![]() ![]() We took some video in a room at each of the four different settings and then roughly measured the field of view using a large engineering protractor. In the Setup screen, the field of view can be changed from “Wide” to “Zoom 1”, “Zoom 2” and “Ultra Zoom”. We didn’t learn much more once the VIRB arrived and, in fact, Garmin still apparently doesn’t list the actual specifications for the lens field of view. ![]() We described the Garmin VIRB in this preview. The bad news is that have been disappointed with the quality of the video from the Garmin VIRB it doesn’t meet the expectations for a $300.00 action camera. It has a build quality far beyond any of the other motorcycle video cameras we’ve reviewed, which typically have a hollow cheap plastic sound and feel in comparison (with one or two exceptions). Ours arrived promptly and our first impressions were good this is one solid device, no two ways about it. It’s also available as the Garmin VIRB Elite for $399.99 apparently it includes an internal GPS. The Garmin VIRB (anyone know what VIRB means?) was released on schedule and our basic kit cost $299.99. When Garmin announced the VIRB action cam a few months ago, we jumped on board and placed a pre-order.Īfter all, Garmin is one of the biggest names in electronics and they have the resources to put a lot of muscle behind the development of a new action camera. It retails for about $120.00 less than the Garmin VIRB. The bottom line at this point is that we can still recommend the Midland XTC300 (review) as an excellent and less expensive alternative with overall better video quality. The basic mount situates the relatively heavy VIRB in such a way that makes it vibrate or jump more than other cameras, despite the switchable image stabilization. The Garmin VIRB is also comparatively expensive and the basic kit includes very few accessories even a tripod mount is optional. The exposure range seems limited and the camera tends to overexpose the shadows, which then “blows out” or overexposes lighter areas in the field of view. The video has an overall blue or “cool” tint, yet the colors are oversaturated. Our feeling is that the video quality from the Garmin VIRB isn’t as good as some other action cameras we’ve reviewed. Overall, we’re disappointed with the video quality of the Garmin VIRB and we hope that Garmin can and will correct the faults with a firmware upgrade. It’s also relatively heavy and we discovered that this has implications when mounting the camera. The Garmin VIRB action camera is built like a brick with excellent overall construction. ![]()
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