Humans (us included) are slowly realising that the finite resources around us are dwindling away but we can expect the sun to outlast our generation. The Sun, a massive star that sits in the center of the solar system; once considered a deity to some, it has always played a huge part in our lives – powering our electronics included.
Solar panels have been here, there and everywhere but none of them have been mounted to an action camera. Or rather someone didn’t think of it yet. Somewhat bizarre if you consider the main flaw of something so small – battery life – usually running out of juice in a couple of hours. You won’t have to worry about that anymore as Activeon has just announced its solar-powered 4K action camera.
Aptly named the Solar X, this is an action camera that uses the sun to power itself. Besides having solar capabilities and being relatively the same size as a GoPro, this action cam comes with a 16-megapixel CMOS sensor at an aperture of f/2.4. If you ever want to take stills with it, it’ll manage quick snaps up to 6 frames per second.
Able to shoot in 4K resolution, this camera has a 2-inch touchscreen for its menu options and checking your content. It’ll also support WiFi data transfers to Android and iOS devices; you can choose to use the mini HDMI port instead if you like.
Standalone, it’ll deliver two hours of battery life, numbers that don’t amaze us by much but when you strap on its X Station solar panels, you’ll get an additional four hours of recording time. And by chance you’re having a long shooting day, fully recharging the camera using the sun will only take an hour or 80% in just half an hour with its “Burst Speed Charging”.
We’d like to see more companies make use of solar power, even if they aren’t making action cameras. After all, soon enough our Earth will eventually be too environmentally imbalanced for us to live comfortably with global warming already taking place.
Don’t bother telling yourself otherwise, this “theory” is legit as can be. We’ve already seen the Paris Agreement take place last year and we can only hope nations of the world can curb CO2 emissions.
Before we ramble on any longer, filmmakers will have to wait until March before they can pick up the Solar X that goes for US$ 450 (RM 1,969). Thinking about it, this action camera could probably be used as a car dash cam as well. Malaysia has sunny days year around, so this is a no-brainer; more so when it’ll technically always be powered.
When it arrives it’ll be compatible with 40 add-on accessories that include mounts, grips, selfie sticks, and straps; underwater goggles and a WiFi remote too. Adding that all up, it’ll probably cost a fair bit but the future is all about renewable energy; a fair price to save the Earth eh?
