CES 2015 showcases lots of new tech that will help you shoot your best videos ever - James Huang / Immediate Media
The Hexo isn't just another drone – its claim to fame is the clever control interface, which supposedly requires no advanced training and allows it to autonomously track its subject in a wide range of styles - James Huang / Immediate Media
Compared to four-rotor drones, Hexo 's six-rotor layout yields more lift and supposedly better stability - James Huang / Immediate Media
The Hexo is by no means the largest drone out there but it's not exactly compact, either, with a total length of about 62cm (24in) and a weight right around 1kg (2.2lb). It also isn't cheap, at US$1,150, with a 3D gimbel but without the camera - James Huang / Immediate Media
Mounted up front on the Hexo is a GoPro camera, fitted with either a 2D or 3D gimbel for smoother video - James Huang / Immediate Media
Hexo claims a fly time of around 15 minutes. The rechargeable Li-ion battery packs can easily be swapped out - James Huang / Immediate Media
Operating the Hexo looks astoundingly simple using the proprietary smartphone app. Simply frame your shot, set a few parameters, and launch - James Huang / Immediate Media
Hexo 's straightforward control interface should take a lot of the guesswork away from drone operation - James Huang / Immediate Media
French company Parrot has been in the drone game for longer than most and arrived at CES with several pint-sized models, including this 400g Bebop. Despite the diminutive size, the body houses a 3-axis accelerometer, gyroscope, magnetometer, ultrasound sensor, pressure sensor, vertical camera for speed tracking, WiFi server and a 14-megapixel image stabilized HD video camera - James Huang / Immediate Media
Parrot's new Skycontroller effectively places you 'inside' the drone when paired with a set of virtual reality goggles. Moreover, the signal booster increases the operating range up to 2km - James Huang / Immediate Media
Upstart company Zano is new to the consumer market but boasts a long history of military drone development. Its new drone functions autonomously like the Hexo but is much smaller and is more accessibly priced – around US$230 - James Huang / Immediate Media
Despite the tiny size, the Zano drone is jam packed with hardware, including its own GPS locator, web server, a modular HD video camera, an LED flash, and built-in sensors for collision avoidance - James Huang / Immediate Media
Zano claims a 25mph maximum flight speed and up to 20 minutes of flight time from the rechargeable (and swappable) Li-ion battery - James Huang / Immediate Media
The clever design incorporates a tiny GPS chip up top while the printed circuit board where the electronics are mounted serves double duty as the flight structure - James Huang / Immediate Media
Zano's modular design means that individual components can be upgraded later on - James Huang / Immediate Media
Tired of running out of battery power on your GoPro? Consider a Refuel extended battery pack from Digipower with claimed run times of up to 12 hours - James Huang / Immediate Media
Digipower also offers a wide range of support bits for GoPro users, including chargers that will accept up to three battery packs and portable packs with built-in leads for mobile charging out in the wilderness - James Huang / Immediate Media
Many photographers may know the Tiffen brand name for its huge range of filters but the company was also showing off a range of handheld Steadicam camera stabilizers for smoother video recordings - James Huang / Immediate Media
GoPro's latest 3-Way mount acts as a mini-tripod, a simple handheld grip, and an extendable selfie stick - James Huang / Immediate Media
The tripod legs of GoPro's 3-Way mount store neatly inside the handle - James Huang / Immediate Media
Thule continues to expand its collection of soft goods with several options designed specifically for GoPro users - James Huang / Immediate Media
The new Thule Legend GoPro Sling Pack retails for US$100 and includes semi-rigid foam cutouts for up to two GoPro cameras and plenty of accessories - James Huang / Immediate Media
Got a lot of accessories for your GoPro? Thule's new Legend GoPro (left, US$40) and Legend GoPro Advanced (right, US$60) cases feature plenty of dedicated compartments to keep your video equipment protected and organized - James Huang / Immediate Media
