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Hitcase PRO converts iphones into action cameras!

snow action team 12.08.2019

Hitcase PRO iPhone cases, mounts and lenses will quickly convert your iphone into a full tilt action camera. One so good and so versatile you won’t actually need the action camera reports Snow Action’s full tilt tester, Steve Leeder. Steve loves to charge on snow or on a mountain bike, so he has been giving innovative HITCASE gear the full workout.

Shooting at sunset with the Hitcase PRO iphone case
The author shooting with the Hitcase PRO case and Super Wide TrueLUX® lens © Steve Leeder

My phone is my life. It’s the only way people can get a hold of me. I do a lot of my work on it, and it is even my TV, so needless to say if something were to happen to it I would be devo’d. 

So I have always been on the look out for a case that is strong, light and didn’t double the size of my already massive phone. 

Using snow as the 'tripod' with a Hitcase PRO iphone case
Set up selfies anywhere – Steve uses snow to wedge his Hitcase PRO clad phone for some crazy selfie clips and shots © Owain Price

For years, I would always get out on the hill or on a trail and wish I remembered my action camera. But I always have my phone with me. So I always thought how sick would it be to just use the phone as my everything camera. But the lens was small, setting it up for a shot was hard, and POV was impossible. Plus that bloody glass screen breaks if you look at it the wrong way!

Then when I was asked by HITCASE to review some of their products I was so stoked. They have everything I have ever thought of to make my iPhone a sports camera. Waterproof and smash proof cases, different lenses to make the shot so much better than a normal phone lens, and mounts to stick it anywhere. 

Sendy ski selfie shot with Hitcase PRO
Pretty neat sendy selfie shot with Hitcase PRO © Steve Leeder

Who are HITCASE? A pretty cool company from Vancouver, Canada. The company was started by a few rad people that love to do cool stuff and take happy snaps to remember their adventure. Just like you and me.

Vancouver’s North Shore can be wet, dirty, rocky or totally covered in snow. So having a way to protect their camera (iPhone) and the memories kept inside it was pretty important to them, and that’s how HITCASE was born. 

They have grown to make some pretty amazing accessories to help take even better photos, including their TrueLUX® series of interchangeable waterproof lenses and a great range of different mounts.

Hitcase PRO © Hitcase

Hitcase PRO snow & road test review

The Hitcase PRO has an aluminium frame with what they call the RAILSLIDE mounting system that lets the phone mount to a tripod or pretty much any other mounting system you might already have (ie. GoPro mounts). The case has a waterproof rating to 10 meters, and drop proof to 5 meters. 

I have a TrueLUX Superwide lens that screws right onto the case. This is basically like a fisheye for your phone. 

And to round out the package a Chest harness for POV shots.

On paper it sounds like I now have one of any of the many action cameras already on the market. Except mine makes phone calls, does emails and has Instagram already on it.

So what’s it really like?

Hitcase Aqua Shield and Air Shield product views
Hitcase accessories; Aqua Shield and Air Shield © Hitcase

Fitting the case was supper easy. Clean your screen and lens and then slide it into the case. The trick is to really be careful to start at one corner and rub around the frame to get the seal perfect.

The only thing I found a bit finicky was the port seal on the bottom that accesses the charging port. It is kind of hard to open. But I guess that’s a good thing really. Don’t think about using those over sized charging cords, they just wont fit. I have an adaptor that plugs my phone to a HDMI cable and I had to shave down the end to get that to fit into the port hole.  I could just take the case on and off but why bother, this was heaps easier.

I was nervous about taking the lens on and off all the time. Once I got over the preciousness of it being so new I never take it off.  Pretty much every single photo is better with a wide angle lens anyway.

Park time selfies made easy with Hitcase PRO © Steve Leeder

I shoot mostly selfies on the bike, and even on the snow, so being able to mount my phone easily to different things is key. 

I bought a special gripper tripod ages ago that I can position on pretty much anything. It even grips around small tree branches. But the worst thing was getting my phone onto the tripod. That’s where the RAILSLIDE comes in. It is so easy to just slide it onto the mount and it is always so secure.

When I’m in the snow selfie life is way easier with a waterproof case. Pile up some snow and stick it in facing where you want the shot. So freakin’ easy!

Rocking the Hitcase ChestR Harness system in deep snow © Hitcase

Hitcase ChestR harness system

The ChestR harness fits really well. It’s really comfortable and pretty easy to get on. There are only 3 straps, not 4 like most of the other harnesses I have used. I find this makes it easier to get over my head and done up.

The neoprene base that the mount is on makes it more comfortable for sure when just on a jersey for bike riding, and there is a little stash pocket on the inside for a card or key. 

I wasn’t expecting the footage to be great from it, but after watching a couple lines on the hill and in the park the footage was pretty stable and I didn’t feel the phone move much at all.

Adjusting the Hitcase ChestR mount © Hitcase

Hitcase PRO the final verdict

I know I’m hooked. The lens is pretty much never off my phone now.  I’m really torn between the WIDE and the SUPER WIDE lens, but I think that’s just a personal preference to your own photo style.

Thanks to the Hitcase PRO I now have an action camera with me at all times.  This is awesome gear!

HITCASE have a range of cases, lenses and mounts to suit iphone 6 and onwards and upwards.

Apart from the company’s awesome cases, their TruLUX® lens systems and mount options are excellent, and very well priced – if you have invested in a topline iphone forget the action camera and just upscale the phone with some selected Hitcase gear to suit your lifestyle.

Check the full range and order your selection on the Hitcase site here.

For more great revies/on-snow tests from Steve check his lowdown on Contour Hybrid Skins here, and Kastle FX106 HP skis here.

Tester Steve hard at work © Owain Price