Olfi one.five
Cheap and extremely cheerful
£150 from Olfi, olfi.co.uk Features 4K UHD, 240fps slow motion, gyro stabilisation, waterproof case (up to 30m)
Olfi caused quite a storm in the action cam world last year when it unveiled a £149.99 model that undercut its rivals, yet managed to compete, and even impress, with its
picture quality. That model has been given a refresh, and it now boasts enhanced styling, improved picture quality and a glut of additional user-friendly features.
The diminutive Olfi one.five camera sits somewhere between GoPro’s Hero5 Session and the larger Hero5 Black camera in terms of size, measuring 5.4x4x2.4cm and weighing just 55g. The one.five comes with a rugged plastic housing that’s waterproof to a depth of 30 metres, plus a slimmer cage that includes a shirt pocket clip and a screw-in connector for mounting. You also get a Micro-USB lead and a selection of flat and curved 3M adhesive mounts. The camera also cleverly piggybacks on the GoPro mounting system.
The camera is not just smaller than before, it’s also neater, with a more intuitive button layout. Two small buttons at the top control power and shutter release, while two arrow buttons at the side navigate the simple menu screens. There’s no clunky touchscreen or irritating one-button operation. In fact, it’s as simple as scrolling through the menus via the arrows on the side, and confirming with the shutter button or cancelling with the power switch.
The LCD screen at the rear is bright and clear, even in direct sunlight, and you’ll find a 900mAh battery pack on the underside. This new battery pack is down on power compared to its predecessor, but Olfi claims the one.five can still deliver a good hour and a half of recording time.
Even out of its cladding, the one.five feels like a sturdy camera. The wide-angle lens is recessed behind its rubbery casing, while the hatched plastic along the edges makes it easy to grip. Once inside its waterproof housing (this takes the overall weight up to 110g), the thick plastic and oversized buttons suggest it can take quite a pummelling.
Unfortunately, the main anchoring base didn’t quite fit the plastic thumbscrew points affixed to the waterproof housing when we tested it. As such, the camera had a tendency to flop forwards under its own weight, no matter how tight the thumbscrews were ratcheted. However, it will happily sit in any mount and accessory that has been designed for GoPro cameras.
Performance punch
This pocket-sized action cam packs an impressive performance punch for a camera in this price bracket, with the ability to shoot 4K at 24fps (this actually equates to 3840x2160 pixels interpolated from
2880x2160 pixels) and 720p at 120fps – good for capturing those smooth slow-mo shots.
You can also shoot simple time-lapse videos using a range of timing settings. There is a handy ‘Loop Record’ function, which continuously records in small sections; it then overwrites the oldest files when the memory card is full. This means that you can use the one.five as a car dash cam, with the optional time and date stamp adding an extra layer of evidence should the unthinkable happen.
Sadly, the battery life wasn’t great during our tests. We managed to squeeze 30-45 minutes of filming and general fiddling before it was time to plug it in, and battery life is reduced further when Wi-Fi is activated and the unit is paired with an iPhone.
On the plus side, the addition of the new back-illuminated Sony Exmor-R CMOS sensor is instantly noticeable. There’s even an option in the menu screen that lets you select how intense the colour palette should be, with an option to shoot ‘Flat’ should you want to colour-grade in post. Image shake is also reduced thanks to gyro stabilisation.
You can play with exposure settings, three metering modes, five white balance options and five different ISO limits. It’s also possible to reduce the fisheye effect when shooting in wide angle via a distortion-correction setting. Still images can also be captured from 3MP to 16MP, with the option to activate HDR.
Soft on the software
Unfortunately, Olfi doesn’t offer the same array of apps and editing software as rivals such as Garmin, GoPro and TomTom, with just one simple smartphone app on offer. It’s only really good for viewing live footage, adjusting basic elements and downloading footage and images to your iPhone. The editing functionality is basic (trim, drag and drop footage) and it feels a little clunky to use.
Moreover, GPS, voice activation and the ability to link external sensors, such as Garmin’s numerous cycling products, are absent from the one.five package; battery life is a bit of a let-down, and image clarity and vibrancy don’t quite live up to the standards set by GoPro’s offerings.
But if you want to capture good-looking footage without breaking the bank, the Olfi one.five is a smart choice.