Rider Review: Cambox Isis

camera-cambox-isis.jpg

When I was in TX last month I invested in my first helmet cam – Cambox Isis. I could never get on board with the GoPros because I hated the way they looked strapped onto helmets. Additionally it seemed kinda unsafe to have something else attached to the outside of a device that is supposed to protect my brain? That was my justification anyways!

Price: $230 – $290 – at this price it is a decent amount more than the base GoPro but better value in my eyes

Review:

My initial thoughts are that this thing is so small. It is very low profile and pretty impossible to see when you are actually on the horse.

As far as specs go the Cambox has 5MP resolution and a 4GB memory card. The battery life can record approx 1.5 hrs of video. I have personally tried this though and would probably opt to turn the camera on and off for a longer school or if I was say using this in a group lesson.

I think that when comparing to a GoPro of comparable price it has the same 5MP camera and honestly even if the image is slightly lower quality (I personally am satisfied) than other options I wouldn’t buy a bulkier camera instead. I love that this is a pretty true 1st person perspective.
Barely visible if you don’t know what to look for am I right?
It is also really lightweight so there is nothing weighing down the helmet either. Dover doesn’t offer any of the fun colors below but if you want the camera to stick out or just like colorful things then you could buy from a different retailer.

CAMBOX-ISIS-NOIR

Application is about as easy as you would imagine. There is an included strip of velcro which you apply to the brim of your helmet. Once the camera is charged you are good to go. If you have a friend that wants to borrow your camera you could simply have them buy some velcro strips and boom you are in business. It took me a little while to get used to the light indicator that you can see when the helmet/ camera is on but pretty much when the camera is on it is recording when it is off it is not. I am still playing with the angle of the camera but I am confident that I will be able to figure it out and the the optimal view before our next event. Unfortunately I forget to turn it on more often than I actually have used it but now that I have the swing of things hopefully I won’t blank and forget to turn it on. 

Annie – Chatt Hills BN Stadium from Hillary McMichael on Vimeo.

Bottom Line:

I would buy this again in a heartbeat. It is small, easy to operate, and provides good quality images. I would definitely say that anyone that has been considering investing in a helmet cam should consider this one at the top of their list! Check out Amanda’s thoughts on the Cambox Isis from a few months ago if you want another opinion.

12 comments

  1. Aoife says:

    So cool, cannot wait to see ridercam footage someday…maybe of you don’t want to keep it private 😅
    Obviously that is well without your remit 😶

  2. emma says:

    i love the streamlined look of these (esp compared to go pros) but am not impressed with the video quality compared to other helmet cameras. which. at the end of the day, i’m wearing the thing bc i want some baller video from galloping across xc fields. i have a contour roam personally, which is less visually startling than the go pro bc it is mounted on the side of the helmet rather than the front. and can personally attest that it quite easily pops out of the way (unharmed!) in the event of a fall.

  3. Monica V says:

    Pretty bummed I couldnt use this with my CO skullcap because there is no brim! Unless I am unknowing about some weird way to attach it to a skullcap? I haven’t owned a helmet with a brim in like 8 years I think. DANG IT.

    I too was wondering about the video quality. GoPro looks dumb AF but it has some fire video.

    • Equestrian At Hart says:

      I updated. I compared this to the go pro and watched a lot of videos for comparable price point cameras and prefer the view point and appearance of this camera even it might mean a sacrifice in quality that Emma pointed out. I personally wasn’t going to even consider a helmet that attached to the side of my helmet so this is really the only option for me. 🙂

      • Amanda says:

        Agreed. The video quality is slightly worse (it doesn’t do as well in early morning/evening, overcast, or going quickly from light to dark, but is very comparable in good sunlight IMO) as GoPro, but the difference in safety makes the slightly lower video quality a very moot point. A small brim mounted camera is light years safer than affixing a camera to the top, front, or side of your head. I think the angle of the video is much more appealing too, I really don’t like the side mounted models. Not to mention the difference in visual appeal of the cambox vs a side or top mount,,, no contest there either.

  4. Olivia says:

    I really like the idea of these (being hidden inside the helmet brim) but haven’t figured out how to justify the expense when I already have a helmet cam that works really well. Maybe someday I’ll get one of these.

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