Ghost XL Action Camera – 1080 Full HD Video Camera with Rotating Lens and Dash Cam Mode – IPX7 Waterproof Camera – 9 Hour Battery Life – 12MP Still Photos

After researching a number of helmet mounted action cameras I decided on the Drift Ghost XL Snow Edition. The features I wanted were high video quality, ease of use, helmet mounting and other mounting options and long battery life (which is what the GoPro sorely lacks). The phone app is simple to use, though it could use some tweaking, being able to lock in the which camera variant instead of having to choose each time the app is opened and blue tooth instead of wifi - which doesn't stay connected. That's the biggest drawback and maybe there is some trick I haven't figured out yet. But being able to access all the menus for the camera and settings using the phone is much more convenient that trying to use the 1/4 of a postage stamp size screen. The camera itself is solid and well built. The adhesive holding the base to the helmet is very strong (I still rigged up a tether because I'd rather not lose the camera should the adhesive fail). I shot about 90 minutes of video and the battery indicator only went down one bar. I am hopeful that the 8 hour battery life is true. I set the video to the highest capture settings and even then I only used just over 9 GB of a 32GB card. I imagine a 128GB card would capture an entire days worth of riding without using the overwrite/loop recording feature. The video itself turned out very well, clear and sharp, the color is good and the field of view (which is adjustable in the settings) is excellent for capturing the rider's POV. Some of the reviewers complained of low video quality or blurred images - perhaps they didn't remove the clear plastic film that covers the lens prior to use. So far I am very happy with the Ghost XL and I look forward to testing it further during some longer rides.

I ride a Tribike for Ironman training workouts 50-100mi/wk. My usual routes in SouthOC CA have me sharing public highways 50% of the time. Every single one of our crew, including me, has had unfortunate interactions with motor vehicles over the years. We ride as safe and alert as possible, but that isn't enough sometimes. All of my motor vehicles have simple dash/rear cameras that work great, so after the most recent local bicycle death by automobile, I decided to mount one of these. It works so well, I bought another and mounted it on the rear. With the simple mounting hardware I used, each camera w/mount only weighs 5.2 ounces! Ultra sturdy, somewhat inexpensive, tiny, aerodynamic and easy to quickly operate, I'm blown away with the results after a few hundred miles. The cameras are capable of A LOT more than my simple application, but the battery life, video quality, lightweight and ease of use are perfect for me!

