The HD96’s unique feature is its built-in 2in LCD screen. It’s hidden under a cover on one side of the camera and is something of a bonus, allowing for quick playback and easy setting adjustments. It’s no use for lining your shot up in the first place, however, as the holster that attaches to the mount blocks access to it.
Note: This product was discontinued in 2012
You get a goggle strap mount, a vented XC-style helmet mount, three self-adhesive mounts and a bar mount included, but we found them rather rattly, which gave wobbly pictures. Luckily the H96 has a 0.25in tripod boss, so we tried mounts from a different camera – and got much better results. Doing it this way also gave access to the screen.
With the camera solidly mounted, picture quality is as good as it is from many other models, and you can manually adjust exposure and white balance. We’d prefer a wider viewing angle than the 135 degrees this has, though, and you have to drop down to 848x480 resolution to get that super-smooth 60 frames per second.
Operation is simple, with a big start/stop slide switch, though it’s recessed and hence not as easy to use with gloves as some others. Once you do manage to turn it on, the beeps are reassuring.
This article was originally published in What Mountain Bike magazine, available on Apple Newsstand and Zinio.