When my friend and owner of vzé.cz/vzdy.sk started showing me the TomTom Bandit, we were quite scared. Not the cameras, but what he, with his total anti-talent for technology, wants to show me. After a few minutes I understood that TomTom had achieved something incredible. Stano played with Bandit for about five minutes, showing me everything the camera can do, and suddenly he showed me a video he had created. A video that you wouldn't be ashamed of even after an hour in iMovie, a video that captivated and in 60 seconds showed the best of what he experienced during the past weekend. So TomTom was able to create a camera that not only shoots great, but also gives people who are totally unaccustomed to technology the opportunity to make a short clip in a few seconds, plus a clip. which you will enjoy watching!
TomTom Bandit nakonec landed on my desk in a small box, which, in addition to the camera weighing 190 grams and measuring 94x38x52mm, also contains a pair of TomTom mounts, which are either screw-on or you can use the included 3M sticker to stick them to a skateboard, for example. The package also includes a GoPro mount, with the camera being compatible with everything GoPro can do. If you nestIf you want, then there is also an extended package with a slightly higher price, in which you will find, in addition to the remote control, various mounting parts and mounts so that you can attach the camera anywhere.
Classic camera style design won me over!
If you look at action cameras, the vast majority of them follow the same design. The TomTom Bandit is based on the appearance of classic cameras, and that is why it has an elongated, narrow body that is comfortable to hold and is somewhat aerodynamic. What I like is the absolutely simple control, where you start recording with one button and stop it with the other. Of course, you can also use the 16 Mpix camera to take photos with a single button, either during or outside of recording. You then set the camera on the monochrome display, which is familiar to everyone who has a TomTom watch.
The controller and the display are the same as the watch, and after a few minutes of use the menu seems very intuitive. You can set everything related to memory, recording quality, recording mode and so on. The battery and the slot for the card, or even the USB through which the camera is charged, are located under the rotating mechanism in the back, which is also secured against unauthorized access. There is also an LED indicating the current status of the camera. There is a holder on the bottom of the camera that you can use to attach the camera to anything you can think of. In addition, you can rotate the camera around the holder by 180 degrees and thus always have a straight shot even when the holder is not horizontal to the horizon.
4K, 1080p at 60fps or 720p at 120Fps
As for the recording quality, the camera can record 4K at 15fps, 2,7K at 30fps, 4K timelapse at 30 fps, slow motion at 1080p and then of course the classic Full HD at 60fps and HD at 120fps. So there is nothing it cannot handle and could be considered the current standard. Full HD videos look truly beautiful at 60FPS and if you nestaí, then you can shoot at 30Fps 2,7K. I personally tested the videos on my iMac Retina and I must responsibly say that the quality is visible at first glance even with such a high resolution. On the iPhone display, the vivid colors and sharpness of the recording are particularly impressive.
Recordings are recorded on a microSD card, with the maxThe minimum supported card size is 128GB and the camera can format the card itself. So all you have to do is insert the card into the camera. If you want to connect the camera to a smartphone with iOS or Android, then everything works via Wi-Fi and the TomTom bandit application. In the case of connection to a computer, the camera is equipped with USB 3.0, through which you can transfer recordings from the card. The integrated battery, which has a capacity of 1900mAh, is also charged via USB, which means that when recording 1080p recording at 60 fps, the camera can be in operation for 2 hours and 15 minutes of continuous recording.
The camera as such, right out of the box, is waterproof according to the IPX7 standard, which means that it can withstand a depth of one meter for 30 minutes. If you want to snorkel it's ideal, if you want to go below the surface then just fit the lens protection which is sold separately and you can go 50 meters below the surface. Other camera accessories include a float, remote release, heart rate monitor, and various straps and mounts for just about anything. What's great is the fact that the camera is also compatible with the GoPro solution. So if you have some mounts and other things from GoPro, then you can use them. If you also have a TomTom watch, for example, you can use the watch to control the camera or use its chest strap to measure your heart rate. So everything is connected and there is also backward compatibility, which will please owners of TomTom products.
Gyroscope, accelerometer, GPS, Barometer in the camera? In Bandit, yes!
The main advantage is the fact that TomTom literally packed everything that was at hand into the camera. So you will find a gyroscope, accelerometer, GPS, barometer and if you use a TomTom chest strap, the camera will also capture your heart rate. All these sensors have two major advantages. The first is the fact that, as you can see in our videos, it is possible to easily add information about the current overload, speed or heart rate to the video, which extreme athletes will definitely appreciate and the videos will be a little more interesting! The second advantage is the fact that the TomTom Bandit can itself recognize interesting moments with the help of sensors, i.e. moments when there was a fall, acceleration, extreme overload, etc. only from action scenes where something actually happened!
