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:
Alternatively, for everything else on the planet, simply buy your goods from Amazon via the link below and I get a tiny bit back as an Amazon Associate. No cost to you, easy as pie!
You can use the above link for any Amazon country and it (should) automatically redirect to your local Amazon site.
-
Check out my weekly podcast - with DesFit, which is packed with both gadget and non-gadget goodness!
-
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.
4
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!
5
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.
Any comparison of ease of editing GPS info into the videos? I see the GoPro records GPS data and the GoPro Quik app has some tools for it, does Apple have something similar to record & visualize GPS info?
I have a GoPro Hero 4 (old, I know), and each time I want to make a video with GPS info (recorded by my Garmin since the Hero 4 doesn’t have built-in GPS), it’s a pain to sync up the video and GPX, and the editing software leaves much to be desired…
Most people use Telemetry Overlay for this. But it is expensive.
Will you be reviewing the new DJI Action 5? I’d love to hear your thoughts and an unbiased comparison to the Hero 13
2nd this! Action 5 is closest we have every got to a VIRB Ultra 30 replacement with their direct Garmin import!
I am working on it.
In short, DJI is now requiring (if they want early access):
A) Reviewers submit their reviews to DJI prior to release, for approval
B) Reviewers agree to a 90-day non-compete on action cameras and drones (where they won’t review other products in the space)
C) Reviewers not talk about the footage in comparisons of the Action 5 (e.g. head to head footage comparison, not discussing the footage quality).
Obviously, I’m not agreeing to any of that garbage. Thus, no early access unit for me. Instead, I went out and bought one, and have already started to work my way through it.
RE: VIRB Replacement
Actually, the ACE Pro is probably the best there (minus the not-so-wide FOV). DJI doesn’t have direct import of Garmin workouts, they have import of .FIT files (which, is still more functional than what GoPro has today). However, Insta360 actually syncs in your Garmin/Apple/COROS/a few others files directly, akin to what Strava does, and does the overlays directly – including cycling power/etc… It’s incredibly cool.
Will there be something about the Insta360 X4?
No, probably not. I generally find 360* cameras kinda finicky (and unfortunately, also super low-demand unfortunately interest-wise).
Why is Insta360 X4 type cameras “low demand?” . Wouldn’t they be good in capturing video from angles that would be missed?
As the owner and still user of a Garmin VIRB 360 (released 7 years ago), I can say something about this. It’s true that you “get all the angles”. But the primary problem with 360 video is that it’s hard to share. You can’t assume that someone you send a 360 file to will have the software to view it properly. It’s not that such software is hard to find (the free VLC can do it), but something like the macOS QuickTime Player can’t. So basically you’re going to do post processing to either frame some flat clips from the 360 file, or you can send it to YouTube and have it show in a browser/tablet/phone but you have to preprocess it with the “Spatial Media Injector” app that YouTube provides (or at least you did the last time I uploaded 360 a few years ago). The other problem is that the resolution of the chip is spread over (almost) a sphere, so the resolution in any direction is lower than a flat frame video using the same chip. These days if I use the VIRB 360 I always also record with my GoPro Hero 11. The flat video from the Hero 11 is for sharing, the 360 video is for me.
With regard to TC’s point. I’m sort of surprised that there is no app that will pick up the BLE feed of data fields to overlay onto a video.