GoPro is the wild, crazy surfer dude of the consumer electronics world that has made its founder into the most fun billionaire in billionaire-dom. Shimano is a precision engineering company that serves the divas of the cycling and fishing worlds. Now, the two worlds of these companies are about to collide as Shimano gets into the compact sports camera market.
GoPro is a pioneering video camera maker which has carved out a niche, a giant niche, as the camera of choice for recording skiing, surfing and gnarly experiences replete with crashes and “whoa, dudes” and super-cool stuff. The company created the sports camera category all by itself. GoPro is an American company that is valued at over $2.5 billion.
Shimano, on the other hand, is most famous for its cycling gear, fishing tackle, and rowing equipment. It is a Japanese manufacturer that makes over $2.5 billion in revenues. You dont have to be a cyclist to appreciate the beauty of Shimano’s cycling hardware.
Now, Shimano has introduced the CM-1000 Sport Camera. The CM-1000 is a compact sports camera as well as a high-definition video camera with all the WiFi and connectivity options that you would expect. It doesn’t have the high quality components and look of GoPro but judging by Shimano’s own video, see below, the results are pretty good.
The fact of the matter is that nearly a third of camcorder shipments in the US are GoPros. It’s a sporting accessory that has taken the world by storm, and traditional camera makers, like Sony, by surprise.
Shimano has a sterling reputation in cycling and fishing. So, it doesn’t have to worry about its brand recognition, and it has customers who are pretty affluent.
As for the CM-1000, it has a unique twist. So, while GoPro is all into the videos and maybe even being a media company, Shimano is sticking to sports, and has some nifty features for cyclists, for example.
The CM-1000 integrates with Shimano’s Di2 groupset. The Di2 provides wireless data on gearshift and usage for cyclists. So, theoretically, the camera can help calculate data such as speed, cadence, power and heart rate, giving cyclists the ability to monitor a video record of their ride and use it in conjunction with their performance data as a training tool. Pretty awesome.
The Shimano site has a video of it being used during a fishing trip and I thought that was pretty cool because, you always want proof of the one that got away. So, what’s better than mounting a camera in the water while you fish.
But, the CM-1000, in almost all other ways, will act much like a GoPro, recording in different modes and viewing angles, as well as easily pairing with a smartphone for quick integration with social media.
The CM-1000 comes with both a vented helmet mount and an adhesive mount. It may also use an optional chest-mount, purchased as an accessory.
Pricing is not available but it is expected to ship in May.
