GoPro’s supremacy in the sports and action camera department started being disputed recently, as both Polaroid and Kodak have launched similar products. The latter’s addition to this sector can shoot 360-degree videos and has a lot of connectivity options.
Once a popular brand of photography-related products, Kodak went out of the spotlight and gave way to manufacturers of digital cameras. Now, the American company makes the news when launching innovative products such as the AstroZoom AZ651, which has the largest optical zoom (65x) available in a consumer compact camera. The newly-announced Kodak Pixpro SP360 Action Camera, however, targets a different audience than the one interested in shooting pictures and videos at a distance. This little gadget was built with lovers of extreme sports in mind, but it might prove suitable for action scenes shot by casual users.
What really sets Kodak’s sports camera apart from its competitors is the unique 360-degree curved lens that lets you shoot more action in more angles. As any reputable device that gets to be used in all sorts of environment, the camera can withstand physical shocks, extreme temperatures and humidity. More precisely, it is 2m shockproof, -10 degrees Celsius freezeproof, dust- and waterproof.
In terms of technical specs, the SP360 includes a 16 megapixel sensor, is capable of recording video in 1080p, as well as shoot still photos in 10 MP at 10 fps. As far as connectivity is concerned, there are Wi-Fi and NFC sensors included. Both of these are used for pairing the camera with smartphones, so as to have a larger viewfinder when shooting photos and videos.
The PixPro Remote Viewer is a companion app for the SP360 camera that’s currently available both for iOS and Android devices. It’s particularly convenient when you want to control or view the videos shot with this action camera.
The Kodak PixPro SP360 Action Camera can be purchased on the manufacturer’s website for $349. That’s a lot less than the $499 you would have to pay for a GoPro Hero 4, but you need to keep in mind that Kodak’s camera also has fewer functions. Still, for the purpose it serves, Kodak’s product should manage to attract some of the people who have been considering buying an action camera, but can’t afford a GoPro.
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