Mobile Devices

June 07, 2013

Hitcase Pro: Action Sports, Outdoor Camera Shots Never Looked So Good

For most of us here on the East Coast, the warm summer air has arrived and outdoor fun is just getting started. Summertime means taking off for vacations, spending more time outdoors and creating memories of those moments to share with friends across social media.

But how can you possibly get all that action into photos and videos without sacrificing your pricey iPhones life? Sure, the picture and video quality is getting better and better with today’s smartphones, but what good is that if there is still so much danger with dropping or getting these devices wet?

Hitcase, a Vancouver-based sports activity accessory maker is just one of many companies looking to take this worry away from mobile phone users by introducing waterproof and shock proof cases designed to make it ok to drop your phone or get it wet without doing any harm to the actual device.

This company’s specific offering, Hitcase Pro (available for $129.99), transforms your iPhone into a waterproof, mountable POV camera - so if you’re into adventure and capturing your experiences, you can do just that.

To protect your phone when it’s dropped, the Hitcase Pro includes a special ShockSeal design that company officials say is able to protect your phone from the elements – you can even take it underwater to a depth of 33 feet.

Back in December, I received the protective iPhone cover to test out on my iPhone. I snapped one photo here and there and couldn’t really figure out a use for it since me and winter weather are not friends.  

In early spring, I packed the Hitcase Pro with me for an afternoon hiking adventure and found it useful for taking images of the beautiful scenic view and for protecting my phone from shattering falls on the rock-filled path.  While I don’t do motocross or do anything too related to extreme sports, I was able to have a close friend who rides BMX try out the device, mounted to his bike. As he performed tricks like a 180 and 360 turns, he was able to actually capture point-of-view shots of the action, without risking damage to his mobile device.

For anyone into these extreme types of sports, not only does having a cover on your device like the Hitcase allow your phone to withstand the elements, but the included mount (and additional mounts that can be purchased from the company) also let the extreme adventurer shoot videos and photos hands-free, so they can concentrate on the experience and not on how they will capture it.

Now that summer is here for me, though, simple trips to the beach, attending car shows and other outdoor activities can be had in a whole new way with the Hitcase Pro. Where I was once terrified to even bring my phone along for a beach trip (just last year I dropped my phone right into the ocean and lost it and everything in it immediately). Now I can take it with me, and drop it in the sand or water while taking pictures I want to share with others without the anxiety that I will lose the life locked inside my phone.

A few key points I noticed with this protective cover (which is bulky like many of its competitors) is that it is surprisingly lightweight for its appearance. Also, over others I had tried out in the past, this had a tough exterior and the material used to create the cover make it is easy to grip because it’s rubberized. The ABS/Polycarbonate exterior makes it scratch and impact resistant as well. Most importantly however, I found the screen cover is easy to use and has good tactile feedback. I was displeased with some of the other waterproof covers on the market that created a gap between the screen cover and the actual phone so it was harder to input on the touch screen and didn’t feel as natural as using the device without the cover. The Hitcase Pro reportedly still works even with gloves on.

I also noticed when testing this out that the actual built-in, removable wide-angle lens on the case that I could take professional-quality photos that were even better than what the iPhone itself captured.  The wide camera lens also really did a good job in my opinion in capturing a wider range compared to the lens on the phone and compared to any other cases I’ve tried.  While the pictures were clear and crisp, one issue I did have when testing this out was use of the flash. In many cases when indoors, the flash created a blur over the entire image. When outdoors, I noticed using the flash also created a very slight blur over the image but the same exact shot taken without the flash rendered a perfect result. Would still be cool to see a version of the case that makes it possible to use flash and capture amazing action and scenery even in the darkness of night.

I have yet to check out the Vidometer App, which adds an overlay of data on your video to display your speed, altitude, shock and G-Force. Available in the Apple store, it’s a free app and a companion for those using the Hitcase Pro that seems like it can really take dedicated adventurists, film makers and athletes to a whole new level.




Edited by Alisen Downey


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