I purchased the GHOSTXL on May 14, 2022. Since day one the audio recording was not right. When I could not find a solution after several days I reached out to Drift via Amazon. They fairly quickly seemed to get confused and forwarded me to Drift directly for “better support”. The camera never recorded audio correctly via the external microphone. Using the same microphone and required Drift adapter resulted in two very different experiences. If manually starting the recording (power on the unit with a long press then press a second time to start recording) the audio was great. If you turn on the one button recording feature (quick press the on button and the recording instantly starts) the audio is very distorted. Several email and video exchanges with Drift resulted in going thru hoops to try and get the issue across to them. In the end, they wanted me to try a Drift Microphone (and make another sale of their own branded products) but I failed to see the logic in their request. They were either truly not getting it, stalling and hoping I would go away. At one point I was asked (and I complied) to roll back the firmware on my camera. They also seemed to get confused a few times during out emails. PROS • Great Battery Life • Very good Image quality • Versatile mounting options • Very good build quality CONS • Proprietary external microphone jack cable • External microphone sound quality issues in auto (one button) record • Little to no customer support I returned the camera 6/13/22; one day before the return deadline with Amazon Prime. THANK YOU AMAZON for your support in making this right. Although I can’t be 100% sure, I feel DRIFT would have dragged their feet well beyond any return window and I have no confidence they would have provided a resolution as they were quick to offer groundless suggestions, almost as it they were not reading my emails or did not understand the issue. I am showing the emails below for those why may be curious as to what they may expect when reaching out to Drift for support. I loved my GHOSTX (older camera) and wanted to love this one, but the customer service experience was a total let down. The product is great a when it works, but the support behind I felt was lacking. I have attached a short video of the audio issue. I sent these same videos to DRIFTC support. In the end, I do not want to be stuck with a camera that does not work as promised and with no resolution in sight. Should DRIFTC reach out to me I will gladly update my review and rating but only if they step up and do what's right. I am not the only person with this issue. A quick search for this model and "audio issues" will easily show what others have been dealing with. My situation is not unique. If they reach out via email to me and can provide me a logical reason how the microphone can cause this then I will update this as well. Such a shame, I liked the camera otherwise I love my older DRIFTX and had high hopes for this camera. Maybe they will correct this issue in a future release. CHEERS, SEQUENCE OF EMAILS LOOKING FOR SUPPORT 5/20/22 Send To: Drift Innovation Ltd 05/20 19:16:04 Hello, I just purchased a new GHOST XL (Serial AT1350 with Firmware v2034). The microphone distorts badly when using the instant record feature. When I manually turn on the unit and manually start recording, the distortion does not exist. Can DriftC help me address this issue so I can use the feature? Thank you, From: Drift Innovation Ltd 05/20 19:58:43 Have you checked to see if this is the latest version of firmware from our Drift website? If it is, please contact our support team via the Drift Innovation website so they can support. Cheers Drift Amazon Team 5/21/22 Send To: Drift Innovation Ltd 05/21 14:33:17 Per my original email my firmware is v2034. The website shows Version v2029 (30/04/2021). I assume the one I have is newer, I am not sure why that would be the case but it seems that way. Is the Version v2029 newer than my v2034? Thank you, From: Drift Innovation Ltd 05/21 15:02:05 Unfortunately we cannot see the links to urls shared in this chat as amazon block it. However, the version on our website is the latest so we recommend you download that via the Drift Life app or your computer 5/22/22 Send To: Drift Innovation Ltd 05/22 14:29:04 I sent no URL, so I'm not sure why the link is removed, there was no link. The DRIFTC website has v2029. My XL says it has v2034. You want me to installv2029 over V2034 - Correct? From: Drift Innovation Ltd 05/22 15:37:55 We do not have the XL Pro firmware online as you have the latest version, you are looking at the XL model. Please contact our support team via our website so they can support your issue. Please use XXXXXX as your name when contacting so I can get them to escalate. We cannot do it here as Amazon don’t allow us to share contact details 5/21/22 (First Email to Drift via web contact – not thru Amazon) 21 May 2022, 22:44 BST Hello, I am having issues with my new GHOST XL camera. I have tried to resolve the issue with DRIFT via Amazon messaging. I have a microphone issue with this unit that persists. The issue presents when I use the instant on/ one touch record feature. The audio is very distorted. If I start the camera then manually start recording, the issue is not present. This occurs regardless of what mic I use. The fact I am using the same mic and mic adapter (supplied with the unit) tells me this must be a firmware, setting or some other camera issue. I have also tried adjusting the mic sensitivity down to 1 with the same results. Can you assist and let me know if there is a resolution for this known issue and if the v2034 firmware my camera came with is newer than the v2029 that is currently listed on the website. I fear all I will get from Amazon chat is canned responses and they already suggested I contact you. Thank you for your assistance, Thank you for contacting Drift. Your ticket number is (46825) Your request has been received and is currently being reviewed by our team. We will get back in touch as soon as possible. In the meantime you can have a look at our support page to help you out with your request: (removed link) You can add any additional comments by replying to this email. Your Drift Innovation Team This email is a service from Drift Innovation. Tech Support (Drift Innovation) 23 May 2022, 01:57 BST Thanks for your message here, We are actually a different organisation to Amazon, and whilst Amazon are licensed to retail our products and indeed fulfil many orders via our official store, any communication with Amazon would not be shared by us here at Drift, so I cannot comment on the issues you may have had regarding correspondence in this case. However, I can see that you have mentioned experiencing problems with your sound, so if you could send me a clip evidencing this and if you could also confirm the brand of microphone you are using here, I'll see what I can do to help, Let me know how you get on here XXX and I look forward to your reply, Kind regards, Tech Support Drift Innovation Web driftinnovation.com 5/26/22 26 May 2022, 02:39 BST Hello, FILE 1 - MANUAL RECORDING The manual recording file is attached. I will need to send this in two separate emails as Yahoo has a 25MB size limit. The mic being used is a lavalier microphone. I have used this same mic with my older GHOSTC X device with no issues. It works great with the New GHOSTC XL with manual recordings as can be heard in the MP4 file attached. Below is the link to the exact model I purchased thru Amazon. Regards, Hello, FILE 2 - AUTO RECORDING The auto recording file is attached. This is the second file showing the microphone issue I am having. .. As stated in my previous email, the mic being used is a lavalier microphone. I have used this same mic with my older GHOSTC X device with no issues. It works great with the New GHOSTC XL with manual recordings as can be heard in the MP4 file attached. Below is the link to the exact model I purchased thru Amazon. (Link removed) Both files are recorded on the same settings, same microphone. Thank you for your prompt support in this matter. Regards, Tech Support (Drift Innovation) 26 May 2022, 13:49 BST Hi Ray, Thanks for your reply here, I'll get these clips checked over with my team today and we will get back to you shortly with further updates, Kind regards, Tech Support Drift Innovation Web driftinnovation.com 5/30/22 30 May 2022, 15:56 BST Any update on my issue? Regards, 6/03/22 3 Jun 2022, 21:33 BST Hello, Can I please get an update on my case. My last inquiry from DRIFTC was 5/26/22. Best Regards, 6/08/22 8 Jun 2022, 12:49 BST Good morning, Please advise on next steps regarding my case. I opened a ticket May 21, 2022, approx 19 days ago. My last correspondence from DRIFTC was May 26, 2022, approximately 14 days ago. (as of todays date 6/08/2022) I am happy to try a different update (if you recall I was asked to and successfully downgraded my firmware from v2034 to v2029. Please advise ASAP as the camera is not functioning as intended and is not usable as is in my situation. Regards DRIFT RESPONDED AFTER I RETURNED THE UNIT: 6/14/22 Tech Support (Drift Innovation) 14 Jun 2022, 16:22 BST Hi Ray, Thanks for your patience here and I do apologise for the delays at this very busy time, Having analysed your clips with our team, we can see that you are experiencing some kind of interference with the audio in your recordings, However I do note that you mentioned using a third-party mic accessory, and although I appreciate that you havent had any issues with this particular mic previously - as our cameras are nor designed to be compatible with third-party manufactured accessories (unless stated otherwise - see Universal Mount Adapter etc.) and so if you could try using a Drift External Mic accessory (linked below) we can hopefully try and work out why this is happening and get you some answers going forward, Let me know how you get on here Ray and I look forward to your reply, Kind regards, Tech Support Drift Innovation Web driftinnovation.com 6/14/22 14 Jun 2022, Hello, Can you please explain this logic in buying a DRIFT microphone for further testing? I sent two clips clearly showing the audio distortion. In both clips I am using the same external microphone with the same adapter that came with the camera. The only difference is the way I start up the recording. There are no issues whatsoever with manually starting the recording with the 3rd party microphone, but there are issues when I use the one button automatic recording feature. Kindly explain what the microphone has to do with this when the only aspect that changes is the way I start the recording. As an Engineer, this may point to a sign that the firmware or camera circuitry is looking at some other aspect differently for the microphone when starting in different modes. This was also a reason why I questioned being asked to downgrade my firmware as instructed by support. Newer firmware typically resolves these types of issues. Regards,

