Drift Ghost XL Pro Review / Unboxing

[@Premises187]

Any questions feel free to ask below. I'll edit this comment with anything I think I may have missed 2.7K @ 60fps sample clip - kzbin.info/www/bejne/iKLEYmRvjrlrjLc

[@redtela]

Looks like you positioned the camera quite high (as in, pointing upwards). That could be personal choice (some people don't like video of the speedo) What's the mount like for rotation? I currently ride with a Sena Prism which has a great mount for repositioning after it's stuck on the helmet, but it lacks stabilisation options :( Also, no 60fps demo? (moved my comment to here, makes more sense in this thread IMO)

[@Premises187]

@Dave when I set my cameras I aim for getting the horizon dead center. Unfortunately the Drift records at 140fov which is low in the realm of action cameras. I kept the 60fps video separate because it's not good to mix 30fps and 60fps timelines. Drifts main tagline for this camera is it records 4k (but at 30) so I made the unbox and the raw footage in the video 30. Check out this 2.7K @ 60fps sample clip - kzbin.info/www/bejne/iKLEYmRvjrlrjLc

[@redtela]

@@Premises187 but still, what's the mount like for rotating? :D If I slap the mount on, but I screw up the alignment, can I spin it up/down?

[@Premises187]

Doh, I should have covered this. The Drift installation is the most painless because it can rotate up and down on the mount and the lens can do 300° rotation. When you do apply the adhesive mount just make sure you have the cameras right/left angle correct. Also don't install it too low on the side of your helmet because the cable might hit your shoulder

[@redtela]

@@Premises187 Nothing to stop you editing it in and pretending we never had this discussion :D Thanks for the info though - appreciate it

[@UFCfighter07]

I really enjoy the footage of the camera and I think it’s great thanks for reviewing and unboxing the camera and making this video it’s really grateful I’m keeping my eye on it actually and I might get one for myself right safe and see you in the road may the force be with you :)

[@HippoDrones]

I had high hopes for the new camera, but was pretty disappointed with mine, am already trying to sell it to get some of my money back. I love the form factor and ergonomics and battery life and how tough it feels and the waterproof microphone socket. I just couldn't get on with the cropped FOV on already a very narrow FOV with stabilisation on, made my footage look like I was on a bicycle rather than a motorcycle. It is a great camera for a helmet dashcam function, but would be useless for me on my green lane videos.

[@Premises187]

I agree with you about FOV. I recall many people being critical of the original 4K's FOV back in 2017. Here we are in 2022

[@HippoDrones]

@@Premises187 Maybe the XL Pro 2 will have a 170 lens! :D

[@WildStuff]

I use the Drift Ghost XL which I love for its 9 hour battery life (can't find anything remotely comparable on the market) but it likes to freeze up quite regularly (maybe a couple of times a week, while riding most days). I've disabled all the whizz-bang features, upgraded the firmware, and tried several different high-end memory cards with no success. Have you experienced this with any of the Drift Ghost cameras, and is the new XL Pro any more stable? It's quite pricey here in Australia, but I'd buy it in a heartbeat if I knew it would fix the problem.

[@RidingTheAlps15]

I would appreciate the return of the 170° FOV. For me the No-Go is that there is no combination of connecting to a powerbank and having the mic connected. Guess I stick with the 4K.

[@gordon861]

Yes, I was a little disappointed when the 'wide angle' turned out to be 140 FOV, I'm still running a Contour with a 170 FOV and if you want it for accident evidence the wider FOV is better because you catch the stuff that comes in from the side earlier,

[@ArabianRider]

I was excited for this, but not a fan of the zoom in for stabilization. The Clone mode is AMAZING so thats a win.

[@grossi46]

Awesome, I have done a few videos on this myself buddy and I absolutely love it. Only downside is that when using the stabilisation it crops the image and also you dont have much perception of speed when its on 👌🤘🤘

[@Premises187]

Good stuff, you enjoying it so far?

[@grossi46]

@Premises187 absolutely love it. Only downside is that when using the stabilisation it crops the image which means you dont have much perception of speed 😥 👌🤘🤘

[@Premises187]

I agree that's a downside. I wish drift added another level of stabilisation that crops less so it's like a low level stab. Use a light stabilise using your video editing software.. it does a great job

[@ReevyMotovlogs]

Nice to see Drift still being used for motovlogs, still prefer the GoPro but if you're on a budget it's a decent setup.

[@ReevyMotovlogs]

Also damn 7 hour battery life!! Ok that's a great selling point.

