AT A GLANCE
- Small, rugged, lightweight
- Available in 3 different colours
- Turn it on and shoot
- 5MP still photos and HD video
- Waterproof
- SD/SDHC/SDXC card slot
In the run-up to Hollywood’s biggest event (Oscar night!) and being an actress, I was very keen to play with the Camileo BW10 sportcam. “I’m ready for my close-up, Mr DeMille”, I thought.
At first glance, this camera is perfect. For a woman like me who always has 10 thousand just-in-case things in my handbag, it takes up very little real-estate. It’s actually smaller than my iPhone4, (though just a little thicker) and one can almost get away with slipping it in one’s pocket. Though the front of the camera comes in one of 3 pretty, ooh-shiny colours (turquoise, yellow and silver), the rest of it is covered in a rubber-coating that says I’m ready to come out and play. And it’s not scared to get dirty and can take the occasional bump or jostle.
Getting to Know You
The camera’s interface is unbelievably easy. There’s a 5-way navigational pad: up arrow = telephoto, down arrow = wide. Left arrow selects the quality of your still shots, click the right arrow and select video quality. Press the central OK button and you’re set. The graphics are simple and self-explanatory.
Use the camera icon to take a photo or select the videocam button to start shooting your masterpiece. The menu button takes you to further, though somewhat limited options. The LCD screen acts both as viewfinder and as playback.
Wet, Wet, Wet
The Camileo is waterproof and therefore perfect for capturing footage of your little one’s first time swimming-lesson or to catch your friends in the Jacuzzi without worrying about some unexpected splashes getting in the wrong place and ruining your electronics. For a scuba-diver like me, though, this is not the camera to capture the wonders of the deep. It might survive an outing in the deep end of your swimming pool, but you’d have to leave the Camileo dangling at 2 meters on your way down if you decided to take it on even a shallow dive.
Besides the camera, the box contains the warranty, a fairly hefty multi-lingual quick-start guide and a cloth pouch. A USB cable connects to your computer and doubles as a charger and a lariat hand strap provides a tether for the camera. Also included is a 4GB SD memory card which allows you to take almost 4000 still pictures and up to 5 hours of video. And if that’s not enough, you can replace the card with your own.
All the Extras
There is also a DVD with software which includes the following:
- Camileo uploader
- Magix video deluxe
- 15 plus trial software
- User manual
(Only problem is – it’s Windows only. Really? This seems like a major oversight – especially to this avowed, die-hard Apple-user who has never owned a PC.)
In the End
I wanted to love this camera, I really did. However the lack of a digital zoom and image stabilisation make for extremely sub-par footage and ran a-fowl of my expectations. The optical zoom is virtually worthless and though this is a self-professed sportcam, unless you place the camera on a stable surface to shoot, your footage is as shaky as an inebriated stiltwalker on cobblestones.
So, my final take: though the Camileo will be great for sharing videos on YouTube, don’t expect to find yourself thanking the Academy anytime soon.
(Click here and here to see two of my Camileo videos!)
Turn Ons:
- Small, rugged and waterproof
- Shoots HD video
- Easy interface
- Good for YouTube videos
Turn Offs:
- DVD included is Windows only
- No optical zoom or image stablisation
- No charger included
