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It seems like every day, there’s a new personal camcorder out there. From simple single-function lifelogging cameras to GoPro-wannabe action cams, manufacturers see a big pie filled with opportunities. Now, add HTC to the mix.
That’s right, HTC, the mobile phone giant. Its new Re camera ($200) departs from the world of phones and tablets to offer a unique twist on the action cam, using a design that’s more periscope than box.
But has HTC created something truly different and cool, or is it just one more “me too” product in a crowded market?
Features and design
The Re is the same size and shape as an upside down asthma inhaler – you hold it with a pistol grip. The durable white plastic exterior makes it dustproof and waterproof (down to 3.2 feet, for 30 minutes). You can’t go deep-sea diving, but you can have some fun shooting at the shallow end of the pool. An optional waterproof cap makes it waterproof down to almost 10 feet, for two hours.
There are only two buttons: a shutter button under your thumb, and a slo-mo switch beneath the lens. One tap of the shutter snaps a photo, or holding it down starts video. An LED embedded in the shutter button flashes colors to indicate you’re in slo-mo mode, and another shows healthy battery with like sharp BT-H22 Battery, sharp VL-SW50 Battery, sharp BT-H32 Battery, sharp BT-H21 Battery, sharp BT-L445 Battery, sharp BT-L225 Battery, sharp VL-NZ80 Battery, sharp VR-BLN20 Battery, sharp BT-L221U Battery, sharp BT-L241 Battery, sharp BT-L441 Battery, sharp VL-WD650 Batterylife in green, or orange when it dips below 25 percent. Also on the front are a speaker (the camera makes shutter sounds to indicate when a photo is snapped, for example), and a grip sensor to wake the camera up for duty. There’s a “HD microphone” at the top.
A sealed cover on the bottom hides the MicroSD memory card slot. HTC provides an 8GB card, but the Re supports up to 128GB, and we recommend you get as much as you can afford, since these cards can easily fill up. There’s also a Micro USB port for charging and data transfer. A handy tripod socket is useful for both accessories like a lanyard or specialty mounts; we were able to use it with our trusty Manfrotto hand-grip tripod – something we couldn’t do with the Hero4 Silver or Polaroid Cube we recently tested.
You can’t go deep-sea diving, but you can have some fun shooting at the shallow end of the pool.
The Re’s ultra-wide-angle, f/2.8 lens captures a 146-degree view, giving you that fisheye look common with action cameras. The lens can also be set to shoot in a standard narrow view. Inside is a 16-megapixel 1/2.3-inch CMOS sensor – a typical size found in point-and-shoot cameras. The Re can capture video at either 1080p or 720p at 30 frames per second (fps), and slow-motion video at 720p/30fps. You can also set the camera to create a time-lapse video, in which the camera shoots 16MP photos in timed increments.
You would be lucky to get two hours from the Re’s embedded 820 mAh battery, which is rated for 100 minutes of video (or 1,200 photos). In our testing, which consisted of a mix of shooting photos and videos, we achieved about 1.5 hours. Since you can’t swap it out, it’s best to pair it with a portable USB charger.