Action cam likes it rough

Drift HD Ghost Action Camera
$399 at Amazon.com

As you go blasting down your favorite ski slope, you might want to take along a strap-on action camera to preserve your heroics for posterity. Drift Innovation Ltd.’s Ghost HD is more expensive than many rival products, but solidly built and stuffed with features.

The Ghost is sealed in a waterproof housing that can tolerate being dunked in up to nine feet of water. Its LCD viewscreen is made out of Gorilla Glass, the famously tough stuff found on Apple Inc.’s iPhone. And it’s got a pushbutton remote control, so a user can switch it on or off, even when the camera is bolted to his helmet or the fork of his mountain bike.

Like a growing number of digital cameras, the Ghost has built-in Wi-Fi wireless networking. A free smartphone app will connect phone to camera, and turn the phone into a remote control. The user will be able to start and stop recording, shoot still images, and adjust the camera’s settings from up to 300 feet away. The app is available for iPhones; a version for phones running Google Inc.’s Android software is under development.

The Ghost isn’t cheap, but its high-end features make it a worthy option for action sports buffs.