After researching cameras a bit, I picked up a Drift Ghost XL. The camera itself seems pretty decent, especially for the price (around $150.) My most important deciding factor was that it is supposed to have 9 hours of battery life, and it can charge and record at the same time so if I need more than that I can plug it into my power bank. Mine has about 2-3 hours of use so far and the battery level still shows full, so it looks like that may actually be accurate. I'll come back and update this later if it turns out not to be the case. One of the features that I liked about this camera is that if you have more than one, you can "slave" multiple cameras to one "master" camera, and when you start or stop the master camera the other cameras start or stop too. The price is low enough that I'm planning to get another camera for the back of the bike and set them up that way. The smartphone app is better than nothing, but it looks pretty amateur and is mostly only good for starting and stopping recording (and maybe seeing a preview.) Somewhere along the line someone made the questionable decision to have the app connect to the camera via a built in (and unsecured) hot spot on the camera, which means you have to disconnect from wifi to use the app. For that reason I may break down and buy the dedicated remote for the camera. The mounts that came with it are next to useless, as they weren't designed to use anything other than adhesive, and I really don't trust that! It kinda worked to run a zip tie through the holes where the camera clicks into the mount, but now it's really hard to get the camera in and out of the mount because there isn't really enough clearance for the zip tie. Luckily the camera mounts to a standard 1/4-20 tripod bolt and there are lots of aftermarket options for directly mounting a camera with 1/4-20 threads, or to adapt that to a GoPro mount. The camera is a little to heavy to use a helmet mount for long rides. It was fine on my 20 mile ride this afternoon (where I found out that I had it pointed too low), but I wouldn't want to ride much farther than that with it on my head.

