Overview: TomTom Bandit GPS-enabled action camera

TomTom has been steadily expanding its product line. From GPS devices and apps for cars and motorcycles, it has hit its stride with wearables and sport trackers favoured by runners. TomTom is now gunning for the red hot action camera market and it seems to be bringing a unique take on what a smart camera for sports and action should be.

Action cameras are rugged, compact, offer HD-quality and even 4K quality high resolution video and can be mated to an infinite number of attachments and connectors in order to capture an ever-increasing range of action situations. Action cams can be deployed en masse and used to capture various points of view and then all this footage can be slickly edited together into a truly compelling and immersive experience.

The category TomTom is trying to break into is led in large by the likes of GoPro and with Sony and other traditional camera makers like Panasonic hot on its tail.

Out of the box, the TomTom Bandit looks and feels like a well-built and sturdy camera. It reminds me of a sports version of an older webcam. Looking at the Bandit in comparison to the newer GoPros, it is quite large but it does offer a lot more than the simple ability to capture HD or 4K video.

The TomTom Bandit is built for speed. Recently captured video, which is stored in the camera, can be easily edited without having to download or transfer the video to a tablet or a laptop. By offloading the heavy lifting and editing on to the camera (by using your smartphone and an app and conduit) you can simply shake your iPhone to re-edit all the recently recorded footage.

Being a GPS-focused company, TomTom has imbued the Bandit with various sensors and a GPS. An on-board motion and GPS can automatically tag highlights based on speed, altitude, acceleration, G-force and heart rate (provided it is linked to a corresponding TomTom health tracker). All of these sensors can be put to great use when combining multiple videos of the same event and merging various interesting points of view.

The TomTom Bandit is a revelation of what is possible in action cameras today, it can shoot quality video and can be submerged 164 feet (50m) with an optional attachment. Out of the box, it is waterproof down to three feet for 30 minutes. It can even use an adaptor which makes it possible to use more popular or readily available GoPro mounts.

My impressions of the TomTom Bandit is that it is an impressive first attempt at diversifying the action camera market. Not just in terms of features and performance but in a range of smart features and a great iOS app that makes it one of the more sophisticated action cameras in the market today.

The trend in action cameras seems to be going smaller and possibly cheaper with models like the Polaroid Cube and GoPro’s new Hero4 Session offering great video capture in a smaller size. Where the TomTom Bandit fits into this shifting trend is yet to be determined but right now, it is the most advanced action cam in terms of editing as well as instant sharing of footage via various social media channels and is worth checking out for any action camera enthusiast who isn’t too invested in another system.