remote, which you can strap onto your wrist using the included wrist strap, pairs easily with the Ghost-S, and you can use it to start and stop recording as well as take still, time-lapse, and burst photos. It also indicates recording status, which is useful when the camera is mounted on, say, a helmet. The two buttons are large, which makes it easy to operate the camera when wearing gloves. One of the most impressive features is the internal battery that can provide up to 7 hours of battery life when recording at 1080p or 4.5 hours at 4K. To put this into context, that’s over double that of the standard GoPro battery.Connecting the Drift to a Nexus 5 and an iPhone 5s via Wi-Fi was painless, and the well-designed app lets you remotely operate the camera and change its settings. The iOS version's video stream of what the camera is looking at was fairly immediate, but the same can't be said about the Android version; it shows a two-second lag. Dropping the resolution definitely costs you some detail, but the 720p/60 video is still very good. In the end, the results are above average, especially considering the flexibility of the camera and all it can do. The small screen and direct control buttons are only used to start and stop recording, and if you want to change any settings, then the fastest route is through the App. Still image quality is on par with the Hero3, which is to say good, but not great. The HD Ghost shoots images at 11-, 8-, or 5-megapixels. You're still dealing with a good deal of distortion introduced by the wide angle lens, but images look sharp and colors really pop. I noticed the HD Ghost had the tendency to blow-out highlighted areas, but otherwise the images looked crisp and generally noise free. Out on trial, and the mounting options are well beyond the GoPro or, for that matter, any other action camera; want to put it on your bike forks? Not a problem; attach and rotate the lens.

Drift Innovation Mounts – Drift Innovation

Drift action cameras are one of the original manufacturers and are known for an innovative design approach that enables you to capture a level horizon; however, the camera is mounted. To enable Car DVR Mode, navigate to the Ghost-S video settings menu and select 'Auto' or 'M' (manual) car DVR mode. Auto mode is designed for use while connected to a USB power supply - The camera will turn on and begin recording automatically when it detects power, and will turn off when power stops. Manual mode requires the user to power the camera on, and start recording manually. Simple and solid essentially sums up this action camera. The sleek design makes it a perfect option for side mounting on a helmet, and with a huge array of mounts available, attaching it to almost anything isn’t difficult.Regarding the build, the Ghost XL Pro is roughly the same size as the Insta360 ONE RS and GoPro, and when it comes to building quality, it comfortably sits alongside them as a premium action camera option. Audio quality is fine, but for action videos you're probably going to want to turn the mic off anyway, or you'll be capturing a lot of wind noise. For still subjects, the built-in mic did a decent job, and it offers three levels of sensitivity adjustment. And you can always directly plug in a better external mic, which you can't do with many other cameras. Mounts are always an important factor with any action camera, and here the Drift utilises its style of clip mount. While this isn’t the GoPro three-prong style universally used by many manufacturers in practical use, it offers a far more rigid connection with anything it’s mounted to. In the past, before decent EIS, this mount proved itself for its robust build and reduction in vibration when compared with the GoPro equivalent. The one downfall is the resolution and framerate options. At 4K, the maximum framerate is 30fps, ok for static and slow movement but not great for high-speed action. 2.7K at 60fps is very decent, and the 1080p 60fps is also superb with the option to extend to 120fps. It’s a shame the camera doesn’t extend the framerate to 4K at 60fps, but that’s the only real fault I can find with this otherwise excellent camera.

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At the end of the test, the Drift Ghost XL Pro put in a solid performance; being able to mount the camera in ways that would usually be impossible gives you plenty more options when it comes to filming and enables plenty of fun. In use, it performs well with the large buttons and beep, enabling you to easily operate the camera even if you can’t directly see it.Video quality is improved from the Drift HD Ghost, especially when it comes to detail. Everything looks more crisp, and I saw fewer artifacts when using the camera's high-bit-rate setting. Using that setting will eat into the battery life and the files use up more storage, but it's worth using if you plan to view the video at large sizes. Keeping with the waterproof features, a waterproof adapter enables you to connect to accessories such as a mic or external power source. This I like as it means that you can mount and essentially not have to worry about the power going to the camera or record a voice-over through the action if required, perfect if you’re thinking about a bit of rally driving! There are also no in-built story modes or many other fancy features or modules that we have come to expect from GoPro or Insta360; the Drift Ghost XL Pro is just a pure no-fuss action camera. As you’d expect from an action camera, the Ghost XL Pro is IPX7 waterproof, so there are no worries about dropping it in a puddle or mounting it on a surfboard. Color, while maybe not as punchy as some competitors, are very good as is its white balance. Sudden exposure changes are handled well, too, but highlights blow out pretty easily.

Drift Innovation Ghost XL Action Camera – 1080 Full HD Video Drift Innovation Ghost XL Action Camera – 1080 Full HD Video

However, with the Drift Ghost XL Pro, you know that you have one of the best action cameras on the market. It doesn’t try to please everyone or cram in all the features you can think of; it just provides you with the core, and there’s a lot to say. There were also aliasing artifacts and there's a fair amount of chromatic aberration (purple fringing) in high-contrast areas. And if you're shooting in low light, you'll notice an increase in noise/artifacts. That's not unusual, though, and well-lit indoor video was still watchable. The Ghost-S lets you record 1080p video at25, 30, 50, and up to 60fps withfields of view ranging from 90, 127, and 160 degrees. Setting the camera to 960p adds the option to record at 48fps, and if you want to shoot footage that you can slow down in editing, you'll have to step down to 720p, which the Ghost-S records at the same fps as 1080p, but with additional 100 and 120fps options. For both 960p and 720p settings, you're limited to the 160-degree angleof view. For motorcyclists, this is the camera of choice; its sleek, low-profile design sits easily on the side of a helmet. For motorsports, the ability to rotate the lens to get a level horizon is a godsend when attached to a roll cage. The Drift Ghost XL Pro beats the ease of use and mount options of any other camera on the market by a long stretch.Built-in Wi-Fi allows you to connect a smartphone or tablet to the HD Ghost using the free iOS or Android app. From there you can use your device as a viewfinder, trigger recording, or upload shots to the Web. Battery life was better than the GoPro with Wi-Fi enabled, but couldn't match the Action Cam's longevity. While many now offer intelligent horizon levelling, the quality of the video footage cannot match that of the Drift Ghost XL Pro, which can shoot a level horizon natively. Like the Contour Roam2, the Drift HD Ghost looks fantastic. The camera has a tough exterior and is waterproof to 3m down out of the box, without requiring a separate housing. You also have the advantage over all other action cameras: it doesn’t have to be level, either the right way up or upside down; you twist the lens to get the horizon correct. When it comes to using the Drift Ghost, XL Pro is one of the easiest action cameras to use. It’s been designed to be as simple as possible, even when using gloves or underwater. The large button closest to the lens starts and stops recording with the light changing to indicate that the recording has started; another press to finish.