GoXtreme Barracuda
Cheap – but is it cheerful?
The chance to record video in 4K for under £150 is tempting. Add in water resistance to a depth of 10m and the proposition
deserves serious consideration. The Barracuda can be used up to 10m underwater without any additional housing and has a 170º field of view and a 2in touchscreen.
Included in the box is a bike mount, a helmet mount, a tripod adapter, various mount buckles, a frame mount, USB cables and a hard case. Full marks for including every accessory you could ever think of, rather than charging extra for everything.
Measuring 6.5x4.6x2.8cm and weighing 97g, the Barracuda can film 4K video at 25 frames per second (fps). It can also capture in 2.7K at 30fps, Full HD at 60fps or 30fps, and HD at 30fps, 60fps or 120fps. The JPEG range is from 3 to 20MP; the latter figure is based on a resolution-boosting interpolation technique that makes little difference. In reality, 16MP is the top resolution.
It’s possible to watch a live feed through the free iSmart DV app when the Barracuda is broadcasting its own Wi-Fi network, but it doesn’t work if the camera is in 4K mode. The short battery life is more problematic; in our tests the Barracuda never got beyond an hour.
The camera is well designed, with a useful standard tripod screw on the undercarriage. A flap on the side hides a small 1050mAh lithium battery alongside a Micro-USB slot for recharging, and a MicroSD card slot. There’s also an HDMI output for connecting it to a TV.
Wide-angle stills
One highlight of the Barracuda is its wideangle 16MP still images. If you keep the camera still and take photos in relatively bright, outdoor conditions, the Barracuda produces excellent results; colourful, well- saturated, reasonably detailed, clean JPEGs. Indoors or in less than bright conditions, the cam starts to struggle.
Furthermore, the poor-quality start/ stop button causes the unit to judder when pressed, so for stills, the cam works best when on a tripod and controlled with your iPhone. Using this setup, the Barracuda also produces decent time-lapse recordings.
Unfortunately, the camera is seriously underpowered. If you film fast-moving action or use panning, the 4K 25fps video is choppy and hard to watch. Even the Full HD at 60fps isn’t that smooth. At resolutions below that, a lack of detail becomes more of an issue; we found 720p HD at 120fps to be the most watchable setting.
Transferring files between the Barracuda and a phone is a cinch. A long press of the shutter switches on Wi-Fi and the free iSmart DV app shows a live view. Using it remotely is possible, as is changing most settings, though the app does tend to hang while saving new settings. It’s a basic app, good for transferring files to your iPhone, but not much else (there’s no live streaming, no filters, no editing and no sharing). The Barracuda’s interface is fairly easy to navigate, although it requires far too many button presses to complete even the simplest of actions.
The Barracuda is more of a slightly below-par effort than a bargain. However, if you’re after an all-in-one camera with plenty of accessories – and you’re happy with either HD for action sequences and/or 4K shot only from a tripod – it’s an affordable option.
One highlight of GoXtreme’s Barracuda action cam is its wideangle 16MP still images