Midland offers a wide variety of action cameras, geared towards the outdoors aficionado. In the past, I have reviewed their excellent XTC 300 and am thrilled to try out their new XTC 450 Action Camera.
Features
The Midland XTC 450 offers a considerable upgrade from the XTC 300, now offering 1080p recording at 16:9 aspect ratio with a rotatable, 7 element lenses. Sadly, the viewing angle is limited at 1080p (30fps) to 105 degrees. At 720p (60fps), it jumps up to 142 degrees. A 1700mAH battery, with life up to 4 hours (very reliable for me during testing) will keep users recording at length during trips. Focal length 5 inch to infinity and MP4 video at H.264 compression round out the specs on this action camera. Settings are adjustable via the back panel (video quality, WiFi, etc) or through the smartphone app, Action Connect.
(More after the jump)
The XTC is a decidedly different design of action camera, more similar to the Contour line than the GoPro models, thanks to the oblong camera form factor. Thus, conventional GoPro mounts will not work with the XTC 450. However, fear not, as Midland offers a wide-variety of mounts and attachment accessories for users, including helmet mounts, head straps and more, all shown here. It's not quite as broad a selection of mounts as I would like, and the stock camera only comes with a small set, but anglers only really need a few (headstrap, boat mount, etc).
The XTC 400 series comes in a variety of 'theme's, including the simply awesome MossyOak pattern. Sure, I may not be "hunting" while out on my fishing expeditions, but the camo pattern really makes this camera feel like one truly geared toward anglers and fit in much better than a shiny, flashy GoPro. Of course, the MossyOak pattern tends to be a tad bit pricier than the plain black version, seen here.
Functionality
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Midland's XTC 450 is a very easy to use and allows for quality video recording for all users. I had no problems getting it out and filming in a variety of situations, be it fishing or other outdoors trips.
The waterproof case, while large and somewhat clunky, actually floats-a great deal for me as I have lost other action cameras in the water before when they slipped off an sunk. The case snaps on with ease and offers a nice flat lens for absolutely excellent underwater recording. Check out the high-quality videos I was able to shoot while snorkeling in San Diego for an example of the XTC 450's underwater performance.
Furthermore, the camera simply feels comfortable to hold. Filming this fishing trip was a breeze, despite not using any other accessories aside from the waterproof case. Sadly, the fish were not in a cooperative mood (hooked a couple but didn't land anything) but the pelicans were sure out in force!
Midland continues to score big points with its simple on/off flip switch. That's it. You simply push the slider forward to record, and pull it back to stop recording. No complicated buttons or menus to cycle through. This simplistic approach to action camera control is excellent for quickly recording footage as it occurs and saving valuable battery life throughout a trip. Downsides are obvious- there isn't an easy way to take actual still images (despite advertised "12MP" photos) and no playback features in the camera itself. However, there is a compatible app (somewhat hard to find, but apparently the only one recommended by Midland for use with the XTC 450) called Action Connect that does allow for still images to be taken. This is through a WiFi connection on the camera that may be toggled on/off through the back panel. There is a nice variety of settings that may be edited using this app (refer to the complete guide here).
Depth of color and overall video quality is impressive. Check out this video I shot at La Jolla, showing off the wide variety of color during late morning and vivid detail at 1080p. It would been nice to have 60fps at this resolution, but most YouTube viewers won't notice the difference.
Summary
I loved Midland's 300 series action camera and am very impressed with their new XTC 450 version. A little higher FPS and field of view would have been nice, but overall video quality is still stellar. This latest action camera from Midland is a very reliable option for anglers in the market for a new action camera. It offers high-quality footage in a tight, water-proof case that is perfect for both salt and freshwater fishing. Check out Midland's XTC 450 today!
Be nice.