drift ghost 4k lcd touch screen factory

Powerful 4K video cameras generate a lot of heat during recording, and this needs to be dissipated efficiently to prevent damage occurring. The back part of the Ghost 4K casing forms part of the camera"s heat sink, so if it feels hot to the touch that"s normal - the heat sink is drawing heat away from the camera"s processor, and spreading it out across the back of the camera casing, allowing it to dissipate effectively.

The Ghost 4K offers several different resolution options, all designed for different purposed. If you"re looking for crystal clear, high resolution footage, with a cinematic 19:9 aspect ratio, 4K will be the way to go. If you"re looking for a balance of great image quality, but with manageable file sizes and data rates, 1080p will be great, and this also offers the option of 120 frames per second for slow motion sequences.

Some older video players and editors are not compatible with 4K, 4K UHD, and 2.7K footage, so it"s important to make sure that you have a recent version installed.

It"s also important to consider the hardware you have available for editing and playback. To get the most out of your 4K resolution footage you"ll need a 4K TV or monitor, and a powerful computer with suitable editing software. Likewise, a higher resolution screen, and a compatible editing set up is necessary for 2.7K footage.

Upgrading the Ghost-4K firmware is really simple, and will ensure that you"re getting the most out of your camera. Download the latest Ghost 4K firmware above. Then format your memory card in your Ghost 4K settings menu, and connect the camera to your computer. Drag and drop the firmware file into the ‘root" of your memory card – place it beside, but not inside the DCIM folder. Eject the camera from your computer and power it on. You should see a ‘Firmware Upgrading" message, and after a few seconds the process will be complete.

You may have noticed that the Ghost 4K generates a ‘.THM" file for each photo or video. These ‘THM files are much smaller files that the Drift Life app can easily open, and play back. If you choose not to use the app, and would rather not have these files, you can disable them by turning off the ‘Thumbnails" option in your Ghost 4K settings menu.

The Ghost 4K is IPX4 rated. This means that you can use it in the rain, but that the camera can"t be submerged. If you want to use the camera in the water you"ll need the Ghost 4K waterproof case, which can be submerged to 60m. We also recommend using the case if the camera is likely to be subjected to any water pressure – for example travelling at high speed on a motorcycle, in heavy rain.

To carry out a master reset on your Ghost 4K, press the reset button next to the MicroSD card slot- you"ll need to remove the rubber cover and use a biro to press through the hole marked ‘R.’.

The Drift LCD Touch Screen module enables you to view video"s & photo"s directly on the Ghost 4K instead of via the Drift Life App or on another device.

The Drift Ghost XL Waterproof Action Camera is very sturdily made, pretty easy to use and supported by a range of accessories, but it takes more than a handlebar mount to make a good action cam for cycling. The lack of image stabilisation is the main killer, but little about the design lends itself to bicycle use.

The Ghost XL"s shape, the positioning of its logos, and the orientation of its tiny LCD screen all imply you"re expected to attach this on the side of something. The side of a motorcycle or motorsport helmet, for instance... big, secure things where a 150-odd-gram box will go practically unnoticed by the wearer. The big, secure mounting system will also be at home with high speeds and forces.

Combine this camera with the vibration-damping effects of a rider, 200kg of motorcycle and 100mm+ of suspension, and the Ghost XL might well produce reliably decent pictures. Bolt it to a 10kg road bike with the chunky, rigid but rather cheap looking metal bar mount, however, and it works poorly.

Drift also does a vented helmet mount (£24.99) which, with its four straps and huge foam-backed baseplate, feels as overkill as the rest of this gear for cycling.

Drift also does stick-on mounts (£16.99 and gently curved to suit a full face helmet), and a waterproof jack for an external microphone. This screws in and seals with an o-ring, and works well.

The Ghost XL doesn"t sense its orientation – you have to remember to physically twist the lens, though that does mean you can set any angle along its 300 degrees of movement. The live screen won"t remind you where it"s pointing either, as there isn"t one.

The tiny LCD screen displays basic information (mode, resolution and battery life being the main things), but bar-mounted it"s lying on its side and too small to read while riding anyway. What is useful is the colour coding of the backlight; green means you"re on video mode, for instance, while purple is timelapse.

