Shimano CM-1000 Sport Camera
Shimano has sent us their take on a sports camera. The CM-1000 landed at La Velocita February 2015, and did so in spectacular fashion, with its widely publicized use by the PRO-peleton in two major tours.
Shimano has shown us that they too can capture some of the world’s (and your) most amazing achievements through the Shimano CM-1000 Sport Camera.
Kirra McDonald talks more about this device from Shimano.
About
Well… its cute? Ok, so probably not the best way to start the conversation with a riding partner on your morning bunch ride… But, needless to say if you were to tell them that it is compact and very light weight you’d be right.
This small 86 gram camera is there to capture all the action in Full 1080P HD! I can guarantee that you will have every weight-weenie (yes that’s me) cyclist swooning over the this must have from Shimano.
At first glance, the packaging is quite spiffy! Shiny metallic blue and black box, with a clear window that entices you to ever so quickly burst the box open to have a closer look at the little gem inside…
‘Gently removing’ the Shimano Sport Camera from the box, you immediately notice how light this camera is, and how simple it looks. Two buttons, a couple of lights and a little locked compartment for micro SD card and charging. What can be so difficult? Well… Nothing really.
Set Up
The instructions are pretty straightforward and we had the Shimano Sport Camera up and running in no time, following the steps below.
- Charge device
- While device is charging, download app from app store for your smart phone
- Insert Micro SD card (this does not come with camera- you will need to purchase this)
- Once charged and the app has downloaded pair the two devices together.
- Record.
- Review footage, upload to your computer and watch all the action on the ‘big screen’…
Ride
The video footage I took on a morning bunch ride and despite it being dark the Shimano Sports Camera coped pretty well.
I’ve also used the camera for still images while out riding and at home of my cycling prep for my early starts and these too have turned out great.
I really didn’t have any troubles viewing the footage on my computer. Quicktime opened the video and iPhoto opened the still images and the quality of both were actually great!
All in all I think this camera is something I would be happy to use on a daily basis, especially if I were commuting to work, but even more so if I were to get out and race to be able to review the whole thing in its glory (hopefully).
Shimano has really stepped up the game, and put the big guns to the test… I think that this tiny gem will continue to gain traction, due to the quality of footagw, size and profile.
Just remember the camera also records audio… so perhaps save the bragging for after the camera has been turned off…
Tech. Highlights
Weather proof – no case required
Lightweight and low profile - It does not stand out like some other camera’s do – especially if you mount a camera on your helmet.
Recording Options - There’s loads of recording options, super wide (180 degrees), wide (135 degrees) and a range of different qualities (up to a maximum of 1080p) to choose to allow you to cram more footage onto the SD Card.
Control – The Shimano Sports Camera is contolled via your mobile phone (you can start and stop recording etc on the camera directly).
Battery Life - The Battery on our unit lasted just over 2 hours while recording. Pretty good for the small size of the unit.
ANT+ and data overlay - Shimano has added the ability to pair other ANT enabled devices with the Sport Camera. We loved this feature. You can pair up your computer and Shimano D-Fly unit then using third party software like DashWare during playback create data overlays showing, gearing, speed etc. Pretty cool.
We’ve grabbed some footage from DashWare.net to show how it looks.
Price
Starting at around $270 dollars and upward depending on accessories added.
Overall
The big question is, how does the Shimano CM-1000 stack up against the allmightly GoPro? Well, we think pretty well, the top of the range GoPro carries extra features but is over $100 more expensive. The Shimano Sport camera has the features that most people will use and is in a neat, small package that’s lightweight and has good battery life. In short it’s worth a look.
With your achievements set on film, bragging rights will no longer just be words of mythical existence but a reality, and for the rest, a great way to remember some cycling fun had by all. Or in the unfortunate event you are involved in a cycling mishap, it might just be the answer to what exactly what has happened…. Or make you famous on YouTube.
Here’s what can be done with the Shimano Sport’s Camera if you are a budding sports film maker!
Specifications
To see the full specifications of the Shimano Sport Camera click here
As we are well into winter everyone is asking me about lights, however, I think you should be riding with front and rear lights all year round, no matter what time of day or night, terrain, country or city, bike paths or roads.