What action camera should I choose? Reviews and advice from specialists

The camcorder helps people capture the most significant moments of life on a memory card in order to be able to review them at any time. There are situations in which a conventional device for recording video or creating photographs is not enough. This applies to various extreme conditions. Then you need an action camera. Similar situations arise in the amateurs to jump with a parachute or to swim in a kayak along the river in the mountains.

Criteria for choosing an action camera

1. The ability to lock the device on any surface and maximally reliably, so that smooth and high-quality photography could be carried out even during the flight or from a high distance.
2. Video shooting is made with the highest possible resolution, as often it is necessary to shoot small objects or objects from a great distance. This is a decisive parameter when answering the question about which action camera to choose.
3. Providing full resistance to irritating or potentially dangerous factors for the internal mechanism, such as liquid, falling. That is, it is necessary to ensure waterproofness and impact resistance.
4. Long-term shooting should not be a rarity, so you need a battery that is powerful enough for this and the maximum possible amount of memory. These factors should be emphasized when choosing a device.
5. The action camera is one of the most popular items for extreme sports fans, so it will never lose its popularity. When raising the question of which action camera to choose, you need to be guided by your own requests and shooting conditions, and not chasing the nominally the best action camera.

Before choosing an action camera, you need to determine in advance what video should be. It is necessary to designate the quality, resolution and duration of the video. Separate attention deserves the strength of the action camera, since this parameter is often the determining factor in the question of the device's durability. It should be checked that this criterion is observed, since it affects the decision of many athletes about which action camera to choose.

Selecting an action camera for the duration of the survey

Usually, the shooting time depends on the mode in which it is produced. It is also affected by the material from which the device's battery is made. The longest shooting is possible with a lithium-ion battery. Its duration is about 5 hours.

It must be remembered that 5 hours is the maximum mark. A large number of manufacturers offer a maximum of 2 hours of continuous shooting, which is also a satisfactory indicator. It is necessary to turn on the camera in time only at the moment when it is really important.

Also, the duration of video shooting is influenced by alternative charging options. In order to be able to restore 100% of the workforce of the device, in some action cameras it is enough to simply recharge the car cigarette lighter. These small, but significant features affect the decision of people in the matter of what kind of action camera to choose.

Battery capacity

When choosing a suitable action camera, you should first look at the volume of the battery and the maximum operating time, which must be indicated by the manufacturer on the package or in the instructions. Action cameras from Sony in this indicator exceed similar marks for models of brands GoPro and Garmin. You should pay attention to the models of lesser known manufacturers, such as Liquid EGO. They work quite adequately.

If the duration of video shooting is one of the crucial parameters in a particular case, it is necessary to pay attention to this brand, since most models from this manufacturer have a shooting duration of up to 5 hours, which is the maximum that the action camera has.

Which one to choose? Sony AS100 is the answer to this question. This applies to cases where the quality of shooting is more significant than its duration.

Selecting a memory card

The length of the video is not always depending on the battery. The size of the memory card is also important for this. It is necessary to pay attention to memory cards of the 10th class. Usual on 32 Gb allows to write down about 200 minutes of video and about 34 thousand pictures if to consider that the camera has 5 megapixels. If the choice of memory card is one of the decisive moments, you should pay attention to the products of brands SanDisk, Lexar, Delkin, Transcend.

It is not recommended to save on the memory card, especially on the manufacturer, so that there are no problems not only with the recording, but also with reading the files. The more memory you have, the easier it is to use a memory card, you can leave the most memorable videos and photos right on the camera, so you can quickly show them to your friends, without worrying that the new video does not have enough memory. This should be an action camera. What to choose, and other criteria will be prompted.

Choice of action camera for strength

The action camera should be made of impact-resistant material, as it provides its concept. Usually, modern models of such action cameras are made from a special mixture, which includes aluminum and special plastic. There are other varieties of models of action cameras that are produced using polyurethane-grilamide in combination with inserts made of steel. Also, some models are made of thermoplastic polyurethane. The latter two materials are preferable if negative effects of any kind are provided to the device.