The screen colours are bright and visible in daylight, so it"s easy to see what the camera is up to. The inclusion of a cyan light (photoburst) as well as green (video) is irritating, though, as they can be confused.

The middle button scrolls through the settings for tweakage, and while it works if you"re patient, it"s easier to do via the Drift Life app on your phone. This also gives you a live view and lets you operate the camera remotely via wifi, though at that point you could just use your phone"s camera instead...

This thing has further features, but the manual is not entirely helpful. To use Dash Cam mode, for example, it says to "connect it to a power supply" so it can be triggered by the ignition. You can just switch it on manually. It also says you can select Event Detection to automatically store crash footage, but it doesn"t say how that works (turns out there"s an accelerometer in there, which I found out by looking through the FAQs on Drift"s site).

Dave tested the Kitvision Venture 4K in 2019 and it"s now available for far less than the original £149.99 – Argos is selling it for £79.99, and it"s about £55 on Amazon – but whether it"s improved with age is another matter. Dave gave it 2/10.

In truth, even if things didn"t move that fast in the world of cameras, the Drift XL would struggle – it"s very similar to the Drift Stealth 2 HD that George tested in 2015. That"s seven years ago.

The two cams" maximum resolutions are the same, the absence of stabilisation is the same, and the modes are the same. In fact, the Stealth 2 had a much larger screen and was lighter. George loved it back when the GoPro Hero 4 ruled the roost, image stabilisation hadn"t appeared, and the iPhone 6 was as good as it got.

This is a big, sturdy camera with big, sturdy mounts and some potentially useful features for cars and motorcycles. Despite the (big, sturdy) addition of bar and helmet mounts for bicycles, though, little about the Ghost XL makes it particularly good for cycling.

With our Drift Life App you"re only a tap away from editing, sharing and even live streaming your adventures. Our new auto-editing feature takes the effort out of creating your own movies.

Dave tested the Kitvision Venture 4K in 2019 and it"s now available for far less than the original £149.99 – Argos is doing it for £79.99, and it"s about £55 on Amazon – but has it improved with age? Dave gave it 2/10.

With the action camera market growing significantly through 2013 and into 2014, a number of new players have entered the market and are competing for a slice of the pie which, so far, has been mainly eaten up by GoPro. One of these new players is Drift Innovations. While they have been making action cameras since 2009, the Drift Ghost-S is pitched directly against the GoPro in terms of spec and price. So how does it measure up?

As for mounts Drift Innovations sell a range of mounts that connect via a quick clip mechanism. However, the mount attachment on the camera is attached via a standard tripod mount point. As such, it is easily possible to use a variety of third party mounts as well, or instead of, Drift’s own offerings.

Comparing the video footage of the GoPro Hero 3+ Silver and the Drift Ghost-S side by side, it is hard to pick one has being objectively “better” than the other, though there are differences. The GoPro has a slightly wider and more fisheyed lens, but the difference is small and less noticeable than with, for example, the JVC Adixxion 2. Some will want the ultra wide look that the GoPro provides; others will prefer the slightly less distorted field of view from the Ghost – it’s a pretty subjective issue, and it’s worth watching a few videos shot by each camera in order to make up your mind which camp you fall into!

However, unless money is simply no object, we’ve got to consider price here as well. The Drift Ghost-S is currently around $400 – that’s fully $100 more than the best price for the GoPro Hero 3+ Silver at $300, and the same price as the range topping GoPro Hero 3+ Black edition. It has to be remembered that the GoPro black comprehensively beats the Ghost-S on spec, with a headline-grabbing 4K maximum resolution. All of the GoPro models also come with a waterproof case – this is arguably necessary for any serious water-based use, and yet for the Ghost-S its an additional $50. That makes the combination $450 – half as much again as the GoPro Hero 3+ Silver for a camera with basically the same video specs. It’s also worth remembering that the JVC Adixxon 2 is available for around $270, and also has broadly the same video specs, together with an LCD screen if that is important to you.

Overall then, we’d recommend the GoPro Hero 3+ Silver over the Drift Ghost-S on spec-for-the-price alone. However, if you take price out of the equation the Ghost-S remains a very compelling bit of kit.