Optrix offers a range of cases and mounts to help you make the most of the rather impressive video camera that's already built into later iPhone models. Interchangeable lenses lend a few more creative options too - James Huang / Immediate Media
While there are plenty of fantastic dedicated action video cameras currently available, many already have an iPhone in their pockets. Add one of Optrix's mounts and you're ready to shoot - James Huang / Immediate Media
Midland's XTC400VP video camera boasts 1,080p video resolution, 12MP still image capture, built-in WiFi for iOS or Android-equipped smartphone control, and a four-hour claimed run time. Retail price is US$250 - James Huang / Immediate Media
Midland offers a wide range of mounts for its XTC video camera range. Standard 1/4-20in threaded holes make the XTC compatible with a huge selection of third-party mounts - James Huang / Immediate Media
Liquid Image's new Ego LS will be able to live-stream your video over 4G LTE or WiFi networks when it becomes available in October. Maximum claimed resolution is 1,080p at 30fps with 135-degree field of view - James Huang / Immediate Media
One of the more interesting action video camera companies we visited at CES is Replay XD. Several options are available, all with stout aluminium tube-style construction, a wide array of mounts, and some impressive specs - James Huang / Immediate Media
Replay XD's new US$300 Prime X camera features a "professional grade", AR-coated, all-glass, aspherical f/2.7 lens that should capture plenty of light for sharp and clean images. Tucked behind it is a comparatively big 1/2.3in CMOS sensor - James Huang / Immediate Media
Given Replay XD's motorsports background, it's no surprise to see extra-stout aluminium clamp mounts offered in a wide range of diameters. Say goodbye to camera shake on account of flimsy mounts - James Huang / Immediate Media
While the new Prime X is Replay XD's latest flagship model, the redesigned 1080 Mini (US$200) offers similar video outputs in a much smaller package. Lost in the translation is the all-glass lens and built-in WiFi of the Prime X but you still get a fast f/2.8 lens, a full complement of inputs and outputs (including an external mic and HDMI), and waterproof aluminium construction rated down to 3m (10ft) - James Huang / Immediate Media
A printed guide inside the O-ring sealed cap makes it easy to decipher all of the different settings on the Replay XD Prime X - James Huang / Immediate Media
Sony brings considerable muscle to the action video cam market. The US$250 Action Cam Mini is just 76mm (3in) long but still manages to pack in electronic image stabilisation, an f/2.8 Zeiss lens, wireless smartphone connectivity and lots of mounting options - James Huang / Immediate Media
Sony's new 4K Action Cam boasts - you guessed it - ultra-high 4K resolution along with electronic image stabilisation, built-in Wi-Fi and GPS, a 12.8 megapixel sensor, and a fast f/2.8 Zeiss lens. Retail price is definitely at the high end, however, at US$500 - James Huang / Immediate Media
While Sony's action cameras can be paired with compatible smart phones, the company also offers a dedicated wireless control if you'd rather leave the more expensive hardware safely at home - James Huang / Immediate Media
Need some more light to go along with your iPhone videos? Knog's new Expose plug-in LED churns out 120 lumens via its own battery pack to help brighten up your shots - James Huang / Immediate Media
If one of your goals for 2015 is to shoot better riding videos, you're in luck.
This year's Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas was chock full of new gear designed to help you collect your best footage ever.
Drones, drones and more drones
Aerial drones are such a hot segment of the consumer electronics market that the show had an entire area dedicated just to them. Many of the options catered to the extremes of the spectrum, with huge six- and eight-rotor models packing enough power to haul full-blown dSLR movie cameras at one end, and pint-sized versions, aimed at casual users who just want to play around, at the other.
Two of the most interesting, were the Hexo+ and Zano – fully autonomous drones that don't require any training to operate. Both got their initial funding via crowdsourcing campaigns and, notably, both absolutely shattered their original goals.
