MIDLAND XTC 100 ACTION CAMERA

Before I could afford to buy a GoPro I decided to purchase a Midland XTC 100 Action Camera with underwater Housing.  At only £90 from the NEC Dive Show it was worth a punt, especially as the GoPro is over £300 without any accessories.

I managed to dive with it at the NDAC with some of my buddies from the Royal Engineers Sports Diving Association (RESDA).  Obviously it's not HD footage but I only bought the camera for teaching feedback and the odd dive if I thought there would be anything interesting.  I completely forgot that the housing was only rated to 30m when I was at 50m!  Oh well….  It also only has only 1 button/slide with 3 LEDS. Push the slide and battery (if not battery low) and memory card (if not full) LEDS come on followed by the recording LED. Max 5 seconds from on to record.  The camera uses 2x AAA batteries and records onto a micro SD card.

It was mounted to my Green Force torch using a handlebar tripod mount which seemed to work ok; that was what was used to film the footage above.   I also modified one of the supplied mounts with a Suunto SK7 wrist strap to make a flexible Goodmans handle if I decide to use it that way.

The contents of the box & exact specifications are as follows:

Camera:

·                Single Slide Switch On/Off switch

·                640 x 480 @ 30FPS.

·                2Gb micro SD card.
·                Camera View - 140˚ wide angle.
·                Uses 2 AAA Batteries (Included).
·                4:3 Aspect Ratio.
·                Battery Life Indicator.
·                Low Memory Indicator.
·                USB 2.0 File Transfer.
·                Actual size: 3.35" x 1.65" x 1.18".
·                Weight: 0.15 lb (without batteries).

In the box:

·                Action Camera.
·                Helmet Mount (3M adhesive pads).
·                Helmet Strap Mount.
·                Goggle Mount.
·                Handlebar Mount.
·                USB Cable.
·                2x AAA Batteries.
·                Owners Manual.

UW Housing:
·                Submersible Case.
·                Rated to 100 feet.

A similar review was conducted on Yorkshire Divers.  The discussions from the threads can be located here.

It works as a budget camera and is good for close up footage.  At the price it’s certainly value for money.

The boring bit!

All opinions expressed in my articles are my own and may differ to other instructor’s and agency guidelines; by no means are they wrong and I would not wish to disrepute any of them.  This article is for information only and should not replace proper training.

Safe diving!

Timothy Gort

BSAC, PADI & SDI/TDI diver training
l Mob: 07968148261 l Email: tim@rectotec.co.uk l