The latest from Sena, the Sena Prism Action Cam is a seriously advanced Bluetooth camera, that allows you to record daredevil-like moments with playback, all in crisp, vivid video and audio on the fly. Solidly built, the Bluetooth 4.0 action camera, records video in 1080p at 30fps; 720p at 30; or 60fps and 480p at up to 120fps.
Sena Prism Action Cam Design and Features
Among many of the fantastic features of this Go-Pro rival, there’s a voice-over function, allowing you to record audio using Sena or other Bluetooth intercoms for narration, and it’s even possible to record group intercom conversations. The Prism can also be paired with a product like the Sena 20S, and the Prism video control can be turned on and off with a push of the jog dial on the intercom. Using two Sena products in this way makes it a breeze to get awesome action video in short clips. The menu system in the Prism is also accessible by using the jog dial on the intercom.
The square shaped unit measures a mere 63 mm x 44 mm x 23 mm, weighs in at 125 grams with battery, and has a recessed lens behind the protective vinyl cover, both protecting the unit. The Prism is solid and very well built, and on the back it contains an microSD card port, and HDMI port and a mini-USB port.
Mounts
The Prism Action Cam comes with an enormous variety of camera mounts, from helmet to suction cup to goggle mounts, and all of these are super important when you’re trying to catch shots and video on a motorcycle. The helmet mount, in particular, is very sweet. It’s a metal helmet mount with an adjustable ball and socket, giving you a lot of stability, ease-of-use and variety with your shots. With the helmet mount, your Prism can be installed and removed quickly and efficiently on all types of helmets, thanks to Sena’s QRM™ (Quick Release Mount) System.
All of the mounts included in the Prism kit cover everything, including an extensive variety of mounting hardware, like a side mirror base, a fork-slide base, pretection bar/engine bar base, a surface adhesive base, a windshield base and a motorcycle-specific fog lamp base.
Sena Prism App
Sena also has an App for the Prism, allowing you to adjust camera settings, and the company is talking about a live view feature. Of course, your smartphone uses the Prism’s Bluetooth 4.0 compatibility to connect. The app also allows you to configure the device settings to include a group of intercom friends. You can download the Sena Smartphone App for Android or iPhone from sena.com.
Additionally, the Sena Prism Action Cam app allows you to change settings in the camera without using the menu system. Once paired to your smartphone, you can use your phone to change settings. The app actually comes in handy once the Prism is mounted on your helmet and you want to quickly change settings.
Bluetooth
The Bluetooth functionality is the real magic here. Pair the Sena Prism Action Cam with your headset and Sena’s built-in Bluetooth features allow you to use the jog dial functions on Sena headsets to start, stop, communicate and share every second of your ride. You can narrate your video as it happens, with no need for editing audio later. The Prism has a sleep mode feature, which can be activated and de-activated using your headset buttons. This feature saves your battery and your memory usage, allowing you to extend both for more video recording.
Performance and Use
In terms of video quality, dare we say the Sena Prism Action Cam rivals the Go-Pro, maybe even better. It shines with its frames-per-second, and the color saturation is second to none, better than the Go-Pro. What’s even more of a selling feature is that the Prism can accept firmware upgrades. So as software and bluetooth technologies advance, so can your Prism. And these downloads and upgrades are obviously free for Prism owners.
Check out the video from Mosey Levy…
The Sena Prism Action Cam is the only action camera that has voice prompting. The camera constantly gives you status updates, such as when you pair via bluetooth, when you’re battery is low, and time elapsed since your last recording. This not only keeps you hands-free from checking the status of your prism, but more importantly, it keeps your eye on the road.
The Prism is very easy to use with or without connecting to an intercom. Once the camera is charged, turn it on and you’re ready to go. The various menu choices are selected by pressing the “M” button, then you can dive down into the menu system by using the “S” button. If video is selected, press the red dot “S” button and the camera will start recording in your set resolution. Press again to stop. It’s a good idea to pair your Prism with your smartphone in headset pairing mode, and to the 20S or other Sena intercoms with intercom pairing mode.
Sena Prism Formal Specs and Features
If you’re interested in the complete Prism specs, here they are:
- Lens: 3.5M pixel CMOS with f/2.0 aperture.
- Field of view is 140 degrees.
- Bluetooth 4.0, Headset Profile and Hands-Free Profile (HFP)
- Bluetooth Audio Recording allows recording of your voice (not music) from your Sena Bluetooth intercom.
- Bluetooth remote control using Bluetooth headsets.
- The Sena Quick Release Motorcycle Mount mounting system.
- Built-in microphone, Bluetooth headset voiceover mic or external Bluetooth microphones can be attached.
- Voice prompts with your Sena intercom.
- Video Modes: 1080p at 30fps; 720p at 30 or 60fps; 480p up to 120fps.
- Photo modes include single shot, time lapse and burst.
- Water-resistant for use in inclement weather. Includes waterproof housing in kit.
- Use while charging.
- Lithium Ion Battery: 1100 mAh. Battery life: Approx. 2 hours. Charging time: Approx. 3.5 hours.
- Sena Prism app available to change settings on the camera.
- Firmware upgradeable.
- The sensor is a 3.5 megapixel CMOS
- The Prism connects with the app via Bluetooth, not WiFi
- Captures video in .MP4 H.264 format at 1080p 30fps; 720p at 30 or 60fps or 480p at 120fps for slow-motion. At 30fps, the video bitrate averages around 11,300 kbps.
- Audio is recorded at 128kbps at 30fps in two channel stereo at 48kHz. The Prism records in two channel stereo, and has a single microphone in front.
- It can record sound from a Bluetooth intercom system, Sena or other brands.
- It can take photographs in 3.5MP (3:2); 3.2MP (4:3); 3.0MP (16:9); 5.0MP (16:9)
- Has burst shot mode that takes 10, 5 or 3 photos. There’s also a time lapse mode for photographs and video of 1, 3, 5, 10, 30 and 60 seconds
- The lens has a field of view of 137 degrees or 90 degrees, set by the user in the menu system. The lens has an f2.0 aperture.
- ISO is automatic as is white balance.
- The Prism battery is 1100 mAh. It lasts up to about 2 hours on a full charge and takes about 3-4 hours to charge.
- The Sena Prism Action Cam uses a microSD memory card, not included
- Voice Commands: Speaking the command “Prism” while the an intercom is connected to the Prism, will start and stop video capturing
- The Sena Prism Action Cam is unique in that there are currently no other action cameras that can record voice while riding.
- The Prism is water-resistant without the waterproof case.
Bottom Line
The Sena Prism Action Cam is, hands down, the best action camera for motorcycle use, and one of the top 2 action cams PERIOD on the market. The camera and its mounting systems are state-of-the-art, and Sena has taken great care in making this kit completely comprehensive. Additionally, the Prism also takes excellent quality video, that rivals anything on the market. And let’s not forget the connectivity options included. The Prism can be controlled by a Sena intercom, and voiceovers can be recorded on the video with Sena and other brands of Bluetooth intercoms.
The Sena Prism Action Cam retails for $399.00, and the unit gets our full endorsement. Stay tuned for a full review on the Sena 20S…
