DRIFT GHOST X - Commuter Cam REVIEW
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- Опубліковано 11 лют 2025
- Testing the latest compact side-mount helmet camera from Drift
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I wish more reviews on YT were as thorough and to the point like this one. Thanks for putting in so much effort in making it.
"DRIFT GHOST X" sounds like an Eurobeat song.
LiL DRIFT GHOST X
I had a similiar line of thought before reading the full title, except I came to the conclusion that it might play some Initial D when it detects that you're sliding about.
Or the name of a mid ‘00s anime.
Probably a Dave Rodgers track
DEJA VU
Techmoan really needs his own TV show. The quality and production are first rate.
"PTW" is parking for "Powered Two Wheelers" which according to britishparking.co.uk includes motorcycles, so you were in the right spot
Thanks
I think I've only seen them marked with a pictogram of a motorcycle in Germany. But it's pretty rare to find spots just for bikes to begin with.
For a split second, my heart skipped a beat when i saw you driving on the left side of the road. XD
I really enjoy your reviews.
thank you for taking the time to be so thorough,
it really sets your content apart.
I have used one of these cameras for a year and agree with the quality of the video. This camera's achillies heel is there is NO low battery warning. You can press record, it will beep and start recording,but there is no low battery signal at all. The camera will just stop recording with no warning. This usn't great for something mounted to a helmet and with a battery indicator so small. Drift could learn a lesson from cycliq - their cameras have a number of beeps on startup to tell you the battery charge status, also warning beep once the battery is low.
Thanks for this. Two years later and a user manual for this still does not exist and the quick start guide has no explanation for those of us who have never used a camera like this. Thank you so much for making this video! I am much less frustrated now lol
Great video as always... 2 years ago I bought a sena prism tube after watching your review of it.
Now my battery is dying down and you just came with the perfect timing.
A small detail... Sena as renewed the tube with a WiFi capable model
There is a video on you tube showing you how to replace the battery in the prism tube .
@@saltire546 I did not knew that... But I was thinking about taking the camera apart to see if it was possible to replace the battery.
Thank you for your information
I will take a look
ua-cam.com/video/l1XpFdBNHoc/v-deo.html@@jorgemarques8944
That weird noise from the camera mics is just some E.V.P. (Electronic Voice Phenomenon) you're picking up from nearby ghosts probably
s90210h wut
I legit had that on my speakers once.
Which explains the camera name
Its most likely that the microphones are behind small holes and they are creating a whistley sound when the wind runs by them. Or alternatively it comes from the camera possibly switching between the mics trying to find the quietest one
"Hello demons, its me...yo boy"
Great review as always, I've recently purchased the Drift Ghost X myself for the purpose of motovlogging, and I must say coming from the old Drift HD1080 I'm more than happy with it, I tend to record most of my video's with an open faced helmet, and thus suffered with bad wind noise, I cut a bit of fake fur and wrapped the mic, now I can vlog at 70mph with the open face helmet and still be heard without that horrible windnoise, not that you need to but if your interested i do have a helmet/camera setup video on my channel, keep up the good work, all the best Skeggy.
As always awesome video mate. I'm curious what you think of the x vs the xl? I'm trying to decide which to get. They seem awfully similar
I've been missing your camera reviews - while also enjoying your other excellent content!
How well can you read license plates when you're moving your head quickly (like when in an accident)? Would it be better to run at 720p60 to get a better change at capturing a readable frame, or does that just add more blurry frames? How well does the image stabilisation work?
I don't believe this model has any image stabilisation - digital or otherwise.
Yeah, the more frames the better. You will get more frames with the subject and they will be less blurry, because they have shorter exposures. Still, the priority is image quality. So don't buy any random camera, but check out reviews. 720p could be too low to read licence plate.
