Liquid Image puts camcorder on goggles

As more and more riders record their adventures via action sport cameras like the ones made by GoPro and Contour (click here for a full report), a company has come out with a way to capture nearly a true point-of-view video: goggles with a built-in camcorder.

California-based Liquid Image is the maker of the dirt and snow goggles, which hit the market this past January. The company promoted them at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas and the WinterX Games in Aspen, Colo. Then it had a booth at Dealer Expo. “We had a crowd there the whole time,” says co-founder and VP Melanie Pearson. “It was great.”

Liquid Image made its first goggle/camera for the scuba market in 2008. That product was so successful the company decided to expand into other markets, Pearson says.

The dirt and snow goggles — the Impact Series HD Model 365 and Summit Series HD Model 335, respectively — shoot 720p footage in 30 frames per minute and retail for $250. (See below for links to samples of videos taken by the cameras.) In the fall Liquid Image plans on offering higher-end models that shoot 1080p footage and retail for an estimated $400. “We’ve done two price points in the scuba market, and it’s worked really well,” Pearson says.

 

The snow model comes in black or white, the dirt model in black or red. Both take still-frame 5.0MP photos. The cameras have a 136-degree wide-angle lens and can hold up to a 32GB MicroSD/SDHC card. The goggles come with a 4GB MicroSDHC card. Files are downloaded to a computer through a high-speed USB/RCA cable provided, or through a card reader.

A LED light inside the goggle indicates the camera’s mode. It blinks while recording is going on.  The goggle’s lithium-ion batteries last for between 90 minutes and two hours on one charge. For longer use, Liquid Image offers extra batteries to swap out.

The goggles are water-resistant and can even survive being dunked during watercraft use, Pearson claims.

Liquid Image sells replacement dirt lenses and double-pane snow lenses that fit either model. “So you can buy one goggle and use it year-round for whatever sport,” Pearson says. “If you ride off-road bikes but also snowboard, you can buy one goggle and swap out lenses.”

Pearson doesn’t consider camera makers GoPro and Contour as direct competitors because her customers often own a stand-alone camera also. 

“People will use both and get two different views,” she says.

Liquid Image sells directly to dealers, who must buy 48 units plus shipping to open an account. The company is also in the process of setting up distributors specific to the powersports industry.

For in-store marketing, the company offers a mannequin head with a built-in LCD screen for showing promotional videos. “Once people see the videos, they get excited,” Pearson says. “They can imagine what they can do with the goggle, whether it’s off-road sports, snowmobiles, even Jet Skis. … In the scuba industry we found that having some sort of in-store video display was huge to selling the product.”

Pearson has mailed out several test units to magazine editors, so expect reviews forthwith, along with ads. “We’re also looking at some grassroots marketing at events and tours,” she says. “And people are posting videos everywhere. That helps as long as they say who made the cameras.”

Below are links to video samples recorded with the goggles, plus some reviews that show their basic operation, including the LED light indicators.

Video samples:

Impact Series HD Model 365: http://www.youtube.com/user/LiquidImageCo#grid/user/F51A8BB5A501FB11

Summit Series HD Model 335:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=osaZiRsf1DM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IfT28jpKUak
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZyEfPCm9rfM

Review videos of the Summit Series HD:
 

General features: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gr8HHpc-DrE
Unboxing: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nOpepxIjVuc 

Note: You do not need to cut the box open.

On snow: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_gbrvRiJF-M
On snow: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9nZvdUgaDjw

Liquid Image says the LED light looks bright when indoors, but in sunlight users often have to shade the area of the goggle to see if the light is on and blinking. The only issue is for night activities, in which case the company suggests placing some removable tape over the LED light to dim it if needed.

Liquid Image claims night video taken by the goggles is good when there is enough artificial light added. Skip past the rain drop in the beginning of this clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9idXQWS9S0Y

A quick product demo done at CES with the Summit Series HD Model 335: http://www.youtube.com/user/futureshopca#p/u/3/fCXMNpwCjhg