Heads up!!! Here’s your massive holiday sports tech deals list! This includes the Garmin Epix for just $419, the Apple Watch Ultra 2 for just $699, the GoPro Hero 12 Black for $249, (or the brand new Hero 13 or $299!) and plenty more! Go check out the full list of 100+ deals here!
I’m DC RAINMAKER…
Here’s how to save!
Wanna save some cash and support the site? These companies help support the site! With Backcountry.com or Competitive Cyclist with either the coupon code DCRAINMAKER for first time users saving 15% on applicable products.
You can also pick-up tons of gear at REI via these links, which is a long-time supporter as well:
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You can use the above link for any Amazon country and it (should) automatically redirect to your local Amazon site.
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5 Easy Steps To The Site
1
In Depth Product Reviews
You probably stumbled upon here looking for a review of a sports gadget. If you’re trying to decide which unit to buy – check out my in-depth reviews section. Some reviews are over 60 pages long when printed out, with hundreds of photos! I aim to leave no stone unturned.
2
Read My Sports Gadget Recommendations.
Here’s my most recent GPS watch guide here, and cycling GPS computers here. Plus there are smart trainers here, all in these guides cover almost every category of sports gadgets out there. Looking for the equipment I use day-to-day? I also just put together my complete ‘Gear I Use’ equipment list, from swim to bike to run and everything in between (plus a few extra things). And to compliment that, here’s The Girl’s (my wife’s) list. Enjoy, and thanks for stopping by!
3
Have some fun in the travel section.
I travel a fair bit, both for work and for fun. Here’s a bunch of random trip reports and daily trip-logs that I’ve put together and posted. I’ve sorted it all by world geography, in an attempt to make it easy to figure out where I’ve been.
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My Photography Gear: The Cameras/Drones/Action Cams I Use Daily
The most common question I receive outside of the “what’s the best GPS watch for me” variant, are photography-esq based. So in efforts to combat the amount of emails I need to sort through on a daily basis, I’ve complied this “My Photography Gear” post for your curious minds (including drones & action cams!)! It’s a nice break from the day-to-day sports-tech talk, and I hope you get something out of it!
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The Swim/Bike/Run Gear I Use List
Many readers stumble into my website in search of information on the latest and greatest sports tech products. But at the end of the day, you might just be wondering “What does Ray use when not testing new products?”. So here is the most up to date list of products I like and fit the bill for me and my training needs best! DC Rainmaker 2023 swim, bike, run, and general gear list. But wait, are you a female and feel like these things might not apply to you? If that’s the case (but certainly not saying my choices aren’t good for women), and you just want to see a different gear junkies “picks”, check out The Girl’s Gear Guide too.
Whish i could afford it… the heat management is especially interesting, but I also like the battery life and the new mount. Not so sad about the sensor, though a new one would have been nice, especially for low light scenarios. Seems like this might be the peak model for this sensor and they wanted to improve and test other things before launching a model with a new one. Probably not a bad idea, but that is just my own humble opinion.
Also the direction to a more versatile cam (not only for sports or other “action” scenarios) is inevitable, I guess.
One question, is the new magnetic mount compatible with a Hero 9?
Thanks for the guide. One question: would you recommend the Volta or the shorty stick + magnetic charging door and a battery pack (could you recommend a waterproofed battery pack). I think it may depend on the kind of use, but with the magnetic charging door (and the different cables) one might be more flexible, if you have the camera attached to a backpack.
Have you said in the video, because of rain and wetness you already killed two Voltas (or have I miss understood that)?
Indeed, I’ve killed two via rain. Admittedly, it’s not designed for rain, but each time it just took one day of hard and/or constant rain to kill it (both while hiking). The camera was unharmed in both, but it refused to charge the cameras anymore.
That said, I find the Volta a good middle-ground for giving long battery life to a GoPro in the least clumsy way possible. Meaning, a battery bank+magnet is great, but the problem is how you hold/etc it while doing that. To that extent it depends a bit on the use case. For example, if it’s in a car/whatever and you don’t need to hold it, then a battery+magnet is perfect. Whereas if it’s being held (like I would do on hikes), then that ends up being a bit clumsy with cabling flopping around everywhere and getting caught up on hiking poles or such.