@@grzegorzszymanski6687 This looks like a drift stealth 2 in a new package. I can tell you, give up on reading license plates. In 1080p in good light you can, or in the dark with low movement. 720p is only enough to read the license plate of the car right in front of you, and auto exposure drowns out license plates on the front due to headlights.
I cannot find anything on the market that has a 4+ hour battery life, is water proof, slim profile, and can read license plates... unless you get your hands on a (discontinued) gopro session and permanently wire it into a powerbank.
Sony XAVCS 1080/60 is a good compromise over say SJCAM SJ8 Pro or GoPro 4k/60.
Probably but not the same form factor
it's a nice formfactor. i think they could potentially create a model with both a front and back camera in one housing, where each lens could be tilted independently from the body in addition to the lens rotation. that would make it so convenient in having one unit recording opposite sides with just one mount. also dual microsd card slots would help with any recording writes to a card.
Thanx, Techmoan. After much research, a majority of which was by your awesome reviews, I'm going to pick up a Ghost X. Stay safe out there!
Great video. Bought one based on your review. Re the sound, I taped off the front mike with insulating tape. Much better. Less weird noises! Thanks again
Good classic Techmoan episode... nice.
My helmet cam has come in handy so many times. I even picked up a UFO one night a couple years ago.
Your Bike Helmet now looks like it has tumours , with how many camera attachments its now got glued in ... hehehe
Probably costs about 3mpg. Needs to add some carbon fiber stickers to get the power up.
@@chaos.corner And RGB. RGB makes everything better.
@@PongoXBongo There have definitely been a few helmets that integrated indicators. RGB is likely to run you into trouble with the po-po though.
@@PongoXBongo Nah, just needs to replace the caps...
after 18:32 you can hear the join
And see it, it is however pretty minimal to be fair.
Yup, but is almost imperceptible.
I found it really funny that there was an slight but definitely noticeable join just as he is saying there is none
perfect timing!
Took me 4 watch overs to notice the join, I'd say it's extremely good for a product like this as you are using it for evidence and not to film amateur cinema...
Thanks Mr Techmoan, just passed my CBT, ordered one of these for the commute down to Crawley.
PS, Having a massive head is a sign of intelligence :-)
Great review !! I just purchased this camera 4/29/22 for road cycling here in Greensboro, NC (USA). Thanks.
Such a great review.. well produced, entertaining and informative.. 10/10
This is perfect timing actually! Just yesterday my mum suggested buying a helmet cam for my dad! This is going right on the Christmas list then!
6:49am in Argentina.
Damnit Mat, I have work later today, I gotta sleep!
Haha right as you were talking about how seamless the splits were, there was like a blurp that I'm assuming was from two clips being merged
Sena didn't discontinue the tube. They released a new version with wifi. I bought it after seeing your video on the old version, but I did have to pre-order it and wait a few weeks. It's a great camera!
The Audio Artifacting is coming from the noise canceling trying to eliminate Wind noise and something on the road is making a sound that's in the same range as the Wind noise that is being canceled out. And a nice tip if it's not too hot out you can make up the difference for your helmet if you wear a nice thick scarf around the base of it. it won't eliminate all the excess wind flowing through your helmet but it'd stop you in helmet mic from sounding like you talking in a wind tunnel. However it will get really hot on a warm day.
Thank you Techmoan!! I was looking for a side-mount helmet camera and you saved me A LOT of research! Just added to the Amazon cart. I enjoy a lot your videos. Regards from Costa Rica
14:40 - it's like that noise a deflating balloon with it's neck stretched makes but cos the mics are picking up different signals, due to their proximity and wind travelling across the surfaces differently, and noise cancelling relying on the similar signals with one them inverted, it's introducing artefacts and they're quite increased and more noticeable when turning!
I have purchased the Ghost XL and it would not record until you showed me the record button, I was riding around in stand by mode. They should have put this in the little instruction manual and it would have saved me hours of playing with settings, so a BIG Thank You for a great video.
I've got no need or interest in this kind of product, yet it was still an absolutely joy to watch.
