#Garmin virb edit gauges 2018 android
#Garmin virb edit gauges 2018 series

Under the cardboard bottom that the base ring was attached to one of the adhesive mounted bases, it’s down on the bottom of the package so don’t forget it’s there, or you may leave that in your box and chuck it by accident – though you should of course keep packaging for a reasonable amount of time in case of returns anyway like I really need to tell anyone that… Inside the packaging the Virb is sitting on its mounting cradle and on some of the mounting hardware attached through the bottom of the cardboard, unscrewing the ring at the bottom removes the Virb and mounts and is part of one of the included mounts itself. The package is pretty easy opening and maybe most importantly it doesn’t have the sealed plastic edges that you have to cut with a knife or scissors.

On to the unboxing the Virb Elite packaging is slick as you would expect from a large company like Garmin, with screenshots and action photos shown on the package and the camera itself displayed prominently inside a clear case sort of thing fitted into a cardboard base.

And that’s just a few of the features, more of which I will get into.

#Garmin virb edit gauges 2018 android

The Garmin Virb Elite not only shoots in HD for long periods of time with fairly minimum battery usage but also has a GPS to geotag your action, an altimeter and accelerometers, a Dashboard function that acts like a display panel for speed and distance and other stats, and wirelessly connects to and streams live video to an Android or IOS device. There’s also a new version of the Virb, the X and XE, which are visually is very different but add many internal features. The Elite adds many features that the base version of the Virb (which isn’t being made by Garmin any more) doesn’t have. I usually buy something that I have wanted for myself after Xmas time but my wife beat me to it and got me a Garmin Virb Elite for Xmas.

#Garmin virb edit gauges 2018 series

Not that I don’t love the GoPro series and what they have brought to photography. I had ruled out the GoPro series as they are quite expensive and also because of the lack of a stock built-in preview function, which I really wanted. I’d somewhat settled on a GoPro clone, the SJCam SJ400, that had a preview display but unfortunately had the drawback of a battery life that left a lot to be desired – but which I could overcome with battery packs. So I did a lot of research, and so did my wife apparently. Mounting my point and shoot with a bike mount worked okay but an ordinary point and shoot just doesn’t have the battery life for long-term video recording nor does it have the ability to be ready for taking a quick shot while in standby and at a moment’s notice.

But hauling around a Rebel on something like a bike isn’t practical nor safe of course (though it’s occasionally done) and I’m not a big fan of mounting my expensive cameraphone on the handlebars (it’s safely zipped into and nestled in its carrier on the top bar and below my seat). I do have a nice Canon Rebel, an older Canon point and shoot, and a pretty good quality Samsung cameraphone (the Samsung Galaxy Alpha). Not to mention the sheer number of times people who have done stupid things while I have been biking that I would have liked to catch on video. While biking there have been many things that I would have liked to catch on video or photoed over the years that I have missed. I had been looking for an action camera for awhile, mostly for biking but also for hiking and other activities.