INTRODUCTION

   People have always liked to take impressive risks in order to feel alive and just by looking at some of the most popular extreme sports like parachuting (plane jumping), skiing, snowboarding, Cyaking, deep diving and surfing that's not really hard to figure out. However why do something so extreme if you can't keep a visual record of it not only as proof that you actually did it but also to help you improve. Up until a few years ago there was simply no easy way for people to record video while taking part in outdoor activities something which changed with the arrival of tiny cameras that could be easily mounted pretty much everywhere. We are of course talking about Action Cameras and today we will be checking out the brand new S-50 Wi-Fi Nitro Circus Live Limited Edition model by Rollei.

   Rollei’s history goes back to the year 1920 and a workshop in Braunschweig. With the launch of the twin-lens Rolleiflex, a landmark film camera, Rollei quickly established a global reputation for precision engineering. A cult brand, it gave rise to its very own photo style in the 1950s and ’60s. In 2007 Hamburg-based RCP-Technik GmbH acquired the European rights to Rollei and since then has marketed Rollei consumer products with growing success. Rollei products are currently sold in more than 20 European countries. The Rollei product range features digital cameras, camcorders, action camcorders, digital picture frames, slide scanners, professional tripods as well as camera and iPhone accessories. Excellent service is assured for all Rollei products with the all-inclusive package for 24 months. If a defect is found within this time, the product can be returned and a new one received within eight days.

   One issue I’ve experienced with every action camera I’ve ever used so far is that due to their tiny size the manufacturers simply can't use the same optical sensors and lens as some full size handheld models resulting in far inferior image quality. However having followed this new trend close for the past 3 years i can now say that thanks to continuous technological advancements we have reached a point where such devices can now record in Full HD quality (some even more) and offer several useful features so it's not really a surprise that we see more manufacturers jump in the wagon with their own models. Of course image quality is still not on par with that of normal handheld camcorders but we are getting there. Getting back to the S-50 Wi-Fi Nitro Circus Live Limited Edition action camera Rollei has really stepped up their game since this time over they've managed to pack an 14 Megapixel CMOS sensor (although it can shot still pictures at 20mp in 16:9 mode) along with a Wi-Fi transmitter, HDMI port and a 2.0 inch LCD screen inside the smallest housing currently in the market (yes even smaller than the HERO3/+ by GoPro). The S-50 Wi-Fi Nitro Circus Limited Edition also offers several interesting functions such as motion sensor recording, time lapse recording/shooting and dual stream recording output. On paper however things tend to look much better than in reality so let's see what Rollei has to offer with their latest S-50 Wi-Fi Nitro Circus Live Limited Edition action camera.