Good design and features for price
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The good: The iON Air Pro 2
is a simple-to-operate 1080p action cam that's waterproof without
needing a housing; has very good video quality and battery life; and a
nice feature set and accessory options for easily adding Wi-Fi, an extra
battery, or wireless remote control.
The bad: The
camera's audio quality isn't great (though there is an external mic
jack if needed); only one
adhesive helmet mount is included; and its
Android app is currently a work in progress.
The bottom line: One of the better action cam options available, the iON Air Pro 2 improves on the original, while still offering a good value.
Despite the large number of action cams on
the market, many of them aren't waterproof without a housing. Some of
them can't even be mounted without some sort of casing.
The iON Air Pro 2, however, is both mountable and waterproof without a housing. It's also very compact and lighter than much of the competition. And thanks to a unique expansion system, accessories can be added to the camera to meet different needs.
Video quality is very good, too, and although I have a few issues with it, none are deal breakers for me. Basically, the Air Pro 2's design bests a lot of the its competitors and in general is a pretty solid little action camera at a reasonable price.
In the box
(Credit:
Sarah Tew/CNET)
When you first open the Air Pro 2's tin of included accessories,
it feels like you're getting a lot of stuff. In reality, you're getting
just enough to get you started, assuming you want to attach it to a
helmet.
The iON Air Pro 2, however, is both mountable and waterproof without a housing. It's also very compact and lighter than much of the competition. And thanks to a unique expansion system, accessories can be added to the camera to meet different needs.
Video quality is very good, too, and although I have a few issues with it, none are deal breakers for me. Basically, the Air Pro 2's design bests a lot of the its competitors and in general is a pretty solid little action camera at a reasonable price.
In the box
(Credit:
Sarah Tew/CNET)
What you'll find is a Micro-USB cable and wall
adapter for charging with several adapters for different types of
electrical outlets; a helmet mount with a single adhesive pad; a
quick-connect clip and safety string for use with the mount; a mini
tripod; a storage pouch; and a cap for covering the camera's back when
you don't want or need Wi-Fi and full waterproofing. The cap also has an
opening to use the camera's external mic jack.
No microSD card is included (it supports up to 32GB), so you'll have to get one of those before you start recording. And it would've been nice to include a strap for vented helmets and not just an adhesive pad, but I guess you can't have everything. One extra that you will find is 8GB of cloud storage space powered by MiMedia that you can use for backup or sharing your clips and photos online (though, really, that's only 1GB more than you get from MiMedia for free anyway).
Design and features
The iON Air Pro 2 doesn't look any different than the first Air Pro. It's still a compact, lightweight bullet-shaped fully waterproof HD camcorder that starts recording with a simple slide of a switch. Without any additional housing you can dive down 30 feet underwater.
Inside the camera is a new image sensor bumping the Air Pro's still resolution from 5 to 14 megapixels, and an updated lens on front expands the camera's field of view up to 180 degrees. The lens is still fixed in one position, though, so if you need to mount a camera at an odd angle, you might want to go with one of Contour's cameras or the Drift HD Ghost, which have rotating lenses.
(Credit:
Sarah Tew/CNET)
The big sliding switch makes stopping and starting recordings
easy. If you prefer to turn on a camera first before it starts
recording, you can do that with the large button in front of the switch.
The power button doubles as a shutter release for pictures. Regardless,
whenever you start and stop a recording, take a photo, or turn it on
and off, the camera vibrates a little -- very handy when mounted on a
helmet.
On the bottom you'll find a standard tripod mount, which means you've got a lot of mounting options available to you. However, iON also includes its quick-connect CamLock mount that allows you to snap the camera securely into a variety of mounts. It just so happens to be the same system Monoprice uses for its MHD action cam, so you can also use its mounts with this camera.
(Credit:
Sarah Tew/CNET)
One of the big standout features of the Air Pro is its Podz
system, which consists of exchangeable caps on the back of the camera
for different functions. In the case of the $299 version of the Air Pro 2
I tested, it came with the Wi-Fi Podz, which allows you to wirelessly
connect the camera to a computer or smartphone or tablet. (If you don't
think you want the Wi-Fi Podz right off, you can save yourself $50 and
get just the camera with the standard back cap. If you decide you want
it later, though, it's only available as part of iON's $99 Connect kit, which also includes a battery booster for charging up your battery when it's running low.)
Along with the Wi-Fi Podz, there's a wireless remote one that can control up to eight cameras from up to 60 feet away. A battery Podz is also planned, which will extend the camera's two-hour battery life.
Removing the Podz gets you access to a Micro-USB port for charging and transferring photos and video to a computer; a mic input that lets you improve audio quality by adding an external mic; a microSD card slot; a Mini-HDMI port; and a switch for quickly changing between recording resolutions.
The camera can record at 1080p or 720p, each at 30 frames per second; 720p at 60fps; and 960p at 30fps. For photos, the camera can take single shots at 3-, 5-, 14-, and 16-megapixel resolutions (though the last one is interpolated) and a 10-shot burst at 5 megapixels. You can also take time-lapse photos at 5, 10, 30, and 60 seconds. Also, the camera stores two versions of your movies: one at full resolution and another at a reduced resolution to make uploading and sharing online faster and easier.
No microSD card is included (it supports up to 32GB), so you'll have to get one of those before you start recording. And it would've been nice to include a strap for vented helmets and not just an adhesive pad, but I guess you can't have everything. One extra that you will find is 8GB of cloud storage space powered by MiMedia that you can use for backup or sharing your clips and photos online (though, really, that's only 1GB more than you get from MiMedia for free anyway).
Design and features
The iON Air Pro 2 doesn't look any different than the first Air Pro. It's still a compact, lightweight bullet-shaped fully waterproof HD camcorder that starts recording with a simple slide of a switch. Without any additional housing you can dive down 30 feet underwater.
Inside the camera is a new image sensor bumping the Air Pro's still resolution from 5 to 14 megapixels, and an updated lens on front expands the camera's field of view up to 180 degrees. The lens is still fixed in one position, though, so if you need to mount a camera at an odd angle, you might want to go with one of Contour's cameras or the Drift HD Ghost, which have rotating lenses.
(Credit:
Sarah Tew/CNET)On the bottom you'll find a standard tripod mount, which means you've got a lot of mounting options available to you. However, iON also includes its quick-connect CamLock mount that allows you to snap the camera securely into a variety of mounts. It just so happens to be the same system Monoprice uses for its MHD action cam, so you can also use its mounts with this camera.
(Credit:
Sarah Tew/CNET)Along with the Wi-Fi Podz, there's a wireless remote one that can control up to eight cameras from up to 60 feet away. A battery Podz is also planned, which will extend the camera's two-hour battery life.
Removing the Podz gets you access to a Micro-USB port for charging and transferring photos and video to a computer; a mic input that lets you improve audio quality by adding an external mic; a microSD card slot; a Mini-HDMI port; and a switch for quickly changing between recording resolutions.
The camera can record at 1080p or 720p, each at 30 frames per second; 720p at 60fps; and 960p at 30fps. For photos, the camera can take single shots at 3-, 5-, 14-, and 16-megapixel resolutions (though the last one is interpolated) and a 10-shot burst at 5 megapixels. You can also take time-lapse photos at 5, 10, 30, and 60 seconds. Also, the camera stores two versions of your movies: one at full resolution and another at a reduced resolution to make uploading and sharing online faster and easier.
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