The hexo isn't just another drone; its claim to fame is the clever control interface, which supposedly requires no advanced training and allows it to autonomously track its subject in a wide range of styles:
The Hexo+ autonomous drone is impressive in terms of specs, but more so in terms of how easy it supposedly is to operate
The Hexo+ is more visually impressive, with a substantial 62cm (24in) length, six-rotor layout, and sleek black plastic body, beneath which a GoPro Hero 4 (not included) is mounted on a three-axis gimbel to give a steady image capture.
Hexo+ CEO Antoine Level says the drone has a ripping top speed of 70km/h (45mph) with a flight time of around 15 minutes, which would theoretically make it suitable even for downhill action footage of road descents.
The most clever thing about the Hexo+ is the slick control interface. Instead of having to continuously control the drone manually, Hexo+ is fully autonomous – just frame the shot using the associated smartphone app, adjust a few parameters (such as follow distance, programmed movements, and so on), and launch the drone. Hexo+'s software takes over from there, adjusting the drone's flight as needed in order to keep the shot framed as intended.
Hexo 's straightforward control interface should take a lot of the guesswork away from drone operation:
Hexo+'s control interface looks especially slick and straightforward to use with no in-flight manual operation required
Hexo+ is quite expensive – US$1,150 – though, and that price doesn't even include the camera – which makes the somewhat similar Zano drone all that much more appealing. Its US$230 asking price makes it much more accessible.
That price gets you a much smaller four-rotor drone that fits neatly on a CD (remember those?) with similar flight time to the Hexo+ and a still-reasonable 40km/h (25mph) top speed. Whereas the Hexo+'s programming is visually based, however, Zano operates on more of a 'virtual tether', honing in and maintaining a prescribed distance to the smartphone to which it's paired.
Upstart conpany zano is new to the consumer market but boasts a long history of military drone development. its new drone functions autonomously like the hexo but with a much smaller size and far more accessible price point of around us$230 :
The Zano autonomous drone is comparatively tiny but no less feature-packed
Despite its diminutive size, the Zano packs in a remarkable amount of hardware, including as a GPS guidance chip, a 5-megapixel camera, an on-board LED flash, WiFi server, and sensors for collision avoidance. The modular design also makes for easy upgrades down the road.
Both drones are still in the final development phase but should be available within the next few months.
We're dying to try the hexo+ drone for ourselves
Video: We're dying to try the Hexo+ drone for ourselves
The zano autonomous drone looks to be similarly slick in operation - and it's way cheaper
Video: The zano autonomous drone looks to be similarly slick in operation – and it's way cheaper
New action cams and lots of GoPro accessories
We lost track of the number of action cameras on display at CES but a few definitely caught our attention more than others.
Consumer electronics giant Sony showed off a new flagship with 4K resolution for ultra-sharp images, Replay XD's Prime X packs an all-glass, AR-coated aspherical lens and a bigger-than-average CMOS sensor into its slick waterproof aluminium body, and companies such as Optrix were capitalising on the creative potential of newer Apple iPhones with weather- and impact-resistant cases and mounts designed to help you make better use of the video camera you probably already have in your pack.
Tired of running out of battery power on your gopro? consider a refuel extended battery pack from digipower with claimed run times of up to twelve hours:
Get up to 12 hours of run time on a GoPro camera when it's fitted with Digipower's biggest Refuel battery pack
That said, GoPro is still the dominant player in this area, and there was no shortage of new accessories on hand to support the format.
Among the most appealing were extended-life battery packs from Digipower with claimed run times up to 12 hours (the standard run time is 2.5 hours), well thought-out new storage cases from Thule, and simple – but effective – stabilised handheld mounts from Tiffen for smoother footage.
Many photographers may know the tiffen brand name better for its huge range of filters but the company was also showing off a range of handheld steadicam camera stabilizers for smoother video recordings:
Shoot smoother GoPro footage with Tiffen's Steadicam
If you were already proficient shooter, some of these bits might be just what you need to take things to the next level – and if you haven't gotten into it yet but want to, there have never been better options to help get you going.