Lasted almost a year (I ride year-round commuting) until a full week of rainstorms. Long battery life means I charge it once a week with a round-trip 45 minute commute, video quality good enough for basically dash-cam purposes. I only think it died due to the high humidity while charging it, moisture inside killed it. 5-stars anyways because the manufacturer replaced it when I sent it in for warranty and my replacement is still doing just fine! I may upgrade to the pro for image stabilization, we'll see.

I really wanted to like this camera. I'm a long time Drift Innovation customer and have had three previous cameras -- the HD170 Stealth, the Drift HD, and the Ghost-S. The one thing I always wanted was better battery life. The Ghost-S was the best at about 2-2.5 hrs depending on conditions, so when I heard about the Ghost XL's 9 hour battery life, I was interested. I thought it might be enough to justify the trade-off of losing the 60fps that the Ghost-S has. Unfortunately, I have found that it isn't like just taking the Ghost-S, removing 60fps, and giving it 9 hours battery life. Had it been that, it would have been a great camera, but it isn't. The picture quality of the recordings is worse than the dash cam setup I have on my bike, which I didn't expect to be action-cam quality. To be fair, it's not horrible, but it's quite a bit better than the Ghost XL. There's a lot of video blur to the point where if you pause the video, you can see several ghosted images behind things like light posts or trees. I don't think that's what Drift Innovation had in mind when they went with the Ghost brand name. The picture is also subject to significant pixelation/blocking, making it look like some cheap digital camcorder that you would buy for a child than a $149 MSRP action cam. I tried many different settings, including bit rates and levels of saturation, but nothing helped. I even tried using the suction cup mount on my car's windshield, which is rock solid, and it still produced the same low quality image. This is in stark contrast to the sharp, detailed image I get with my Ghost-S. I'm guessing this is the difference between a $249 camera and a $149 camera. Another issue I have with this camera, is the rotatable lens is so tight, that you can't make fine adjustments to it, because you really have to muscle it to get it to move, and when you do, it often goes well past the point of rotation where you want it. It pretty much makes it impossible to get the picture truly level without sheer luck. [UPDATE] I did a battery life test where I just set it on my desk and let it record until the battery ran out, and it stopped recording at 7h 27m. While this is still quite impressive, it falls 1h 33m short of the advertised 9 hours. Finally, and this is a minor thing, but worth mentioning -- I could never get the camera to recognize as a mass media storage device on my iMac running Catalina. Even after two firmware upgrades, it would not ever be recognized, meaning I have to pull the microSD and put it into my reader to pull the files off. It's sad, too, because I like what they did with giving it a huge battery and shifting to the small display screen even if you give up the onboard real-time view. I haven't even tested the battery life, because there's really no point with the poor picture quality. It seems like Drift Innovation peaked with the Ghost-S. I held off on the Ghost-4K, because the reviews were consistently poor, and I was hoping this would not be the case with the Ghost XL since 1080p is older tried and true tech. While I'm not a fan of the GoPro Hero form factor, I may just need to start looking at that line of products, because they're constantly improving their cameras with their insane image stabilization and picture quality. Drift Innovation needs to get back to their roots and start innovating again. Overall, I gave it 3 stars, because it's just a middle of the road action camera. It does have some nice features like the DVR, the advertised battery life, the form factor, and waterproofing without an external case, but it's hamstrung by subpar picture quality. I will be sending this back.

