by Mike Carey, April 28, 2014

The innovation that took casual and professional videographers by storm a few years back was the development of the GoPro with its small size and ability to be stuck in a variety of interesting locations, not to mention the waterproof case it came with. Suddenly YouTube was flooded with action videos made by amateurs and pros alike. For a few years now GoPro has pretty much owned the market. So it was a surprise to stumble upon a “GoPro Killer” located right here in the Pacific Northwest. I’m referring to a company based out of Coeur D’Alene Idaho, Reel Cameras.

I got my hands on a couple of Reel Camera’s HD Slayer and we got to give them a shake down on lake Coeur D’ Alene recently while Chinook fishing. We put the cameras to the test to see how they stack up against the equivalently priced GoPro Silver. Here is what we found.
At first glance, you may think the HD Slayer is a GoPro. The square shape and size are about identical. But that’s where the similarities end. If the GoPro is the camera for the professional with its off the wall specs (1080P, 60 FPS and 720P, 120 FPS), then the HD Slayer is the “Workingman’s” camera, with its incredible ease of use and features that leave the GoPro in the dust.

The first thing I noticed as I got familiar with the HD Slayer is it’s large LCD screen on the back of the camera, and it’s row of six buttons on top of the camera. No more ¾” micro black/white screen with archaic menu system and icons, something out of the DOS age (if you don’t remember DOS, it’s what Microsoft started out with, um, thirty years ago). No, what the HD Slayer gave me was easy access to all the camera’s menus and functions in an easy to read and navigate full size LCD screen. No more “two button guess which is which” confusion. And best of all, the case is configured so when in it the user can still easily press all the buttons. Game Changer! I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been frustrated by the GoPro menu system, to the point of not even wanting to fiddle with it for fear of messing something up and missing that one time shot (it’s happened, more than once…). The HD Slayer is made for the person that wants ease of use. And, having the LCD allows you to set up your shots and know exactly what you’re filming. The GoPro comes with an LCD screen – as an add-on for $79.99, while the on the HD Slayer its standard. That’s value and ease of use. BTW, the case is water proof to 130 feet, plenty deep enough for the majority of casual uses.

Let’s move on to the side of the camera. HDMA and USB plugs for easy connection to your HD TV. Two micro SD slots (the GoPro only has one). Nice touch and again, superior innovation. Also, when you order online Reel Cameras gives you a free 8 gb micro SD card. GoPro comes with no SD card. Front of the camera – an LED light/flash. GoPro? None, nada. Here’s a feature that will hook the guys that like to fiddle with their cameras. The HD Slayer lens has an adjustment that allows for underwater film fine-tuning. Turn the lens 95 degrees to work with the light refraction of the water for clear and vibrant footage.

President/CEO Dan Baker tells me the camera will take great underwater shots even without changing the setting, but this will put it over the top for underwater clarity. I found a blog from a spear fisherman in California who loves this feature and now only uses the HD Slayer as his underwater camera. His footage is amazing. Check it out at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZGmmwtk3rj4. Be sure to watch in 720p. The other lens feature which is unique to the HD Slayer is the ability to remove and replace the 127 degree lens with either an optional 170 (ultra widescreen), 148 (widescreen), or 96 (narrow field) degree lens for even more shooting flexibility. Dan Baker does caution that when changing lens you need to preview on your TV so you can fine tune the focus. Personally, in our filming tests the standard 127 degree lens shot great video and I feel no need to switch lens.

Rounding out our tour of the camera is another killer innovation that I love. The camera case and the camera body have a tri-pod screw connection. The GoPro doesn’t have this at all and it’s a mystery why not. This simple feature makes using the HD Slayer on tri-pods and hand wands easy to use. It gives you a whole new set of ways to secure your camera to various surfaces such as boat rails. It’s amazing that such a simple thing gives so much functionality in return. I can’t begin to say how much I like this feature! Speaking of mounts, HD Slayer comes with a generous four mounts included, compared to two with the GoPro. But, when you sell your GoPro on Ebay, save the connectors, because HD Slayer uses the same thread size so those GoPro mounts will work just fine.

OK, how about under the hood? I mentioned at the start of this review that GoPro can’t be beat for their specs, and that’s true. The HD Slayer has 1080p at 30 FPS vrs. GoPro’s 60 FPS, and 720p at 60 FPS vrs. GoPro’s 120 FPS. Also, the GoPro has superior photo recording intervals compared to the HD Slayer. However, what the GoPro doesn’t have that HD Slayer has is Motion Detection.

Another under the hood feature HD Slayer has that GoPro doesn’t have is 4x zoom in 720p mode. Yup, you can use that easy to use LED interface and zoom to get just the image you want. One feature the GoPro Silver has that HD Slayer doesn’t is Wi Fi. Definitely a cool feature to have. Any of us that have wireless routers and cell phones know that they aren’t 100% reliable. I’m fine with just running my HD Slayer in recording mode and using the “loop” feature that records over and over until you get the shot you want, and then turning looping off. The batteries on both cameras are pretty comparable. In testing I got 8.5gb filmed on a battery charge. Having a spare battery is still needed if you want to fill those big SD cards, whether a GoPro or a Reel Camera.

I’ve used GoPros for years and now have used the Reel Camera HD Slayer. I’ve got over 175 fishing videos I’ve made over the years so while not a professional videographer, I do have some experience in shooting action videos. For my purposes, the advantages of the GoPro’s superior video and photo specs just don’t match up as a fair trade for all the ease of use features packed into the HD Slayer. The HD Slayer will take beautiful HD quality footage that I doubt you’ll be able to tell the difference. I was totally satisfied with the footage and uploaded to YouTube it looks great.

For the features, the ease of use, and the value the HD Slayer by Reel Cameras can’t be beat.

If you’re looking for a great deal on this fine camera, Reel Cameras is offering our members $20 off the cost of an HD Slayer, and includes free shipping. Use offer code DAVIP20 at check out. In addition, send Digital Anglers a scan of your receipt and we’ll give you $20 in Sponsor fishing gear, and a Premium Membership to our web sites (value $24). That’s $64 in savings!

Check out Reel Camera at ReelCameras.com today.

*Free Sponsor fishing gifts limited. Send scanned invoice to support@washingtonlakes.com, or mail to Digital Anglers LLC, PO Box 3584, Redmond, WA 98073-3584. Premium Membership good to 3/15/15.