Review: Drift x170 Action Sports Camera

The Drift x170 action sports camera is a decent entry-level action sports POV camera. Its ease of use and virtually immediate set-up and use are strong points for helmet or handlebar cam rookies. The main shortcomings of the Drift x170 are found in its poor audio quality and in challenges posed by lower-light environments -- early morning, evening or in shady woods. If you're aware of these drawbacks and account for them in your use of this camera, you should be satisfied with the Drift x170. If great audio or filming under low-light conditions is important for you, you should look elsewhere.

If you're looking to get into helmet- or handle-bar cameras but don't want to drop a ton of cash, the Drift X170 camera is a good place to start with its intuitive controls, quality HD video and a ton of mounting options.

We had the chance to try out the Drift x170 and put this camera through tests involving BMX, road bikes, mountain bikes, ATVs, a motorcycle and yes, even a third-grader on a swing.

The Drift x170 comes with a lot of features for a camera in this $175-200 price range, including an LCD screen that shows exactly what you'll be taping and also offers immediate video review. It also has a tiny remote, a nice feature allowing you to start and stop filming without having to fumble with buttons when the camera is attached to your helmet.

Video quality provided by the Drift X170 is great under normal daylight conditions. The camera takes in a wide 170 degree field of view, which offers a more natural picture as it captures the rider's peripheral vision, giving a realistic perspective of speed.

In addition to video, the camera can take still pictures, or multiple images at timed intervals under the sequence mode, another handy and fun feature.

Along with its ease of use -- just four buttons controlling every camera function -- one of the strongest points of the Drift x170 is its battery life. We found in our tests that the camera went on and on using just a single set of AA batteries, lengthened too by the auto shut-off feature on the LCD screen after 30- or 60-seconds (or as user-defined), since there's no need for the LCD screen to stay on while on a 15-minute mountain bike descent, for instance.

There are two areas of under performance on the Drift x170. First, the Drift x170 falls short on audio quality. Quite simply, just about any motion will make the audio unintelligible, as the microphone picks up all kinds of wind noise and also captures the squeaks and vibrations that you probably never noticed that travel up the fork through the handlebars on a bike.

The second disappointment is the camera's performance under low light conditions. Simply put, low light diminished the quality of the video, making images fuzzy and lacking clarity and detail. Bright light is no problem. Sail, ski, snowboard, riding bikes in the open -- all are fine. Though the camera has a setting for exposure, it's not enough to counter early morning or to adjust as you pass through areas of bright and shadow, such as when riding through the woods.

If you aren't particularly concerned about these two areas, you'll likely find the x170 to be a nice entry-point to the world of POV action video. The camera is rugged and easy to use, and its long battery life and length of available recording time are all strong points for those considering the Drift x170. However, if you're looking for true professional-quality video, you'll need to go higher in the market to get past its shortcomings in audio quality and performance under lower light conditions.

Disclosure: a demo model of the Drift x170 camera was provided to the tester by the manufacturer, and then returned to the manufacturer once the product test was complete. For more information, please see our Ethics Policy.