Of course, all kinda depends on exactly how it’s implemented. Just wish GoPro batteries would charge faster, cause that would sorta solve the problem indirectly if they charged to 80% in 20 mins like DJI.
Thanks. So thats why they write weather resistant (what ever that means for them) instead of water resitsant!? Did you complain about the Voltas and get them replaced?
Hey DCR.
People listen to you. Tell GoPro that calling a product “GoPro Hero” is pretty much unsearchable with the history of over a decade’s worth of products called “GoPro Hero” + something else.
Many thanks.
Totally agree. It looks like a compelling product, but I don’t at all understand the naming thinking there from a search/etc standpoint.
(I know obviously Apple does that for certain product lines, but even they have largely shifted away from that in recent years, and started to be more clear on adding year identifiers afterwards.)
Is this available in Australia?
Is this available in Australia?
On Amazon?
Ray – are you going to do any type of “review” for the mini?
Yup! That one has a bit later release date, so closer to that. Cheers!
Great to hear. I really wish GoPro would morph the mini back into a more Session form factor
Do you plan on making a comparison video between dji osmo action and gopro? I see so much praise online for osmo action but they all seem like paid content. The internet would benefit from an objective review.
Yup, I’ll be doing something once the new Action 5 comes out.
But you are correct, the overwhelming vast majority of DJI content is paid now. DJI is now requiring that virtually all reviewers submit their videos ahead of time to DJI for approval, as well as strongly pressing creators to agree to an exclusivity period to only review DJI Action Cams & Drones through the end of November.
DJI also even provides an explicit list of video titles, video tags, etc… that creators are supposed to lean heavily on to use in their videos. Virtually none of the creators are declaring the sponsored nature of these videos, nor the fact that they have to send their stuff to DJI for approval. Sigh.
Obviously, I’m not agreeing to any of that stuff. Thus, I just go out and buy it on my own. It means I’m a few days behind or so (action cams/drones are easier to test than watches in that regard), but, at least my content isn’t sponsored.
Thank you. Looking forward to reading / watching it before I spend my 400-500 euros for a new cam
…..and this is why your reviews are so trustworthy, interesting move by DJI – did find it odd that your review was not up the second it was announced
The new design against overheating seems not to work properly. In a test report I have read:
“GoPro hasn’t really solved the heat problem with Generation 13. At 5.3K resolution (60 fps), the camera switched off after about half an hour because the operating temperature was too high. However, this value is highly dependent on the ambient temperature, and with a cooling wind, the camera should last significantly longer or not overheat at all.” (Tester: Chip Magazine (German), link to chip.de ).
Their summery:
Advantages :
Professional video features
Video resolution up to 5.3K
Plus practical magnetic mount
Again with GPS
Disadvantages:
Heat problem at high resolutions
And yes, I know you have mentioned that in your guide. I was just a little bit astonished that they have changed the design to avoid overheating and it still happens nevertheless…
They should release a small mini fan as an accessory.
“(and, I’ve almost finished the written review).”
You didn’t forget about the written, did you?
Kinda. Gotta get that knocked out.
Any plans to review the smaller Hero (13)? In particular, curious if it’s worth upgrading over the Hero 11 Black Mini. The 11 Mini seems to have better specs, mainly re: stabilization, but if the new Hero (13) stabilizes in-app vs in-camera, then maybe there isn’t much difference there, just some time added to workflow?
Yup, just started working on it a week ago (my first unit got held in customs jail, and is actually still there, went out and bought a second unit).
The base (and confusingly named) Hero 4K, requires the app for stabilization. Whereas the Hero 13 Black, does it in-box.
Net result, setting aside processing time, is basically the same. All they’re doing is offloading that processing from camera to phone. But it’s, best I can tell, the exact same algorithms. By offloading, they get longer battery life, less heating issues, and can in turn reduce battery size in that tiny form factor. It’s clever for the majority of people, but also annoying if having a desktop workflow.