Sometimes action cameras are purchased for underwater photography. It should be noted how many meters a person plans to dive. It is important to pay attention to high-strength products when there is a question about which action camera to choose for underwater hunting.

The Sony HDR-AS100V model provides excellent shooting quality at a 5 meter depth. If you need to dive very deeply, GoPro models will do, as most of them allow shooting at a distance of about 60 meters. Comparison of the main criteria will help determine the answer to the question about what action camera to choose for underwater photography.

Features of choice

All high-quality action cameras from reliable manufacturers are waterproof and shockproof, they also have a protective casing that does not allow the penetration of dust into the internal structure, even in strong winds, for example, when in a desert area.

High strength is necessary for professional athletes who are able to shoot videos in really dangerous conditions. If there is no special extreme in the process of shooting, it is desirable to take into account, first of all, the quality indicator of video recording, and only then pay attention to the strength characteristics that the action camera has. What to choose, everyone should decide on their own.

Quality video shooting: an important parameter for selecting an action camera

Most modern devices boast excellent shooting quality, which implies a resolution of 1920x1080 pixels at a rate of 30 frames / second. There are some models, for example, GoPro Hero4, offering the same frequency, but many times increased resolution to 3840x260 pixels. In all models it is allowed to change the quality of shooting independently and to set the resolution that is optimal at a specific moment, but pay attention to the maximum possible parameters.

Some models assume an increase in the speed of shooting video to 60 or 120 fps, but the maximum resolution can be added only to Full HD 1920x1080. These are the maximum values that the action camera boasts. Which one to choose - 2014 or 2015 of release, you decide.

To understand how high the quality of shooting a particular action camera, you need to determine the viewing angle. To understand this, it is enough to look at the parameters in the instruction. The larger the viewing angle, the more extensive the area can be captured when making video. Most modern action cameras are removed with a viewing angle of 100-170 °, however there are models that can boast of great parameters.

If you plan to shoot video in low visibility conditions, that is, the object is in the dark, you need to select a device that will have built-in automatic backlighting or you can connect a special shooting mode that makes objects distinguishable in a dark room.

Sometimes manufacturers are limited to infrared illumination, which is a satisfactory criterion, but in some cases cameras are needed, in which there is a special mode for shooting at night, that is, in almost total darkness. Observance of these criteria will help determine the answer to the question, which dictates the action camera: which one to choose? The reviews unanimously state that it is necessary to be guided by one's own preferences.

Ability to synchronize with other devices

Many action cameras have the ability to connect via an HDMI port directly to digital devices, such as a computer or TV, to almost instantly enable video viewing on a large screen. It is desirable that the action camera can be connected to other devices via Wi-Fi, which also helps to convey the necessary information.

Remote control

This is an additional parameter, with which you can shoot in the most extreme conditions and capture moments that are inaccessible by functional features. The action camera has different parameters. What to choose for an amateur, will help determine some of the functional advantages.

Sound

The microphone built into the camera affects the sound quality. It should be checked that he writes down the most pure sounds and ignores additional noises or cracking, which will make an ideal reproduction of what is happening not only in pictures, but also with the help of sound. If the model is sold at an average or high price, then this parameter is not necessary to worry, since all devices have microphones created by the same technology. Also there are separate microphones and voice recorders for professional recording, which can be turned on simultaneously with video recording. Then an ideal balance of sound quality and pictures is provided.

Mounting

Usually fastening is carried out on a helmet or rudder of a vehicle, such as a motorcycle or a bicycle. The more fasteners in the kit, the more opportunities are opened to correctly and securely lock the device in the right place. The quality of the fasteners is checked to determine which action camera to choose for skiing.

The main purpose of the action camera is to ensure proper shooting under conditions that can be called extreme. Then the usual video camera will be useless. For the action camera there are additional requirements that do not concern conventional devices and distinguish it from analogues. Choose the device that best meets the user's requirements.