[@redtela]

I never liked the GoPro on the side of the helmet, and if you ride with a modular (flip), a chin mount isn't always ideal :( I'm also not prepared to ride around looking like a tellytubby (GoPro on top)!

[@ReevyMotovlogs]

@@redtela chin mount is the best for GoPro, but yeah if it’s a modular helmet I can see how that’s not ideal

[@Premises187]

The 7hr thing is a biggie. If I ever go for a long distance ride I'll definitely be fitting this cam for it

[@barrkel]

The GoPro isn't nearly as good as the Drift form factor for helmet mounting.

[@oxide_fx]

The mic port is a big win for me, but apart from that the rest of the camera seems to be the same as the 4k... Also no modular battery ?? You'd think they'd be able to update it a bit more, with wider FOV or 4K 60. You can pick up a cheap Yi or similar with 4K 30 at a fraction of the cost.

[@cruiserjohn74]

Weird that they didn't managed to go 4k 60fps in 2022. You get better quality and picture choosing Gopro 8

[@arranfox7816]

How do you find the Ghost Drifts in general? I’m looking to get a helmet cam and a lot of people comment on the Ghost Drifts freezing a fair bit…but they’re much cheaper than the GoPro counterparts which seem to have their own problems anyway. I did have a drift years ago which for the most part seemed ok. Have your cameras frozen in the past? Is 4K worth it/ that noticeable when you upload?

[@Premises187]

In my experience with Drifts (and I've had many years of exp with them) the freezing issues I had were all caused by SD card. I highly recommend running Lexar 633x. It's funny because I've had issues running SD cards the camera manufacturers recommend and great success using the Lexar cards that none of the manufacturers ever mention.

[@gaza_]

i have three of them. They are fine. I always switch them on sand wait for at least ten to 15 seconds before pushing anything else. Its the same as loading up a pc then expecting it to work within one second.

[@ant5220]

Just had to get rid of mine, wasn’t working properly had no help from the shop where I bought it all the company themselves. Didn’t wanna know looking at buying another one there. Hopefully this one will work

[@Rufinoman]

It comes with a mic in the box?

[@ant5220]

I think we’ve all poked the rug out at sometime what do you reckon it looks good

[@DFWMoose]

Nice review but compared to the 4K this is not much of an upgrade. I can run my Insta360 cams with them plugged into the bike if need be. Sure 7 hours is it’s selling point. And the rotating lens. Can you control the camera via the app?

[@iand.1752]

Having only ever used my trusty Hero3+, I find it’s somewhat frustrating to use at times. A big problem is mounting with my helmet. I had it mounted off the side but the wind drag was pretty bad. I have it mounted to the front currently but the mount it starting to fail because of the weight of the camera. I think my biggest question would be, how does the wind drag feel at high speeds like 70 mph+? I’m kind of tired of having my helmet pulling to the right any time I get on the freeway. I feel like the shape of the Ghost would work at lot better than a GoPro. Also, how’s the weight? Can you feel it hanging off the side or is it decently light?

[@IndyBrainWave]

I have an XL pro on the side of a Shark S-Drak helmet (so not the most aerodynamic of lids), and I'm riding an old Harley without any screen, so it's full wind blast onto the upper body and head. I don't even notice it at 70mph - not the weight, or any drag in the wind.

[@dv8photographyca]

Not sure what memory card you used as I just bought the XL Pro. Drift says to use a sdhc card but they look to be impossible to find now. (seems out of date) and your link does not work above. I want a 128 micro sd card. What should I use?

[@Premises187]

I solely use Lexar 633x microsd cards on all of my cameras! The most reliable cards I've used in my 15years of recording. I can't remember which size I used in this video, but it would have been 64gb or 128gb

[@bluebiker79]

I've still got my old Ghost XL but thinks I need some better quality than 1080p now. Do the batteries still clip on to the side? It looked like they might of got rid of it from your video. I had the extra large battery clipped on to mine. Please tell me its not a built in battery?

[@Premises187]

The battery is built in chief. They give you a Y split cable that let's you power bank charge and run a mic at the same time if you need more than 5/7 hours

[@grahambutterworth4016]

How do I charge it using the jack power cable that screws in and also play it using that lead if you use the usb lead to charge or play via a P-C the door will not close leaving it each to damage i.e if I drop the camera

[@Premises187]

You just need to use the Y splitter cable to charge and use a mic at the same time

[@grahambutterworth4016]

@@Premises187 what's a y splitter cable

[@wretchedrider2157]

🥇🥇

[@zedddddful]

If they could jam a intercom in there it would be a instabuy I can't be having 2 things hanging off my lid.