I don't know if it's UA-cam quality or thumbnail video format but i had a hard time reading license plates of oncoming traffic. Which to me seems quite important for these cameras.
Thank you very much for this thorough review. Was searching for a motorcycle helmet camera with a nice battery life and this one will suit me just fine.
My old trusty Drift HD has been with me for many years and is still going strong. Was very thankful you can still get lense replacements after I dropped it last year. I bought a stealth not so long ago but was very disappointed there was no external mic option. I don't vlog but I do have a mic in my helmet as it cuts out all the wind noise you'd otherwise get. This one with the mic adapter looks a lot better. Might have to think about an upgrade for xmas :)
You're always dressed on point. I really enjoy your sense of fashion
I don't know about the camera, but your shirt gets a thumbs up.
The first Techmoan vid I ever watched was the Honda NC700 dct review. This vid reminded me of that, subbed ever since.
I've lost 2 hours of my miserable life to watch reviews videos of this camera. Next time I will wacth your video first, everything is really good explained.
As always, thanks for testing !! ;)
Techmoan; a tip from me is to mount the Drift camera on the front brake fluid reservoir on the handlebar. Just use the flat mount that come included in the package. Edit. See now I was to quick in my comment.
I had to look up PTW and apparently it stands for 'Powered Two Wheelers', as opposed to bicycles. You learn something every day.😉
Cut a small cosmetic sponge and put a slit in it so it will fit around your microphone. This makes for a nice, cheap windscreen to help keep the wind noise down.
6:41 More specifically, the Apple style. I realised when looking at SIM ejector pins on eBay, it seems that the ones that are the most cloned are the Apple style, and the Samsung style. but I do really like the original OnePlus One SIM ejector, as it comes in a cute little sleeve.
An update on your recommend action cams would be cool. That's the main thing I used to watch in 2016 for and I've sent a load of people to the channel when they've asked me but now it's a neglected topic :)
Used to look forward to Techmoans informative reviews of dash/sports cams so was pleased to see this review, although he used to review budget cams
Great initial review!!!! Just picked up one of these at a fraction ($55usd) than a gopro. Not bad for an initial camera!
You can put a piece of tape over the Mike to avoid wind noise. Yes that will slightly reduce overall sound volume, but at least you won't get the wind noise.
Your helmet looks cool with all the cameras attached! Down right formidable!
Good review and thanks to it i have bought one to replace my failing Drift Stealth.
Bought mine 7 months ago and recently took it with me on my Norway trip. It took great photos but one day of heavy rain and it was a dead duck. My fault as I should have bought the waterproof case. At least i have a spare battery for the next one.
You can buy basically fuzzy tape designed for microphones to take down wind noise. So you might be able to get away with onboard audio. Not sure, just a thought.
After using loads of action cameras of many types over the years, all I can say is use either a Sony or the TomTom action camera. The TomTom is heavy for the size but loaded with features at 150 pounds you can't go wrong. I have seen deals for the Sonys for under 200 pounds
But both the Sony and TomTom have pathetic battery life compared to the Drift Ghost X and they are bulkier too.
I don't want to alarm you but you drive on the wrong side of the road mate.
WINDOWS 87 Why do you use British / Australian slang then?
*sigh*…. Oh look, another 'wrong side of the road' joke...
well it's not the 'right' side so it has to be the wrong side, right?
Left is right and right is wrong ..... makes sense.
Everything is ass-backwards these days.
Really good and informative video. Considering to purchase this cam for my bike and the battery life is the selling point for me.
All the other action cams I've used barely held up to 2 hours.
1080p @ 30fps gets me approximately 100-110 minute of recording on a 128gb card as an FYI. Also I love this camera and would highly recommend to anyone seeking a helmet cam. Purchased mine after seeing this review and have loved it since.
Really like the convenience of being able to use it either for 2x or 4x wheeled transport!