The individual changes that the sensors detect have their own markers, and TomTom inserts markers directly into the video track to show you what happened in the video footage. You don't have to scroll through the entire video, but just look at the best shots, in this case the most active ones. This is also related to the video processing, which is done using the incredibly simple and handy TomTom Bandit app. If you don't want to do anything at all, you can just take the app, connect the camera via Wi-Fi, and shake your phone.onem. That's all, that's the end of it all and you have an action video! Don't believe it? Check out the videos below, I didn't edit them, I didn't change anything, I didn't adjust anything, I just shook the phone and the algorithm automatically put together a minute-long video of only the most action-packed scenes using the markers captured by the sensors.
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If you want to choose the scenes yourself, of course you can. The app is incredibly simple and offers several options. You can set a few things, find out information about the camera, create a story, that is, a short and action movie, browse the library of recordings that are on the card in the camera and view a live preview. This is of course in a slightly worse resolution than the resulting video, but it has the advantage that you can see the preview directly on the iPhone, even if the camera is on a surfboard or on the chassis of your sports car.
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In the application, you have the option to easily select individual clips that you have shot, intuitively using the plus button, and then add them all to the movie you want to create. Using Superhero, you then add a recording of heart rate, speed or overload and it is then "burned" directly into the image as you see it in our videos. You can then easily delete clips and make other changes in the app. For example, even choose a soundtrack for your film and so on.
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I haven't had my hands on all the action cameras on the market today, so I can't compare the output of each camera so consistently, but even if I could, it would seem a bit comical. The vast majority of videos end up on YouTube anyway after compression, and people play them on iPhone or iPads. So objectively, I can say that the Bandit surprised me with vivid colors and high-quality recording even in low light conditions, as you can see in the video with the dogs.
If I were to analyze each frame on my iMac Retina I would probably find some mistakes, but I don't see any reason to do that. Speedy Devil and Superhero are also such catchy gadgets that will liven up your videos, that you don't have much to hesitate about!
*We love Greenpeace, so please let us know that all the dogs in the video are professional sled dogs, winners of many cups and were under the supervision of their owner, an experienced sled dog, during the filming!
Great toy for big boys
If you want a TomTom Bandit, you want a great toy, a companion you can take, film something, shake your phone,onema you have a perfect YouTube video. Are you looking for a companion that captures not only the image, but also the pulse, speed and overload, which no other camera on the market offers as far as I know. Even if these gadgets may seem like nonsense to you, then believe me, your recording will gain a completely different dimension. People are interested in how fast you ride that bike, what overload you have completed in your sports car and what your pulse is when base jumping. For me personally, the quality of the video from the TomTom Bandit is at a very good level and when I add to it the gadgets that the camera has, then it is nothing.
So if you're looking for a great toy in the best sense of the word, then the TomTom Bandit is something that will not only provide you with high-quality video recording, but above all, incredibly intuitive and simple video creation, whether you decide to create the video yourself or leave everything to the app in your phone. For me, as a person who doesn't want to play with videos in Final Cut or iMovie, Bandit definitely does, thanks to the quality processing, classic design and great application with which even your mom can create a spectacular movie!
- You can buy the TomTom Bandit for €409 directly here.
- You can buy the TomTom Bandit for CZK 11 directly here.
I see two big blurry spots on both videos. At first I thought that in the first video it was a foggy lens from the water, which probably shouldn't happen either. But with the second video it's the same, it just disappears after the first cut. Any device fault?
ok, I accept ads on the website, but the ad in the video is seriously annoying Roman
Roman, thanks for the tip, it looks really interesting... mainly because of the final processing of the video.
Does anyone have a practical comparison with GoPro?
Or other experiences with Bandit, just for clarification? Thanks.
Too big a device compared to the competition. Up to 1m for that price is ridiculous. Cuts of more or less the same footage really don't show the quality of the software algorithm. Other cameras have G sensors too. AEE MagiCam S71 TOUCH
Roman: that it shouldn't happen, I thought about the inside of the lens with a certain degree of visibility, but I'm certainly not a physicist, I only have experience with the Chinese sj4000 and the GoPro H3be. Of course, it can get wet on the outside at any time, and drops of water or sweat can also stick, but then it is up to the user to check the lens from time to time. In addition, if he wants to present unimportant shots as proof of image quality in the review. Or at least cut it out :-)
visibility = waterproof :-))