Garmin launches new Virb X and XE cameras

Garmin has taken a leaf out of GoPro’s book, and has given its cameras a sleek new redesign in the Virb X and XE.

Packed into the new, flatter form (which is easier to mount onto your favourite helmet, or Wand of Narcissus) is a 50 metre waterproof camera, which can integrate with all your other Garmin goodies – whether it’s overlaying power output data, or max.speed or vertical feet dropped during a DH run.

The Virb XE can handle 1080p at 50fps (or 1440p at 30fps); the Virb X runs 1080p at 30fps and 720p at 60fps. They’ll both shoot 12MP stills, too. The XE also has lots of fancy software shennanigans so you can fiddle about with ISO and white balance etc etc. Very tasty.

They’ve got built-in GPS, and an accelerometer and gyroscope, and they can link in with other Garmin tech to give you performance data overlays (blimey – that’s a proper new level of nerd, right there), speed at the time, metres descended in real time, or what have you. This is as well as linking in to your phone for live streaming and control mroe than one camera at once – so you can record your look of terror at the faceplant at the same time as watching your front wheel disappearing into oblivion). Oh, and if the aforementioned stack causes your camera to remove itself from the vicinity, you can find it in the undergrowth by virtue of the GPS tracking feature.

Sounds very tasty – you can get your fervid mitts on them some time this summer. US prices are $399 for the XE and $299 for the X; we’ll let you know UK prices when we get them.

More information here

Barney Marsh

Barney Marsh takes the word ‘career’ literally, veering wildly across the road of his life, as thoroughly in control as a goldfish on the dashboard of a motorhome. He’s been, with varying degrees of success, a scientist, teacher, shop assistant, binman and, for one memorable day, a hospital laundry worker. These days, he’s a dad, husband, guitarist, and writer, also with varying degrees of success. He sometimes takes photographs. Some of them are acceptable. Occasionally he rides bikes to cast the rest of his life into sharp relief. Or just to ride through puddles. Sometimes he writes about them. Bikes, not puddles. He is a writer of rongs, a stealer of souls and a polisher of turds. He isn’t nearly as clever or as funny as he thinks he is.

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