It says on the Drift website "The Ghost X is IPX4 rated. This means that you can use it in the rain"
You cannot use it in the rain, mine died irreparably the minute I used it in the rain and if you look on Amazon there are many 1 star reviews from customers whose Ghost X also completely died when they used it in the rain. And as I and those other people have found the warranty does not cover this.
A waterproof cover is absolutely essential for this camera. I'm sure this is the reason they upgraded to IPX7 for the Ghost XL.
What's really galling is that on their website they advertise the Ghost X with a picture of it covered in water drops as if it is being used in the rain.
I really like the indepth long videos you do, like I get excited whenever I see a new video (even if it's not something I would be interested in buying such as this, I don't really have a bike at the moment anyway) because of that haha!
Great review Techmoan, thanks for all your information on the Drift Ghost X. I'll now go ahead and purchase one. 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
Great in depth review, all the important questions answered, well done....
Wouldn't a bit of foam over the mics be enough for wind suppression?
Putting a very small piece of foam tape over the microphones will fix that wind noise without muffling the mic.
Been there, learned that.
Hi I bought the Drift Ghost X after your review and must say the camera is not bad at all. The only problem I can see with this camera is that when the camera records and changes eg from one 5 minuite clip to another according to the time stamp 2 to 3 seconds are lost.
I think this is enough for motorcycle,doesn't have to be gopro7 £400 just because is the latest one...this one does good job,as it looks like in your video!
Very detailed and nice review sir!
Brilliant review. Just ordered a ghost x on the strength of it. Many thanks.
You should created the intimate high tech camera! One with 3 cameras, 2 on either side pointing forward, and 1 facing the rear, it could have a head up display inside so you can see behind you, and one that tells you things like directions and speed so you don’t have to look down. It could tell things in audio like “turn left” or “speed limit exceeded” you could call it “ helmetmoan”
Just imagine how much that would cost I bet somebody would buy it at least
First Name Last Name With all that integration, the lens could stick out less, being just a slight bulge on the outside with lenses front and back. All holes would be inside the dry helmet, including screws for removing and upgrading the camera. Positioning the HUD without compromising the life saving padding will be a design challenge.
"You should created the *intimate* high tech camera" - I think certain parts of the web have been working on it :-)
@@anononomous I think this camera looks ideally shaped for the job.
There seems to be a glitch about 18:33 during your explanation of the "seamless" nature of the joins. Around where you say the word "point" the video skips-- is that one of those "seamless" joins to which you refer?
I come for the video, stay for the soothing, awesome credits.
Nice camera. Thanks for the review. Sound is decent enough for intelligibility, and therefore court.
I totally agree with you on the mode overload.
I am using the Drift Ghost X for a couple of years now and the only thing they do is annoy me when I accidentially hit the wrong button on the remote.
The Ghost X doesn't support a remote - you must have the Ghost 4K. Use the buttons on the camera to start recording and check the LED instead.
Got mine today, great cam thanks. Also the latest firmware allows DVR and instant record at the same time :)
So is this a Halloween episode?
Y'know, because it's a Ghost
Good comments apart from the waterproof bit. I can definitely confirm that it is not waterproof and if you're intention is to use in all weather's you'll need to purchase the clear plastic waterproof case
Really informative, I've just bought the drift ghost XL , can you do a video of how to view and download my data please
Which camera would you recommend? This one or the Sena tube WiFi?
Thanks
I liked both videos...
Hey!
I'd love to see a review of the current action cams, especially the budget friendly ones like the V50 from Akaso or three Yi 4K
Forget about Akaso. The sensors are rubbish.
Great video, thanks for a comprehensive but easy to understand round up of the features.