[@Arltratlo]

i have my intercom build into my C4 Schuberth helmet....and a gopro on the outside!

[@nathandackers4580]

I’m currently rocking a drift ghost 4k+ and quite like them. Couldn’t fit a chin mount at the time because weren’t any mounts out for my style of helmet (agv k5) Only really downsides in my opinion is the app you download the videos from if using phone. Either it’s really fast or stupidly slow (quite often the latter) but sometimes they’re prone to breaking. I’ve had 3 ghosts (x,4k and now 4k+) and while I’ve had them replaced no problem, it’s really annoying because I need to do a 20mile ride x4 to the shop for it

[@killer147896325]

I had to return my 4k after it refused to charge after 6 months of owner ship downgraded to the ghost xl

[@DaCoder]

hot take: looks better with stabilization off and at 60fps

[@Premises187]

I'll upload a 2.7k 60fps video clips here shortly. I'll also apply a light stabilization using the video editing software. The results are pretty good

[@Premises187]

2.7K @ 60fps sample clip - kzbin.info/www/bejne/iKLEYmRvjrlrjLc

[@DaCoder]

@@Premises187 yeah that looks waaaay better 👏

[@adel8841]

Does this camera have standard 1/4 inch thread ? Want to know if we can use other standard camera mounts.

[@Premises187]

Hello, yes it has a 1/4 pitch thread on the camera

[@mcmilesuk]

What is that background noise around about the 3 minute mark?

[@1y1x1c1v]

Did you test the battery? If it really can do 7 hours maybe i'll get one.

[@Premises187]

Because I always use tagging mode I can't say exactly. I believe it's 1080p you get 7 hours and with 4k you'll get 4.5 hours

[@1y1x1c1v]

@@Premises187 Alright sounds good to me. 1080p is enough for me. Thank you and stay safe

[@peejohan]

If you plug in External mic, is it possible to disconnect internal mic. Very important when Moto Vlog

[@Premises187]

Yes, that's what happens when a mic connected. The wind you hear while I'm riding is what's getting into my helmet

[@Ilimi90]

Mate is this fully waterproof without a waterproof cover ?

[@Premises187]

Yes. I have used my Drift X and XL Pro all yeah round without issues. I don't think it's rated for underwater diving though

[@Ilimi90]

@@Premises187 thanks for the reply mate 👍🏻

[@RoadcraftNottingham]

Hey stranger, just bought one of these and am frankly disappointed with it. Compare image quality with the gopro hero 8 I have, it's like printing with a potato 😂 Biggest plus, as you say is the ease of use and battery life and for my job, being totally waterproof but I'd say quality seems more 720p at best. I now choose 2.7k 60fps 140fov with stabilisation off. Cheers.

[@Premises187]

Hey pal! Yeah, it's certainly not cinema quality 😂. I long for the day they use an image sensor that's at least on par with a GoPro 7

[@RoadcraftNottingham]

@@Premises187 yep but we both know Drift never listen to the customer. Stay safe matey. ☺

[@crimmond06]

Hi, Yes not as good as the GoPro Hero 8. But I have just returned an 8 back to GoPro Europe… reasons..battery door came off on opening.. battery fitted and had to be removed with pliers…57 minutes on 1080x60 crap camera but brilliant footage. Had a 5 for years no probs and will continue using it.

[@alex377alex]

kzbin.info/aero/PLeYbV3M1yIGi25_2nH3E40yPL-rUBsUdX Полная информация об этой камере.

[@turkeyphant]

Why would you use this over a GoPro?

[@Premises187]

If I wasn't a content creator I'd 100% be using this over the GoPro. Battery life, ease of use, reliability

[@markchester6591]

I had a Ghost XL Pro and it was truly dreadful. The battery would not hold a charge and despite reaching out to Drift on many occasions, and the fact it was still in warranty, they would not help at all. Their after sales service is non existent and, interestingly, you will not find an address or telephone number for them anywhere on their website!! I would highly recommend not buying one of these cameras but go for something like the DJI Oslo Action 4, a far better all round camera.

[@deDANIEL11609]

i did sent it back, isnt worth it

[@Arltratlo]

sorry, but i rather cut my legs off before i order from Amazon UK...lol

[@MoD_Master_Of_Disaster_]

Whats so "lol" about that? I've never had any issues with Amazon UK. Yes there are cheaper websites to buy from, but that's the only thing I can think of.