I'm still pretty happy with this purchase. I use the camera as a "dashcam" for my motorcycle commute to and from work. My ride is 75-minutes, and I recharge this guy a couple of times a week. I'm not entirely sure that the battery life is really 8-9 hours...maybe diminished by use, age, and heat, but it's certainly in the 5-6 hour range. Where the camera doesn't really wow me is with image quality...it's dashcam indemnity quality, not Ron Fricke quality, to say the least. The mic is just whitenoise when used on a bike..the wind kills it. I've turned the gain/volume down a bit in the settings, but that didn't clean it up too much. I see that they are selling extra peripherals, maybe their external mic might be better. I bought this JUST for the battery life, though...and for that, I'm pleased. I have a 400gb sdcard in it, and can record a couple of weeks worth of commutes before deleting the card and starting over again. It's a pretty slick little camera. 1080P video quality is fine for what I'm using it for.

I previously owned a Drift Stealth2 for 5 years but the battery would no longer hold a charge. The Drift Stealth 2 was a terrific camera but I didn't have another $250 to replace it so I purchased a Ghost XL. There's a bit of a learning curve with the Ghost compared with the Stealth. Wish the form factor was a little smaller like the Stealth2 . I use the Instant-On mode all the time which means I can't use Dash Cam Mode but that's ok , I like getting the camera up and running by hitting a single button when I jump on the bike. Overall this is a great camera for the money. UPDATE: I've had this Ghost XL for a while now and its proved to be very unreliable. The Instant On Mode does not always begin to record when you press the button. Sometimes there is a delay of at least a minute before it begins to record and sometimes it doesn't record at all. I can't figure out what the problem is but I've failed to record some pretty serious accidents.

Caméra d'excellente qualité et à l'autonomie excellente. Je m'en sers autant sur le vélo, la moto, que dans la voiture. La consultation des images et très facile.

Very useful and fun.

Bei der Montage wird man im Stich gelassen. Es werden nur zwei Klebepads mitgeliefert...

Lo mejor sin duda es su bateria, dura horas y horas

I have had numerous cameras to try to capture my rides. They have been the typical action camera shape, which do not have really fix well to the side of a helmet. As I have a flip front helmet these cameras either attach to the front chin bar of the helmet or stick to top where my darkened drop down visor mechanism sits. This camera and its mount sits very nicely on the side of my helmet capturing my views and able to look over my windscreen. The battery life lasted an entire day's ride and I was more in danger of running out of space on the sd card. The rotatable lens meant that I could get the correct orientation for my head. I could not really feel any difference in weight and it felt secure. The microphone generates a lot of wind noise so I might end up trying the external microphone to try to capture something other than wind noise. I wish Drift would make a microphone that was on a boom for flip front cameras as the one they currently have only really suits fixed chin bar helmets. My only criticism is that the largest SD card it can take is 128gb, when an entire day's riding can take up more space when on the highest resolution and frame rate. I will by adding the bluetooth remote control as the controls are a little difficult to ensure you have set it up correctly and started recording just by touch and the beeps from the camera. I will also be changing/reducing the field of view because my first ride out captured a lot of the side of my helmet due to its position.