TESTED: TomTom Bandit Premium Pack
One of the most important factors for an action camera is its size, or lack of it.
One of the most important factors for an action camera is its size, or lack of it. Smaller is usually better, so long as it remains easy to use. The TomTom Bandit is certainly no class leader for size. It is noticeably bigger and heavier than a GoPro Hero 4 (encased) and similar in size to the Drift.
The design is nice and simple, a bullet design similar to the previous generation Garmin VIRB. Much like the VIRB it also has GPS functions, something you would expect from a leader in satellite navigation devices. This means the ability to record speed, rotation, altitude and G-Force, adding an extra element to videos, for your own memory or the entertainment of others.
The design includes a twist and remove Batt-Stick, giving relatively painless battery replacement, should you need the ability to shoot beyond the claimed 3hr battery life from the 1900mAH battery which is around 40% larger than the GoPro Hero 4 (1160mAH).
All the expected video resolutions are covered, from 4K (15fps), 2.7K (30fps), 1080p (60/30fps), 720p (60/120) and stills at 16 megapixels.
In the box of the premium pack are also a range of mounts, from stick-on flat and curved mounts, a GoPro mount adapter and what TomTom claim to be a handlebar mount, although it seems unnecessarily large. It does allow fitting to your bars, seatpost, frame or fork for unique angles.
The premium pack also includes a dive-proof cover, in addition to the standard splash proof cover, both of which should be fine for normal riding.
Another novel feature of the Bandit is the ability to twist the Bandit, rotating it 180˚ while mounted, useful for mount options that can’t be set horizontal. It is similar in some ways to the Drift cameras, although they only rotate in 90˚ sections. This feature alone should let you achieve angles much more interesting than standard POV footage.
The parts package is pretty exhaustive. But with some extra mounts you’ll have close to limitless options for angles.In Use
We initially chose to use the GoPro adapter mount, which we are sure will be the most common given the massive range of neat 3rd party options that already exist. Something we noticed immediately was the amount of play in the mount, between the camera and the adapter.
The controls are easy to use, especially the ability to press record while riding with a audible beep to let you know it is recording. The small screen on the unit gives a clear display of battery life, time recording and storage remaining, a notable plus over the GoPro due to where it locates its user screen. You can also change the mode between video, camera, slo-mo, time-lapse and also easily access the settings menu.
In use the function that allows the unit to rotate 180˚ becomes a little unstuck, rotating by itself in normal riding conditions. The ability to lock the rotation would be nice and would solve the issue, but sadly it does not exist. Also the play that is evident within the mounts translates across to the video and editing, where an audible rattle is evident throughout, although there is almost no movement in the video itself.
The camera itself feels rugged and durable, but there are a few areas that let it down. During one very slow speed fall the thin plastic tabs on the adapter mount snapped, meaning that mount adapter became unusable. As all other mounts share the same design, we think this is a weakness within the package. Another concern is the glass lens cover, which cracked while dropping it from no higher than 30cm.
The stand out advantages of the Bandit are the image quality and also the ease of editing. It produces beautifully clear, well balanced images in a full range of conditions from full sun to dark shaded tree covered trails. On one trail while tested we even entered a near pitch black tunnel and the camera’s ability to pick up even the dimmest of lights while inside and its speed reacting back to full sunlight was impressive.
Editing can be done in the traditional way, via a computer in which case the removable Batt-Stick is useful with its USB connection and in-built SD card allowing for easy transfer of captured videos. TomTom also really play on the units ability to edit itself, with its “Shake to Edit” functions via an app.
Navigating within the app to “Create a Story” a simple shake of the device creates a fully edited video, taking highlights from what has been shot. Using the on-board sensors to pick out the best bits and create a compilation. It is still possible to edit or remove sections and also add music from your devices music library and overlay speed or G-Force and once finished simply save and upload. This alone is a cool feature that should make the Bandit highly popular for ease of shooting and sharing.
Our Take
TomTom bring some fantastic new and class leading features to the action camera market. The editing capabilities, GPS functions, possible overlays and impressive video performance really make it stand out.
The frustrations come when using the Bandit in action sports. The fragile glass lens cover and parts within the mount which broke too easily. The rotation function might be a fantastic feature for other uses of action cameras, but sadly within a rough environment like mountain biking where a stable mount is vital, it becomes a constant frustration.
For a high-end action camera the TomTom Bandit delivers on many features and with some tweaks it would be a real contender against the established rivals.
Hits: Video quality, ease of editing, GPS functions add extra layer to videos
Misses: Fragile in use, rotation function flawed, larger and heavier than most rivals
RRP: $579
From: tomtom.com/bandit
