Are you one of those frightfully energetic types that takes sick pleasure in throwing yourself off, over and out of things? Well for the sake of your lazy brethren stop it, you’re making us look bad.
At the very least, capture the process in HD so we can point and laugh when you break something. The iON Air Pro 2 would serve you well for such a task.
Approximately 10cm long, 4cm wide and weighing 130grams, the iON is a brilliantly simple ‘action’ camera. A single button turns the camera on and off, while a slider switch operates recording: slide this forward, and the camera responds with an affirming rumble. Even if you’ve attached the camera in an out-of-the-way position, like your helmet, its communicative vibrations and chunky switch make it easy to tell if you’re recording.
With its 14-megapixel sensor, the iON can take videos in clear, crisp HD - up to 60 frames per second. A fisheye style lens captures 180-degrees of vision, recording every inch of the scenery you blur past. Its neatest party trick is a Wi-Fi attachment, allowing you to connect to your smartphone via a free app. From here you can control the camera remotely and post videos or images online. Be warned though, the Wi-Fi is a significant drain on battery.
(Set the above video to 720p to see the iON at its best)
In order to test the iON to its maximum capacities, ShortList strapped it to one of its Tough Mudder participants. The rugged little camera survived the 11 mile assault course that took in (freezing) water obstacles, dirt and plenty of knocks.
A £299.95 price tag pitches the iON Air Pro 2 squarely against the hugely popular GoPro HERO3 - but as it’s a breeze to use and records great quality footage, the plucky outsider holds its ground.
You can find the iON Air Pro 2 here.
