Drift Innovation X170

The basics

The Drift Innovation is a cam that works not only as a head cam, but also hooks up to almost any outdoor kit to ensure your home movies are as extreme as they can be.

The good

One of the best features of the X170 is its 1.5-inch screen. It might not be massive but just having a display at all puts it ahead of the competition. Not only does it mean you can review footage to ensure you’ve got the shot, you are far more likely to get the shot you want in the first place. Mounting the camera, say, on the handlebars of a bike, is simple stuff when you can use the screen to line up your shot.

The lens gives a panoramic 170° shot angle. A head cam captures high-speed action as you scream along doing your chosen adrenaline sport, and the wider the angle that the lens captures, the faster you seem to be going. This is because it’s not just the trail in front of you that the camera films but the stuff at the side too. This gives perspective and makes the shot more interesting to watch.

On the bottom of the camera there is a standard screw fitting and this is used to mount the X170 where you need it. A generous array of mounting options come out of the box you bought it in: there’s a goggle mount, a handlebar grip, a head strap, a helmet grip, a universal clip plus industrial strength sticky pads and an adhesive velcro pad.

The best places to fix the X170 so that it gets a great shot are not always the easiest to reach, but even then, controlling this cam is easy. It comes with a radio controller with two big start and stop buttons that are simple to use even when you are wearing gloves.

The bad

The X170 does not shoot in HD. The mic is also a little sensitive to wind noise, not ideal when you are out riding your mountain bike or snowboarding down an Alp.

The bottom line

That said, the video quality isn’t bad and with the X170, what you might lose in terms of picture quality you more than make up for with its functionality.