Hitcase Pro for iPhone 5 Review: Makes iPhone a GoPro

The Hitcase Pro for iPhone 5 turns the phone into a ruggedized GoPro style video camera with a fisheye lens and a water proof and shock proof case. Optional accessories help users mount their iPhone 5 to a car, boat, helmet or almost anything. The Hitcase Pro works great in extreme environments or while playing extreme sports. Use it for any activity where someone might want to shoot video with an iPhone 5 camera, but can’t just hold the phone while shooting.

The HItcase Pro costs $129.99 directly from the company. We think it’s worth it for those who need to record video while also protecting their phone from drops and water as they …

• Record while driving a car
• Motorcycle
• Bike
• Mounted to a helmet during sports or outdoor adventures or
• While hiking or running.

The Hitcase Pro houses the iPhone 5 in a durable ruggedized case. The screen overlay protects the phone display and the company promises that the spray from the lake or ocean won’t harm the phone as the user races across the water in the boat, or on skies. Submerge the phone up to 33 feet and it should stay dry inside the case. In our tests the case protected the iPhone flung 20-30 feet across the yard a few times. The Hitcase Pro always kept the iPhone 5 safe.

The case also covers the lens of the iPhone 5 camera with a wide-angle lens that gives video and images a bit of a fisheye look. Hitcase promises a wider field of view with the lens adding about 70 percent.

The fisheye lens leads to our main gripe with the product’s design. We’d like to exchange lenses with a zoom lens.

The case folds open where users can see the inner lining, which keeps the phone safe when dropped or submerged. The clamps that keep the case closed may fall off when the user opens the case, but they snap right back into place. The phone fits snug, which we like. No water will seep into the case.

The case covers the power button and volume buttons so metal pins help the user press these buttons on the phone. To charge the phone the user must open the case. A rubber insert covers the headphone jack, protecting it from water. The user can remove it with some difficulty to hear their video’s audio on location.

Hitcase provides a free app called Vidometer, that rhymes with speedometer. It records video and overlays telemetry data, like speed, G-Force and horizontal angle. The app functions well. Upload videos to YouTube or save them to the camera roll. You can get more details in iTunes.

Available accessories let users connect to a helmet, bike, motorcycle and more.

We love the Hitcase Pro and think buyers should check it out. It’s like having a GoPro camera, but with phone capabilities built-in. Even at nearly $130 it’s a great buy because of the extreme protection it provides and the wide-angle lens.