I dont know if i missed it, but i am asking myself if you can let the camera run in DVR/loop mode and tap a button when an accident happenes so this particular clip cannot be overwritten by the loop function? So hard save a certain clip by pressing a button... I think they have it on their website called "Video Tagging" but I didnt see you review this
There's a product most popular mountain bikers use on their GoPros to combat wind noise with decent results. I don't know if it holds up at highway speeds but I reckon it should be plenty good for city commutes on any small format microphone. Look it up on Amazon, the product name is "Micover Stickover-Mini Universal Windscreen for DSLRs, Phones, Laptops, Small Video Cameras"
I put a tube scarf over the bottom of my face with the mic tucked underneath it. I have a similar helmet and that works for me. I rarely record using the external mic, but I did on a holiday in the Lakes and captured some good wind free audio. 😀
I've got the same camera btw.
The way to handle all those settings for people who don't have a smart phone is to save them in a (well commented) text file in the root of the SD card and connect to a computer as a generic USB storage device with that same text file in the root directory. It should be actively monitored so any time it's saved (with changed settings) the camera re-reads the file.
I use a Sony FDR-X3000 and I am very happy with image quality, mounting and ease of use. With a 200GB sd card it records for hours. Unfortunately it doesn't have proper loop recording, so I have to manually format it every few days. It's also rather expensive, but I think it is worth the money
I'm from the US and I had a few to drink tonight and the driving footage is a little bit scary. It's not because of driving on the opposite side of the road, it's because in the US the direction of traffic lanes are separated by yellow lines. White lines means same direction traffic so it looks like you're entering one-way roads. Ha ha.
Anyway, I should recommend this to my boyfriend, he bikes to work sometimes and people aren't always patient or alert for cyclists on those roads.
Why no DVR and instant record though? That seems like the most useful combination of features
I bought one of these and the purple panda mic...having a heck of a time hearing audio, though. Thanks for this video, sir. Subbed!
1:22 I totally agree with you, square cams on top of the helmet looks awful. That's why I use "bullet" shaped cams, like Sony, Contour, etc...
Really helpfull video. What,s the best view mode to be in .FOV ?
There is a slight cut/pop in audio and maybe a tiny jump in frames at 18:32 when you are explaining that there is no problems joining videos. It happens when you say "somepoint"
...which I believe is a minute into that section, is this the join?
You need to buy the sticky mini dead cat mic buff that you can stick over each mic. There like 5 bucks on amazon. They really work
Thanks for doing the indoor video segment. It was useful! What was the lighting used when doing that indoor part?
I bought 4 Drift Ghost, one Ghost X and three ghost XL, all four had the same problem, the display stops working, all writing disappears and the display is colored and the wifi stops working. In short, there is no way to configure the camera anymore. Make no mistake, if it gets rain it will spoil!
Thanks for this very thorough review.
Since the specs state "A/V Output via USB adaptor", could you please try connecting the Ghost X to the HDMI input on a LCD monitor ?
Also, do you know what type of mini USB connector is on the camera ?
Thanks...
I put a small piece of insulating tape over the mic holes, still get the sound but no wind noise,
Good review - very comprehensive so thank you for that !
I just got one of these - I love it. I use the Cycliq Fly 12ce and fly 6ce on my handlebars and seat post... First ride however, once the memory card got full, it didn't loop around, it just turned off... I made sure the firmware was up to date, formatted the card, turned off the thumbnails and I was running it at 1080p 30fps... as I'm used to the out of the box dvr loop perfection of the cycliq products, I'm wondering if I've missed a step?
Great video, Can you record whilst charging, Thought i could hard mount this to my bike and have a battery pack
I hated riding with the GoPro style cameras, bloody things are like a parachute, really uncomfortable at any speed.
I got the prism camera on the strength of your review and that's a nice little camera. Easy to switch on and off and is entirely unnoticeable when using it against the wind.
I think I'd find the buttons a little fiddly on this one though and I wander if it's got the water resistance for those heavy rain days. Nice image though and good and small.
Excellent. I bought one tonight using your affiliate link.
You legend thanks for doing such a thorough job, very helpful video