HTC RE review: down periscope

Not what you expect a camera to look like. The HTC RE looks just like a periscope.

By Team FHM · Mar 2015 · 3 min read

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So it’s a camera alright, but there’s nothing like this we’ve ever seen before. HTC is calling it a life logging camera to record your activities. Like playing with your dog or cycling down a trail. It’s not too big, in fact it’s more compact than a compact camera which makes it easy to carry. Build quality is great, and the thing feels solidly built, but it’s no rugged cam. It’s cylindrical body houses a 16 megapixel sensor. But what you have is a fixed lens with a 146 degree view, equivalent to a focal length of 6.5mm. Pro shooters spend a fortune on such wide focal lengths. The camera also records full HD video in 1080p resolution. HTC claims the battery is good enough for a thousand shots on a single charge. Which is enough for a couple of day’s worth of pictures. You can also take slo-mo videos, if that’s your thing. And it also sports Wi-Fi and Bluetooth and connects to your phone via an app.

Since it’s waterproof, it will survive a dunking upto a depth of 1 metre for half an hour. So that’s your swimming lesson covered right there.

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Using it

There’s no need to switch the camera on every time you use it. Just pick it up and the grip sensor switches it on for you. This is great when you want to capture a fleeting moment. No fiddling around with the composition, no messing with the settings. Just aim and shoot. Which also brings us to the biggest drawback. You don’t really know what you’ve captured till you actually sit down and download the images on the computer. Pointing in the general intended direction usually yields results but isn’t great for composition.

There is a workaround though. You can install the RE app on your phone and connect the camera over Bluetooth and see what the camera sees. Which kinda defeats the purpose of a standalone camera, because now you have to use your phone, which already has a camera! Once the app was installed, the camera quickly connected to our phone and the intuitive interface had us snapping away in no time. You can also change the camera settings which include three different resolutions of pictures and switching on the wide angle view; the latter giving some exaggerated distortion. There’s also the option to share the images to your favourite social media site, so everybody knows what you’re having for breakfast as you’re having it.

Final word

The image quality is exactly what you expect from a compact camera. In a word. Below par. Okay that’s two words. In good light detail is average and in indoor shots there’s aggressive noise reduction. It’s us being picky, since most users are only going to share these online and will likely be viewed on a small screen.

HTC will also sell you accessories like a clamp for mounting the camera on the bike and a suction cup to stick on a flat surface for action shots. And for Rs 10,990, it has most action cams beat. Unfortunately it isn’t rugged, and is a bit weird to look at. Though intuitive to use, results are not great. Buy it only if you have to have the latest gadget. Just don’t point it in people’s faces, will ya?