The new Shimano CM-1000 Sports Camera puts the component brand squarely into the action sports consumer electronics market in a big way. Or, rather, a quite small way that’s big on features.
The device packs plenty of tech into it’s shell, with all the usual HD specs and a WiFi sync with smartphones to preview the shots and playback your action. It also has auto leveling video capture, keeping the shot horizontal regardless of the camera’s orientation*. But the real standout feature is that it’s waterproof down to 10 meters without any external case!
Plan on staying dry? It’ll also sync your bike’s ANT/ANT+ sensor data with the video, letting your overlay performance metrics for review. That includes data from their new D-Fly wireless transmitter for Di2, letting you see gear selection.
UPDATED: More pics and info throughout the post.
Pan and zoom past the break to see why Shimano’s giving GoPro a run for its money…
The CM-1000 weighs in a claimed 82g with battery and lens cover. There are just two buttons, a large start/stop and a mode button. Lights and audio cues let you know when it’s recording. There’s a small on/off switch on the back.
Video is captured in 1080p on a 16 megapixel backlit CMOS sensor through a large F/2 aperture – that’s twice as large as the GoPro Hero 3+. Good specs that should allow for plenty of light capture, and Shimano’s materials say it handles low light situations very well. It’ll capture standard 135º and wide angle 180º footage. Now, about that asterisk on the auto leveling: It’ll automatically rotate to the closest 90º increment, so if you’re mounting it on the side of your helmet, it’ll still capture flat footage without post-production correction…just make sure it’s affixed at a good 90º angle.
UPDATE: Still images are 6MP and captured in 10, 20, 30 or 60 second intervals. Audio’s recorded in stereo, and there’s a mono speaker on the device for audio cues. Battery life is two hours max with a sub-four hour recharge time. Full specs list added at bottom of post.
The waterproof feature isn’t a gimmick. It’s IPX-8 rated, one of the highest ratings possible for electronics, and good for continuous shooting underwater. And 10m (32.8ft) is no joke, far more than we’d expect from a company that also makes fishing equipment and launching a “lifestyle gear division”. Now, if only you could pickup a submerged WiFi signal on your phone, you’d be able to drop it in and see where the fish are in real time!
OK, back to bikes: With ANT/ANT+ connectivity, the CM-1000 will sync with your heart rate, speed/cadence, D-Fly and other sensors to record ride data and video footage simultaneously. They don’t specifically mention power data capture, and we’ve asked about that, too. UPDATE: It’ll pull from speed, cadence, speed/cadence, heart rate and power meter devices.
It ships with PC/Mac video editing software to download and combine all that data. The software will also do fish eye correction and “comprehensive” editing.
For phones, it’ll connect to its own iOS/Android app via WiFi to allow settings changes, angle and video preview and remote control.
It’ll ship in May and include an adhesive and strapped helmet mount, USB cable and the software for $299. Yep, just $299. Optional chest, handlebar, (steerer?) cap hat and flexible mounts will be available separately.
Click to enlarge for full spec sheet.
