There’s a lot of POVs on the market. In fact, here at unofficial we’ve covered most of them and even though we particularly like the GoPro, there are some advantages of the V.I.O. POV that are worth mentioning. First off it’s the most low profile POV on the market. Forget looking like a Telletubby, with the V.I.O., from most angles it’s hard to even tell that you’re wearing a helmet camera. Second, the V.I.O. lets you control exposure in the field. There’s nothing worse than thinking you have epic footage only to get home and realize when you get home that it’s totally blown out. Lastly, there’s no guess work to what you’re actually recording- you can dial in the hand held unit to know that you’re precisely lined up and you’re not just getting your feet or the sky.
Now for the downsides. First, and what most critics will call attention to, is the bulkiness of the actual recording unit. It’s separate from the actual camera and you have to carry it somewhere else on your body (with a wire that attaches to the camera). Second, it’s (much) more expensive than most units. In fact, you could buy two of most other brands for the price of one V.I.O. Lastly, it runs on AA batteries- definitely not as user friendly as other POVs.
So why is it the best?
Yes it’s more expensive, bulkier, and runs on AA, but when everything is working it’s the most consistent, sure-fire way to capture footage (and not look like a jackass doing it). It’s not the camera for everybody, but if you want to be 100% about your footage every time, get a V.I.O.
